Genesis 1:6
New International Version
And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”

New Living Translation
Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.”

English Standard Version
And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

Berean Standard Bible
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.”

King James Bible
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

New King James Version
Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

New American Standard Bible
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

NASB 1995
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

NASB 1977
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

Legacy Standard Bible
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

Amplified Bible
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].”

Christian Standard Bible
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water.”

American Standard Version
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Contemporary English Version
God said, "I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it."

English Revised Version
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Then God said, "Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water."

International Standard Version
Then God said, "Let there be a canopy between bodies of water, separating bodies of water from bodies of water!"

Majority Standard Bible
And God said, ?Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.?

NET Bible
God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.

New Heart English Bible
And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And it was so.

Webster's Bible Translation
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

World English Bible
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And God says, “Let an expanse be in the midst of the waters, and let it be separating between waters and waters.”

Young's Literal Translation
And God saith, 'Let an expanse be in the midst of the waters, and let it be separating between waters and waters.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And God will say there shall be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and there shall be a separating between waters to waters.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Catholic Public Domain Version
God also said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide waters from waters.”

New American Bible
Then God said: Let there be a dome in the middle of the waters, to separate one body of water from the other.

New Revised Standard Version
And God said, “Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And God said, “The sky shall be in the middle of the waters, and will be separating between the waters unto the waters.”
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And God said: 'Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
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.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Second Day
5God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. 6And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” 7So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so.…

Cross References
Psalm 33:6
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.

Hebrews 11:3
By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.

2 Peter 3:5
But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

Job 26:10
He has inscribed a horizon on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness.

Isaiah 40:22
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

Jeremiah 10:12
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

Proverbs 8:27-29
I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, / when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, / when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

Psalm 104:2-3
He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent, / laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind.

Job 37:18
can you, like Him, spread out the skies, as strong as a mirror of bronze?

Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:

Colossians 1:16
For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.

John 1:3
Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”

Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.

Psalm 148:4-5
Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies. / Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He gave the command and they were created.


Treasury of Scripture

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Let there.

Genesis 1:14,20
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: …

Genesis 7:11,12
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened…

Job 26:7,8,13
He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing…

firmament.

Jump to Previous
Arch Divide Division Expanse Firmament Middle Midst Parting Separate Separating Solid Stretching Water Waters
Jump to Next
Arch Divide Division Expanse Firmament Middle Midst Parting Separate Separating Solid Stretching Water Waters
Genesis 1
1. God creates heaven and earth;
3. the light;
6. the firmament;
9. separates the dry land;
14. forms the sun, moon, and stars;
20. fishes and fowls;
24. cattle, wild beasts, and creeping things;
26. creates man in his own image, blesses him;
29. grants the fruits of the earth for food.














And God said
This phrase marks the divine authority and power of God's word. In Hebrew, the word for "said" is "אָמַר" (amar), which signifies not just speaking but commanding with authority. The act of speaking by God is a creative force, demonstrating that His word is sufficient to bring about reality. This reflects the power of divine speech, where God's will is enacted through His word, emphasizing the sovereignty and omnipotence of God in creation.

Let there be
The Hebrew phrase "יְהִי" (yehi) is a command that brings forth existence. This phrase is a declaration of divine intention and creative power. It is a testament to the effortless nature of God's creative work, where His mere command is enough to bring forth the universe. This highlights the concept of creation ex nihilo, meaning creation out of nothing, which is a foundational belief in conservative Christian theology.

an expanse
The Hebrew word "רָקִיעַ" (raqia) is often translated as "firmament" or "expanse." It refers to the sky or the heavens, a vast space created by God to separate the waters. The term suggests something spread out or stretched, indicating the vastness and grandeur of the heavens. This expanse is a testament to God's order and design, separating the chaotic waters and establishing a structured universe.

between the waters
This phrase indicates the division of the primordial waters, a common motif in ancient Near Eastern creation narratives. In the biblical context, it signifies God's control over chaos, bringing order and structure to the universe. The waters above and below the expanse represent the separation of the earthly and heavenly realms, underscoring God's sovereignty over all creation.

to separate the waters from the waters
The act of separation is a recurring theme in the creation account, highlighting God's role in bringing order out of chaos. The Hebrew verb "בָּדַל" (badal) means to divide or distinguish, emphasizing the intentionality and precision of God's creative work. This separation is not just physical but also symbolic, representing the establishment of boundaries and the differentiation necessary for life to flourish. It reflects the divine wisdom in creating a world that is both orderly and habitable.

(6) A firmament.--This is the Latin translation of the Greek word used by the translators of the Septuagint Version. Undoubtedly it means something solid; and such was the idea of the Greeks, and probably also of the Hebrews. As such it appears in the poetry of the Bible, where it is described as a mighty vault of molten glass (Job 37:18), upheld by the mountains as pillars (Job 26:11; 2Samuel 22:8), and having doors and lattices through which the Deity pours forth abundance (Genesis 7:11; Psalm 78:23). Even in this "Hymn of Creation" we have poetry, but not expressed in vivid metaphors, but in sober and thoughtful language. Here, therefore, the word rendered "firmament" means an expanse. If, as geologists tell us, the earth at this stage was an incandescent mass, this expanse would be the ring of equilibrium, where the heat supplied from below was exactly equal to that given off by radiation into the cold ether above. And gradually this would sink lower and lower, until finally it reached the surface of the earth; and at this point the work of the second day would be complete.

Verse 6. - Day two. The work of this day consisted in the formation of that immense gaseous ocean, called the atmosphere, by which the earth is encircled. And God said, Let there be a firmament (rakiya, an expand, from rakah, to beat out; LXX., στερέωμα; Vulgate, firmamentum) in the midst of the waters. To affirm with Knobel, Gesenius, and others that the Hebrews supposed the atmospheric heavens to be a metallic substance (Exodus 24:10), a vault fixed on the water-flood which surrounds the earth (Proverbs 8:27), firm as a molten looking-glass (Job 37:18), borne by the highest mountains, which are therefore called the pillars and foundations of heaven (2 Samuel 22:8), and having doors and windows (Genesis 7:11; Genesis 28:17; Psalm 78:23), is to confound poetical metaphor with literal prose, optical and phenomenal language with strict scientific statement. The Vulgate and English translations of rakiya may convey the idea of solidity, though it is doubtful if στερέωμα (LXX.) does not signify that which makes firm as well as that which is made firm (McCaul, Wordsworth, W. Lewis), thus referring to the well-known scientific fact that the atmosphere by its weight upon the waters of the sea keeps them down, and by its pressure against our bodies keeps them up; but it is certain that not solidity, but expansiveness, is the idea represented by rakiya (cf. Scottish, tax, to stretch; Job 37:18; Psalm 104:2; Isaiah 40:22).

"The firmament, expanse of liquid, pure,
Transparent, elemental air, diffused
In circuit to the uttermost convex Of this great round."


(Milton, 'Par. Lost,' Bk. 7.) And let it divide the waters from the waters. What these waters were, which were designed to be parted by the atmospheric firmament, is explained in the verse which follows.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And God
אֱלֹהִ֔ים (’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

said,
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“Let there be
יְהִ֥י (yə·hî)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

an expanse
רָקִ֖יעַ (rā·qî·a‘)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7549: An expanse, the firmament, visible arch of the sky

between
בְּת֣וֹךְ (bə·ṯō·wḵ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8432: A bisection, the centre

the waters,
הַמָּ֑יִם (ham·mā·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

to
וִיהִ֣י (wî·hî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

separate
מַבְדִּ֔יל (maḇ·dîl)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 914: To be divided, separate

the waters
מַ֖יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

from the waters.”
לָמָֽיִם׃ (lā·mā·yim)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen


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OT Law: Genesis 1:6 God said Let there be an expanse (Gen. Ge Gn)
Genesis 1:5
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