Genesis 1:6-8
Then God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." 7Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
Matthew Henry: “3. The use and design of it [the firmament]—to divide the waters from the waters, that is, to distinguish between the waters that are wrapped up in the clouds and those that cover the sea. God has, in the firmament of his power, chambers, store-chambers, whence he watereth the earth. O what a great God is he who has thus provided for the comfort of all that serve him.”
Clay Miller: This firmament with the waters above, may have been a protective canopy that shielded the earth from some of the sun’s more dangerous rays. In such an environment, life could be sustained much longer, which could account for those who lived hundreds of years. If so, this canopy collapsed during the days of the flood as God opened the floodgates of heaven. If you are interested in this I would point you to www.answersingenesis.com.
