Genesis 1:7
וַיַּעַשׂ אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ וַיַּבְדֵּל בֵּין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מִתַּחַת לָרָקִיעַ וּבֵין הַמַּיִם אֲשֶׁר מֵעַל לָרָקִיעַ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃
✦ Hebrew interlinear
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✦ The same verse in five languages
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ אֱלֹהִים֮ אֶת־הָרָקִיעַ֒ וַיַּבְדֵּ֗ל בֵּ֤ין הַמַּ֙יִם֙ אֲשֶׁר֙ מִתַּ֣חַת לָרָקִ֔יעַ וּבֵ֣ין הַמַּ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֖ר מֵעַ֣ל לָרָקִ֑יעַ וַֽיְהִי־כֵֽן׃
καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸ στερέωμα· καὶ διεχώρισεν ὁ θεὸς ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος ὃ ἦν ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος.
Greek text from Swete's edition, CC BY-SA 4.0
Latin (Vulgate)
Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quæ erant sub firmamento, ab his, quæ erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita.
E hizo Dios la expansión, y apartó las aguas que estaban debajo de la expansión, de las aguas que estaban sobre la expansión: y fué así.
So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so.
✦ What the text says
Summary
The command of verse 6 is carried out: God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from those above it. The verse closes with the formula "and it was so", which the LXX places elsewhere.
Key words
- i.Ya.'as ("he made", H6213) — qal verb in narrative form.
- ra.Ki.a' ("firmament", H7549) — three occurrences in the verse.
- i.yav.Del ("he separated", H0914) — hiphil (causative) verb in narrative form.
- 'a.Sher ("which", H0834) — relative particle; introduces the two clauses of location.
- Khen ("so", H3651) — adverb of the closing formula.
What the text says
Three narrative forms chain the verse through the vav va ("and", H9001): he made (i.Ya.'as, "he made", H6213, qal), he separated (i.yav.Del, "he separated", H0914, hiphil causative), and it was (y.hi-, "it was", H1961). The object of the first verb carries the marker 'et- ("", H0853) and the article ha. ("the", H9009): the ra.Ki.a' ("firmament", H7549).
The separation distinguishes two bodies of water through the repeated bein ("between", H0996) and two parallel relative clauses with 'a.Sher ("which", H0834): the waters (Ma.yim, "waters", H4325) that were mi. ("from", H9006) + Ta.chat ("under", H8478) with respect to the expanse, and those that were me. ("from", H9006) + 'Al ("above", H5921) with respect to it. The symmetry of the two clauses is complete: relative particle, preposition of origin, term of location, and "to the expanse" with la. ("to the", H9005). The close y.hi- + Khen ("so", H3651) records the fulfillment of the command.
Differences between versions
The Hebrew, the Vulgate (Et factum est ita), the RV1909 («y fué así»), and the BSB ("And it was so") end the verse with the fulfillment formula; the supplied LXX lacks it here, the equivalent phrase (καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτως) appearing instead at the end of verse 6. In addition, the LXX repeats the explicit subject with the second verb (διεχώρισεν ὁ θεός), where the Hebrew leaves the subject implicit in the verbal form, marked only as "he".
This explanation describes the text using linguistic data; it adds no doctrine or confessional interpretation.