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BY JAMES J. S. JOHNSON, J.D., TH.D. *
“It is He who sits
above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who
stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to
dwell in.” (Isaiah 40:22)
Some
creation scientists suggest that “circle”
in Isaiah 40:22 refers to Earth’s spherical shape.
However,
just because Earth is round like a ball, is that what the phrase “circle of the earth” means in this
verse?
Actually,
no. This illustrates a larger problem within creation apologetics— namely,
proof texts misused in an attempt to match Bible verses to scientific facts.
We
don’t need to do this, since there are plenty of texts that do match science.
In
short, our understanding of the Bible, as well as of scientific matters, does
not benefit from superficial yet flawed use of proof texts.
Rather,
careful analysis of biblical text details will provide, in the long run, more
thorough and reliable understandings of both Scripture and relevant
creation-related topics.
Let’s
see how this applies to Isaiah 40.
Biblical scholars generally use the noun “ball” to
translate the Hebrew noun dûr in Isaiah 22:18: “He will… toss you like a ball.”
If
God had wanted Isaiah to describe Earth as a globe (i.e., a ball) in 40:22, why
not have him again use dûr?
This
vocabulary difference was noticed by the English Bible translators in 1611, as
a comparison of Isaiah 22:18 (“ball”) and Isaiah 40:22 (“circle”) in the King James Version
shows.
Even more importantly, to understand
this word in Isaiah 40:22, the key issue is what the Hebrew
noun chûg (“circle”)
means.
To find this out, we should compare
Scripture with Scripture.
In other words, we review how
Scripture itself uses that and other Hebrew words sharing the same root.
The Hebrew noun chûg is
used only two other times in the Old Testament.
“Thick clouds
cover Him, so that He cannot see, and He walks above the circle [chûg] of heaven.” (Job 22:14)
“When He
prepared the heavens, I was there, when He drew a circle [chûg] on the face
of the deep.” (Proverbs 8:27)
Are
these circles spherical balls, or is Scripture referring to heavenly
circuit-like motions?
A
related Hebrew verb appears in Job 26:10 describing Earth’s water cycle
dynamics. The idea is circuitous movement, not sphericity.
Other
Hebrew words use the same verb stem, such as the verb châgag and
nouns derived from that verb.
Examples
include Leviticus 23:34, “feast”; Leviticus 23:39, “celebrate,” “feast”; Leviticus 23:41, “celebrate,” “feast,”
“celebrate”; and 1 Samuel 30:16, “dancing.”
Dancing?
Do the concepts of celebratory feasts — or dancing — fit the idea of Earth’s
roundness?
Or
do dancing and cyclical celebrations better compare with Earth’s artistically
maneuvered orbital motions while circling the sun within our solar system,
which itself orbits within the Milky Way galaxy?
The
popular assumption that Isaiah 40:22 refers to Earth’s round shape clashes with
how God chose to use the noun chûg and related Hebrew words
within Old Testament passages.
Therefore,
the best English word to portray what God was describing about planet Earth
in Isaiah 40:22 is choreography
— an amazingly well-ordered, orchestrated, festive, happy, and
harmonious dance.
Like
King David dancing before the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14), even the heavenly bodies “dance” unto God’s glory!
* Dr. Johnson is Associate Professor of Apologetics and Chief
Academic Officer at the Institute for Creation Research.
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