Firmament

Firmament (Latin firmamentum, the Vulgate's rendering of the Hebrew raqia') refers to the expanse or vault of the sky described in the creation account of Genesis 1. The Hebrew raqia' derives from a verb meaning "to spread out" or "to beat flat" and denotes an expanse — not necessarily a solid dome, despite later interpretive traditions. God created the firmament on the second day to divide the waters above from the waters below (Genesis 1:7), establishing the conditions for a habitable earth.

The firmament is the space in which the heavenly bodies are set (Genesis 1:14-18) and in which birds fly (Genesis 1:20). The "windows of heaven" opened in the flood refer to the reservoirs above the firmament releasing their waters (Genesis 7:11). Psalm 148:4 calls for praise from "the highest heavens" and "the waters above the skies." The "magnificent firmament" (stereoma in the Septuagint) became associated with God's glory in Ezekiel 1:22-26 and the dazzling brightness of the wise who "shall shine like the firmament" (Daniel 12:3).