Genesis 1:7

Genesis 1:7 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Thus 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.

Context of Genesis 1:7

5God named the light day, and the darkness he named night. There was evening, then morning—the first day. 6Then God said, “Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water.” So God made the horizon and separated the water above and below the horizon. And so it was. 8God named ⌞what was above⌟ the horizon sky. There was evening, then morning—a second day. 9Then God said, “Let the water under the sky come together in one area, and let the dry land appear.” And so it was.

Genesis 1:7 word by word

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִים֮ אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ֒ וַיַּבְדֵּ֗ל בֵּ֤ין הַמַּ֙יִם֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ מִתַּ֣חַת לָרָקִ֔יעַ וּבֵ֣ין הַמַּ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֖ר מֵעַ֣ל לָרָקִ֑יעַ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• madeעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
• the firmamentרָקִיעַrâqîya‛ · expanseH7549
• and dividedבָּדַלbâdal · to separateH914
• the watersמַיmayim · waterH4325
• whichאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• underתַּחַתtachath · underneath: underH8478
• aboveעַל‛al · uponH5921
• and it was soכֵּןkên · soH3651

Cross-references for Genesis 1:7

• Proverbs 8:28when he established the skies above, when he determined the currents in the ocean,
• Job 26:8He holds the water in his thick clouds, and the clouds don’t ⌞even⌟ split under its ⌞weight⌟.
• Psalms 104:10You make water gush from springs into valleys. It flows between the mountains.
• Psalms 148:4Praise him, you highest heaven and the water above the sky.
• Ecclesiastes 11:3If the clouds are full of rain, they will let it pour down on the earth. If a tree falls north or south, the tree will remain where it fell.
• Genesis 1:9Then God said, “Let the water under the sky come together in one area, and let the dry land appear.” And so it was.
• Matthew 8:27The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!”

Commentaries on Genesis 1:7

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6-8Verses 6-8 - IV. The Second Day 6. רקיע rāqı̂ya‛ “expanse;” ́ stereōma רקע rāqa‛ “spread out by beating, as leaf gold.” 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 Psalm 150:1. 7. עשׂה ‛āśâh “work on,” “make out of already existing materials.” The second act of creative power bears upon the deep of waters, over…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-13Verses 6-13 The earth was emptiness, but by a word spoken, it became full of God's riches, and his they are still. Though the use of them is allowed to man, they are from God, and to his service and honour they must be used. The earth, at his command, brings forth grass, herbs, and fruits. God must have the glory of all the benefit we receive from the produce of the earth. If we have, through grace, an interest in Him who is the Fountain, we may rejoice…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 6-8The creation story describes how things appear from a human perspective. The sky looks like a shiny dome separating two groups of water (see Job 37:18; Ezekiel 1:22). In the ancient Near East, people understood the universe to have three levels, with rain coming from the highest level (see Genesis 7:11–12 and study note).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 6-86. firmament--an expanse--a beating out as a plate of metal: a name given to the atmosphere from its appearing to an observer to be the vault of heaven, supporting the weight of the watery clouds. By the creation of an atmosphere, the lighter parts of the waters which overspread the earth's surface were drawn up and suspended in the visible heavens, while the larger and heavier mass remained below. The air was thus "in the midst of the waters," that is…Read the comment

Topics related to Genesis 1:7

• Earth
• Firmament
• God

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Appear
• Beginning
• Call
• Create
• Darkness
• Divide
• Earth
• Embalm

Commentaries on Genesis 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings