karl, > This is a mistranslation, otherwise known as medieval cosmology. רקיע RQY( is not a “solid vault-like structure” rather it’s from a root that referred also to expanding out unsolid things like mist and dust wafting in the wind.
-------------- what is the evidence for "expanding out unsolid things like mist and dust wafting in the wind"? as far as i know, the root RQ( means specifically to strike a flat surface repeatedly, and is restricted to solid surfaces. RQ( BRGLYW means stamped his feet (on the ground), RYQU( means normally ornamental work of metal sheets done by hammering with a blunt object. so, RQY( is specifically a flat sheet "hammered out" so as to form a thin separating layer. then, by generalization, "sky". the product of RYQU( is RQ(, which is the sheet itself. i dont know whether this word is biblical; nowadays, though, it means "background". this connection is interesting since in english "background" too contains a solid flat surface element (ground). nir cohen > On this > understanding then, the "heavens" of v. 8, i.e., the sky, the solid > vault-like structure that separates the waters above from the waters below, > is not different from the "heavens" of v. 1; they are the same. _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
