Day Two — raqia
Three verses, 38 words. See in the original how a wish is continued inside God’s speech (‹וִיהִי›), and how ‹אֲשֶׁר› tells us which waters are meant.
Verse by verse: which patterns build each sentence, and why — so that you can read it without a translation.
1-1Before you read — verbs inside speech
Verse 6 is almost entirely God’s speech. As in Day One, verse 3, “and God said” (וַיֹּאמֶר) is a narrative verb (a wayyiqtol), but inside the speech the rules of speech apply, not those of narrative — the jussive “let there be,” and, new on this page, “and let it …” (pattern 9).
So three forms of the same verb hayah appear side by side here: יְהִי (“let there be,” verse 6), וִיהִי (“and let it be,” verse 6) and וַיְהִי (“and there was / it was,” verses 7 and 8). A single first vowel separates a wish from an event.
1-2What each verse does — Genesis 1:6–8
Before the text, see for each verse of 1:6–8: (1) what it does in the story, (2) what it says, (3) the verbs and sentence structure it uses. Tap a row to go to that verse.
The storyline — the 7 verbs that carry the story of Genesis 1:6–8
Why only these verbs? — In Hebrew narrative the “and he did” verb (wayyiqtol, pattern 1) moves the events forward one by one. Read these verbs in order and you have the storyline of 1:6–8. The other clauses (descriptions, the verbs inside God’s speech, perfects and so on) are added to this line. See this storyline first, and in the text you will notice where a sentence moves forward and where it pauses.
Day Two again has seven wayyiqtols. The יְהִי and וִיהִי of verse 6 are wishes inside God’s speech, so they are not part of this chain.
Tap a word to open its notes below. Pronunciation is by a modern Israeli Hebrew voice.
YLVAnd God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide between waters and waters."
How this sentence is built — and why
- How many clauses?Three: [God said] [let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters] [and let it be dividing between waters and waters].
- What comes first?The first clause opens with the wayyiqtol וַיֹּאמֶר → pattern 1. The chain continues.
- The first sentence inside the speechThe second clause is what God said — spoken of a third person (the firmament), so the jussive יְהִי → the first part of pattern 6. The firmament is masculine, so the י (“it”) form stands as it is.
- The second sentence inside the speechThe third clause is וְ + יְהִי → וִיהִי (before יְ with a shewa, וְ becomes וִ and the shewa of י falls silent): not the wayyiqtol וַיְהִי but the form with the ordinary וְ, adding one more wish inside the speech → pattern 9. The participle מַבְדִּיל after the verb is the predicate, “let it be dividing” (with pattern 5).
- Why is it written this way?Inside speech the rules of speech apply, not the narrative wayyiqtol. A second wish (“let it divide”) is joined by וְ to the first (“let there be”), saying what the firmament is to do once it exists. This is the combination for reporting speech.
- The accents matchThe atnach (◌֑) on הַמָּיִם divides it: [the word · the first wish | the second wish].
Clause by clause
YLVAnd God said,
Why?Day Two also opens with the wayyiqtol וַיֹּאמֶר — verb → subject Elohim. After Day One closes in 1:5, the next event in the chain is again “he said.”
YLV"Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,
Why?The content of the speech. Spoken of a third person (the firmament), it uses the jussive יְהִי, then the subject רָקִיעַ, then the place, “in the midst of the waters.” It is the structure of 1:3 יְהִי אוֹר with a place phrase added.
YLVand let it divide between waters and waters."
Why?The same hayah, but not וַיְהִי (wayyiqtol): וִיהִי, with the ordinary וְ. We are still inside speech, so it adds a second wish, “and let it be …” (pattern 9). The participle מַבְדִּיל (“dividing”) after it is the predicate — “let it be dividing,” an ongoing action (pattern 5). The participle is masculine singular because the firmament is masculine.
Verbs — who did it?
How the accents divide it
The bigger the box, the bigger the pause. Read from right to left.
The atnach (◌֑) falls on “the waters” (הַמָּיִם): [the word · the first wish | the second wish]. The first half divides again at the zaqef (◌֔) on Elohim — [God said | let there be a firmament] — and the second half at the zaqef (◌֔) on מַבְדִּיל — [let it be dividing | between waters and waters].
Word by word
וַיֹּ֣אמֶרva-yomerand he said
אֱלֹהִ֔יםElohimGod
The one who spoke — the subject after the verb. Its zaqef (◌֔) divides the first half: “God said | what he said.”
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- אֱלוֹהַּ (“god”) with the plural ending ־ִים
- Accent
- Zaqef qatan a major pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H430
יְהִ֥יyehilet (it) be
The jussive of hayah — “let there be.” The י in front = “it,” and the “it” is the firmament (רָקִיעַ) right after. The firmament is a masculine noun, so the 3rd masculine singular form fits. It is the same first word as in 1:3, יְהִי אוֹר.
רָקִ֖יעַraqiaa firmament
A masculine singular noun. With no article it is “a firmament,” not yet defined — from verse 7 on it takes the article, “the firmament” (הָרָקִיעַ). The middle “i” is written with the vowel letter י (hireq-yod); the patach under the final ע is read first (a furtive patach): ra-qi-a. It is the subject of the jussive יְהִי. For the views on its meaning, see “Going deeper.”
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- root ר-ק-ע (“spread out, beat out”) → noun רָקִיעַ (masculine)
- Accent
- Tipcha a pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H7549
בְּת֣וֹךְbe-tokhin the midst of
The preposition בְּ (“in”) + the construct תּוֹךְ of the noun תָּוֶךְ (“midst”). Bound to “the waters” that follows: “in the midst of the waters.” After the shewa of בְּ, the ת loses its dagesh. The final כ takes its final form ךְ.
- Parsing
- preposition + noun · masculine · singular · construct
- Grammar
- prepositiongender and numberconstruct stateaccents
- Form
- תָּוֶךְ (“midst”) → construct תּוֹךְ · prefix בְּ
- Accent
- Munach conjunctive — joins to the next word
- Lexicon
- H8432
הַמָּ֑יִםha-mayimthe waters
Article הַ with a dagesh in מּ. The atnach (◌֑) is here, and at this pause מַ lengthens to מָ — the pausal form הַמָּיִם. Compare הַמַּיִם (patach) in verse 7, where there is no pause. Verse 6 divides here.
- Parsing
- article “the” + noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- definite articlegender and numberaccents
- Form
- מַיִם (“waters”) + article הַ → מּ
- Accent
- Atnach the main pause in mid-verse — divides the verse in two
- Lexicon
- H4325
וִיהִ֣יvi-hiand let (it) be
“And” וְ becomes וִ (vi) before יְ with a shewa, and the shewa of י disappears: וִיהִי. It differs from the wayyiqtol וַיְהִי (וַ, patach) by its first vowel alone — וִיהִי is not “there was” but “let it be,” a wish inside the speech. The י in front = “it”; the “it” is the firmament (masculine) of the previous clause. OSHB tags this word as an imperfect; its form is the same short form as the jussive יְהִי before it (the long imperfect is יִהְיֶה).
מַבְדִּ֔ילmavdildividing
Hiphil participle of badal “to divide,” the verb of 1:4 וַיַּבְדֵּל. The prefix מַ (ma-) marks the Hiphil participle, and the ־ִי (hireq-yod) is the Hiphil’s long vowel. No ending = masculine singular, because the firmament is masculine (מְרַחֶפֶת in 1:2 is feminine to agree with ruach). As the predicate after וִיהִי it means “let it be dividing,” an ongoing action. ב follows a vowel and has no dagesh (a v sound); its shewa closes the syllable, so the next letter takes a dagesh, דּ. Zaqef (◌֔).
- Parsing
- verb · Hiphil · participle · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- Hiphil stemparticipleaccents
- Form
- root ב-ד-ל → Hiphil participle ms: prefix מַ + ־ִי
- Accent
- Zaqef qatan a major pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H914
בֵּ֥יןbeinbetween
Here the construction is בֵּין … לְ (“between A to B”) — a different form from the בֵּין … וּבֵין of 1:4, with the same meaning, “between A and B.” Merkha (◌֥) is a conjunctive accent.
- Parsing
- preposition
- Grammar
- prepositionaccents
- Form
- unchanging
- Accent
- Merkha conjunctive
- Lexicon
- H996
מַ֖יִםmayimwaters
No article — unlike “the waters” (הַמָּיִם) before it, this speaks of “waters and waters” in general. Always plural in form (־ַיִם). The tipcha (◌֖) is disjunctive but not a major pause, so מַ keeps its patach.
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- מַיִם (“waters”) · always plural in form
- Accent
- Tipcha a pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H4325
לָמָֽיִםla-mayimto waters
The second side of the בֵּין … לְ construction, “to.” OSHB marks no article here — the qamets of לָ is not the article but the vowel of לְ lengthened right before the stressed syllable (לָרָקִיעַ in verse 7 looks the same but contains the article). At the verse end (silluq) מַ also lengthens to מָ, a pausal form, with a vertical stroke under מָֽ.
- Parsing
- preposition + noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- prepositiongender and numberaccents
- Form
- לְ + מַיִם → לָמָיִם (pretonic לָ · pausal מָ)
- Accent
- Silluq the final pause of the verse
- Lexicon
- H4325
YLVAnd God made the firmament, and divided between the waters which were under the firmament and the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.
How this sentence is built — and why
- How many clauses?Three, with two relative clauses inside the second: [he made — the firmament] [he divided — between the waters 〈which were under the firmament〉 and the waters 〈which were above the firmament〉] [it was so].
- What comes first?All three open with a wayyiqtol (וַיַּעַשׂ, וַיַּבְדֵּל, וַיְהִי) → pattern 1. The order of events: making → dividing → it was so.
- The embedded clausesאֲשֶׁר appears twice, describing “the waters” from behind → pattern 10. Neither relative clause has a verb — only “under the firmament,” “above the firmament,” a verbless clause (pattern 4).
- The second clauseThe same בֵּין … וּבֵין as in 1:4. The בֵּין מַיִם לָמָיִם (“between waters and waters”) of the word in verse 6 is now, in the fulfilment, spelled out as “the waters under the firmament” and “the waters above the firmament.”
- Why is it written this way?The events that fulfil the word follow as a wayyiqtol chain, and וַיְהִי־כֵן (“and it was so”) ties it off — the combination for a word being fulfilled (pattern 6). Day One repeated the very word of the command (“there was light”); Day Two first tells God’s acts (making, dividing) and closes with “and it was so.”
- The accents matchThe segolta (◌֒) on הָרָקִיעַ first separates [making | dividing]; the atnach (◌֑) on the second לָרָקִיעַ divides [making · dividing | and it was so].
Clause by clause
YLVAnd God made the firmament,
Why?The event after the word — wayyiqtol וַיַּעַשׂ (“made”) → subject → object אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ. The “a firmament” of verse 6 now has the article: “the firmament.”
YLVand divided between the waters which were under the firmament and the waters which were above the firmament;
Why?Again a wayyiqtol, וַיַּבְדֵּל, with no new subject (God, from the previous clause). It is the בֵּין … וּבֵין of 1:4, but each “the waters” is followed by an אֲשֶׁר clause that says which waters: “which were under the firmament,” “which were above the firmament” (pattern 10). Neither relative clause has a verb.
YLVand it was so.
Why?Wayyiqtol וַיְהִי + כֵן (“so”) — “and it was so.” It is the fulfilment of pattern 6, and the words וַיְהִי־כֵן appear here for the first time in Genesis 1. No subject is written.
Verbs — who did it?
How the accents divide it
The bigger the box, the bigger the pause. Read from right to left.
The segolta (◌֒) on “the firmament” (הָרָקִיעַ) first separates [making | dividing]. The atnach (◌֑) falls at the end of the second relative clause, on לָרָקִיעַ, so the whole verse divides [making · dividing | and it was so] — the second half is just the two words וַיְהִי־כֵן. Within the dividing, the two לָרָקִיעַ (zaqef, atnach) close “the waters under” and “the waters above” in turn.
Word by word
וַיַּ֣עַשׂva-yaasand he made
Wayyiqtol of asah “to make, do”: וַ + יּ (dagesh); the י = “he,” and the “he” is Elohim, which follows. The final ה of the imperfect יַעֲשֶׂה has dropped — a short form (as with וַיַּרְא in 1:4). Because the root begins with the guttural ע, the prefix vowel is patach יַ, and the end reads עַשׂ: va-ya-as.
אֱלֹהִים֮ElohimGod
The one who made — the subject after the verb. The ֮ (zarqa) over the last letter is a minor disjunctive leading to the segolta that follows.
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- אֱלוֹהַּ (“god”) with the plural ending ־ִים
- Accent
- Zarqa (zinor) a smaller pause
- Lexicon
- H430
אֶתet(object marker)
The object marker, joined by maqaf and so with the short vowel אֶת. It points to “the firmament” as what he made.
- Parsing
- object marker
- Grammar
- object marker אֵתmaqqefaccents
- Form
- אֵת → before maqaf אֶת־
- Accent
- Maqaf joined to the next word by maqaf (־)
- Lexicon
- H853
הָרָקִיעַ֒ha-raqiathe firmament
ר cannot take a dagesh, so the article lengthens to הָ instead of הַ (as before א in הָאָרֶץ). The “a firmament” of verse 6 is now “the firmament.” The segolta (◌֒) over the last letter divides the first half of verse 7: making | dividing.
- Parsing
- article “the” + noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- definite articlegender and numberaccents
- Form
- רָקִיעַ + article הָ → הָרָקִיעַ
- Accent
- Segolta a major pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H7549
וַיַּבְדֵּ֗לva-yavdeland he divided
The same Hiphil wayyiqtol וַיַּבְדֵּל as in 1:4; the י = “he.” No subject is written in this clause — it is God, from the previous clause. Revia (◌֗).
- Parsing
- conjunction “and” + verb · Hiphil · wayyiqtol (narrative sequence) · 3rd masculine singular
- Grammar
- conjunction wawHiphil stemwayyiqtolaccents
- Form
- root ב-ד-ל → Hiphil יַבְדִּיל → וַיַּבְדֵּל
- Accent
- Revia a smaller pause
- Lexicon
- H914
בֵּ֤יןbeinbetween
The first side of בֵּין … וּבֵין (“between A and between B”), as in 1:4.
- Parsing
- preposition
- Grammar
- prepositionaccents
- Form
- unchanging
- Accent
- Mahpakh conjunctive
- Lexicon
- H996
הַמַּ֨יִם֙ha-mayimthe waters
“The waters” — the waters of verse 6. The אֲשֶׁר right after it describes this word and says which waters. It is not at a major pause, so מַּ has a patach (compare הַמָּיִם at the atnach in verse 6).
- Parsing
- article “the” + noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- definite articlegender and numberaccents
- Form
- מַיִם (“waters”) + article הַ → מּ
- Accent
- Pashta a smaller pause
- Lexicon
- H4325
אֲשֶׁר֙asherwhich
The relative word. It never changes for gender or number; it links the noun just before it (the waters) to what follows: “the waters which were under the firmament.” This relative clause has no verb — “which were under” is expressed, as in a verbless sentence, by placing the parts side by side. The hateph patach (ֲ) under א is a short “a”; the dot on שׁ is on the right (shin). Pashta (◌֙).
מִתַּ֣חַתmi-tachatunder
The preposition מִן (“from”) + תַּחַת (“under”). The נ of מִן is absorbed into the next letter, doubling ת — the dot in תּ marks that doubling. Together with the following לְ it means “below,” giving a location. With a patach under תּ and under ח it reads ta-chat.
- Parsing
- preposition + preposition
- Grammar
- prepositionaccents
- Form
- מִן + תַּחַת → נ absorbed: מִתַּחַת
- Accent
- Munach conjunctive — joins to the next word
- Lexicon
- H8478
לָרָקִ֔יעַla-raqiathe firmament
לְ + article הָ + רָקִיעַ — the ה disappears and its vowel ָ moves to ל (as in לָאוֹר, 1:5). With מִתַּחַת לְ it means “under the firmament.” The first relative clause ends here, marked by the zaqef (◌֔).
- Parsing
- preposition + article + noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- prepositiondefinite articlegender and numberaccents
- Form
- לְ + הָ + רָקִיעַ → לָרָקִיעַ
- Accent
- Zaqef qatan a major pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H7549
וּבֵ֣יןu-veinand between
The second side of בֵּין … וּבֵין. Before ב “and” is וּ (u), and after the vowel ב has no dagesh (as in 1:4).
- Parsing
- conjunction “and” + preposition
- Grammar
- conjunction wawprepositionaccents
- Form
- וּ + בֵּין → dagesh drops: בֵין
- Accent
- Munach conjunctive — joins to the next word
- Lexicon
- H996
הַמַּ֔יִםha-mayimthe waters
The second “the waters” — the אֲשֶׁר after it describes this one too. Zaqef (◌֔).
- Parsing
- article “the” + noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- definite articlegender and numberaccents
- Form
- מַיִם (“waters”) + article הַ → מּ
- Accent
- Zaqef qatan a major pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H4325
אֲשֶׁ֖רasherwhich
The second relative word — the waters “which were above the firmament.” This relative clause also has no verb. Tipcha (◌֖).
מֵעַ֣לme-alabove
מִן + עַל (“upon”). ע cannot take a dagesh, so the נ has nowhere to be absorbed; instead the vowel lengthens from מִ to מֵ (me). It pairs with מִתַּחַת before it: “under” and “above.”
- Parsing
- preposition + preposition
- Grammar
- prepositionaccents
- Form
- מִן + עַל → מֵעַל (מֵ before ע)
- Accent
- Munach conjunctive — joins to the next word
- Lexicon
- H5921a
לָרָקִ֑יעַla-raqiathe firmament
The end of “above the firmament.” The atnach (◌֑) here divides verse 7: [making · dividing | and it was so].
- Parsing
- preposition + article + noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- prepositiondefinite articlegender and numberaccents
- Form
- לְ + הָ + רָקִיעַ → לָרָקִיעַ
- Accent
- Atnach the main pause in mid-verse — divides the verse in two
- Lexicon
- H7549
YLVAnd God called the firmament Heavens. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
How this sentence is built — and why
- How many clauses?Four: [he called — the firmament — Heavens] [there was evening] [there was morning] [a second day].
- What comes first?The first clause opens with the wayyiqtol וַיִּקְרָא → pattern 1. “Call + לְ” means “name.”
- The namingIn 1:5 two things (light, darkness) were named as a mirror, so the second clause was “X + perfect” (pattern 2). Verse 8 names only one thing (the firmament), so there is a single wayyiqtol clause.
- Clauses two to fourוַיְהִי + “evening,” וַיְהִי + “morning,” then the verbless יוֹם שֵׁנִי → pattern 8. This time not the cardinal “one” but the ordinal שֵׁנִי (“second”), without the article.
- Why is it written this way?The sentence that closes the day has the same structure as in Day One; only the day’s name changes — the combination for closing a span of time. In the Masoretic text Day Two (verses 6–8) has no “that it was good” (כִּי טוֹב, pattern 7), which does occur in 1:4, 10, 12, 18, 21 and 25. The Septuagint has those words in verse 8.
- The accents matchThe atnach (◌֑) on שָׁמָיִם divides it: [the naming | evening · morning · a second day].
Clause by clause
YLVAnd God called the firmament Heavens.
Why?Wayyiqtol וַיִּקְרָא → subject → “the firmament” (לָרָקִיעַ) → “Heavens” (שָׁמָיִם). “Call + לְ” means “name” (as in 1:5).
YLVAnd there was evening
Why?The first part of the closing sentence: wayyiqtol וַיְהִי + subject “evening.”
YLVand there was morning,
Why?The same וַיְהִי + subject “morning.”
YLVa second day.
Why?יוֹם שֵׁנִי (“a second day”), standing without a verb. Unlike the cardinal “one” of Day One, this is the ordinal “second,” without the article.
How the accents divide it
The bigger the box, the bigger the pause. Read from right to left.
The atnach (◌֑) falls on “Heavens” (שָׁמָיִם): [the naming | evening · morning · a second day], the same place as in 1:5. The tevir (◌֛) on Elohim is a smaller division within the first half, and the darga (◌֧) on וַיִּקְרָא is the conjunctive accent leading into it (the same pair as in 1:4).
Word by word
וַיִּקְרָ֧אva-yikraand he called
אֱלֹהִ֛יםElohimGod
The one who called. The tevir (◌֛) is a small division within the first half.
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- אֱלוֹהַּ (“god”) with the plural ending ־ִים
- Accent
- Tevir a smaller pause
- Lexicon
- H430
לָֽרָקִ֖יעַla-raqiathe firmament
“Call + לְ” = “name something” (the same construction as לָאוֹר in 1:5). לָ is לְ merged with the article. The stroke in לָֽ is a meteg (lengthening mark). Tipcha (◌֖).
- Parsing
- preposition + article + noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- prepositiondefinite articlegender and numberaccents
- Form
- לְ + הָ + רָקִיעַ → לָרָקִיעַ
- Accent
- Tipcha a pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H7549
שָׁמָ֑יִםshamayimHeavens
The same word as הַשָּׁמַיִם (“the heavens”) in 1:1, but here it is the name given, so it has no article (like “Day” and “Night” in 1:5). Always plural in form (־ַיִם). At the atnach (◌֑) pause מַ lengthens to מָ, the pausal form שָׁמָיִם; verse 8 divides here.
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · plural
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- שָׁמַיִם (“heavens”) → pausal שָׁמָיִם
- Accent
- Atnach the main pause in mid-verse — divides the verse in two
- Lexicon
- H8064
וַֽיְהִיva-yehiand there was
The wayyiqtol וַיְהִי of verse 3, joined by maqaf to “evening.” The “it” (yod) is the evening.
עֶ֥רֶבerevevening
As in 1:5, evening comes first. Merkha (◌֥) joins it to what follows.
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- עֶרֶב (“evening”)
- Accent
- Merkha conjunctive
- Lexicon
- H6153
וַֽיְהִיva-yehiand there was
בֹ֖קֶרvoqermorning
Joined by maqaf after a vowel, ב has no dagesh and is a soft v: voqer. Its tipcha (◌֖) divides the second half: [evening · morning | a second day].
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- בֹּקֶר (“morning”) → dagesh drops: בֹקֶר
- Accent
- Tipcha a pause within a half-verse
- Lexicon
- H1242
י֥וֹםyomday
The “day” of “a second day,” without the article. Merkha (◌֥) joins it to שֵׁנִי.
- Parsing
- noun · masculine · singular
- Grammar
- gender and numberaccents
- Form
- יוֹם (“day”)
- Accent
- Merkha conjunctive
- Lexicon
- H3117
שֵׁנִֽיshenisecond
The ordinal “second” — a masculine singular adjective agreeing with the masculine noun יוֹם. As an adjective it comes after the noun. Unlike the cardinal אֶחָד (“one”) of Day One, ordinals are used from here on. The ending ־ִי forms the ordinal (as in שְׁלִישִׁי, “third”). No article. Silluq at the verse end — the stroke under נִֽ.
All the sentence patterns of this page in one table, and the places where views differ.
2-1Sentence patterns on this page
Which patterns build the clauses of this page, in one table.
| Pattern | On this page |
|---|---|
| 1. The wayyiqtol narrative sentence | 1:6 And God said,1:7 And God made the firmament,1:7 and divided between the waters which were under the firmament and the waters which were above the firmament;1:7 and it was so.1:8 And God called the firmament Heavens.1:8 And there was evening1:8 and there was morning, |
| 5. The participle sentence | 1:6 and let it divide between waters and waters." |
| 6. “Let there be → there was”: word and fulfilment | 1:6 "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,1:7 and it was so. |
| 8. The sentence that closes a day | 1:8 And there was evening1:8 and there was morning,1:8 a second day. |
| 9. “And + imperfect / jussive”: a wish continued inside speech | 1:6 and let it divide between waters and waters." |
| 10. The relative clause with אֲשֶׁר | 1:7 and divided between the waters which were under the firmament and the waters which were above the firmament; |
2-2Going deeper
Verses 6–8, רָקִיעַ (raqia, the firmament) — a solid dome, or a spread-out expanse?
What the text makes clear — רָקִיעַ is a masculine singular noun from the root ר-ק-ע. God “made” it (וַיַּעַשׂ, verse 7); it stands in the midst of the waters and divides the waters “under” it from the waters “above” it (מִתַּחַת, מֵעַל). God called it שָׁמַיִם (Heavens, verse 8). Later the lights are “in the firmament of the heavens” (1:14, 15, 17), and birds fly “upon the face of the firmament of the heavens” (1:20). It occurs nine times in Genesis 1 (1:6; 7 three times; 8; 14; 15; 17; 20). The text does not say what it is made of.
① A solid dome — a firm vault holding up the waters above
- Evidence
- The root ר-ק-ע is used for “beating out” metal — Exod 39:3 וַיְרַקְּעוּ, “hammered out the plates of gold”; Num 17:4 (English Bibles 16:39), “they beat them out as a covering for the altar.” Job 37:18 asks, “Can you spread out with him the skies, strong as a molten mirror?” There are waters above (Gen 1:7), and in the flood “the windows of the heavens were opened” (Gen 7:11), which suggests a firm boundary. The Septuagint rendered the word στερέωμα (“something firm”), the Latin Vulgate firmamentum.
- Problems
- The same root is used for “spreading out” the earth — Isa 42:5 רֹקַע הָאָרֶץ, “who spread out the earth and its offspring”; Ps 136:6, “To him who spread out the earth above the waters.” There the point is spreading, not hardness, so the root alone does not establish a “firm plate.” Job 37:18 is a poetic simile (“as”), and its words are not רָקִיעַ but the verb תַּרְקִיעַ with שְׁחָקִים (clouds, skies). “The windows of the heavens” can also be read as picture language. The Greek and Latin words show how the translators understood it; they do not decide the meaning of the Hebrew word. The text never says the firmament is hard.
- Sources
- Septuagint · Vulgate · Paul H. Seely, “The Firmament and the Water Above” (Westminster Theological Journal 53, 1991) · Claus Westermann, Genesis 1–11, and others
② A spread-out expanse — the sky stretched out above the earth
- Evidence
- It rests on the root’s sense “spread out, stretch out” (Isa 42:5; 44:24; Ps 136:6). God called it שָׁמַיִם (Heavens, 1:8); birds fly “upon the face of the firmament of the heavens” (1:20); the lights are “in the firmament of the heavens” (1:14). Ps 19:2 (English Bibles 19:1) pairs it with the heavens: “the firmament tells the work of his hands.” The KJV (1611) margin explains the word as expansion, and modern versions such as the NASB and ESV render it expanse.
- Problems
- The root is also used for hammering out metal (Exod 39:3), and in Ezekiel 1:22 the רָקִיעַ over the living creatures is pictured as a visible surface, “like the gleam of the awesome ice” — so some point out that “empty space” does not explain every use. “Expanse” is also a broad word that does not say what is spread out.
- Sources
- KJV (1611) margin · NASB · ESV · various conservative commentaries
③ The waters above = a vapour canopy over the earth (the canopy theory)
- Evidence
- It takes the waters above the firmament (1:7) as a layer of water (vapour) surrounding the pre-flood earth, which poured down when “the windows of the heavens were opened” (Gen 7:11). It was used to explain, among other things, the long lifespans before the flood. Popularized by John Whitcomb and Henry Morris, The Genesis Flood (1961), and Joseph Dillow, The Waters Above (1981).
- Problems
- The text says nothing of vapour or a layer. Ps 148:4, long after the flood, still addresses the waters above as existing: “and the waters that are above the heavens.” And since 1:14–17 places the lights “in the firmament of the heavens,” some note that putting the waters above the firmament as a vapour layer beneath the sun and moon is hard to fit with the order of places in the text.
- Sources
- Whitcomb & Morris (1961) · Dillow (1981)
④ Language of appearance — the sky as seen by someone standing on the earth
- Evidence
- The text speaks as someone standing on the earth sees things: the sky spread out above, the waters above it, birds flying across its face. John Calvin, in his Commentary on Genesis (1554) on 1:6, explained that the chapter treats the visible form of the world, and on 1:16 that Moses wrote in language everyone could understand. Read this way, the dispute between ① and ② (what is it made of?) is not a question the text is asking.
- Problems
- This explains how the text speaks, but it does not settle what the word רָקִיעַ refers to. Some also note that the text presents the firmament not as a mere appearance but as something God “made” (וַיַּעַשׂ).
- Sources
- John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis (1554), on 1:6 and 1:16
What the word and its forms establish for certain is this: a masculine noun from the root ר-ק-ע (“spread out, beat out”), something God made and named Heavens, which divides the waters above from below. Whether it is “solid” or “open space” cannot be decided from the word alone. רָקִיעַ occurs 17 times in the Old Testament (9 in Genesis 1; 5 in Ezek 1:22–26 and 10:1; Ps 19:2; 150:1; Dan 12:3). The YLV renders it “firmament.”