hanging in the void
Posted on August 9, 2024 by Patrick Shabi with an estimated reading time of 6 minutes
Last updated on August 29, 2024
“He stretches out the north over empty space; He hangs the earth on nothing.”
(Job 26:7)
Throughout humanity’s existence, people have always struggled to explain the Earth and to make sense of how it and the things around it operated. Hindu mythology stated the world was on the back of eight elephants, which then lie on the back of a giant turtle. In Greek mythology, it was Atlas, the son of Titan Iapetus and the Oceanid Clymene, who was known as “the Titan who held the world [or sky] upon his shoulders.” Even in ancient Norse mythology (dating back to 790-1100 B.C) we see a similar concept where four dwarves (Austri, Vestri, Sudri, and Nordr) supported the four corners of the Earth. This was the prevailing thoughts of the people during this time, and continued for thousands of years. It wasn’t until 1543 that Nicolas Copernicus wrote about his radical theory in heliocentric hypothesis (The Copernican Planetary Model) that the Earth, along with the other planets in the solar system, rotated around the sun.
It is important to note that all the myths about gods supporting the Earth in various cultures were created before or during the time the Bible was written. One might expect the Bible to contain a similar idea, suggesting that God physically holds up the Earth. This would seem logical, especially since, unlike other religions, the Bible says there is only one God who created the Earth and sustains everything. However, the Bible takes a completely different stance, one that aligns with modern science—a perspective that wasn't "discovered" until the time of Nicolas Copernicus.
“He stretches out the north over empty (nothing) space; He hangs the earth on nothing.” (Job 26:7)
Job was given this knowledge by God, and he wrote about this remarkable scientific concept more than 2,000 years before it was understood by others. Contrary to the beliefs of his time, Job's description accurately portrays the Earth's situation and how it is held in place, showcasing God's divine power with scientific precision. Throughout the Bible, both in the Old and New Testaments, we find passages that emphasize it is God, our Creator, who grants stability to the Earth through His power, and not through physical forces. Additionally, the phrase “stretching out the heavens” (mentioned in several Bible verses and discussed further later) suggests a vast, unsupported expanse over which God rules. Here are just a few Bible verses that illustrate this knowledge, often through poetic language and imagery.
"He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” (Colossians 1:17)
"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)
"Covering Yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent curtain. He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind.” (Psalms 104:2-3)
"It is He who made the earth by His power, who established the world by His wisdom, and by His understanding stretched out the heavens.” (Jeremiah 10:12)
The ancient world was filled with imaginative explanations for the nature of the Earth, ranging from elephants and turtles to titans and dwarves. Yet, long before Copernicus' groundbreaking heliocentric theory or modern scientific understanding, the Bible provided a profound and accurate description: "He hangs the earth on nothing" (Job 26:7). This statement, written millennia ago, aligns with our current understanding of a planet suspended in space, without the need for mythological supports or fanciful explanations. The verse from Job stands as an example of the Bible’s unique insight, offering truths that predate human discovery and continue to affirm the harmony between faith and science.
Earth as viewed from NASA's Cassini spacecraft from 900 million miles away (Credit: NASA)
One of the farthest-away pictures of Earth ever taken.