And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
What does Genesis 1:7 mean?
The earth was emptiness, but by a word spoken, it became full of God's riches, and his they are still. Though the use of them is allowed to man, they are from God, and to his service and honour they must be used.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Genesis 1:6-8 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Genesis 1:7
Then made God the expanse. - Here the distinction between command and execution is made still more prominent than in the third verse. For the word of command stands in one verse, and the effect realized is related in the next. Nay, we have the doing of the thing and the thing done separately expressed. For, after stating that God made the expanse, it is added, "and it was so." The work accomplished took a permanent form, in which it remained a standing monument of divine wisdom and power.
Key words
- firmament
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And God made the firmament,.
- firmament
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And God made the firmament,.
Context in Genesis 1
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Genesis 1 belongs to the opening movement of the book, especially the section often described as primeval history from creation to Babel. Genesis opens the whole Bible with creation, fall, flood, Babel, and the long patriarchal story that carries the reader from Eden to Egypt. Read this chapter with the wider themes of creation, fall, and covenant in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Who quoted Genesis 1:7?
Find out who used Genesis 1:7 in their speeches and writings. Which famous people quoted Genesis 1:7?
Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and William Anders used Genesis 1:7 in Apollo 8 Christmas Eve broadcast.