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FIRMAMENT*
Bible word for the atmosphere about the earth. The original meaning of this word refers to space that is stretched out or expanded. The Hebrews probably considered the “firmament” as voidlike sky where the clouds, sun, and moon were.
During the second day of Creation, God created the atmosphere, or firmament, above the earth. He did this to divide the waters under it from the waters above it. God called the firmament heaven (Gn 1:6-8). The atmospheric firmament serves as a supportive area in which the heavenly bodies exist and function according to the purposes for which God made them. On the fourth day of Creation, God created the lights in the firmament. They were to distinguish night and day as well as be signs of the different seasons. The greater light in the firmament, the sun, controlled the days, whereas the lesser light, the moon, controlled the nights (vv 14-19).
The term “firmament” is mentioned twice in the Psalms as the place of God’s handiwork (Pss 19:1; 150:1). Also occurring in the books of Ezekiel (Ez 1:22-26; 10:1) and Daniel (Dn 12:3), the firmament is always related to Creation.