KING JAMES VERSION (KJV)
TRANSLATION, MEANING, CONTEXT
This verse is part of the creation story.
To get what Genesis 1:7 means in detail, scroll down or follow these links for the original scriptural meaning , biblical context and relative popularity.
“And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.”
What does this verse really mean? Use this table to get a word-for-word translation of the original Hebrew Scripture. This shows the English words related to the source biblical texts along with brief definitions. Follow the buttons in the right-hand column for detailed definitions and verses that use the same root words. Use this reference information to gain deeper insight into the Bible and enrich your understanding. Information based on Strong's Exhaustive Concordance[1].
| KJV Verse | Original Hebrew | Meaning/ Definition This is a simplified translation of the original Hebrew word. Follow the buttons on the right to get more detail. | More Use the buttons below to get details on the Hebrew word and view related Bible verses that use the same root word. |
|---|---|---|---|
| “And God” | אֱלֹהִים֮ | Gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative | God |
| “made” | וַיַּ֣עַשׂ | To do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application | made |
| “the firmament,” | הָרָקִיעַ֒ | Properly, an expanse, i.e., the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky | firmament |
| “and divided” | וַיַּבְדֵּ֗ל | To divide (in variation senses literally or figuratively, separate, distinguish, differ, select, etc.) | divided |
| “the waters” | הַמַּ֙יִם֙ | Water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen | waters |
| “which” | אֲשֶׁר֙ | Who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc | which |
| “were” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “under” | מִתַּ֣חַת | The bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc | under |
| “the firmament” | לָרָקִ֔יעַ | Properly, an expanse, i.e., the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky | firmament |
| “from” | וּבֵ֣ין | Between (repeated before each noun, often with other particles); also as a conjunction, either...or | from |
| “the waters” | הַמַּ֔יִם | Water; figuratively, juice; by euphemism, urine, semen | waters |
| “which” | אֲשֶׁ֖ר | Who, which, what, that; also (as an adverb and a conjunction) when, where, how, because, in order that, etc | which |
| “were” | (No Hebrew definition. English implied.) | ||
| “above” | מֵעַ֣ל | Above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications | above |
| “the firmament:” | לָרָקִ֑יעַ | Properly, an expanse, i.e., the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky | firmament |
| “and it was” | וַֽיְהִי | To exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary) | and it was |
| “so.” | כֵֽן׃ | Properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner, time and relation; often with other particles) | so |
See Genesis 1:7 with its adjacent verses in bold below. Follow either of the two large buttons below to see these verses in their broader context of the King James Bible or a Bible concordance.
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5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
• Genesis creation narrative Wikipedia Article
The King James Bible (1611) and Strong's Concordance (1890) with Hebrew and Greek dictionaries are sourced from the BibleForgeDB database (https://github.com/bibleforge) within the BibleForge project (http://bibleforge.com). Popularity rankings are based on search volume data from the Google AdWords Keyword Planner tool.