Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Genesis 1:6-8
- IV. The Second Day6. רקיע rāqı̂ya‛, “expanse;” στερέωμα stereōma, רקע rāqa‛, “spread out by beating, as leaf gold.” This expanse was not understood to be solid, as the fowl is said to fly on the face of it Genesis 1:21. It is also described as luminous Daniel 12:3, and as a monument of divine power Psalms 150:1.7. עשׂה ‛āśâh “work on,” “make out of already existing materials.”The second act of creative power bears upon the deep of waters, over which the darkness had prevailed, and by... read more
The Pulpit Commentary - Genesis 1:9-12
Sea, land, and vegetation, contrasted and compared. I. CONTRASTED , in respect of— 1. Their constitutions ; — sea being matter liquid and mobile, land matter solid and dry, vegetation matter organized and living. All God's creatures have their own peculiar natures and characteristic structures. Each one's nature is that which makes it what it is. A change of constitutional characteristics would be equivalent to an alteration of being. The nature and structure of each are... read more