HEAVEN AND EARTH

MODULE 3: SESSION 16: The Waters Above and Below

In the Bible, water carries a striking double meaning. It can nurture and sustain life through streams, rivers, and rain, yet it can also bring destruction and death, as in floods, the sea, or the dark abyss. This dual role reveals water as both a divine blessing and a force of judgment or chaos, shaping key biblical narratives and symbols.

Genesis 7:11 underscores this tension, explaining that the waters above the raqia’ (the expanse) were not for ordinary rain but for unleashing the flood, a mirror of the deep waters beneath. These lower waters, called tehom or “the deep,” often represent the underworld (Sheol) or primordial disorder. Together, these images show how water embodies both the gift of life and the threat of death in Scripture.