Bible Dictionary: Firmament

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Easton's Bible Dictionary

From the Vulgate firmamentum, which is used as the translation of the Hebrew raki'a. This word means simply "expansion." It denotes the space or expanse like an arch appearing immediately above us. They who rendered raki'a by firmamentum regarded it as a solid body. The language of Scripture is not scientific but popular, and hence we read of the sun rising and setting, and also here the use of this particular word. It is plain that it was used to denote solidity as well as expansion. It formed a division between the waters above and the waters below (Genesis 1:7). The raki'a supported the upper reservoir (Psalm 148:4). It was the support also of the heavenly bodies (Genesis 1:14), and is spoken of as having "windows" and "doors" (Genesis 7:11; Isaiah 24:18; Malachi 3:10) through which the rain and snow might descend.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (v. & a.) Fixed foundation; established basis.

2. (v. & a.) The region of the air; the sky or heavens.

3. (v. & a.) The orb of the fixed stars; the most remote of the celestial spheres.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

FIRMAMENT

fur'-ma-ment.

See ASTRONOMY. III, 3.

Strong's Hebrew

7549. raqia -- an extended surface, expanse
... firmament. From raqa'; properly, an expanse, ie The firmament or (apparently) visible
arch of the sky -- firmament. see HEBREW raqa'. 7548, 7549. raqia. 7550 ...
/hebrew/7549.htm - 6k

7834. shachaq -- dust, cloud
... From shachaq; a powder (as beaten small): by analogy, a thin vapor; by extension,
the firmament -- cloud, small dust, heaven, sky. see HEBREW shachaq. ...
/hebrew/7834.htm - 6k

Library

Whether the Firmament was Made on the Second Day?
... ON THE WORK OF THE SECOND DAY (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether the firmament was
made on the second day? Objection 1: It would seem that ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the firmament was made.htm

Whether the Firmament Divides Waters from Waters?
... ON THE WORK OF THE SECOND DAY (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether the firmament divides
waters from waters? Objection 1: It would seem that ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the firmament divides waters.htm

On the Firmament.
... Homily III. On the Firmament. ... It lays down the reason necessitating the structure
of the firmament: it is, it is said, to separate the waters from the waters. ...
/.../basil/basil letters and select works/homily iii on the firmament.htm

Whether There are Waters Above the Firmament?
... ON THE WORK OF THE SECOND DAY (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether there are waters above the
firmament? ... Therefore there are not waters above the firmament. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether there are waters above.htm

Allegorical Explanation of the Firmament and Upper Works, Ver. 6
... Book XIII. Chapter XV."Allegorical Explanation of the Firmament and Upper
Works, Ver. 6. 16. Or who but Thou, our God, made for ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter xv allegorical explanation of the.htm

The Spacious Firmament on High,
... The Treasury of Sacred Song. Book First CLXXVI The spacious firmament on high,.
With all the blue ethereal sky, And spangled Heavens, a shining frame,. ...
/.../palgrave/the treasury of sacred song/clxxvi the spacious firmament on.htm

Or Who, Except Thou, Our God, Made for us that Firmament of ...
... Book XIII Chapter XV Or who, except Thou, our God, made for us that firmament
of authority over us� Or who, except Thou, our God ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter xv or who except.htm

All Men Should Become Lights in the Firmament of Heaven.
... Book XIII. Chapter XIX."All Men Should Become Lights in the Firmament of
Heaven. 24. But first, "Wash you, make you clean;" [1315 ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter xix all men should become.htm

Of the Intellectual Heaven and Formless Earth, Out of Which, on ...
... Book XII. Chapter XIII."Of the Intellectual Heaven and Formless Earth, Out
of Which, on Another Day, the Firmament Was Formed. 16. ...
/.../the confessions and letters of st/chapter xiii of the intellectual heaven.htm

the Spacious Firmament on High
... II. THE CHRISTIAN YEAR Sundays after Trinity: Praise and Adoration 252. The spacious
firmament on high. LMD ... Joseph Addison, 1712. The spacious firmament on high, ...
/.../sundays after trinity praise and 4.htm

Thesaurus

Firmament (17 Occurrences)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. FIRMAMENT. fur'-ma-ment. See ASTRONOMY. III,
3. Multi-Version Concordance Firmament (17 Occurrences). ...
/f/firmament.htm - 13k

Heaven (653 Occurrences)
... (a) The firmament, as "fowls of the heaven" (Genesis 2:19; 7:3, 23; Psalm
8:8, etc.), "the eagles of heaven" (Lamentations 4:19), etc. ...
/h/heaven.htm - 72k

Forces (123 Occurrences)
... 29 "But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the
moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the ...
/f/forces.htm - 39k

Disordered (4 Occurrences)
... 29 "But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the
moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the ...
/d/disordered.htm - 8k

Disturbed (30 Occurrences)
... 29 "But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the
moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the ...
/d/disturbed.htm - 15k

Air (74 Occurrences)
... the air." The Hebrew word is usually rendered "heaven" or "heavens." According to
ancient Hebrew cosmogony the sky was a solid dome (firmament) stretching over ...
/a/air.htm - 34k

Cosmological
... "The world is a solid expanse of earth, surrounded by and resting on a world-ocean,
and surmounted by a rigid vault called the `firmament,' above which the ...
/c/cosmological.htm - 33k

World (2829 Occurrences)
... "The world is a solid expanse of earth, surrounded by and resting on a world-ocean,
and surmounted by a rigid vault called the `firmament,' above which the ...
/w/world.htm - 40k

Libraries
... To the ancient Babylonians the whole firmament was a library of "celestial tablets."
The mythological ideas often have important bearing on Biblical doctrines ...
/l/libraries.htm - 38k

Lift (283 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) The sky; the atmosphere; the firmament. 2.
(vt) To move in a direction opposite to that of gravitation ...
/l/lift.htm - 41k

Bible Concordance

Firmament (17 Occurrences)

Matthew 24:29 "But immediately after those times of distress the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the forces which control the heavens will be disordered and disturbed.
(WEY)

Mark 13:25 the stars will be seen falling from the firmament, and the forces which are in the heavens will be disordered and disturbed.
(WEY)

Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Genesis 1:7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Genesis 1:14 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:
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Genesis 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Genesis 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Psalms 19:1 The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.
(KJV ASV WBS RSV)

Psalms 150:1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
(KJV JPS ASV DBY WBS RSV)

Ezekiel 1:22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Ezekiel 1:23 And under the firmament were their wings straight, the one toward the other: every one had two, which covered on this side, and every one had two, which covered on that side, their bodies.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Ezekiel 1:25 And there was a voice from the firmament that was over their heads, when they stood, and had let down their wings.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Ezekiel 1:26 And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Ezekiel 10:1 Then I looked, and, behold, in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubims there appeared over them as it were a sapphire stone, as the appearance of the likeness of a throne.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
(KJV JPS ASV WBS RSV)

Subtopics

Firmament

Firmament: The Expanse Above the Earth

Related Terms

Heaven (653 Occurrences)

Forces (123 Occurrences)

Disordered (4 Occurrences)

Disturbed (30 Occurrences)

Air (74 Occurrences)

Cosmological

World (2829 Occurrences)

Libraries