Genesis also says that there was a solid dome with stars in it that held up water with windows that would open and close to let water through.
But we of course don't view this as being a literal scientific truth.
The cosmology of the flat earth holds that a dome covers a circular, flat earth, with its edge resting on the earth beyond the ice wall of Antarctica. The stars are affixed to this dome, while the sun and moon are above the earth but beneath the dome. Some have called this a snow-globe cosmology, because of its resemblance to a snow-globe. Supposedly, this is the cosmology that the Bible teaches. Ironically, skeptics make the same argument, but their intent is to discredit the Bible. Few flat-earthers appear to be aware of this fact or the irony. Let us examine the Scriptures that supposedly support this cosmology.
Key in this discussion is the
firmament. The Hebrew word
rāqîa‘ is translated as
firmament in the King James Version. It appears a total of 17 times in the Old Testament, with over half of the occurrences (nine times) in chapter 1 of Genesis alone. The word is a noun that derives from the Hebrew root
rq‘, meaning to stamp out.
4 An example of this action is to stamp or pound a metal into thin sheets. This is a common practice with gold, because gold is so malleable. Gilding is the process of attaching gold leaf to objects, giving the impression that the objects are pure gold. For instance, the Ark of the Covenant was gilded with gold leaf over acacia wood (
Exodus 25:10–11). Gold leaf can be pounded or rolled so thin that bright light can be seen through it. From the meaning of this word, we can deduce that the
rāqîa‘ is something that has been pounded or stretched out.
From the meaning of this word, we can deduce that the rāqîa‘ is something that has been pounded or stretched out.
Unfortunately, some people reason that since this is an action frequently done to a metal, the thing being stretched out must have some physical property common with metals. Metals often are hard, so, according to this reasoning, the
rāqîa‘ must be hard. This certainly is the sense of the archaic English word
firmament, which has a common root with the word firm. However, is this the intended meaning? Not all metals are hard; and gold, which is involved in the best example illustrating the Hebrew root from which the Hebrew noun
rāqîa‘ comes, definitely is not hard. Therefore, it is questionable if the
rāqîa‘ is something that is hard. It is more likely that the intended meaning of
rāqîa‘ is related to the process of stamping out, not a physical property of the thing subjected to the process. The process has the effect of spreading out a substance, or possibly making the substance thin. This is why many more modern translations of the Bible render
rāqîa‘ as
expanse rather than
firmament.
The first use of the word
rāqîa‘ in the Bible probably is helpful in deciphering its meaning. This is found in
Genesis 1:6, the beginning of the Day Two creation account. The Day Two creation account begins with God’s declaration that there be a
rāqîa‘ to divide the waters from the waters. The
next verse tells us that God made the
rāqîa‘ and divided the waters that were below the
rāqîa‘ from the waters that were above the
rāqîa‘. Thus, the word
rāqîa‘ appears three times in this verse. Before declaring an end to Day Two in
Genesis 1:8, God called the
rāqîa‘ “heaven.” Therefore, the Hebrew word
rāqîa‘ appears five times in the Day Two account.
There are several observations that we can make from this passage. First, the waters that God divided were the waters mentioned in
Genesis 1:2. It is clear that the waters that God separated below must refer to surface water (mostly oceans) on the earth. But what are the waters above the
rāqîa‘? How we answer that question will depend upon what we understand the
rāqîa‘ is. Notice that God equated the
rāqîa‘ with heaven. The Hebrew word
šāmayim is translated as “heaven” most of the more than 400 times it occurs in the Old Testament, as it is here.
Interpreting Scripture in terms of Scripture, we find reinforcement of the equation of the
rāqîa‘ with heaven. At least eleven verses in the Old Testament speak of God stretching out the heavens (
Job 9:8;
Psalm 104:2;
Isaiah 40:22;
42:5;
44:24;
45:12;
48:13;
51:13; Jerimiah 10:12; 51:15;
Zechariah 12:1). On Day Two, God made the
rāqîa‘, something that is spread or stretched out. Furthermore, God called the
rāqîa‘ heaven. The stretching of the heavens probably refers to when God made the
rāqîa‘.
Heaven generally is understood as being above us. Depending on the context, the word can refer to that which is immediately above us, where flying birds, clouds, and rain are. It also can refer to the realm of astronomical bodies. Finally, it often refers to the abode of God. “Heaven” has all these meanings, both in modern use and in the Bible. Does the
rāqîa‘ refer to all of these meanings, or just some of those meanings?
The other appearances of the word
rāqîa‘ in the Genesis 1 creation account can help in answering this question. The next use of the word
rāqîa‘ is in the Day Four account of creation (
Genesis 1:14–19), where it appears three times. Each time it appears in conjunction with the Hebrew word
šāmayim. The best way to express this relationship in English is with the prepositional phrase, “expanse of heaven.” This construction emphasizes, lest there be any doubt, that the thing mentioned in the Day Four account is the thing that God made on Day Two. In
Genesis 1:14, God commanded that there be lights in the firmament of heaven.
Genesis 1:15 expands the command that they be for lights in the firmament of heaven.
Genesis 1:17–18 states that God made the lights and
set them in the firmament of heaven. It is clear here that the lights are the heavenly bodies, the greater and lesser lights, and the stars also (
Genesis 1:16). Therefore, the firmament of heaven (the
rāqîa‘) is where God placed the heavenly, or astronomical, bodies. Today we would call this
outer space, or simply
space.