THE FIRMAMENT OF HEAVEN
Letting Scripture Interpret Itself
By Gary Ray Branscome
In the first chapter of Genesis, the Hebrew
word “raki’a” which our King James
translates as “firmament,” is
a word that originated with the process of pounding soft metals into
sheets.
Because the metal was being expanded, the word came to convey the idea
of
expanding or spreading something out. However, because the metal was
also being
pounded, the word took on a second meaning of firming something up.
That is why
the Vulgate and older translations translate “raki’a”
as “firmament, while newer translations translate it as “expanse”.
That being said, it is important to
understand that while a dictionary may be able to tell us what the
different
meanings of a word are, it is the context, and the context alone, that
determines which meaning is intended. And, when we look at the context
we find
the words, “Fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament (raki’a) of heaven (Genesis 1:20).” That
statement tells us
two important things. First, it tells us that in Genesis one the Hebrew
word “raki’a” is not being used to describe
something hard or
firm, as atheists sometimes claim, but something open that birds can
fly
through. Second, it tells us that in Genesis one the Hebrew word “raki’a” is not describing a “sky” that is far
away, but the
open area, or space, above the earth. However,
as we study the context further we read, “God said, Let there be lights
in the
firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night,” (Genesis
Now the ancient Hebrews knew that the
sun, moon, and stars were far higher than anywhere any bird could fly.
Therefore,
they spoke of the area where the birds fly as the first heaven, the
area where
the sun, moon and stars are as the second heaven, and the dwelling
place of God
as the third heaven (2Corinthians 12:2).
Applying what we have just learned
about the Hebrew word “raki’a” to Genesis
1:7, which tells us that God “divided the
waters which were under the
firmament from the waters which were above the firmament,” we need to
ask: Are
the upper waters above the firmament where the birds are? Or are they
above the
firmament where the stars are? To me it seems obvious that verse seven
is
telling us that the earth was originally shrouded with heavy cloud
cover or
fog, and “God said, Let there be an open expanse in the midst of the
waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the expanse,
and
separated the waters that were under the atmosphere from the waters
above the breathable atmosphere: and it was so,”
(Genesis
1:6-7).
In saying this I realize that some
Bible students think that the “waters above the atmosphere,” were not
just
clouds, but also included a clear vapor canopy above the atmosphere.
And, that
may have been the case. There is a lot that we do not know about the
pre-flood
world. However, such a canopy is not
required by the text.
The most important point that I want
to make, and the thought that I want to get across, is that when we let
Scripture itself define the Hebrew word “raki’a,”
it
is perfectly clear that nothing the Bible says in Genesis one
contradicts
science. In fact, the Bible was far ahead of science! And, that holds
true, not
only in its description of the universe, but also in what it says about
the age
of the earth, and animals reproducing after their own kind.
THE DUST OF THE GROUND
In
conclusion, let us look at
another
statement of Scripture that atheists sometimes take issue with. The
words, “And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into
his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul,” (Genesis
2:7).
Those who take issue with those words of Scripture assume that they
know
better. After all, the idea that man is made of “dust” seems so
unscientific to
them. So why does Christ call them “fools”? (Luke 24:25).
What they fail to understand is that
in ancient Hebrew the word, “dust” signifies those minute smoke-like
wind-borne
particles stirred up by the feet as you walk. Those smoke-like wisps of
dust
are so fine that the individual particles are often too small to be
seen with
the unaided eye. For that reason, if we were translating the word,
“molecules”
into ancient Hebrew we would translate it as, “dust”. When the Bible
speaks of
us as clay it is using metaphor. But, whenever it speaks of what we are
made of
without using a figure of speech it uses the word “dust” [i.e.
molecules].
Therefore, what Genesis 2:7 is saying is just this, “And the LORD God
formed
man from the molecules of the earth, and breathed into his
nostrils the
breath of life; and man became a living soul”. God is always far ahead
of
science!
branscome.org