1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse 5 in the midst of the waters and let it separate water 6 from water.
1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms 7 of living creatures and let birds fly 8 above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”
1 tn Heb “the expanse.”
2 tn This statement indicates that it happened the way God designed it, underscoring the connection between word and event.
3 tn Though the Hebrew word can mean “heaven,” it refers in this context to “the sky.”
4 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the lights mentioned in the preceding verses) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn The Hebrew word refers to an expanse of air pressure between the surface of the sea and the clouds, separating water below from water above. In v. 8 it is called “sky.”
sn An expanse. In the poetic texts the writers envision, among other things, something rather strong and shiny, no doubt influencing the traditional translation “firmament” (cf. NRSV “dome”). Job 37:18 refers to the skies poured out like a molten mirror. Dan 12:3 and Ezek 1:22 portray it as shiny. The sky or atmosphere may have seemed like a glass dome. For a detailed study of the Hebrew conception of the heavens and sky, see L. I. J. Stadelmann, The Hebrew Conception of the World (AnBib), 37-60.
6 tn Heb “the waters from the waters.”
7 tn The Hebrew text again uses a cognate construction (“swarm with swarms”) to emphasize the abundant fertility. The idea of the verb is one of swift movement back and forth, literally swarming. This verb is used in Exod 1:7 to describe the rapid growth of the Israelite population in bondage.
8 tn The Hebrew text uses the Polel form of the verb instead of the simple Qal; it stresses a swarming flight again to underscore the abundant fruitfulness.