Literal Truth vs. Literary Truth
“And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters." And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.” - Genesis 1:6-8 (ESV)
Dear Friends,
If you recall from an earlier devotional, in the first verse of Genesis it said that God created the “heavens” and that in the Hebrew tradition there were three heavens; the sky, outer space and Heaven. Here, on day two of creation, God creates a great expanse which He names “heaven,” which I believe most likely refers to the atmosphere around the earth or as the NIV puts it, the sky.
Most Bible translations use “heaven” in the singular and after much consideration, I agree with this for a two reasons. First and most importantly is the context. God is preparing the earth for life. It is reasonable that the focus would then be the atmosphere around the earth that allows us to live and not outer space or Heaven. Second, on day five, we will read that in the heavens is where the birds fly. Certainly, the birds do not fly into outer space.
One could argue that the meaning should include outer space as well. After all, on day three God puts the stars and moon and sun in the heavens. Certainly these celestial bodies are in outer space. But I would say this description is a literary device called phenomenological language.
Phenomenological language is a big term to describe events in nature as they appear to be, yet not as they truly are. From our perspective on the earth, the sun and moon and stars appear to be in the sky, yet this is not true they are further out in space. But before you dismiss the author of Genesis as being uneducated and the Bible as being in error, realize that we use phenomenological language today. Does the sun really come up? Are the streaks in the night sky really falling stars? No, but that’s what we say. It’s phenomenological language.
Which leads us to another challenging concept in these verses. We are told that by the power of His divine word, God separates one body of water under the sky from a second body of water that is above the sky. What are we to make of this second body of water above the sky? What could it possibly be?
One answer is the “Canopy Theory.” This theory presumes that there was in fact a body of water surrounding the earth above the atmosphere. It was held in place by God’s will and this explanation suggests that the shielding effects from solar radiation and the increased atmospheric pressure could account for the extremely long lives of the people who lived in the earliest times - for example, Adam lived to be 930 years old. This canopy of water is also the explanation for all the water needed to flood the earth during the days of Noah. Because the water fell to the earth to cause the flood is why the water canopy is no longer there.
But there are a number of issues with the Canopy Theory and I see it as being too literal. Personally, I prefer a simpler answer. That the waters above are simply atmospheric moisture, the clouds, and the water below is the oceans and seas. Or, it could be phenomenological language. From the perspective of the earth, does the clear blue sky look like the ocean to you? Could it simply have been the author’s perspective?
What I hope you will take away from this discussion is the understanding that interpreting the Bible means we must decide where literal truth is presented, as when the term day means a 24 hour period instead of billions of years, and where literary truth is presented, as in the use of phenomenological language. Both are true. Our goal in studying the Bible should be to correctly distinguish between the two and to discern the truth that God is revealing to us in His word.
In Christ,
David
Dear Friends,
If you recall from an earlier devotional, in the first verse of Genesis it said that God created the “heavens” and that in the Hebrew tradition there were three heavens; the sky, outer space and Heaven. Here, on day two of creation, God creates a great expanse which He names “heaven,” which I believe most likely refers to the atmosphere around the earth or as the NIV puts it, the sky.
Most Bible translations use “heaven” in the singular and after much consideration, I agree with this for a two reasons. First and most importantly is the context. God is preparing the earth for life. It is reasonable that the focus would then be the atmosphere around the earth that allows us to live and not outer space or Heaven. Second, on day five, we will read that in the heavens is where the birds fly. Certainly, the birds do not fly into outer space.
One could argue that the meaning should include outer space as well. After all, on day three God puts the stars and moon and sun in the heavens. Certainly these celestial bodies are in outer space. But I would say this description is a literary device called phenomenological language.
Phenomenological language is a big term to describe events in nature as they appear to be, yet not as they truly are. From our perspective on the earth, the sun and moon and stars appear to be in the sky, yet this is not true they are further out in space. But before you dismiss the author of Genesis as being uneducated and the Bible as being in error, realize that we use phenomenological language today. Does the sun really come up? Are the streaks in the night sky really falling stars? No, but that’s what we say. It’s phenomenological language.
Which leads us to another challenging concept in these verses. We are told that by the power of His divine word, God separates one body of water under the sky from a second body of water that is above the sky. What are we to make of this second body of water above the sky? What could it possibly be?
One answer is the “Canopy Theory.” This theory presumes that there was in fact a body of water surrounding the earth above the atmosphere. It was held in place by God’s will and this explanation suggests that the shielding effects from solar radiation and the increased atmospheric pressure could account for the extremely long lives of the people who lived in the earliest times - for example, Adam lived to be 930 years old. This canopy of water is also the explanation for all the water needed to flood the earth during the days of Noah. Because the water fell to the earth to cause the flood is why the water canopy is no longer there.
But there are a number of issues with the Canopy Theory and I see it as being too literal. Personally, I prefer a simpler answer. That the waters above are simply atmospheric moisture, the clouds, and the water below is the oceans and seas. Or, it could be phenomenological language. From the perspective of the earth, does the clear blue sky look like the ocean to you? Could it simply have been the author’s perspective?
What I hope you will take away from this discussion is the understanding that interpreting the Bible means we must decide where literal truth is presented, as when the term day means a 24 hour period instead of billions of years, and where literary truth is presented, as in the use of phenomenological language. Both are true. Our goal in studying the Bible should be to correctly distinguish between the two and to discern the truth that God is revealing to us in His word.
In Christ,
David
