Second Sunday after Epiphany
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J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Genesis 1:6
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Againe God saide, Let there be a firmament in the middes of the waters: and let it separate the waters from the waters.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
Then God said, "Let there be a space to separate the water into two parts!"
And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God said, Let there be a solid arch stretching over the waters, parting the waters from the waters.
The Second Day
God said, "I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it."God said, "Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water."
And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be a division between waters and waters.
And God said: 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.'
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters: and let it diuide the waters from the waters.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God said, "Let there be an expanse [of the sky] in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters [below the expanse] from the waters [above the expanse]."
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it be a division between water and water, and it was so.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters."
And God said, "Let there be a vaulted dome in the midst of the waters, and let it cause a separation between the waters."
And God said, Let an expanse be in the midst of the waters, and let it be dividing between the waters and the waters.
Then God said, "Let there be something to divide the water in two."
God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water."
Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
Then God said, "Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth."
Then God said, "Let there be an open space between the waters. Let it divide waters from waters."
And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
Then God commanded, "Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places"—and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it.
And God seide, The firmament be maad in the myddis of watris, and departe watris fro watris.
And God saith, `Let an expanse be in the midst of the waters, and let it be separating between waters and waters.'
God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters."
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
And God said: let there be a firmament betwene the waters, and let it make a diuision betwene waters and waters.
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water.”
And God sayde: let there be a firmament betwene the waters, and let it deuyde ye waters a sunder.
God spoke: "Sky! In the middle of the waters; separate water from water!" God made sky. He separated the water under sky from the water above sky. And there it was: he named sky the Heavens; It was evening, it was morning— Day Two.
Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Let there: Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:20, Genesis 7:11, Genesis 7:12, Job 26:7, Job 26:8, Job 26:13, Job 37:11, Job 37:18, Job 38:22-26, Psalms 19:1, Psalms 33:6, Psalms 33:9, Psalms 104:2, Psalms 136:5, Psalms 136:6, Psalms 148:4, Psalms 150:1, Ecclesiastes 11:3, Jeremiah 10:10, Jeremiah 10:12, Jeremiah 10:13, Jeremiah 51:15, Zechariah 12:1
firmament: Heb. expansion
Reciprocal: Job 9:8 - Which Psalms 148:5 - for he 2 Peter 3:5 - by the word Revelation 14:6 - in
Cross-References
and God called the light, day, but the darkness, called he, night. So it was evening - and it was morning, one day.
And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be a means of dividing, between waters and waters,
And God made the expanse, and it divided between the waters that were under the expanse and the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
And God called the expanse, heavens. So it was evening - and it was morning, a, second day.
And God said - Let the land put-forth vegetation-herb yielding seed, fruit-tree, bearing fruit, after its kind, whose seed is within it on the land. And it was so,
And the land brought-forth vegetation - herb yielding seed after its kind, and tree bearing fruit, whose seed is within it, after its kind, And God saw that it was good.
So it was evening - and it was morning, a third day.
And God said - Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night, - and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
And God said - Let the waters swarm with an abundance of living soul, and, birds, shall fly over the earth, over the face of the expanse of the heavens.
And God blessed them, saying, - Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let, the birds, multiply in the land.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And God said, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,.... On which the Spirit of God was sitting and moving, Genesis 1:2 part of which were formed into clouds, and drawn up into heaven by the force of the body of fire and light already produced; and the other part left on the earth, not yet gathered into one place, as afterwards: between these God ordered a "firmament to be", or an "expanse" v; something stretched out and spread like a curtain, tent, or canopy: and to this all those passages of Scripture refer, which speak of the stretching out of the heavens, as this firmament or expanse is afterwards called; see
Psalms 104:2 and by it is meant the air, as it is rendered by the Targum on Psalms 19:1 we call it the "firmament" from the w word which the Greek interpreter uses, because it is firm, lasting, and durable: and it has the name of an expanse from its wide extent, it reaching from the earth to the third heaven; the lower and thicker parts of it form the atmosphere in which we breathe; the higher and thinner parts of it, the air in which fowls fly, and the ether or sky in which the sun, moon, and stars are placed; for all these are said to be in the firmament or expanse, Genesis 1:17. These are the stories in the heavens the Scriptures speak of, Amos 9:6 and the air is divided by philosophers into higher, middle, and lower regions: and so the Targum of Jonathan places this firmament or expanse between the extremities of the heaven, and the waters of the ocean. The word in the Syriac language has the sense of binding and compressing x; and so it is used in the Syriac version of Luke 6:38 and may denote the power of the air when formed in compressing the chaos, and dividing and separating the parts of it; and which it now has in compressing the earth, and the several parts that are in it, and by its compression preserves them and retains them in their proper places y:
and let it divide the waters from the waters; the waters under it from those above it, as it is explained in the next verse; of which more there.
v רק××¢ "expansio", Montanus. Tigurine version; "extensio", Munster, Fagius, Vatablus, Aben Ezra; "expansum", Junius, Tremellius, Piscator, Drusius, Schmidt, ÏÏεÏεÏμα Sept. "firmamentum", V. L. w Id. x Vid. Castell. Lex. col. 3647. Fuller. Miscell. Sacr. l. 1. c. 6. y Vid. Dickinson. Physica "vetus et vera", c. 7. sect. 13, 14. p. 88, 89.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
- IV. The Second Day
6. רק××¢ raÌqıÌyaâ, âexpanse;â ÏÏεÏεÌÏμα stereoÌma, רקע raÌqaâ, âspread out by beating, as leaf gold.â This expanse was not understood to be solid, as the fowl is said to fly on the face of it Genesis 1:21. It is also described as luminous Daniel 12:3, and as a monument of divine power Psalms 150:1.
7. עש×× âaÌsÌaÌh âwork on,â âmake out of already existing materials.â
The second act of creative power bears upon the deep of waters, over which the darkness had prevailed, and by which the solid crust was still overlaid. This mass of turbid and noisy water must be reduced to order, and confined within certain limits, before the land can be reached. According to the laws of material nature, light or heat must be an essential factor in all physical changes, especially in the production of gases and vapors. Hence, its presence and activity are the first thing required in instituting a new process of nature. Air naturally takes the next place, as it is equally essential to the maintenance of vegetable and animal life. Hence, its adjustment is the second step in this latest effort of creation.
Genesis 1:6
Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water. - For this purpose God now calls into existence the expanse. This is that interval of space between the earth on the one side and the birds on the wing, the clouds and the heavenly bodies on the other, the lower part of which we know to be occupied by the air. This will appear more clearly from a comparison of other passages in this chapter (Genesis 1:14, Genesis 1:20).
And let it be dividing between water and water. - It appears that the water in a liquid state was in contact with another mass of water, in the shape of dense fogs and vapors; not merely overhanging, but actually resting on the waters beneath. The object of the expanse is to divide the waters which are under it from those which are above it. Hence, it appears that the thing really done is, not to create the space that extends indefinitely above our heads (which, being in itself no thing, but only room for things, requires no creating), but to establish in it the intended disposition of the waters in two separate masses, the one above, and the other below the intervening expanse. This we know is effected by means of the atmosphere, which receives a large body of water in the state of vapor, and bears up a visible portion of it in the form of clouds. These ever-returning and ever-varying piles of mist strike the eye of the unsophisticated spectator; and when the dew is observed on the grass, or the showers of rain, hail, and snow are seen falling on the ground, the conclusion is obvious - that above the expanse, be the distance small or great, is laid up an unseen and inexhaustible treasury of water, by which the earth may be perpetually bedewed and irrigated.
The aqueous vapor is itself, as well as the element with which it is mingled, invisible and impalpable; but when condensed by cold it becomes apparent to the eye in the form of mists and clouds, and, at a certain point of coolness, begins to deposit itself in the palpable form of dew, rain, hail, or snow. As soon as it becomes obvious to the sense it receives distinguishing names, according to its varying forms. But the air being invisible, is unnoticed by the primitive observer until it is put in motion, when it receives the name of wind. The space it occupies is merely denominated the expanse; that is, the interval between us and the various bodies that float above and hang upon nothing, or nothing perceptible to the eye.
The state of things before this creative movement may be called one of disturbance and disorder, in comparison with the present condition of the atmosphere. This disturbance in the relations of air and water was so great that it could not be reduced to the present order without a supernatural cause. Whether any other gases, noxious or innocuous, entered into the constitution of the previous atmosphere, or whether any other ingredients were once held in solution by the watery deep, we are not informed. Whether any volcanic or plutonic violence had disturbed the scene, and raised a dense mass of gaseous damp and fuliginous matter into the airy region, is not stated. How far the disorder extended we cannot tell. We are merely certain that it reached over all the land known to man during the interval between this creation and the deluge. Whether this disorder was temporary or of long standing, and whether the change was effected by altering the axis of the earthâs rotation, and thereby the climate of the land of primeval man, or by a less extensive movement confined to the region under consideration, are questions on which we receive no instruction, because the solution does not concern our well-being. As soon as human welfare comes to be in any way connected with such knowledge, it will by some means be made attainable.
The introduction of the expanse produced a vast change for the better on the surface of the earth. The heavy mass of murky damp and aqueous steam commingling with the abyss of waters beneath is cleared away. The fogs are lifted up to the higher regions of the sky, or attenuated into an invisible vapor. A leaden mass of clouds still overshadows the heavens. But a breathing space of pure pellucid air now intervenes between the upper and lower waters, enveloping the surface of the earth, and suited for the respiration of the flora and fauna of a new world.
Let it be noted that the word âbeâ is here again employed to denote the commencement of a new adjustment of the atmosphere. This, accordingly, does not imply the absolute creation on the second day of our present atmosphere: it merely indicates the constitution of it out of the materials already at hand, - the selecting and due apportionment of the proper elements; the relegation of all now foreign elements to their own places; the dissipation of the lazy, deadening damps, and the establishment of a clear and pure air fit for the use of the future man. Any or all of these alterations will satisfy the form of expression here adopted.
Genesis 1:7
Then made God the expanse. - Here the distinction between command and execution is made still more prominent than in the third verse. For the word of command stands in one verse, and the effect realized is related in the next. Nay, we have the doing of the thing and the thing done separately expressed. For, after stating that God made the expanse, it is added, âand it was so.â The work accomplished took a permanent form, in which it remained a standing monument of divine wisdom and power.
Genesis 1:8
Then called God to the expanse, heaven. - This expanse is, then, the proper and original skies. We have here an interesting and instructive example of the way in which words expand in their significance from the near, the simple, the obvious, to the far and wide, the complex and the inferential: The heaven, in the first instance, meant the open space above the surface in which we breathe and move, in which the birds fly and the clouds float. This is the atmosphere. Then it stretches away into the seemingly boundless regions of space, in which the countless orbs of luminous and of opaque surfaces circumambulate. Then the heavens come to signify the contents of this indefinitely augmented expanse, - the celestial luminaries themselves. Then, by a still further enlargement of its meaning, we rise to the heaven of heavens, the inexpressibly grand and august presence-chamber of the Most High, where the cherubim and seraphim, the innumerable company of angels, the myriads of saints, move in their several grades and spheres, keeping the charge of their Maker, and realizing the joy of their being. This is the third heaven 2 Corinthians 12:2 to the conception of which the imaginative capacity of the human mind rises by an easy gradation. Having once attained to this majestic conception, man is so far prepared to conceive and compose that sublime sentence with which the book of God opens, - âIn the beginning God created âthe heavensâ and the earth.â
The expanse, or aerial space, in which this arrangement of things has been effected, having received its appropriate name, is recognized as an accomplished fact, and the second day is closed.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Genesis 1:6. And God said, Let there be a firmament — Our translators, by following the firmamentum of the Vulgate, which is a translation of the ÏÏεÏεÏμα of the Septuagint, have deprived this passage of all sense and meaning. The Hebrew word רק××¢ rakia, from רקע raka, to spread out as the curtains of a tent or pavilion, simply signifies an expanse or space, and consequently that circumambient space or expansion separating the clouds, which are in the higher regions of it, from the seas, c., which are below it. This we call the atmosphere, the orb of atoms or inconceivably small particles but the word appears to have been used by Moses in a more extensive sense, and to include the whole of the planetary vortex, or the space which is occupied by the whole solar system.
