“And when the seasons, in their circling course,
Winter and summer, spring and autumn, each
Should come, according to well-ordered plan;
Out of a confused heap who didst create
This ordered sphere, and from the shapeless mass
Of matter didst the universe adorn;--
Grant to me life, and be that life well spent,
Thy grace enjoying; let me act and speak
In all things as Thy Holy Scriptures teach”
(Ante-Nicene Christian Library, Vol.1).
And the Holy Scriptures taught Clement about the spherical shape of the earth!
Also, you are not reading the works of Clement of Alexandria. I did not snag this quote from somewhere on the internet. I typed it in from the book. Clement also has a work called
Exhortation to the Greeks where Clement refutes the pagan beliefs of the Greeks. Clement of Alexandria was not born a Christian. He was born in Athens and, like all gentiles of this period of history, found Christ. He didn't have to become a Jew first in order to accept Christ either.
You argument against Clement of Alexandria fails on two accounts:
1.) Gentiles were and still are allowed to accept Christ as their Savior (See Isaiah 60:3).
2.) Clement of Rome also read spinning globe from Scripture and he was a close companion of the Apostles; appointed by the Apostle Peter to lead the growing church in Rome; was mentioned favorably by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3, and mentioned by the church fathers after him favorably.
The globular readings of Scripture is how all the ancient Christians and Jews understood the verses discussed. The Christians didn't borrow anything from the Greeks because the entire Old Testament is older than the first recorded Greek thought about the spherical shape of the earth which was 500 B.C.
Here are a few globe earth verses from the Bible from the 4th century Latin Vulgate and the best English translation for each verse.
2000 B.C
Job 26:10,
Latin Vulgate: "terminum circumdedit aquis usque dum finiantur lux et tenebrae."
Word: circumdedit, from H2328 חוּג chûwg
Latin Definition
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/t...u6Xw5sCqPm6AjCvyh0C9lqu_HvcahSEHNHo2glgTwtYpg
English: "He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end" (Strong's H2328: חוּג chûwg; -- KJV).
Job 37:12,
Latin Vulgate: "quae lustrant per circuitum quocumque eas voluntas gubernantis duxerit ad omne quod praeceperit illis super faciem orbis terrarum"
Word: Orbis, from H8398 תֵּבֵל têbêl
English Definition
Orb definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
Latin Definition
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/t...TfVc6P3TWfpYKZkRKQan5Q-h4h1CRu06dNzISfm3fFy0o
English "Being turned by his guidance to their doing all that he commanded them upon the face of the habitable globe of the earth" (Strong's H2015 הָפַךְ hâphak, H4524 מֵסַב mêçab, H8398 תֵּבֵל têbêl, H776 אֶרֶץ ʼerets -- 1876 Julia E. Smith Bible).
1000 B.C.,
Psalm 89:11,
Latin Vulgate: "tui sunt caeli et tua est terra orbem terrae et plenitudinem eius tu fundasti"
Word: Orbem, from H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl
LOrb, English Definition
Orb definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
Latin Definition
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/t...TfVc6P3TWfpYKZkRKQan5Q-h4h1CRu06dNzISfm3fFy0o
English "The heauens are thine, the earth is thine: thou hast layed the foundation of the rounde world, and al that therin is" (Strong's H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl -- 1537 Matthew's Bible).
900 B.C.
Proverbs 8:31,
Latin Vulgate: "ludens in orbe terrarum et deliciae meae esse cum filiis hominum"
Word: Orbe, from H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl
English Definition of Orb
Orb definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
Latin Definition of orb
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/t...TfVc6P3TWfpYKZkRKQan5Q-h4h1CRu06dNzISfm3fFy0o
Best English Translation: "As for the rounde compase of his worlde, I make it ioyfull: for my delyte is to be among the chyldren of men" (Strong's H8398 תֵּבֵל têbêl -- 1537 Matthew's Bible).
700 B.C.
Isaiah 34:1,
Latin Vulgate: "accedite gentes et audite et populi adtendite audiat terra et plenitudo eius orbis et omne germen eius"
Word: Orbis, from H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl
Orb, Latin Definition
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/t...TfVc6P3TWfpYKZkRKQan5Q-h4h1CRu06dNzISfm3fFy0o
English: "Come ye Heithen & heare, take hede ye people. Herken thou earth & all that is therin: thou rounde compasse & all that groweth there vpon" (Strong's H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl -- 1537 Matthew's Bible).
Isaiah 40:22,
Latin Vulgate: "qui sedet super gyrum terrae et habitatores eius sunt quasi lucustae qui extendit velut nihilum caelos et expandit eos sicut tabernaculum ad inhabitandum"
Word: Gyrum (aka, Gyrus), from H2329: חוּג chûwg
Latin Definition
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/t...fuJ5Yqfy56OL3kEEqaB7yygnhV9hqiWyZtVB_Zzi78sJg
English: "It is he that sitteth upon the globe of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as locusts: he that stretcheth out the heavens as nothing, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in" (Strong's H2329: חוּג chûwg, -- Douay Rheims Bible).
600 B.C.
Jeremiah 10:12,
Latin Vulgate: "qui facit terram in fortitudine sua praeparat orbem in sapientia sua et prudentia sua extendit caelos"
Word: Orbem, from H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl
Orb, Latin Definition
Orb definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary
English: "But (as for oure God) he made the earth with his power, and with hys wysdom hath he fynished the whole compasse of the worlde, wyth hys discrecion hath he spred oute the heauens" (Strong's H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl -- 1537 Matthew's Bible).
Jeremiah 51:15,
Latin Vulgate: "qui fecit terram in fortitudine sua praeparavit orbem in sapientia sua et prudentia sua extendit caelos"
Word: Orbem, from H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl
https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/t...TfVc6P3TWfpYKZkRKQan5Q-h4h1CRu06dNzISfm3fFy0o
Greek Philosopher Pythagoras, 500 B.C.
___________________________________________________________________
Hebrew Lexicons for H2328 & H2329, חוּג Chuwg
The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible,
H2328. חוּג Chuwg, kloog; a prim. root [comp.2287]; to describe a circle:--compass [1x]."
H2329. חוּג Chuwg, khoog; from 2328; a circle:--circle [1x], circuit [1x], compass [1x].".
View attachment 250292
Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon,
H2329: "חוּג m. a circle, sphere, used of the arch or vault of the sky, Pro.8:27; Job 22:14; of the world, Isa.40:22."
Chuwg: circle, circuit, compass, sphere.
____________________________________________________________________
Hebrew Lexicons for H8398 תֵּבֵל têbêl,
The New Strong's Exhaustive Expanded Concordance of the Bible. H8398
"8398. têbêl, tay-bale'; from H2986; the earth (as moist and therefore inhabited); by extension, the globe; by implication, its inhabitants; specifically, a particular land, as Babylonia, Palestine:—world [35x] habitable part, [1x].
The word signified, first, the solid material on which man dwells, and that was formed, founded, established, and disposed by God; and secondly, the inhabitants thereof. See TWOT 835h; BDB--385c, 1061d."
Gesenius' Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon
View attachment 250293
Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament.
TWOT 835h תֵּבֵל têbêl, tay-bale'; world.
"This noun is used in three basic situations. First, the noun is employed to represent the global mass called earth, including the atmosphere or heavens (cf. Ps.89:12; II Sam 22:16; et al.). têbêl is often in parallelism or apposition with 'eres (I Sam 2:8; Isa.26:9; 34:1; et al.) when 'eres is used in its broadest sense of "the world." The "world" was created by God, not false gods (Jer.10:12; Ps.93:1) and it belongs solely to him (Ps.24:1). God's eternality is illustrated by his existence before the creation of "world" (Ps.90:2) and his wisdom (perhaps a personification of Christ) was present prior to the world's creation (Prov. 8:26, 31). Creation itself gives a "worldwide" witness to God's glory (Ps.19:4 [H 5]) which should result in Yahweh's praise (Ps.98:2). Yahweh will judge this "world," making it empty (Isa.24:4), though in the millennium God will cause Israel to blossom and fill the whole world with her fruit (Isa.27:6).
Second, têbêl is sometime limited to "countries" or "the inhabitable world." This meaning is more closely related to the root meaning. It refers to the world where crops are raised. This is observed in the judgment message against the king of Babylon (not Satan) for violently shaking the "world" or "inhabitable world" (Isa.13:11; 14:17). Lightning is said to enlighten the "world"---undoubtedly referring to a limited land area (Ps.77:18 [H 19]; 97:4).
Third, têbêl may also refer to the inhabitants living upon the whole earth. This is demonstrated by the parallelism of têbêl with I' umim (Ps.9:8 [H 9]) and 'ammim (Ps.96:13; 98:9). The context of these references is Yahweh's judgment upon the world's inhabitants---a judgment both executed in righteousness and instructive of Yahweh's righteousness (Isa.26:9; 34:1).
In several passages the sense of têbêl as the globular earth in combination with its inhabitants is clearly observed. Everything belongs to Yahweh as his creation (Ps.50:12). Yahweh alone controls this world (Job 34:13; Nah 1:5) and his power is over all the earth which always responds to his presence (Job 37:12; Ps.97:4)".
New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology & Exegesis, Volume 4:
"9315. têbêl תֵּבֵל Nom. fem., world (#9315).
OT Found 36x exclusively in poetic texts, the word conveys the cosmic or global sense in which 'eres is also sometimes used; i.e., the whole earth or world considered as a single entity. It sometimes occurs in parallelism with 'eres (Jer.10:12; Lam.4:12). Twice it is used together with 'eres, either to express "the whole earth" (Job 37:12), or perhaps in the sense of the inhabited earth (Prov.8:31). It is used frequently in contexts that associate it with Yahweh's creative act and that, as a result, express the stability or durability of the earth (1 Sam.2:8; Ps.89:11 [12]; 93:1; 96:10). It is used when the whole population of the world is referred to (Ps.24:1; 33:8; 98:7; Isa. 18:3; 26:9; Nah.1:5). Isaiah uses têbêl more than any other prophet, mostly in the context of universal judgment (Isaiah 13:11; 24:4; 34:1; cf. Ps.96:13; 98:9).
Land, earth: --> damd (ground, piece of land, soil, realm of the earth, #141); --> 'eres (earth, land, #824); --> têbêl (world, #9315)."
_______________________________________________________________
Summary of Hebrew Lexicons on H8398: תֵּבֵל têbêl,
Strong's: "; by extension, the globe;"
Gesenius': ",the habitable globe,"
TWOT: "First, the noun is employed to represent the global mass called earth" <---AND ---> "In several passages the sense of têbêl as the globular earth in combination with its inhabitants is clearly observed."
New International: "the word conveys the cosmic or global sense in which 'eres is also sometimes used; i.e., the whole earth or world considered as a single entity."
______________________________________________
QUESTION: Why Can't I Find "round world" In My Bible?
ANSWER: The Geneva scholars removed the "round world" verses from the Bible because they thought William Tyndale was too Catholic. The Geneva scholars, while sincere in their intentions, were not as experienced in Hebrew and Greek as William Tyndale, who's 1537 Matthew's Bible is still the most overall accurate English translation of the Bible.
The Anglican Church, under the instructions of Queen Elizabeth I, authorized the 1568 Bishop's Bible. The Bishop's Bible scholars managed to restore some of the lost "round world" verses but by then the Geneva Bible had already gained mainstream acceptance by Puritan Protestants.
In 1611, King James, once again, authorized a new Bible for the church. The KJV scholars, while not as well seasoned in Hebrew and Greek as William Tyndale or Thomas Cranmer, had removed the "round world" verses from the Bible. While there is much positive to be said about the KJV scholars, they followed the Geneva Bible too much, and by doing so lost many globe earth verses which said the earth is a globe. Unfortunately, by this time in history, all the most qualified Hebrew and Greek scholars were executed.
The summary of Lexicons above prove that Tyndale was correct, and removing "round" from "round world" loses the meaning of têbêl, entirely.
Tyndale was correct.