Jason Lisle's View on the Expanse in Genesis 1
Genesis 1:6-8 describes the creation of the "expanse" on the second day of creation: "And God made the expanse, and He separated between the waters which were under the expanse and the waters which were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse 'sky'" [1, 2]. This passage details God's work in forming the heavens, establishing a division within the primordial waters.
The book of Genesis opens with the creation of heaven and earth, a period described as "remote and unknown antiquity" [4]. The initial state of the earth is depicted as "formless and empty" with darkness over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovering over the waters (Genesis 1:2). The creation of the expanse is the first act of separation in the Genesis account, following the creation of light on the first day. This act establishes a firmament, or sky, to divide the waters.
The Hebrew word for "expanse" is raqia (רָקִ֖יעַ), which implies a hammered-out or stretched-out surface [1]. This term has been interpreted in various ways throughout history. Some ancient cosmologies envisioned a solid dome, while others understood it as a more ethereal space. The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, renders raqia as stereoma, meaning a solid structure. However, the context of Genesis 1:20, where birds fly "across the face of the expanse of the heavens," suggests a space through which creatures can move.
John Calvin, in his Commentary on Genesis, discusses the creation account, emphasizing that God's Word or Wisdom was active in creation from eternity, becoming manifest in the creation of light and subsequent acts of distinction [3]. Charles Hodge, in his Systematic Theology, highlights that the Genesis account of creation is presented as historical narrative, forming an integral part of the book's structure [5].
The concept of the "waters above the expanse" has also generated discussion. Some interpretations suggest these waters refer to clouds or atmospheric moisture, while others propose a more substantial celestial reservoir [1]. The purpose of this division is to create a habitable environment on earth, separating the atmospheric waters from the terrestrial waters.
Augustine, in City of God, discusses the blessing of fecundity, "Increase and multiply and replenish the earth" (Genesis 1:22), noting that this blessing was pronounced before sin entered the world [6]. While not directly addressing the expanse, his commentary on the early chapters of Genesis underscores the divine order and purpose in creation. Augustine also considered various interpretations of "heaven and earth" in Genesis 1:1, including whether "heaven" refers to a spiritual creature and "earth" to shapeless matter [7].
The creation of the expanse on the second day is part of a larger narrative of God bringing order out of chaos. This act of separation is followed by the gathering of waters and the appearance of dry land on the third day, and the creation of celestial bodies within the expanse on the fourth day. The narrative emphasizes God's sovereign power and deliberate design in establishing the cosmos [1, 2].
Sources
- Genesis “Genesis 1:7 (LITV) — And God made the expanse, and He separated between the waters which were under the expanse and the waters which were above the expanse. And it was so.”
- Genesis “God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day. -- Genesis 1:8”
- CCEL (Reformed) “Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, Vol. 1 (Gen 1-23), section 5.43: from the fact that all things were created by Him. Whatever quality God possessed when he began to speak, he must have possessed before. His Word, or his Wisdom, or his only-begotten Son, dwelt in Him, and was one with him from eternity; the same Word, or Wisdom, acted really in the creation of the chaotic mass, though not apparently. But in the creation of light, the very commencement of distinguishing, (exordium distinctionis,) this divine Word or Wisdom was manifest. Having given, to the best of my judgment, an explanation of C”
- Genesis (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Genesis 1 (introduction): Genesis 1:1 THE CREATION OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. (Gen 1:1-2) In the beginning--a period of remote and unknown antiquity, hid in the depths of eternal ages; and so the phrase is used in Pro 8:22-23. God--the name of the Supreme Being, signifying in Hebrew, "Strong," "Mighty." It is expressive of omnipotent power; and by its use here in the plural form, is obscurely taught at the opening of the Bible, a doctrine clearly revealed in other parts of it, namely, that though God is one, there is a plurality of persons in the Godhead--Father, So”
- CCEL (Reformed (Old Princeton)) “Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, section 36: rude speculation, the Scriptural account is simple, intelligible, and pregnant with the highest truths. (2.) From the fact not only that it is presented as a matter of history in a book which all Christians recognize as of divine authority, but that it also forms an integral part of the book of Genesis, which is confessedly historical. It is the first of the ten divisions into which that book, in its internal structure, is divided, and belongs essentially to its plan. (3.) It is no only an essential part of the book of Genesis, but it is ”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 2: Augustine — City of God, Christian Doctrine — CHAP. 21.--THAT MAN'S TRANSGRESSION DID NOT ANNUL THE BLESSING OF FECUNDITY PRONOUNCED UPON MAN BEFORE HE SINNED BUT INFECTED IT WITH THE DISEASE OF LUST.: Far be it, then, from us to suppose that our first parents in Paradise felt that lust which caused them afterwards to blush and hide their nakedness, or that by its means they should have fulfilled the benediction of God, "Increase and multiply and replenish the earth;"(1) for it was after sin that lust began. It was after sin that our nature, having lost the power it had over the w”
- Schaff ANF/NPNF (Patristic) “NPNF1 Vol 1: Augustine — Confessions, Letters — CHAP. XVII.--HE MENTIONS FIVE EXPLANATIONS OF THE WORDS OF GENESIS i. I. (part 1): 24. For they say, "Although these things be true, yet Moses regarded not those two things, when by divine revelation he said, ' In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.'4 Under the name of heaven he did not indicate that spiritual or intellectual creature which always beholds the face of God; nor under the name of earth, that shapeless matter." '' What then?" "'that man," say they, "meant as we say; this it is that he declared by those words." "What i”