Genesis 1:7 (DBY)

Passage

And God made the expanse, and divided between the waters that are under the expanse and the waters that are above the expanse; 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 the first day.

Genesis 1:6 And God said, Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it be a division between waters and waters.

Genesis 1:7 And God made the expanse, and divided between the waters that are under the expanse and the waters that are above the expanse; and it was so.

Genesis 1:8 And God called the expanse Heavens. 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 to one place, and let the dry [land] appear. And it was so.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "expanse", "divided", "between", "waters", "under", and "above". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "expanse" 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 an..." into verse 8's "And God called the expanse Heavens And...", so "expanse" 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 "expanse" and "divided" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.