96 | The Old Testament and thE aNcient Near Eastern Worldview
The vaulted dome, sometimes called the firmament( and sometimes equated with the sky), was seen as connecting to foundations that went deep below the sea. The dome surrounded the earth with its edge meeting at the horizon— the boundary“ between light and darkness”( Job 26:10; compare Pr 8:27 – 28). This explains verses like:“ when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,”( Pr 8:28) and“ can you join [ God ] in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?”( Job 37:18).
The vaulted dome was thought to be supported by the tops of mountains because the peaks appeared to touch the sky( e. g., 2Sa 22:8). The heavens had doors and windows through which rain or the waters above could flow upon the earth from their storehouse above the dome( Ge 7:11; 8:2; Ps 78:23; 33:7).
Genesis 1 describes waters above and below the solid firmament, a belief also reflected in Psalm 148:4. God was thought to dwell above the firmament, as described in Job 22:14:“ Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us as he goes about in the vaulted heavens”( compare Am 9:6; Ps 29:10).
The Earth The earth sat atop the watery deep. The“ waters below” refers not only to waters that humans use but also the deeper abyss. Thus, the earth was seen as surrounded by and floating upon the seas( Ge 1:9 – 10), having arisen out of the water( 2Pe 3:5). The earth was thought to be held fast by pillars or sunken foundations( 1Sa 2:8; Job 38:4 – 6; Ps 104:5).
The Underworld The realm of the dead was believed to be located under the earth. The most frequent Hebrew term for this place was she’ ol, often transliterated in English Bibles as Sheol or translated as the realm of the dead, or even the grave( Pr 9:18; Ps 6:4 – 5; 18:4 – 5). At times, the Hebrew word for“ earth”( ʾerets) is also used to describe the underworld, since graves were believed to represent gateways to the underworld. In Job, the realm of the dead is even described in watery terms:“ The dead are in deep anguish, those beneath the waters and all that live in them”( Job 26:5). Jonah’ s description is perhaps the most vivid. Although he is located in the belly of the great fish, Jonah says he is in the underworld: the watery deep at“ the roots of the mountains,” a“ pit” that had“ bars” that closed forever( Jnh 2:6).
This worldview shaped the Old Testament and illustrates how the Bible uses the language of its time to explain its perspective and to glorify Yahweh.