5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. 6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so.

5 And God called the light Day, and he made it so that the inhabitants of the world might labor during it; and he called the darkness Night, and he made it that creatures might rest during it. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6 God said, 'Let the firmament be in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the upper waters from the lower waters.' 7 God made the firmament—its thickness being three finger breadths—between the limits of the heavens and the waters of the ocean, and he separated the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above in the reservoir of the firmament. And it was so.

Rabbi Pinchas in the name of Rabbi Hoshaya said: ‘As the empty space that is between the earth and the firmament, so there is an empty space between the firmament and the upper waters. So, let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters [means] between them and in the middle of them.’ Rabbi Tanchuma said: ‘I will explain the reasoning. If it is said, and God made the firmament and divided between the waters which were above the firmament, I would say that the water is positioned on the very body of the firmament. But as it says, and between the waters which are over the firmament, see! The upper waters are hung upon the word.’ Rabbi Acha said: ‘[It is] like the flickering of candles, and [its] fruits are the rain waters.’