Q. Does not Scripture speak of the "rising of the sun" which proves it is the sun moving and not the earth turning?

A. No. The expression, "rising of the sun" which is found in Numbers 2:3, Psalm 50:1, 113:3, Isaiah 41:25 and 59:19 translates the Hebrew word mizrach which simply means 'the East'. It comes from the root word, zarach, meaning 'to appear'. "Rises" appears in 2 Samuel 23:4 and Job 9:7. So mizrach and zarach used together would mean that the sun appears in the East. It does not mean that the sun orbits the earth as flatearthers claim.

And even if the Scriptures did say "rising sun", would it prove that the earth is stationary or that the earth is flat? No. It would simply confirm that from a geocentric vantage-point - which unless you're in far away in space means everyone who walks the surface of this world - the sun will appear to rise and set, as you would expect standing on a globe rotating around its axis. That is why those who know the earth is not flat have no problem using the idiom, "rising sun" or "setting sun" because we understand its a geocentric perspective. For the same reason we have no problem speaking of "the four corners of the world" (Rev.7:1; 20:8), not because we believe the earth is square (it is curious that flat-earthers reject this in favour of a circular earth...it is described as both in Scripture) but because it's a poetic metaphor. Yet to be consistent, flat-earthers, like the late Professor Orlando Ferguson, should be proposing a model something like this:

But, of course, they know that is ridiculous so they take the liberty of picking and choosing what they want to be a metaphor and what they want to be literal.

To understand better the cosmological mindset of the Bible writers, please see the essay, Flat-Earth II. Problems of Perception for a proper understanding of biblical cosmology.

(Research by Silvan Wolf)

This page was created on 25 August 2017 Last updated on 26 August 2017

Copyright © 1987-2017 NCAY - All Rights Reserved