Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>]

Rolf,

The two elements that make up the construct phrase רקיע השׁמים are two 
independent nouns. That they are in construct does not mean they are to be 
equated any more than the expression בית יהוה equates a house with YHWH. The 
two independent nouns have two distinct semantic values within distinct 
semantic domains.

The real question I think you're asking is what is the nature of the 
construct here. How exactly does רקיע relate to שׁמים? Are they being equated 
in a way that we have an appositional construct? Well, in the case of Gen 1, 
yes I think there is an appositional construct. The רקיע is obviously closely 
related to the שׁמים such that the רקיע is seen as that which divides waters 
above from waters below and which is given the name שׁמים in Gen 1.6–8. The 
רקיע is that which the birds fly across the surface of in Gen 1.20. If the 
רקיע referred purely to the space between the waters above and the waters 
below — what we could call the sky/atmosphere — there would be no need to 
talk about its surface. And yet, just as the תהום has a surface such that 
darkness and the wind/spirit can hover across it (Gen 1.2), so the birds fly 
across the surface of the רקיע.

The רקיע is evidently a surface that can be touched, just like the תהום.


GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (moore.edu.au)
Sydney, Australia