The Circle of the Earth
by Stephen M Golden
Copyright © 16October2021
There have
been some Christians in recent times who have subscribed to the “Flat Earth”
Theory due to Isaiah 40:22:
It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the
inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens
as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: (KJV)
It’s
unfortunate most other translations use “circle” as well.
These
Christians seem to be unaware that translations don’t always convey the meaning
of the original language or the meaning of the English word when the version
was translated.
It saddens me
because Satan has been able to destroy the work and witness of some insightful
researchers in the past few years as a result.
The word
translated as “circle”:[1]
ח֣וּג
Pronounced as khûg (rhymes
with “tug”).
Strong’s
Concordance defines the Hebrew word as “vault” or “horizon.”
chug: vault, horizon
Original
Word: חוּג
Part
of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: chug
Phonetic
Spelling: (khoog)
Definition: vault,
horizon
In Job 22:14[3],
the same Hebrew word is translated as “vault” or “circuit.”
HEB: וְלֹ֣א יִרְאֶ֑ה וְח֥וּג שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם יִתְהַלָּֽךְ׃
NAS: And He
walks on the vault of
heaven.'
KJV: not;
and he walketh in the circuit of
heaven.
INT: cannot
see the vault of
heaven walks
From space,
the Earth appears as a circle. However,
this explanation is an unnecessary “lifeline” since the word does not mean a
“circle” as we think of it today.[4]
“In modern
Hebrew, a sphere is denoted by khûg, along with kaddur, galgal, and mazzal.”[5]
“…Khûg carries
the sense of roundness, and common usage makes clear that this can refer to
either a two or three dimensional geometry.”[6]
Another
scholarly perspective suggests a better translation of Khûg is “choreography—an amazingly well-ordered, orchestrated,
festive, happy, and harmonious dance.”[7]
[5] https://creation.com/isaiah-40-22-circle-sphere: Ben-Yehuda, E. and Ben-Yehuda, D, Hebrew Dictionary, Pocket Books (Simon & Schuster), USA, p. 252, 1961.
[6]
https://creation.com/isaiah-40-22-circle-sphere
[7] Institute for Creation Research, https://www.icr.org/article/the-circle-of-the-earth