Second day of creation

Your question addresses the second day of creation: “And God said, ‘Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.’ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God called the vault ‘sky.’ And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day” (Genesis 1:6-8).

In the People’s Bible Commentary on Genesis, Prof. John Jeske offered two possible explanations for the water in the sky above the vault. “There are those who think that ‘the water above the expanse’ consisted of the clouds, the huge quantities of atmospheric water vapor which are held in suspension and are periodically precipitated in the form of rain or snow, only in turn to evaporate and return to the clouds. This is the hydrologic system under which we live today, and there are those who believe this same system was in operation on the second day of creation.

“There are many, however, who have difficulty with that view. In Genesis 2:5 we learn that ‘the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth.’ How long did that rainlessness last? Is it possible that the hydrologic system initiated on the second day of creation was completely different from the one under which we live?

“Many have found support for this in 2 Peter 3:3-7…Many have seen in St. Peter’s words an indication that the flood brought about a basic change in earth’s hydrologic system. In that case the ‘water above the expanse’ may well have been a vast transparent canopy of water vapor…This huge canopy would have provided a uniformly warm temperate climate and a healthful environment for earth dwellers.” (Pages 15-16)

The biblical creation account presents a wise and loving God who made all things in an orderly way by his powerful word. All creation praises him—even the “waters above the skies” (Psalm 148:4).