Get Affordable VMs - excellent virtual server hosting


browse words by letter
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
firmament

more about firmament

firmament

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Firmament  \Fir"ma*ment\,  n.  [L.  firmamentum  fr  firmare  to  make 
  firm:  cf  F.  firmament.  See  {Firm},  v.  &  a.] 
  1.  Fixed  foundation;  established  basis.  [Obs.] 
 
  Custom  is  the  .  .  .  firmament  of  the  law.  --Jer. 
  Taylor. 
 
  2.  The  region  of  the  air;  the  sky  or  heavens. 
 
  And  God  said  Let  there  be  a  firmament  in  the  midst 
  of  the  waters,  and  let  it  divide  the  waters  from  the 
  waters.  --Gen.  i.  6. 
 
  And  God  said  Let  there  be  lights  in  the  firmament. 
  --Gen.  i.  14. 
 
  Note:  In  Scripture,  the  word  denotes  an  expanse,  a  wide 
  extent;  the  great  arch  or  expanse  over  out  heads,  in 
  which  are  placed  the  atmosphere  and  the  clouds,  and  in 
  which  the  stars  appear  to  be  placed,  and  are  really 
  seen. 
 
  3.  (Old  Astron.)  The  orb  of  the  fixed  stars;  the  most  rmote 
  of  the  celestial  spheres. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  firmament 
  n  :  the  apparent  surface  of  the  imaginary  sphere  on  which 
  celestial  bodies  appear  to  be  projected  [syn:  {celestial 
  sphere},  {sphere},  {empyrean},  {heavens},  {vault  of 
  heaven},  {welkin}] 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Firmament 
  from  the  Vulgate  firmamentum  which  is  used  as  the  translation 
  of  the  Hebrew  _raki'a_.  This  word  means  simply  "expansion."  It 
  denotes  the  space  or  expanse  like  an  arch  appearing  immediately 
  above  us  They  who  rendered  _raki'a_  by  firmamentum  regarded  it 
  as  a  solid  body.  The  language  of  Scripture  is  not  scientific  but 
  popular,  and  hence  we  read  of  the  sun  rising  and  setting,  and 
  also  here  the  use  of  this  particular  word  It  is  plain  that  it 
  was  used  to  denote  solidity  as  well  as  expansion.  It  formed  a 
  division  between  the  waters  above  and  the  waters  below  (Gen. 
  1:7).  The  _raki'a_  supported  the  upper  reservoir  (Ps.  148:4).  It 
  was  the  support  also  of  the  heavenly  bodies  (Gen.  1:14),  and  is 
  spoken  of  as  having  windows"  and  doors"  (Gen.  7:11;  Isa. 
  24:18;  Mal.  3:10)  through  which  the  rain  and  snow  might  descend.




more about firmament