New English Translation
Genesis 1:7
7So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so.
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 called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. 6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water. So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so. 8God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day. 9God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so.
Read all of Genesis 1Genesis 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 clouds above, when the fountains of the deep grew strong,
- Job 26:8He locks the waters in his clouds, and the clouds do not burst with the weight of them.
- Psalms 104:10He turns springs into streams; they flow between the mountains.
- Psalms 148:4Praise him, O highest heaven, and you waters above the sky!
- Ecclesiastes 11:3If the clouds are full of rain, they will empty themselves on the earth, and whether a tree falls to the south or to the north, the tree will lie wherever it falls.
- Genesis 1:9God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so.
- Matthew 8:27And the men were amazed and said, “What sort of person is this? Even the winds 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
In the dictionaries
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
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