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RE: Grateful for So Much: Daily Life in Preparation
I hope you do get to take that trip to the Holy Land! It would be unforgettable; a lifetime memory maker.
Thanks for all the excellent info on the quotes you shared! Translating and compiling must be a lot of work but I'm sure it is very satisfying. Nice to know you will soon publish it all on chain.
I bought a book last year by a professor right near me who taught at UNCC which is his translation of Genesis. It is interesting to see how he translated some interesting words and phrases.
In The Beginning ---> At the first
Firmament ---> Expanse / Skies
Anyway, again enjoy your trip and I look forward to seeing the document you plan to publish!
0.00002580 BEE
Thank you! I appreciate the incentive, God willing I will publish once I get back from the trip. Hebrew studies are fascinating and Genesis specifically is fascinating, one of my favorite topics is the firmament.
The root word of firmament in Hebrew is Resh, Qof, Yod, Ayin
RQYA in modern translations is often translated by scholars as "atmosphere" or "sky" or "expanse", but in ancient times the firmament was understood as firm or hard like "beaten metal".
The ancients believed in a solid ceiling over the earth, with literal water over on top and a physical Tabernacle and actual throne of God.
The ancients believed God literally "beat out" a ceiling for the earth with His hands and called it "Heaven" (Genesis 1:8). Which is why there is a "ladder to Heaven" (Genesis 28:12) and there are "windows of Heaven" (Malachi 3:10) and "doors of Heaven" (Psalms 78:23) and the Heavens "tremble" (Joel 2:10) and the Heavens "open" (Deuteronomy 28:12) and the Heavens "roll up like a scroll" (Isaiah 34:4), there's even an "ends of the Heavens" (Isaiah 13:5). All of these are referring to the Firmament (RQYA) which God called "Heaven".
On the first day of creation, there was only one Heaven, but on the second day, God divided it. Once God separated the waters above from the waters below, the barrier (firmament) created a space above us which we call "Heaven", then also the barrier which He made (the firmament), He called "Heaven", and the location of the Heavenly realm called the "Heaven of Heaven" (Deut 10:14) or "The Third Heaven". (2 Corinthians 12:2)
Prophetically, on the day of the LORD, "Heaven" (that is the firmament) will pass away (2 Peter 3:10) and vanish like smoke (Isaiah 51:6), and the sea (the waters above) will be no more (Revelation 21:1). Then the separation between God and man will be gone!
It's a fascinating subject, open for much discussion and debate between ancient religious/science understandings of the world and modern secular/science understandings of the world.
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