What is the circle of the earth (Isaiah 40:22)?

Answer

The mention of the “circle of the earth” in Isaiah 40:22 has sparked much speculation. Some interpret this phrase as an indication that ancient Israel was informed by God about the physical structure of the universe before the discovery of the earth’s roundness. Subsequently, as scientific advancements unfolded, the Bible was proven to be remarkably accurate, containing knowledge that only God could have possessed. According to this perspective, the Scriptures exhibit divine origin by disclosing “scientific revelations” ahead of their widespread recognition.

While the Bible describes the sun rising and setting (as we observe), it employs language based on appearance rather than aiming for scientific precision (see Psalm 113:3). Similarly, the Bible mentions the “four corners of the earth,” but it is not suggesting that the earth is square (see Isaiah 11:12). Proverbs 30:4 talks about the “ends of the earth,” a phrase still used today to denote the farthest points. The challenge with the “scientific revelations” interpretation is that it imposes scientific exactness on certain passages that align with modern scientific ideas, while attributing phenomenological language (language based on appearance) or metaphor to those that do not. To maintain consistency, all such passages should either be taken literally or metaphorically. If all are interpreted literally, there would be more scientific inaccuracies than accuracies or “scientific revelations.” If all are interpreted metaphorically or phenomenologically, each passage would still be coherent in its original context. Isaiah 40:22, mentioning the “circle of the earth,” serves as an illustration.

The key point to note about the “circle” is that the term (Hebrew root chug) does not signify “sphere” but rather denotes a circle or sometimes a dome. A circle is flat like a disc.

or a dinner plate. Those who adhere to the “scientific secrets” approach often associate “sphere” with “circle.” In the Old Testament, the term is utilized once as a verb in Job 26:10: “He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness” (ESV). When observing the earth from space, there is indeed a circular boundary between light and darkness. However, the NIV conveys more of the original meaning and avoids the term circle entirely: “He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness.” When gazing out at the sea, the horizon does seem to be circular.

The same Hebrew term is employed three times in the Bible as a noun. In Job 22:14, God is depicted as walking in the “circuit of heaven” (KJV). Most contemporary translations render it as “the vault of heaven.” Taken literally, this verse would be scientifically incorrect as there is no vault over the earth. The universe extends out billions of miles in all directions, but when looking up at the sky on a starry night, we do perceive the sky as a circular dome overhead with distinct boundaries. In Proverbs 8:27, “Wisdom” states, “When he established the heavens, I was there; when he drew a circle on the face of the deep” (ESV). The NIV translation conveys the idea of “drawing a circle on the face of the deep”: “I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep.” There is no “circle” drawn on the sea, but there is a horizon that appears circular as one gazes out at the sea.

Isaiah 40:22 mentions, “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” Even if “circle of the earth” is interpreted literally in this verse, it does not assert that the earth is a sphere. In fact, it does not even state that the earth is a circle. The “circle of the earth” appears to allude to the heavens t

What appears to be a circular dome overhead. The parallelism of Hebrew poetry would indicate that the “circle of the earth” is the same as the “canopy” being stretched out. The heavens are pictured as a tent for the multitudes of earth to live in.

In Isaiah 44:13 a variant of the word is translated in the ESV as “compass”: “The [human] carpenter stretches a line; he marks it out with a pencil. He shapes it with planes and marks it with a compass. He shapes it into the figure of a man, with the beauty of a man, to dwell in a house.” Here, the compass is an instrument used for drawing a circle, and such instruments are still in use today.

The word circle was an apt way to describe the horizon and the heavens overhead. The horizon extends in all directions, and the sky overhead seems to meet it, forming a circular dome. This is simply the language of appearance. The Bible is not providing scientific clues to its divine origin. Isaiah 40:22 is part of a passage that is conveying a truth far more significant:

“Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood since the earth was founded?
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth,
and its people are like grasshoppers.
He stretches out the heavens like a canopy,
and spreads them out like a tent to live in.
He brings princes to nothing
and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.
No sooner are they planted,
no sooner are they sown,
no sooner do they take root in the ground,
than he blows on them and they wither,
and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff” (Isaiah 40:21-24).

The point of the “circle of the earth” passage is that God is far above all the trivial affairs of petty people. He is not troubled by them, and He can bring them to an end at any time. He can also protect and strengthen H

Is people:

“Do you not know?

Have you not heard?

The LORD is the everlasting God,

the Creator of the ends of the earth.

He will not grow tired or weary,

and His understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:28-31).

The Lord sits above the circle of the earth! Rather than being a source of secret scientific knowledge or a point of contention between young earth and old earth creationists, the verse is meant to be a comfort to God’s people as they reflect on the greatness and the creative power of God, as Isaiah 40:1 says, “Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.” The comfort is discovered in the content of Isaiah 40 and the subsequent chapters.