Biblical Hebrew Forum

[TedBro AT aol.com]

Donald:
Could you provide the relevant passages in Enoch? Of course, this may be an 
 entirely different question as Enoch is much later than either D or P. I 
tend to  think the authors of the Biblical text were more poetic than even 
ancient  interpreters understood. Once a text is considered sacred and 
inspired there is  a tendency to favor more literal readings.
 
On the  nature of the heavenly waters above the raqia consider the  
following. Note that the throne of God is said to rest upon the heavenly 
waters,  
"thick clouds". So it doesn't seem that raqia as the boundary between the 
open  air and the clouds, need be a physical object or that the author 
envisioned  a celestial ocean above the raqia.
 
Peace,
Ted Brownstein
 
Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the  
earth upon nothing.
26:8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not  
rent under them.
26:9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon  
it.
==============================================================
 
Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, 
 if thou hast understanding. 
38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath  
stretched the line upon it? 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof 
fastened? 
 or who laid the corner stone thereof; 38:7 When the morning stars sang 
together,  and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 38:8 Or who shut up the 
sea 
with doors,  when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? 38:9 
When I made the  cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling 
band for it,
==========
Psalms 29:3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory  
thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters... 29:10 The LORD sitteth upon the  
flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
=====
Proverbs 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a  
compass upon the face of the depth: 8:28 When he established the clouds  
above:
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In a message dated 8/31/2012 9:44:56 A.M. Central Daylight Time,  
donaldrvance AT me.com writes:

In all  this discussion, the salient fact that the raqia separated the 
waters by  lifting them implies a solid entity. The metaphorical language is 
evident in  the Dt passage, but that doesn't preclude the conceptualization 
of 
the raqia  as a solid entity, and a metaphorical explanation ignores the 
capability of  lifting the water. Read Enoch. The sleuce gates/windows are 
taken quite  literally. 


Donald R. Vance, Ph.D.
Professor of Biblical  Languages and Literature
Oral Roberts  University
dvance AT oru.edu
donaldrvance AT mac.com