The Significance of the Scientific Anticipations Found in the Bible

Hal Flemings
September 2018

Key words: scientific anticipations, Noachian Flood, preformation doctrine, expanding universe,
beginning of the universe, second law of thermodynamics, air pressure, ocean currents, water
cycle, quarantine, infectivity, snakes hearing, shape of earth, Bible cosmology, firmament,
natural laws

Historians across time and archaeologists of our time have provided much information on the
views of ancient peoples around the world. What they have conveyed to us tells us much about
how now gone civilizations viewed the world and how it operates. Lacking the tools of the
modern period and infused with various religious doctrines and practices, many ancient peoples
held to views of the world we now know are untrue. The document that many call The Bible is
an ancient work written across time. Does it reflect the general views of the ancient world when
it comes to matters of a scientific nature? This paper submits that there are a number of passages
in the Bible presenting scientific information that was either not known at the time or, at least, if
known only known by a relatively few persons. Finally, this paper will comment on the
significance of those scientific anticipations.

Sources of the Noachian Flood

There are many who reject the story of the Noachian Flood described at Genesis 6 through 9.
Even so, it may be of interest to note at Genesis 7:11, 12 we are informed that the waters
composing that Global Flood came from two sources. I will herewith show two translations of
that text into English:

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the
month, on this day all the springs of the vast watery deep were broken open and the floodgates
of the heavens were opened. And the downpour upon the earth went on for forty days and
forty nights. ---The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the
month, on that day: All the fountains of the great deep burst open. The rain fell on the earth
forty days and forty nights. ---TANAKH- The Holy Scriptures (JPS, 1985)

So, the text tells us the sources of the Noachian Flood were the skies above the earth and from
eruptions of water under the ocean that is “springs of the vast watery deep.” It has only been
since 1977 that scientists have discovered not only thermal vents but evidence of vast oceans
beneath the
 -1-

oceans. One reference reports: “After decades of theorizing and searching, scientists are
reporting that they’ve finally found a massive reservoir of water in the Earth’s mantle—a
reservoir so vast that could fill the Earth’s oceans three times over. This discovery suggests that
Earth’s surface water actually came from within…” 1 The existence of water sources
underneath the oceans was not known until the 20th century. How did the writer of Genesis 7
know this? Is there anyone willing to argue that the book of Genesis was written after the 1970s,
that is, after the discovery of those watery sources? And for those who wish to believe that the
writer of Genesis received his information from the Epic of Gilgamesh, there is no reference to a
sub-oceanic source of the flood waters in that Epic.

The Conception of a Human

How are humans conceived? For centuries the prevailing dogma regarding human conception
was the Preformation Doctrine. One researcher related: “According to the preformation doctrine,
the human being is preformed either in the ovum or the sperm…Haller (1708-1777), Bonnet
(1720-1793) and Malpighi (1673) believed that the ovum contained a small miniature of the
adult. The semen from the male stimulated the growth of this miniature. This view was called the
ovist view. In contrast to this view, the homunculist or spermist view is that it is not the ovum
but the sperm which contains a miniature which grows into a fully formed baby by obtaining
nourishment from the ovum. One extreme view of the preformation doctrine is the encasement or
emboitement
theory propounded by Bonnet and Swammerdam. According to this theory, successive
generations of individual organisms pre-existed one inside other of the germs cells of the
mother.” 2 Modern science rejects this doctrine now since it has determined that is not what
happens at human conception. The fertilized egg divides and continues to grow by cell division
until the mass of cells gradually takes on the familiar human form known after birth. It is thus
“unformed” and becomes “formed” and is definitely not “preformed.”

What is fascinating are the Bible’s comments on human conception. I will present the English
translation of Psalm 139: 15, 16 from three different Bibles:

My bones were not hidden from you when I was made in secret. When I was woven in the
lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw even the embryo of me, and in your book all its parts
were down in writing; As regards the days when they were formed and there was not yet one
among them. The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

______________________________
1
By Sebastian Anthony. See https://www.extremetech.com/author/santhony on June 17,2014
2
Essay on the History of Embryology by Kritika Jain at www.biologydiscussion.com/embryology/essay-on-the-history-of-embryology-2476-
words-biology/643

-2-

My frame was not concealed from You when I was shaped in a hidden place,
knit together in the recesses of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed limbs;
they were all recorded in Your book; in due time they were formed, to the very
last one of them. --- TANAKH- The Holy Scriptures (JPS 1985)

Nothing about me is hidden from you! I was secretly woven together deep in the
earth below, but with your own eyes you saw my body being formed. Even before I
was born you had written in your book everything I would do. ---Contemporary
English Version

In the original Hebrew text, the word translated “embryo” in the New World Translation or
“unformed limbs” in the TANAKH is “GOH-lem.” Here is what we learn from the Biblical
Hebrew lexicons about this word:

“ golem …unformed body, embryo” --Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of

of Old & New Testament Words, page 915

“…embryo, prop. an unformed mass, as it were wrapt up together, Ps 139:16.” -- The

Analytical Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon, by Benjamin Davidson, page 139

“ Golem. Substance yet being unperfect “–Old Testament Word Studies by William Wilson
page 503

“ Golem. ..Formloses, Embryo, shapeless thing, embryo….Ps 139, 16” ---Lexicon In Veteris
Testamenti Libros, edited by Koehler and Baumgartner, page 185.

The point established is that the book of Psalms written more than 2000 years ago accurately
describes the earliest stage of human development in the womb as an unformed, not preformed,
mass that eventually takes the typical human form exiting the womb after the formation is
complete. What was scientifically confirmed in the early Modern era was accurately expressed in
the ancient book of Psalms. How many will argue that this Psalm was written after the
determination that the Preformation Doctrine was wrong?

The Cosmos is Expanding

In the 1920s astronomer Edwin Hubble produced evidence that the universe is stretched out,
even concluding that it is expanding. For centuries the orthodox scientific view was that the
universe was stationary with its members moving in orbits within the one body called the Milky
Way. Hubble’s research showed that this understanding was inaccurate. He demonstrated that
there are galaxies outside the Milky Way and, moreover, the universe was not stationary but,
according to him, even expanding.

-3-

How does the Bible describe the behavior of the Universe? Consider the following statements:

This is what the true God, Jehovah, has said, the Creator of the heavens and the Grand One
stretching them out, the One laying out the earth and its produce, the One giving breath to
the people on it and spirit to those walking in it.” --Isaiah 42:5 New World Translation

He wraps himself in light as with a garment, he stretches out the heavens like a tent. --
Psalm 104:2 The New International Version

I have made the earth, and created man upon it; I, even, my hands, have stretched out the
heavens, and all their host have I commanded. --Isaiah 45:12 King James Version

The act of stretching involves moving the subject from the point of origination out and away
from the point of origination, like ‘stretching the cloth of a tent’. The Hebrew word rendered
“stretch” is “natah.” In The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew and English
Lexicon under “natah” we are told: “stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend.” Whether it is
eventually determined to be a single expansion leading to a steady state universe, or if it is a
continuously expanding universe what Hubble discovered in the 1920s coincided with what had
been written many hundreds of years earlier in several Bible texts.

The Universe had a Beginning

Although today most people, it appears, believe the universe had a beginning and thus has not
always existed, not long ago most distinguished scientists did not believe that was the case.
Commenting on this formerly popular concept physicist Gerald L. Schroeder remarks: “Until the
1960s, most scientists came to believe that the universe had no beginning. Most believers [in
God] insisted it did.” 3 Bringing us up to date, in an article entitled “How Old is the Universe?”
author, Nola Taylor Redd, writes the following: “Age may only be a number, but when it comes
to the age of the universe, it’s a pretty important one. According to research, the universe is
approximately 13.8 billion years old. How did scientists determine how many candles to put on
the universe’s birthday cake? They can determine the age of the universe using two different
methods: by studying the oldest objects within the universe and measuring how fast it is
expanding.” 4 On this issue, what does the Bible say?

The opening statement at Genesis 1:1 written thousands of years ago is “In the beginning God
created the heavens and the earth.” This ancient claim is that the universe had a beginning.
Though many scientists today will not admit that an Intelligence brought the universe into
existence they certainly see evidences that the universe had a beginning. The Genesis report of a
beginning stands.
________________________________________________-

3
See the book The Science of God, by Gerard L. Schroeder (1997), page 20.

4
“How Old is the Universe?” by Nola Taylor Redd at Space.com, June 7, 2017

-4-

The Universe in Decline as an Organized Construct?

The scientific view that the universe is moving toward disorder or uniformity was formulated in
the 1850s in the work of German physicist Rudolf Clausius. We call this phenomenon the
Second Law of Thermodynamics. Musing on this, one observer states: “Like a wind-up clock,
the universe is winding down, as is at one point it was fully wound up and has been winding
down ever since. The question is who wound up the clock? The theological implications are
obvious. NASA Astronomer Robert Jastrow commented on these implications when he said:
‘Theologians generally are delighted with the proof that the universe had a beginning, but
astronomers are curiously upset. It turns out that the scientist behaves the way the rest of us do
when our beliefs are in conflict with the evidence.’ (Robert Jastrow, God and the Astronomers,
1978, p.16)’” 5 Does the Bible acknowledge this phenomena?

Thousands of years ago, these words were made part of the Bible book of Psalms:

Long ago you [God] laid the foundations of the earth itself and the heavens are the work of
your
hands. They themselves will perish, but you yourself will keep standing; and just like a
garment
they will all of them wear out; just like clothing you will replace them, and they will finish
their turn. But you are the same, and your own years will not be completed.—Psalm 102:25-
27
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

This text acknowledges that the physical universe is unraveling from a state of order to disorder;
it is a finite system that unless recharged will decline to a state of uniformity or disorder. This
cosmic behavior discovered in the 19th Century of our Common Era was clearly enunciated eons
ago in the Bible.

But, a dissenting voice may ask, “Does not the Bible say that the earth and our sun will never
cease to exist?” Indeed, such a voice may cite the following verses from the Bible:
 Psalm 104:5 “He [God] established the earth upon its foundations, so that it will not totter
forever and ever.” –The New American Standard Bible

Psalm 37:29 “The righteous themselves will possess the earth, and they will reside forever
upon it.” ---- The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

The Bible addresses this seeming contradiction at Psalm 102: 26 where it reminds us that the
Creator will continue to “replace them “or effectively re-charge them as they “wear out.” The
American
______________________________________
5
See https://www.allaboutscience.org/second-law-of-thermodynamics.htm

-5-

Translation by William Beck says “You will change them like clothes” and The New
International Version states “Like clothing you will change them and they will be discarded.”
This patently means that as entropy increases and thus order is lost a process of restoring the lost
order is initiated. Interestingly Psalm 104 gives us an insight into this process of restoring
systems, living or non-living, as they decline in energy. Quoting from The New International
Version we take note:

Verses 13-16 “He [God] waters the mountains from his upper chambers; the earth is satisfied
by
the fruit of his work. He makes grass grow for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate –
bringing
food from the earth; wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine and bread
that sustains his heart. The trees of the LORD are well watered, the cedars of Lebanon that he
planted.”

Plainly, cattle could perish without grass, trees need water and humans could lose their lives
without food and drink Because humans, animals, plants and non- living systems are affected by
entropy, the Creator maintains such systems by recycling, recharging , repairing, reconstituting
and thus sustains them just as noted at Psalm 102:26.

The Earth Appears to be Suspended in Space

According to ancient Babylonians myths, the earth was the creation of a deity called Marduk.
Devotees were taught that Marduk created the earth as a raft which floated in fresh water which
in turn was surrounded by a larger body of salt water. Similarly but later, pre-Socratic
philosopher Thales of Miletus imagined the earth floated in a large body of water. Interestingly,
Anaximenes of Miletus who lived in the 6th century BCE subscribed to the view that the earth
was flat and “rides on air” like the moon, the sun and the other celestial bodies. Accessing
another belief, one researcher commented: “According to Egyptian cosmology, the world was
rather like a rectangular box. The earth was at the bottom making that part of the box somewhat
concave. Four mountain peaks at the corners of the earth supported the sky, while the Nile was a
branch of a universal river that flowed around the earth. This river carried the boat of the sun god
on his journey across the sky.” 6

_______________________________________________

6
See the book A History of the Life Sciences- Revised & Expanded (2002) by Lois N. Magner, p.6

-6-

What is the Bible’s comment on this subject? For the inspection of the reader I will place before
us three English translations of Job 26:7

He [God] stretcheth out the north over empty space, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. –
The
American Standard Version

He is stretching out the north over the empty place, hanging the earth upon nothing.—The
New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

He stretches out the north from the empty place, and hangs the earth upon nothing --- The
Holy Bible by George M. Lamsa

The Hebrew word that is translated “nothing” is “beh-lee-MAH.” Consulting reputable sources
we learn the following:

Strong’s Concordance--- “nothing whatever, nothing”

The New Brown Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew & English Lexicon ---

“nothingness”
A Reader’s Hebrew-English Lexicon of the Old Testament, by Armstrong, Busby and
Carr-
“nothingness”
The direct announcement of the Bible is that the earth appears suspended in space, no water or
other substance seeming to provide support for its suspension. Moreover, the context shows this
statement is not a poetic expression but a statement of literal truth, which indeed it is.

Does the Wind have Weight?

For centuries it was generally believed that air has no weight and that included the wind. That
assessment changed in the 17th century when scientist Evangelista Torricelli discovered by
various experiments that air has weight. In time, his work led to the invention of the barometer.

What does the ancient book called the Bible report on this subject? At Job 28: 24, 25 we read:

For he [God] looketh so the ends of the earth, whatever is under the whole heaven doth he
see. When he imparted weight unto the wind; and when the waters he established by
measure.--
Twenty-Four Books of The Holy Scriptures by Isaac Leeser

Because he looks to the ends of the earth, sees under all the sky, determining a weight for the
wind and proportioning the water by measure. – The Bible in Living English by Steven T.
Byington

Again, we have a clear statement of science predating by many centuries the actual scientific
discovery and confirmation.

-7-

When Were Ocean Currents Discovered?

Until the 19th century, it appears humankind was not aware of what we now call “ocean
currents.” A credible definition of “Ocean Currents” is found at Wikipedia.org where we are
informed: “An ocean current is a continuous, directed movement of sea water generated by a
number forces acting upon the water, including wind, the Coriolis effect,breaking
waves, cabbeling, and temperature and salinity differences. Depth
contours, shoreline configurations, and interactions with other currents influence a current's
direction and strength. Ocean currents are primarily horizontal water movements.”
Oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury (1806-1873), the author of the book The Physical
Geography of the Seas (1855) pondered the meaning of Psalm 8:8 which led him to the
discovery of sea “pathways” that we call “ocean currents.” Maury became the Superintendent of
the US Naval Observatory and head of the US Depot of Charts and Instruments.

We will now consider translations of Psalm 8:6-8 (or 8:6-9):

 You [God] have made him [man] little less than divine; and adorned him with glory and
majesty
you have made him master over your handiwork, laying the world at his feet, sheep and oxen,
all
of them, and wild beasts too; the birds of the heavens, the fish of the sea, whatever travels the
paths of the sea. --- TANAKH- The Holy Scriptures (JPS, 1985)

Yet you have made him little less than a god, you have crowned him with glory and splendor,
made him lord over the work of your hands, set all things under his feet, sheep and oxen, all
these, ye, wild animals too, birds in the air, fish in the sea travelling the paths of the ocean --
The Jerusalem Bible

You also proceeded to make him a little less than godlike ones, and with glory and splendor
you
then crowned him. You make him dominate over the works of your hands; everything you
have
put under his feet; Small cattle and oxen, all of them, and also the beasts of the open field,
the birds of heaven and the fish of the sea; anything passing through the paths of the seas.--
The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

The concept of the ocean having pathways was not visible to the ancient world but it is most
certainly given visibility in the Bible.

-8-

The Evaporation, Condensation and Precipitation Cycle

For several hundred years we know from science what is called the Evaporation, Condensation
and Precipitation Cycle. The heat of the sun burns off the surfaces of the seas effecting what is
called evaporation. The evaporation then condenses to form clouds. The winds take the clouds
over land where they deposit their load in the form of rain, snow, sleet and hail. This part of the
cycle is called precipitation. The released waters form streams which find their way back to the
oceans where the cycle repeats. Historic sources inform us that Aristotle in 350 BCE wrote a
treatise called “Meteorology” in which he described this cycle. Further, history reports that the
Asian Indian called Varahamihira, or Varaha, wrote a similar document earlier, around 580 BCE.
Does the Bible comment on this phenomenon?
The answer is yes and it does so in several books all written before Aristotle or Varaha. We shall
see this process described quite accurately in these texts:

Job 36:27, 28 “For he [God] draws up the drops of water; they filter as rain for his mist, so
that
the clouds trickle; they drip upon mankind abundantly. – New World Translation of the
Holy
Scriptures

Amos 5:8 “he [God] who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and
and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the
face of the land—the LORD is his name. -- The New International Version

Ecclesiastes 1:7 “All the streams flow into the sea, but the sea is never full. The streams
return
again to the place from where they have been flowing.” -- The Holy Bible-- An American
Translation by William F. Beck

Once more we see clearly expressed statements of scientific value that we know now to be true.

The Concepts of Quarantining and Infectivity

The concepts of quarantining and infectivity are early modern concepts. They were not health
doctrines of the ancient world. Perhaps surprisingly for many, “The practice of quarantine, as we
know it, began during the 14th century in an effort to protect coastal cities from plague epidemics.
Ships arriving in Venice from infected ports were required to sit at anchor for 40 days before
landing. This practice, called quarantine, was derived from the Italian words quaranta giorni
which mean 40 days.”7 Did not people know about germs, infectious agents? In an article
written by

_________________________
7 Content source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov ) See “History of Quarantine”

-9-

Jemima Hodkinson headed “The history of germ theory” we learn: “Today, we understand that
infectious diseases like flu, chickenpox and pneumonia are caused by microscopic organisms--
bacteria...and viruses…. Without this knowledge, we might have never developed ways to treat
and prevent such infections. However, this understanding—known as the ‘germ theory’—was a
remarkably recent discovery. Many…scientists carried out research that contributed towards the
formation of the germ theory. However, scientific proof of the theory was the achievement of
two European scientists: Louis Pasteur, a Frenchman, and Robert Koch, who was German.” 8
Part of this developing insight turns us to Dr. Ignaz Semmelweis, a Hungarian Jew ( 1818- 1865)
,who urged his fellow physicians to wash their hands before delivering babies, especially after
they had been performing autopsies on the dead bodies of women who had died following
childbirth. He saw a connection between handling dead bodies and using the same hands to
deliver neonates. He was ridiculed for making this connection. Indeed, washing the hands was
not deemed important until science finally discovered the world of microbes and their effect on
human health. Not surprisingly then, history shows us the ancient world had no concept of germs
and did not see the value of quarantining. Hippocrates the ancient Greek physician born in 460
BCE and called the Father of Medicine taught that some illnesses came from “bad air.”

Does the ancient book called the Bible say anything on this subject? Examine these comments
from the book of Leviticus:

Leviticus 13:45, 46 “As for the person with a leprous affection, his clothes shall be rent,
his forehead shall be left bare, and he shall cover his upper lip; and he shall call out,
‘Unclean!
Unclean!’ He shall be unclean as long as the disease is on him. Being unclean, he shall dwell
apart; his dwelling shall be outside the camp.” ---TANAKH-The Holy Scriptures

Leviticus 15:4-6 “Any bedding on which the one with the discharge lies shall be unclean, and
every object on which he sits shall be unclean. Anyone who touches his bedding shall wash
his
clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean until evening. Whoever sits on an object on
which
the one with the discharge has sat shall wash his clothes, bathe in water, and remain unclean
until
evening.” --- The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.

What is embedded in these words is the notion that something transmittable was with the sick
person and it was imperative that others physically separate themselves from the infected person.
Also, the practice of using water to clean the sick one and his personal possessions as well is
plainly commanded. Does anyone dare proclaim that Leviticus MUST have been written after
the discoveries of Koch, Pasteur and even Girolamo Fracastora who thrived in the mid 1500s of
our Common Era?
_________________________________________________________________________________________

8
Published in Immune System in January 2015. Robert Koch was born in 1843 and died in 1910; Louis Pasteur was born in 1822 and died in
1895

-10-
Can Snakes Hear?
For centuries it has been held that snakes cannot hear. One report says: “In general, many
sources and some scientific ones have incorrectly claimed snakes to be deaf whereas a plethora
of behavioral, neurological and physiological experiments, particularly those performed by the
eminent Princeton hearing researcher Ernest Glen Wever in the 1960s and 70s by UC San Diego
neurologist Peter Hartline in the 1970s, and by herpetologist and anatomist Bruce Young from
the 1990s to the present, have conclusively shown that snakes can detect and respond to sound.” 9
The absence of external ears contributed to the incorrect conclusion that snakes cannot hear.
Early scientists who affirmed this view, that snakes were incapable of hearing, helped solidify it
in the minds of non-scientists. Does the Bible comment on this?

The Bible’s reflection on this question is found at Psalm 58:3-5. It notes:

The wicked go astray from the womb, they err from their birth, speaking lies, they have
venom
like the venom of a serpent, like the deaf adder that stops its ears, so that it does not hear the
voice of charmers or of the cunning enchanter.--- Revised Standard Version

In years past, critics of the Bible singled out this passage and argued the Bible’s declaration that
snakes have organs capable of hearing was false. That criticism, of course, now has lost its force
since the evidence is in that snakes can hear. .

The Form of the Earth

For centuries most people believed the earth was flat. It took time for some to see problems with
this view. The ancient Chinese believed the sky was a round dome surrounding a flat square
earth. At night the sun is not under the earth but on the side of the earth. The ancient Egyptians
thought t the earth is flat and that over it is a sky that is a flat plate supported on four sides by
mountains. Over in India the ancient inhabitants believed the earth is a circular disk surrounded
by a massive ocean. In the center stands a great mountain. In Stephen Hawking’s book A Brief
History of Time, page 2, we read: “As long ago as 340 B.C. the Greek philosopher Aristotle, in
his book On the Heavens, was able to put forward two good arguments for believing that the
earth was a round
_____________________________________________________

9
http://snakesarelong.blogspot.com/2015/09/can-snakes-hear.html

-11-
sphere rather than a flat plate.” What does the Bible tell us on this matter?

According to Biblical chronology the book of Isaiah was composed in the 8th century BCE. At
Isaiah 40:22, the writer penned:

There is One who is dwelling above the circle of the earth, the dwellers in which are as
grasshoppers, the One stretching out the heavens just as fine gauze, who spreads them
out like a tent in which to dwell. –The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures

The Hebrew word translated “circle “is “hhug” [the two h’s representing a strong guttural
sound]. Since it could apply to a flat circle or a three dimensional globe, how are we to
understand it at Isaiah 40:22? A similar comment about the earth is found at Job 26:10 where
we are viewing again the earth from the perspective of God, there we find: “ He has inscribed a
circle on the surface of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness.” If from any direction
God sees the earth it appears as a circle it would have to be a globe and not a flat circle which
would not maintain a circular image from some perspectives. In any event, the message that the
earth is a circular entity is absolutely true along with its affirmation that it is a free body in space.

What About Current Claims the Bible Makes Unscientific Statements?

What about current claims charging the Bible with scientific error? Some liberal Bible
commentators teach the Hebrew Scriptures describe a cosmology reflective of the beliefs of the
pagan Ancient Near East and which science has shown to be inaccurate This cosmology divides
the cosmos into three sections: the heavens, the earth and the underworld. Over the earth
looms a solid vault called the firmament or heaven. Some stars are affixed to the solid heaven,
though some move about. Stars might, indeed, be angels. Beneath the earth is Sheol, the
underworld where all humans good and bad wind up after they die. The earth and the
underworld are firmly settled on a foundation of huge columns which physically supports them.
The New American Bible, a popular Roman Catholic translation, in its translation of Genesis
chapter 1 displays a page with an illustration under which is this statement:

“The World of the Hebrews – Graphic representation of the Hebrew conception of the world.
God’s heavenly seat rests above the superior waters. Below these waters lies the firmament or
sky which resembles an overturned bowl and is supported by columns. Through the openings
(flood-gates) in its vault the superior waters fall down upon the earth in the form of rain or
snow. The earth is a platform resting on columns and surrounded by waters, the seas.
Underneath the columns lie the inferior waters. In the depths of the earth is Sheol, the home of
the dead (also called the nether world). This was the same prescientific concept of the universe
as that held by the Hebrews’ pagan neighbors.”
 -12-

There are several things wrong with this description of “Hebrew cosmology.” To begin, this
concept disagrees with the Bible’s frequent declarations that the universe is expanding and thus
is not the fixed closed system with a solid vault arched over the earth. (Job 9:8) Second, it
disagrees with the Bible’s clear statement that the earth is suspended ‘on nothing.’ and hence
does not literally rest on gargantuan solid pillars as conceived by the pagans of the ancient Near
East.. (Job 26:7) Third, it fails to distinguish literal statements from contextually poetic
statements. ( e.g, Psalm 19:1-4) Fourth, it overly restricts the meaning of the Hebrew word “rah-
kee-ah” (raqia) making the sky, the heavens, mentioned in Genesis chapter one a solid hard
construction arched over the earth rather than an expanse of space .

The King James Version translates Genesis 1:7, 8 as follows: “And God made the firmament,
and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the
firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the
morning were the second day.” By contrast, the New World Translation renders Genesis 1:7, 8
in this fashion: “Then God proceeded to make the expanse and to make a division between the
waters that should be beneath the expanse and the waters that should be above the expanse. And
it came to be so. And God began to call the expanse Heaven. And there came to be evening and
there came to be morning, a second day.” The word translated “firmament” in the King James
Version but “expanse” in the New World Translation is “raqia” and is related to the verb
“raqah” which according to The New Brown-Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew and
English Lexicon means “beat, stamp, beat out, spread out.” Some have concluded the “raqia” of
Genesis 1 describes a solid that has been beaten out and fashioned into a vault over the earth.
This paper disagrees with that popular conclusion for the reasons stated earlier. And in the same
spirit, consider these thoughts found online: “Raqia denotes simply an expanse, not a solid
structure (see Harris, et al, 1980, 2:22180. Furthermore, the actual substance of the expanse is
not inherent in the word. Numbers 16:38 juxtaposes raqia and pahim (plates) suggesting literally
an ‘expanse of plates.’ Here, ‘plate’ specifies the actual material involved in the expansion. In
Genesis, ‘heavens,’ not solid matter, is given as the nature of the expanse (Genesis 1:8, 14, 1, 17,
20). The original context in which raqia is used does not imply any kind of solid dome above the
Earth. The Bible equates “firmament” with the “heavens” (Psalm 19:1), even using the
compound “firmament of heaven” (Gen 1:14-15, 17). God provided the correct definition o the
second day of creation when He “called the firmament Heaven” (Genesis 1:8)… there are three
particular applications of the word in Scripture. There are the atmospheric heavens (Jeremiah
4:25), the sidereal heavens (outer space) where the planetary bodies reside (Isaiah 13:10), and the
heaven of God’s own dwelling place (Hebrews 9:24). As the context requires, “firmament” may
be used in reference to any of these” 10
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10
See http//www.apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=11&article=1164

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In spite of this, some are quite certain that the comments found at Job 38:4-7 described an
anchored earth sitting on huge pillars with celestial entities called stars that are really spirit
intelligences called angels hovering above. Here is how that text reads from the New American
Bible: “[God asks Job] Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have
understanding. Who determined its size; do you know? Who stretched out the measuring line
for it? Into what were its pedestals sunk, and who laid its cornerstone, while the morning stars
sang in chorus and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Is there another way of understanding
this text other than the way it has been explained by liberal theologians and others? In 1985,
Jehovah’s Witnesses published a book called Life—How did it get here? By evolution or by
creation?” On page 30 this observation was made:

In the Biblical account where God is described as questioning Job about his knowledge of the earth, a
variety of developments concerning earth’s history are described: its measurements, its cloud masses, its
seas and how their waves were limited by dry land—many things in general about the creation, spanning
long periods of time. Among these things, comparing earth to a building, the Bible says that God asked
Job: “Into what have its socket pedestals been sunk down, or who laid its cornerstone?”—Job 38:6.
Interestingly, like “socket pedestals,” earth’s crust is much thicker under continents and even more so
under mountain ranges, pushing deep into the underlying mantle, like tree roots into soil. “The idea that
mountains and continents had roots has been tested over and over again, and shown to be valid,” says
Putnam’s Geology.2 Oceanic crust is only about 5 miles thick, but continental roots go down about
20 miles and mountain roots penetrate about twice that far. And all earth’s layers press inward upon
earth’s core from all directions, making it like a great “cornerstone” of support.
Whatever means were used to accomplish the raising up of dry land, the important point is: Both the
Bible and science recognize it as one of the stages in the forming of the earth.

Though likening angels to stars at Job 38:7, the Bible is clear that literal stars are not animate
beings. (Psalm 19:1-3). At Genesis 37:9, 10 the sons of Jacob are represented as “stars” while
Jacob and his wife are represented as the “sun” and the “moon.” Probably few would argue this
is to be taken as literal or was, in times past, viewed as literal.

According to the Ancients How Did The Universe Operate- by Regular

Manipulations of the Gods and Goddesses or by Mindless Natural Law?
Students of Ancient History will testify that in the ancient world the gods and goddesses were
behind what we call “natural phenomena.” While it is true that early Greek thinkers like
Anaximander of Miletus (7th century BCE) and Thales (6th century BCE) concluded that there
were rules of nature, the is, law-like principles the regulated natural phenomena, the world, at
large, believed we live in a world largely managed by capricious gods and goddesses. We now
know there are physical, chemical and biological laws that like “mantras” direct natural
processes and events.

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It is worth noting that miracles, the “violation” of natural laws are not typical events in the Bible
narratives. They do occur but are atypical and extraordinary. On the contrary, what the Bible
declares about natural phenomena is more than interesting; it is accurate. Job 38:33 asks: “Have
you come to know the statutes of the heavens or could you put its authority in the earth?” (New
World Translation) Again, while by gone cultures attributed the ways of nature to the
manipulating hands of godlike beings the Bible attributed them to ‘statutes’, that is , law-like
processes. And, it turns out the Bible was right.

The Implications of the Bible’s Scientific Anticipations

Though it may be argued the scientific anticipations in the Bible do not constitute definitive
evidence of a Cosmic Intelligence, historically called “God”, that suggestion notwithstanding has
a legitimate place on the list of possibilities, if there is a list of possible sources. Our present
knowledge tells us that some of the scientific anticipations seem to have been beyond the access
of ancient peoples since they lacked the technology to make such determinations. That would
clearly suggest a non-human source.
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Addendum
The following considers scientific phenomena that some or most ancient people believed and
experienced and that we know to be true. Further, we find the Bible accurately reported those
phenomena.

Stability in the various Flora and Fauna

Though diversity is both expected and witnessed within a particular kind of animal, we do not
expect to see a completely different animal being produced. Dog like animals produce dog like
animals not cat like animals. Dog like animals include varieties of foxes, wolves, domestic dogs,
coyotes and jackals. Though the diversity may include changes in size, coloration, and behavior
they do not include the ability to metamorphose into a different kind of animal. That pattern is
seen
throughout the animal and plant kingdoms. Years ago, many called that phenomena “ biological
variation.” Though that term is still used, we now, perhaps, more often see that it is termed
“horizontal evolution.” No sensible person would deny that horizontal evolution occurs. When
Evolutionary biologists point to the experiments with Drosophila, the fruit fly, or the variations
of finches on the Galapagos Islands as proof of Darwinian Evolution. We must remember that
the fruit flies remained fruit flies and the finches remained finches; they remained within their
kind. And since the Bible clearly notes that animals and plants can and do produce their own
kinds, it is without question in harmony with proven science on this matter. But where does the
Bible note that animal and plant kinds produce only their kinds? Consider what we read at
Genesis 1:11, 12, 20-21:

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land
that
bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds”. And it was so. The land produced
 vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it
according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good…And God said, “Let the water teem
with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” So God
created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the waters
teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw
that
it was good. – New International Version

So, again the Bible states a scientific verity. What we see now is what is plainly stated in the
verses we cited.

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Blood is linked to Life

Over many centuries humans have witnessed how exsanguination leads to death. In fact, this is
a favored method that slaughter-houses employ to kill animals; they bleed them to death. This
demonstrates quite clearly that blood is linked to life. Does the Bible acknowledge this fact? At
Leviticus 17:11a and 17:14a , we are informed:

For the life of a creature is in the blood…because the life of every creature is its blood…--
New International Version

The scientific work of Englishman William Harvey (1578-1657) and even earlier men including
Michael Servetus and Jacques Dubois confirmed this to be true.

Psychosomatic Illness
Modern day medicine has established that mental health can sometimes affect physical health.
The field of medicine addressing this nexus between the two is called Psychosomatic Medicine.
One authority reports: “Psychosomatic illness: a situation in which the mind influences the body
to create or complicate an illness.” 11 A host of illnesses have been, on occasion, linked to the
mental state of the victim, lower back pain and high blood pressure to name just two. Under the
heading “Psychosomatic Medicine, Wikipedia provides this historical tidbit: “In the medieval
Islamic world the Persian psychologist-physicians Ahmed ibn Sahl al-Balkhi (d. 934) and Haly
Abbas (d. 994) developed an early model of illness that emphasized the interaction of the mind and
the body. They proposed that a patient's physiology andpsychology can influence one another.”
Does the Bible acknowledge this phenomena? Consider what we find in the following passages:
 A calm heart is the life of the fleshly organism, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones. –
Proverbs
14:30 -- New World Translation

A heart that is joyful does good as a curer, but a spirit that is stricken make the bones dry. --
Proverbs 17:22 --New World Translation

These statements composed almost three thousand years ago relate a truth now verified by
science.

______________________________________________________________________________________

11
See www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=5112

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