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I suppose you mean that God evaporated water into clouds

Yes thats what I mean.

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But this is hardly a creation act,

It would not need to be a creation act, because water was already created, it was an act of dividing or seperating. Not everything God did at that period had to be creative.

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nor is it written in the bible

Because the Bible is not a scientific manual. However, I believe that it does align itself with science.


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However, it is not yet fully satisfying. Your concordance translates "raqiya" with:


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1) extended surface (solid), expanse, firmament
a) expanse (flat as base, support)
b) firmament (of vault of heaven supporting waters above)
1) considered by Hebrews as solid and supporting 'waters' above


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which is obviously its usual meaning taken from the bible; so the concordance sounds a little like circular reasoning. More interesting would be the meaning of that word outside the bible.



The word is definitely NOT referring to a solid formed vault or peice of architecture. The word firmament, as I previously defined it means an "expanse" and that is all. A little more contextual reading reveals this. Notice in the below verse that God put birds in the 'open firmament'. The last time I checked, birds cannot fly through solid vaults The word 'firmament' below is the same exact Hebrew word.

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Genesis 1:20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.