Why does the Bible Says the Earth is Flat.?

Question

the Earth rests on pillars (I Sam. 2:8),
the earth does not move, but stands still (I Chron. 16:30),
the Earth has ends and edges (Job 37:3),
the earth has four corners (Isa,. 11:12, Rev. 7:1).

The view that the Earth is fixed, immovable and non-rotating (Joshua 10:12; 1 Chronicles 16:30; Psalm 93:1; Psalm 96:10; Psalm 104:5) was used in the Holy Writ to convict Galileo of heresy.

In Daniel 4:10-11, Daniel 'saw a tree of great height at the centre of theEarth, reaching with its top to the sky, and visible on the Earth's farthest bounds'. This would only be possible if the Earth was flat. In the New Testament (Matthew 6:13), Satan took Jesus to the top of a mountain from where they could see all the kingdoms on Earth.

Answer 1

LOL because it was written by bronze-age sheperds. Not someone with a modicum of scientific knowledge.
Here is my favorite quote on the subject, it is by Ferdinand Magelland;
"the church tells us that the earth is flat, but I have seen it's shadow on the moon so I know that it is round. For I will believe a shadow before I will believe the church."
Well said Ferdinand, well said.

Answer 2

>>>the Earth rests on pillars (I Sam. 2:8),<<<

Spheres can also rest on pillars.

>>>>the earth does not move, but stands still (I Chron. 16:30), <<<

That has nothing to do with whether the earth is flat or round.

Besides, science also thought the earth stood still -- for centuries. Galileo theorized that this wasn't the case -- but went around teaching his theories as facts before having proved them, which is why he got into hot water with the Church.


>>>the Earth has ends and edges (Job 37:3),
the earth has four corners (Isa,. 11:12, Rev. 7:1).<<<

Figures of speech. Even modern-day people often metaphorically refer to the "four corners of the earth," even though they know that it's a sphere.

Answer 3

The Bible was written long ago by its writers whose idea of a world is limited to a where they do not see other places across the ocean. If it is true that Iraq, Iran and the places in Egypt are where it all began, then consider looking at flatland of sand, and sea that ends nowhere. That is why the great floods on Noah's time was only in their kind of world and that's what made them think that the world is flat.
After the great flood, Noah's children went scattered to many parts of the world but since they are using boats, they can never imagine the world as a round one. Specially when most of their guides are the stars they see from heaven. If they lost it in sight they feel lost already. So, what they did was never to lose the sight of the stars.Even God I believe would not talk about the shape of the earth since no one would understand Him anyway at that time.
This age, we know that there is fire in the core of the earth and scientifically this fire is what makes the world keeps spinning and surely we are all aware that volcanoes are the outlets of this fire from core of the earth for its breathing and sustainance to earth's life. That fire was said to be the hell by those who wrote the messages, ( practical way of putting fears into every mind).

Answer 4

Likely for the same reasons the Bible uses 7 days for creation (note that "time" as we recognize it, wasn't created until the fourth "day") for the purpose of helping the people of the time and level of knowledge (when it was written) to understand.
Now /today When you or I go hiking and stand on a mountain top an look out at the ocean it looks like it just stops or drops off, we know it's because of the curvature of the earth.
It wasn't untill science showed us that the earth moves around the sun that Galileo was proven correct.

Answer 5

Well, a christian scholar will tell you that the Bible is a "historical" account in the words of men. Thus, since the flat earth theory wasn't abandoned until almost 1500 years after Jesus' death one could argue that it was a misconception of men.

In my opinion, it is due to the obviously skewed story-telling based on word-of-mouth stories as much of the bible wasn't actually compiled as we know it today in a written form until 400 AD around the time of Constantinoble's reign. Embellishment and false belief comes out of tall tales... take the game "monkey-phone" as an example. Say one thing at one end of a line of people have it go through a few people and at the end the simple phrase: "I went to the store" could come out, "I ate snake with a man named Apu while sitting on a toilet."

Also, it is a pseudo-historical text. Some of which is probably based on real events. So, the idea of a flat Earth was probably an accepted belief. However, if Jesus was the son of God, then why would he leave such a simple and important bit of knowledge out of his teachings?

Answer 6

A lot of times in the Bible descriptive words, particularly those of prophecy like most of what is written in the verses you've referenced, are not literal.
You have to look at the context it was written in, who it was written to...
also consider this: the Bible was written (of course for people of all time periods... then and now and future, but for the sake of argument bare with me) for a people whose scientific knowledge was only so advanced. If it had written about the sphere of the world (which in one verse it does describe God as He "sits upon the circle of the earth) people might not have regarded it with the same respect as they did then. It had to contain information they were familiar with and could relate to.
That's why some of the parables Jesus taught with don't seem very applicable, because our lifestyle is totally different than back then.
Just some things to consider.

Answer 7

The passage in Daniel is describing a dream of the King. A "dream" is not to be taken literally.

The other passages you cited are obviously poetic language that is not to be taken literally.

This question is getting really old. Your implied argument that the Bible is fallible because it allegedly claims that the Earth is flat has been rebutted many times, and it was silly to begin with.

Answer 8

Quadrupedalism (from Latin, meaning "four legs") is a form of land animal locomotion using four legs. The majority of walking animals are quadrupeds, including mammals such as cattle and cats, and reptiles, like lizards. Birds and humans.

INSECTS, crustaceans, and snakes are NOT quadrupeds.

Leviticus 11:20-22 (New International Version)

20 " 'All flying insects that walk on all fours are to be detestable to you. 21 There are, however, some winged creatures that walk on all fours that you may eat: those that have jointed legs for hopping on the ground. 22 Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket or grasshopper.

Leviticus 11:20-22 (English Standard Version)

20"All winged insects that go on all fours are detestable to you. 21Yet among the winged insects that go on all fours you may eat those that have jointed legs above their feet, with which to hop on the ground. 22Of them you may eat: the locust of any kind, the bald locust of any kind, the cricket of any kind, and the grasshopper of any kind.

11 Leviticus 11:23
But all other winged creatures that have four legs you are to detest.

Answer 9

What really concerns me is that there are people who still believe the bible word for word. The thing is, I don't think anyone has fallen off the end of the world yet. It must be like the Truman Show at the edges!!

Answer 10

I read a book by a modern author that mentioned travelling to the 'four corners of the earth.' Do you suppose he also thought the earth was flat?