'Sky' in the Bible

God called the expanse “sky.” Evening came and then morning: the second day.

Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs for festivals and for days and years.

They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so.

God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth,

Then God said, “Let the water swarm with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, all the earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”

God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.”

for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth—everything having the breath of life in it. I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

So the Lord God formed out of the ground every wild animal and every bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.

The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man no helper was found as his complement.

Then the Lord said, “I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.”

and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky—in order to keep offspring alive on the face of the whole earth.

In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the watery depths burst open, the floodgates of the sky were opened,

Then the waters surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered.

He wiped out every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.

The sources of the watery depths and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky stopped.

The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority.

And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then He said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”

Then out of the sky the Lord rained burning sulfur on Sodom and Gomorrah from the Lord.

I will indeed bless you and make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies.

I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky, I will give your offspring all these lands, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed by your offspring,

May God give to you—from the dew of the skyand from the richness of the land—an abundance of grain and new wine.

Then his father Isaac answered him:Look, your dwelling place will beaway from the richness of the land,away from the dew of the sky above.

and they saw the God of Israel. Beneath His feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself.

Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—You swore to them by Your very self and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’”

I will break down your strong pride. I will make your sky like iron and your land like bronze,

The Lord your God has so multiplied you that today you are as numerous as the stars of the sky.

or the form of any beast on the earth, any winged creature that flies in the sky,

Your fathers went down to Egypt, 70 people in all, and now the Lord your God has made you as numerous as the stars of the sky.

But the land you are entering to possess is a land of mountains and valleys, watered by rain from the sky.

Then the Lord’s anger will burn against you. He will close the sky, and there will be no rain; the land will not yield its produce, and you will perish quickly from the good land the Lord is giving you.

and has gone to worship other gods by bowing down to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky—which I have forbidden—

The Lord will open for you His abundant storehouse, the sky, to give your land rain in its season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations, but you will not borrow.

The sky above you will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.

The Lord will turn the rain of your land into falling dust; it will descend on you from the sky until you are destroyed.

Your corpses will be food for all the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land, with no one to scare them away.

Though you were as numerous as the stars of the sky, you will be left with only a few people, because you did not obey the Lord your God.

The men of Ai turned and looked back, and smoke from the city was rising to the sky! They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.

As they fled before Israel, the Lord threw large hailstones on them from the sky along the descent of Beth-horon all the way to Azekah, and they died. More of them died from the hail than the Israelites killed with the sword.

And the sun stood stilland the moon stoppeduntil the nation took vengeance on its enemies.Isn’t this written in the Book of Jashar?So the sun stoppedin the middle of the skyand delayed its settingalmost a full day.

When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of the Lord went up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell facedown on the ground.

“Come here,” the Philistine called to David, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts!”

Today, the Lord will hand you over to me. Today, I’ll strike you down, cut your head off, and give the corpses of the Philistine camp to the birds of the sky and the creatures of the earth. Then all the world will know that Israel has a God,

Rizpah, Aiah’s daughter, took sackcloth and spread it out for herself on the rock from the beginning of the harvest until the rain poured down from heaven on the bodies. She kept the birds of the sky from them by day and the wild animals by night.

Anyone who belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city,the dogs will eat,and anyone who dies in the field,the birds of the sky will eat,for the Lord has said it!’

Anyone who belongs to Baasha and dies in the city,the dogs will eat,and anyone who is his and dies in the field,the birds of the sky will eat.”

In a little while, the sky grew dark with clouds and wind, and there was a downpour. So Ahab got in his chariot and went to Jezreel.

He who belongs to Ahab and dies in the city, the dogs will eat,and he who dies in the field, the birds of the sky will eat.’”

If I close the sky so there is no rain, or if I command the grasshopper to consume the land, or if I send pestilence on My people,

He makes the stars: the Bear, Orion,the Pleiades, and the constellations of the southern sky.

But ask the animals, and they will instruct you;ask the birds of the sky, and they will tell you.

Clouds veil Him so that He cannot see,as He walks on the circle of the sky.”

The pillars that hold up the sky tremble,astounded at His rebuke.

It is hidden from the eyes of every living thingand concealed from the birds of the sky.

who gives us more understanding than the animals of the earthand makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?”

He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;His lightning to the ends of the earth.

the birds of the sky,and the fish of the seathat pass through the currents of the seas.

For the choir director. A Davidic psalm.The heavens declare the glory of God,and the sky proclaims the work of His hands.

They gave the corpses of Your servantsto the birds of the sky for food,the flesh of Your godly onesto the beasts of the earth.

like the moon, established forever,a faithful witness in the sky.”Selah

He wraps Himself in light as if it were a robe,spreading out the sky like a canopy,

The birds of the sky live beside the springs;they sing among the foliage.

Rising up to the sky, sinking down to the depths,their courage melting away in anguish,

who covers the sky with clouds,prepares rain for the earth,and causes grass to grow on the hills.

As soon as your eyes fly to it, it disappears,for it makes wings for itselfand flies like an eagle to the sky.

the way of an eagle in the sky,the way of a snake on a rock,the way of a ship at sea,and the way of a man with a young woman.

Do not curse the king even in your thoughts,and do not curse a rich person even in your bedroom,for a bird of the sky may carry the message,and a winged creature may report the matter.

Indeed, the stars of the sky and its constellationswill not give their light.The sun will be dark when it rises,and the moon will not shine.

I looked, and no man was left;all the birds of the sky had fled.

The corpses of these people will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land, with no one to scare them away.

Even the stork in the skyknows her seasons.The turtledove, swallow, and craneare aware of their migration,but My people do not knowthe requirements of the Lord.

I will raise weeping and a lamentover the mountains,a dirge over the wilderness grazing land,for they have been so scorchedthat no one passes through.The sound of cattle is no longer heard.From the birds of the sky to the animals,everything has fled—they have gone away.

“I will ordain four kinds of judgment for them”—this is the Lord’s declaration—“the sword to kill, the dogs to drag away, and the birds of the sky and the wild animals of the land to devour and destroy.

They will die from deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like manure on the face of the earth. They will be finished off by sword and famine. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.

I will spoil the plans of Judah and Jerusalem in this place. I will make them fall by the sword before their enemies, by the hand of those who want to take their life. I will provide their corpses as food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.

will be handed over to their enemies, to those who want to take their life. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the wild animals of the land.

We tried to heal Babylon,but she could not be healed.Abandon her!Let each of us go to his own land,for her judgment extends to the skyand reaches as far as the clouds.

ק QofThose who chased us were swifterthan eagles in the sky;they relentlessly pursued us over the mountainsand ambushed us in the wilderness.

I will leave you in the desert,you and all the fish of your streams.You will fall on the open groundand will not be taken awayor gathered for burial.I have given youto the beasts of the earthand the birds of the sky as food.

All the birds of the skynested in its branches,and all the animals of the fieldgave birth beneath its boughs;all the great nations lived in its shade.

All the birds of the sky nested on its fallen trunk, and all the animals of the field were among its boughs.

I will abandon you on the landand hurl you on the open field.I will cause all the birds of the skyto settle on youand let the beasts of the entire eartheat their fill of you.

The fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the animals of the field, every creature that crawls on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble before Me. The mountains will be thrown down, the cliffs will collapse, and every wall will fall to the ground.

The tree grew large and strong;its top reached to the sky,and it was visible to the ends of the earth.

But leave the stump with its roots in the ground,and with a band of iron and bronze around it,in the tender grass of the field.Let him be drenched with dew from the skyand share the plants of the earthwith the animals.

The tree you saw, which grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky and was visible to all the earth,

that tree is you, the king. For you have become great and strong: your greatness has grown and even reaches the sky, and your dominion extends to the ends of the earth.

“The king saw an observer, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky, and share food with the wild animals for seven periods of time.’

You will be driven away from people to live with the wild animals. You will feed on grass like cattle and be drenched with dew from the sky for seven periods of time, until you acknowledge that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men, and He gives it to anyone He wants.

At that moment the sentence against Nebuchadnezzar was executed. He was driven away from people. He ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky, until his hair grew like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.

He was driven away from people, his mind was like an animal’s, he lived with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with dew from the sky until he acknowledged that the Most High God is ruler over the kingdom of men and sets anyone He wants over it.

On that day I will make a covenant for themwith the wild animals, the birds of the sky,and the creatures that crawl on the ground.I will shatter bow, sword,and weapons of war in the landand will enable the people to rest securely.

On that day I will respond—this is the Lord’s declaration.I will respond to the sky,and it will respond to the earth.

For this reason the land mourns,and everyone who lives in it languishes,along with the wild animals and the birds of the sky;even the fish of the sea disappear.

As they are going, I will spread My net over them;I will bring them down like birds of the sky.I will discipline them in accordancewith the news that reaches their assembly.

The earth quakes before them;the sky shakes.The sun and moon grow dark,and the stars cease their shining.

You have made your merchantsmore numerous than the stars of the sky.The young locust strips the landand flies away.

I will sweep away man and animal;I will sweep away the birds of the skyand the fish of the sea,and the ruins along with the wicked.I will cut off mankindfrom the face of the earth.This is the Lord’s declaration.