Genesis 1:7 (ASV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Genesis 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

Genesis 1:7 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.

Genesis 1:8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Genesis 1:9 And God said, Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "firmament", "divided", "waters", "under", and "above". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "firmament" and "divided", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 6's "And God said Let there be a..." into verse 8's "And God called the firmament Heaven And...", so "firmament" and "divided" belong inside that flow. In Genesis context, the local focus is creation, human rebellion, covenant promise, and God's providence.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "firmament" and "divided" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.