Genesis 1:8

And God called the firmament heaven,.... Including the starry and airy heavens: it has its name from its height in the Arabic language, it being above the earth, and reaching to the third heaven;…

- IV. The Second Day 6. רקיע rāqı̂ya‛, “expanse;” στερέωμα stereōma, רקע rāqa‛, “spread out by beating, as leaf gold.” This expanse was not understood to be solid, as the fowl is said to fly on…

We have here an account of the second day's work, the creation of the firmament, in which observe, 1. The command of God concerning it: Let there be a firmament, an expansion, so the Hebrew word…

God called the firmament Heaven It is clear therefore that what the Hebrews meant by "Heaven," was neither the clouds and mist, nor the empty space of the sky. It was a solid arch, to which, as we…