That's impossible, in Genesis, God separated the waters, and put them above the firmament, how could there be waters above the atmosphere, why and how did God divide the waters? there are no waters above the atmosphere!?
2006-08-20 18:14:22 · 27 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
Prof. Virgo but is there waters above the firmament?
2006-08-20 18:20:09 · update #1
Biblical accounts are written in poetic text. Maybe the waters were never divided at all.
2006-08-28 17:44:33 · answer #1 · answered by Calvin of China, PhD 6 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Genesis 1:6-7 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. 7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament (rāqiya‛) from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
rāqiya‛ - A masculine noun meaning an expanse, the firmament, an extended surface. Literally, this word refers to a great expanse and, in particular, the vault of the heavens above the earth. It denotes the literal sky that stretches from horizon to horizon (Gen_1:6-8); the heavens above that contain the sun, moon, and stars (Gen_1:14); or any vaulted ceiling or expanse that stands above (Eze_10:1). By extension, the psalmist uses the word to refer to the infinite and sweeping power of the Lord (Psa_150:1).
It's talking about the clouds that contain rain water, not outer space.
2006-08-20 18:33:45 · answer #2 · answered by Martin S 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The Bible seems to be indicating that there was a layer of water above Earth's atmosphere. So if you picture yourself coming to Earth from space, you would first dive through a layer of water, then into the atmosphere. This is not a reference to clouds as the Bible says the waters were ABOVE the firmament (the sky or atmosphere). Can clouds exist above Earth's atmosphere? Additionally, remember that God first gave the rainbow as a sign of his covenant never to destroy life on Earth by flood again. So natural rainbows did not exist before the flood -- because there was no rain. Rainfall from clouds is a phenomenon that came about after the flood and the removal of the waters above the atmosphere. (Genesis 2:6; Genesis 9:8-16) That layer of water no longer exists as it fell to Earth during the global flood of Noah's day. (2Peter 3:5,6)
2016-03-26 23:39:42 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Clouds are made of water that has evaporated from water below. Clouds are above the firmament (ground). The word atmosphere is your word, not the the text from Genesis.
2006-08-28 06:34:13 · answer #4 · answered by carpediem 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Venus is surrounded by a vapor barrier. That is, all of its water is above the atmosphere something like a giant water bubble surrounding the planet. Some scientists theorize that is what the Earth's atmosphere used to be like. A vapor barrier like that around the earth would have provided very warm, lush, tropical conditions over nearly all of the planet, which, according to secular scientists is exactly what the early Earth was like.
2006-08-20 18:23:45 · answer #5 · answered by shepherd 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No--where do you think rain comes from? Where are the waters for the rivers stored before they fall in the rivers, and how does God transport them so that all nations get water? Simple: He stores them in the firmament above, distributes them by his winds, condenses them for His rivers--pretty clever.
Boaz.
2006-08-28 17:42:48 · answer #6 · answered by Boaz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There were. Remember it never rained until the Flood, so I have heard the theory that the earth was surrounded by a water or ice protective shield....the Garden of Eden was very fruitful, everyone was vegetarian before the Flood as well andlived many many years.(hundreds). I think the Flood was a result of those waters falling for 40 days and nights.
2006-08-20 18:19:49 · answer #7 · answered by gracefully_saved 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Genesis is not a history book or a science text. The creation story is a metaphor, not a literal story. The language reflects the understanding of the universe in terms of a culture thousands of year ago.
Not only that, but there are two different versions of the creation story from two different sources. In one , the male is created and the female formed from his rib and in the other both are created at the same time.
Biblical literalism is both silly and wildly inconsistant.
2006-08-28 17:44:22 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
The book of Genesis is a collection of ancient stories told by Hebrew nomads for a very long time before the stories were written down. Like the Babylonians and other ethnic groups in the ancient Middle East, the Hebrews had a mental picture of the universe that was not scientific. (The Babylonians had a creation story quite similar to the creation stories in Genesis.)
It is probably more useful to appreciate the stories in Genesis for their moral and ethical value rather than their scientific accuracy.
2006-08-20 18:24:57 · answer #9 · answered by parachute 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
God does whatever He wants. And how do you know there is no water above the atmosphere? Were you there in the beginning with God?
2006-08-20 18:20:24 · answer #10 · answered by soulsista 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
firmament does not equal atmosphere... besides it isn't impossible for God... God is all powerful... if that's what he wanted to do he could do it... God could put water in space if he wanted to... he had his reasons and he did it like that... whats the big deal???
2006-08-20 18:19:53 · answer #11 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋