Next, since translation is an act of interpretation, let’s see how Martin Luther translated Genesis 1:6 into German in order to see his interpretation of the Hebrew word רָקִיעַ ( rāqîa’), “firmament.” 17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven….” 16And God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven …. 7And 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. ” 6And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
The Firmament and the Watersįirst, let’s view an excerpt of the biblical passage under consideration (Gen 1:6-8, 14, 16-17 KJV, with emphases added). This time, we will examine excerpts of Luther’s commentary on Genesis to observe how his commitment to the literal meaning of the Bible manifested itself in comment on the meaning of the firmament described in Genesis 1. Last time, we saw in Martin Luther’s thinking the convergence of the priesthood of all believers, a preference for the literal sense of the Bible, and the perspicuity (clarity) of the Bible on some things, especially justification by faith.
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