Texts in Conversation
Genesis describes a solid dome that holds back the upper waters and shapes the world below, and Psalm 148 echoes this by similarly describing waters above the sky. Both follow ancient Near Eastern traditions about a firm barrier that encloses creation.
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Genesis 1:7
Hebrew Bible
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. 8 God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day. 9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Psalm 148:4
Hebrew Bible
2 Praise him, all his angels. Praise him, all his heavenly assembly. 3 Praise him, O sun and moon. Praise him, all you shiny stars. 4 Praise him, O highest heaven and you waters above the sky. 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he gave the command and they came into existence. 6 He established them so they would endure; he issued a decree that will not be revoked.
Date: 6th-3rd Centuries B.C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The world in which the ancient Egyptian lived and moved came into being by the separation of the two (compare with Genesis 1:7: "God ... separated the waters" ... The fixity of the heavens creates a considerable impression. The stars contribute further to its impressive aspect (Psalm 8:1-3) ... the body of Nut is studded with stars; and Nut appears to have been drawn twice so that special heavens can be reserved, one for the sun and one for the moon. The psalms are also aware of a plural number of heavens (e.g., Psalm 148:4). The lower of the two ladies of heaven represents the heaven of the moon; the upper, as indicated by the two winged suns on her body, is the heaven of the sun ..."
Keel, Othmar
The Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern Iconography and the Book of Psalms
(pp. 31-34) Eisenbrauns, 1997
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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