What Scripture says
On the second day of creation, “God said, ‘Let there be an expanse [Hebrew raqia] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.’ … And God called the expanse Heaven” (Genesis 1:6–8, ESV). The sun, moon and stars are placed “in the expanse of the heavens” (1:14–17), and birds fly “across the expanse of the heavens” (1:20).
Other passages use vivid images of the sky:
- God “stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in” (Isaiah 40:22).
- “Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?” (Job 37:18).
- “The windows of the heavens were opened” at the flood (Genesis 7:11).
- The heavens are pictured as a scroll to be rolled up (Isaiah 34:4).
What the evidence says
Context
What raqia means
The Hebrew noun raqia comes from a verb, raqa, meaning to beat out or spread out, used of hammering metal into thin plates (Exodus 39:3, Numbers 16:38). The Latin Vulgate translated it firmamentum, from which the King James Version’s “firmament” comes, suggesting something firm. Modern translations such as the ESV and NIV use “expanse” or “vault”.
Ancient views of the sky
Many ancient peoples pictured the sky as a solid dome: Egyptian art shows the sky goddess Nut arching over the earth, and the Babylonian Enuma Elish describes Marduk splitting Tiamat’s body to form the sky, with guards posted to keep the waters above from escaping (see 4.8).
How literally was it meant?
| View | Reading of raqia |
|---|---|
| Solid dome | Israelites shared the ancient belief in a solid sky, and the Bible uses that picture |
| Phenomenological | Describes the sky as it appears to an observer, not making a scientific claim |
| Expanse or atmosphere | The word refers to the open space of the sky, “spread out” |
The solid-dome view is held by many scholars, including some evangelicals such as Paul Seely and John Walton. They note the word’s root, the “waters above”, and the images in Job 37:18. Many add that God accommodated his message to the understanding of the original audience: Genesis teaches who made the world and why, not its physical structure.
The phenomenological view notes that the Bible describes nature as it appears, as we still speak of the “sunrise” (see 2.2). The “windows of heaven” is poetic language for heavy rain, as in 2 Kings 7:2, where it is clearly metaphorical.
The expanse view points out that birds fly “across the face of” the raqia (Genesis 1:20), which suggests open sky, and that Isaiah pictures it as a curtain or tent (Isaiah 40:22), not a metal dome.
Scripture
Teaching versus description
Whichever reading is right, Genesis 1’s point is theological: one God made the sky, the seas and everything in them, and none of them is a god (see 2.1, 4.8). The Bible uses the language of its time to describe the world as people saw it.
Where they meet
Hebrew raqia (“firmament”) may reflect an ancient description of the sky as seen, not a scientific claim. Scholars debate how literally it was meant.
What’s still open
Whether ancient Israelites thought of the sky as solid, and how that relates to the Bible’s authority.
Bottom line
Hebrew raqia (“firmament”) may reflect an ancient description of the sky as seen, not a scientific claim. Scholars debate how literal it was meant, so this is rated Debated.