It is derived from the verb raqa’, which means to beat out, stamp, or spread out a solid object, usually metal, to make it thinner, flatter, and broader. The Hebrew term in question is the noun raqiya’. We should determine the meaning of the word objectively and draw our conclusions from there.) (I don’t believe that respect or disrespect for the teaching of the Bible is at stake in this inquiry. We can evaluate Schaeffer’s claims here by considering both the derivation and the usage of the Hebrew term in Genesis that English Bibles variously translate as “firmament” (KJV), “expanse” (ESV, NASB, HCSB), “space” (NLT), or “vault” (NIV). Schaeffer, Genesis in Space and Time (Downers Grove, Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1972), p. Rather what is being referred to is differentiation in the area of being-a differentiation of the openness that is about us.” Francis A. In any case, the idea that it is merely a hard covering and reflects a primitive notion of a three-story universe is in error. But it is also the place where the birds fly (v. Perhaps for our generation the word space would be the best equivalent. Firmament simply means “expanse.” It is a rather broad word, as we can see from the fact that the firmament is where the moon and the sun and the stars are (v. “Some scholars who have tried to minimize the teaching of the Bible have said that the word firmament indicates that the Jews had an idea of a brass or iron covering over the world. Here is what Schaeffer writes in his book: In his book Genesis in Space and Time, Francis Schaeffer briefly argues that the word “firmament” in Genesis 1:6 should not be taken to mean a solid dome or brass covering, but is instead best translated as “expanse.” He says it is a fairly broad word that can be understood as “space” or “air” and that the notion that the Hebrews believed that the earth was covered by a solid dome is mistaken.
Reasonable Jews, Christians, and Muslims assume it is one of the allegorical parts of the Bible, or recognize it for what it is, a pre-scientific attempt to explain part of the world (much like earthquakes or lightning).Q. The simple theory of gravity would send any such canopy crashing to the ground but of course, gravity is just a theory. Of course, rational people know that this is bullshit. Kent Hovind He Who Must Not Be Named claims that the firmament was a shell of solid ice which completely covered the Earth before the Great Flood. This shows that the writers of the Bible believed that the sky was a literal solid thus, creationists have tried to come up with various excuses. The Bible uses all models without noting their incompatibilities. Plato showed that Earth was a sphere and proposed seven crystal spheres holding the heavenly bodies giving us seven heavens. After dome construction was invented, it became obvious that God had used the best construction method and earth was flat with a domed sky. The early model of the Universe had a flat Earth with a flat sky held up with pillars, much like post and lintel construction. It is made of a metallic, reflective or crystalline substance. Įlsewhere in the Bible, the Firmament is compared to a tent. It separates the Earth from the waters of Heaven, but has floodgates for when God feels like letting it rain, or simply killing people. The Firmament is a vast, solid plate/dome/sphere upon which God affixed the stars. " Firmament" is the most common English translation of the Hebrew word raqiaà, as used in the Bible. According to some YECs, pre-flood Earth was enveloped by a layer of ice that protected the biosphere from cosmic radiation.