Yes the ancient Hebrews viewed the cosmos as a layered structure heaven above earth beneath and Sheol below and that understanding shaped how they expressed God's creative power.They didn’t think in terms of galaxies or gravity but they did believe deeply in a Creator who ordered the chaos and set limits on evil.In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters Genesis 1:1–2 This poetic start to Scripture speaks in the language of their world a world where the deep waters represented chaos and God's Spirit Ruach Elohim hovered like a bird gently preparing to bring order.This echoes Job’s account of God putting boundaries around the sea Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb and said thus far shall you come and no farther and here shall your proud waves be stayed
Job 38:8–11 The Hebrews believed God ruled above the firmament and that His throne was far above all created things
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all Psalm 103:19 Even though they didn’t understand or conceive of a planet or a solar system their writings revealed something far deeper a theological truth God is sovereign over all realms visible and invisible.Jesus as the Logos stepped down from the uncreated realm into ours.That’s the profound mystery of Philippians 2:6–8 Though he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to instead he gave up his divine privileges emptied himself he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being
Philippians 2:6–8 This aligns with John’s cosmic prologue In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us John 1:1,14 Your observation about the circle of the earth reflects ancient geographies and shows how Isaiah 40:22 uses visual language common to the ancient worldview
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers Isaiah 40:22 They weren’t speaking of a spherical planet but describing how things appeared from a ground-level human perspective.God wasn’t trying to correct their science.He was revealing His glory order and presence in ways they could understand.The heavens both visible and spiritual were full of meaning to the ancients The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork Psalm 19:1 Even the chaos ocean feared and mysterious was seen as under His control.That’s why Jesus calming the sea was so significant
Even the wind and the waves obey him Mark 4:41 In conclusion the Bible’s cosmology wasn’t meant to give us a map of the universe it was meant to reveal the nature of God Creator Sovereign Savior.Let the ancient voices speak in their language and let the Spirit guide us into understanding what they meant not just what they said
The secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever
Yes I agree. The ancient Hebrew worldview has many layers and accommodates all these things at once and more. It helps if we explore their unique ranges of words and concepts in order to get a feel for how they do it. Then eventually their very different concepts emerge. Our western mindset is different but the more we discover about theirs the more we find that their simpler cosmology makes the whole bible easier and not harder to understand. Though this doesn't seem intuitive at first because we've been taught that our worldview is more modern and therefore superior. The real problem is that we think more like pagans since the loss of the Second Temple library and the pictographic version of the OT. No offence intended to anyone, I just found that for myself this was an important fact. It definitely requires a paradigm shift but it is well worth the journey.
Absolutely I really resonate with what you’re saying That shift in perspective changes everything Once we start to see the Bible through the lens of the ancient Hebrew worldview things begin to connect in ways that are deeply rich and surprisingly simple at the same time Their way of thinking wasn’t compartmentalized like ours Instead of separating the spiritual from the physical they saw the world as a unified whole where God was actively involved in every aspect of life Their language their imagery even the way they told stories was built around relationship covenant identity and presence not just abstract logic or systems You are right that it’s not always intuitive for us in the West because we’ve been shaped by Greek philosophy Enlightenment thinking and modern rationalism which often emphasizes information over transformation But when we go back to the roots and let the ancient Hebrew patterns speak we begin to grasp deeper meanings behind the text Suddenly words like righteousness justice holiness and even salvation take on more vibrant and communal dimensions And you hit the nail on the head about the loss of the Second Temple library and the pictographic script of the Old Testament There was a depth of meaning in those early Hebrew characters that carried visual and spiritual truth in a way we’ve mostly lost today But we’re not without hope The Holy Spirit is still revealing truth and many are now returning to those ancient paths like Jeremiah 6:16 says stand at the crossroads and look ask for the ancient paths ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls It definitely requires a paradigm shift but once that shift happens it’s like the scriptures become a living tapestry instead of a flat page The Bible starts to feel more like a journey with God than just a book of rules or doctrines Thanks for sharing that—it’s encouraging to know others are on that same journey back to the roots
Yes the ancient Hebrews viewed the cosmos as a layered structure heaven above earth beneath and Sheol below and that understanding shaped how they expressed God's creative power.They didn’t think in terms of galaxies or gravity but they did believe deeply in a Creator who ordered the chaos and set limits on evil.In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.The earth was without form and void and darkness was over the face of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters Genesis 1:1–2 This poetic start to Scripture speaks in the language of their world a world where the deep waters represented chaos and God's Spirit Ruach Elohim hovered like a bird gently preparing to bring order.This echoes Job’s account of God putting boundaries around the sea Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb and said thus far shall you come and no farther and here shall your proud waves be stayed
Job 38:8–11 The Hebrews believed God ruled above the firmament and that His throne was far above all created things
The Lord has established his throne in the heavens and his kingdom rules over all Psalm 103:19 Even though they didn’t understand or conceive of a planet or a solar system their writings revealed something far deeper a theological truth God is sovereign over all realms visible and invisible.Jesus as the Logos stepped down from the uncreated realm into ours.That’s the profound mystery of Philippians 2:6–8 Though he was God he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to instead he gave up his divine privileges emptied himself he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being
Philippians 2:6–8 This aligns with John’s cosmic prologue In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us John 1:1,14 Your observation about the circle of the earth reflects ancient geographies and shows how Isaiah 40:22 uses visual language common to the ancient worldview
It is he who sits above the circle of the earth and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers Isaiah 40:22 They weren’t speaking of a spherical planet but describing how things appeared from a ground-level human perspective.God wasn’t trying to correct their science.He was revealing His glory order and presence in ways they could understand.The heavens both visible and spiritual were full of meaning to the ancients The heavens declare the glory of God and the sky above proclaims his handiwork Psalm 19:1 Even the chaos ocean feared and mysterious was seen as under His control.That’s why Jesus calming the sea was so significant
Even the wind and the waves obey him Mark 4:41 In conclusion the Bible’s cosmology wasn’t meant to give us a map of the universe it was meant to reveal the nature of God Creator Sovereign Savior.Let the ancient voices speak in their language and let the Spirit guide us into understanding what they meant not just what they said
The secret things belong to the Lord our God but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever
Deuteronomy 29:29
Thank you so much brother for Great post
Hi Raju.
Yes I agree. The ancient Hebrew worldview has many layers and accommodates all these things at once and more. It helps if we explore their unique ranges of words and concepts in order to get a feel for how they do it. Then eventually their very different concepts emerge. Our western mindset is different but the more we discover about theirs the more we find that their simpler cosmology makes the whole bible easier and not harder to understand. Though this doesn't seem intuitive at first because we've been taught that our worldview is more modern and therefore superior. The real problem is that we think more like pagans since the loss of the Second Temple library and the pictographic version of the OT. No offence intended to anyone, I just found that for myself this was an important fact. It definitely requires a paradigm shift but it is well worth the journey.
Absolutely I really resonate with what you’re saying That shift in perspective changes everything Once we start to see the Bible through the lens of the ancient Hebrew worldview things begin to connect in ways that are deeply rich and surprisingly simple at the same time Their way of thinking wasn’t compartmentalized like ours Instead of separating the spiritual from the physical they saw the world as a unified whole where God was actively involved in every aspect of life Their language their imagery even the way they told stories was built around relationship covenant identity and presence not just abstract logic or systems You are right that it’s not always intuitive for us in the West because we’ve been shaped by Greek philosophy Enlightenment thinking and modern rationalism which often emphasizes information over transformation But when we go back to the roots and let the ancient Hebrew patterns speak we begin to grasp deeper meanings behind the text Suddenly words like righteousness justice holiness and even salvation take on more vibrant and communal dimensions And you hit the nail on the head about the loss of the Second Temple library and the pictographic script of the Old Testament There was a depth of meaning in those early Hebrew characters that carried visual and spiritual truth in a way we’ve mostly lost today But we’re not without hope The Holy Spirit is still revealing truth and many are now returning to those ancient paths like Jeremiah 6:16 says stand at the crossroads and look ask for the ancient paths ask where the good way is and walk in it and you will find rest for your souls It definitely requires a paradigm shift but once that shift happens it’s like the scriptures become a living tapestry instead of a flat page The Bible starts to feel more like a journey with God than just a book of rules or doctrines Thanks for sharing that—it’s encouraging to know others are on that same journey back to the roots
Thanks too. Good to find a common perception. God bless.
Brother I just texted you sir