The Bible talks about the firmament mainly in Genesis 1, but also in a few other Old Testament passages. The word appears especially in older translations like the King James Version (KJV).

Key Bible passages

Here are the main places where the “firmament” is mentioned:

  • Genesis 1:6–8 – God creates the firmament on the second day of creation to divide the waters above from the waters below, and calls the firmament “Heaven.”
  • Genesis 1:14–18 – The sun, moon, and stars are said to be set “in the firmament of the heaven.”
  • Genesis 1:20 – Birds are described as flying “in the open firmament of heaven,” showing it refers to the visible sky.

Beyond Genesis 1, the term shows up in poetic and prophetic books:

  • Psalm 19:1 – “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork.”
  • Psalm 150:1 – “Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.”
  • Ezekiel 1:22–26 – Ezekiel sees a vision of a “firmament” like crystal over the heads of the living creatures.
  • Daniel 12:3 – The wise are said to shine “as the brightness of the firmament.”

In total, the word “firmament” appears about fifteen times in the KJV, mostly in Genesis and a handful of poetic/prophetic passages.

What “firmament” means in the Bible

  • The English word “firmament” in older Bibles translates the Hebrew raqia (or raki’a), which literally has the sense of an expanse or something spread out.
  • In context, it refers to:
    • The sky/expanse above the earth (where birds fly and clouds form).
* The **place of the sun, moon, and stars** as described in the creation account.

Ancient readers often pictured this as a solid dome or arch separating the waters above from the waters below, while modern readers usually understand it more as the sky or atmosphere and, in a broader sense, outer space.

Quick list of main “firmament” verses

  • Genesis 1:6–8
  • Genesis 1:14–18
  • Genesis 1:20
  • Psalm 19:1
  • Psalm 150:1
  • Ezekiel 1:22–26
  • Daniel 12:3

If you tell which translation you use (KJV, NIV, ESV, etc.), a more precise verse list for that version can be given, because newer translations often use “expanse” instead of “firmament.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.