The earth is flat.
No, really! The Bible says so!
Many skeptics—and even some Christians—point to a long list of Bible passages that refer to the Earth as having “four corners,” passages that refer to the earth being stationary, passages that refer to the sun moving, etc. It’s a long list of evidence!
As Christians, do we need to deny the consistent evidence of modern science? Or at least rethink our understanding of biblical inerrancy?
Let’s take the bull by the horns and examine some of the most commonly referenced “flat earth” Bible verses.
Why Do Some People Think the Bible Says the Earth Is Flat?
The earth has four corners, according to the Bible. Here are two verses that state this plainly:
"After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree." (Revelation 7:1 NIV).
"When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore" (Revelation 20:7-8 NIV).
It seems the Apostle John saw the earth’s four corners for himself! Who do you trust more, NASA or the Apostle John?
Here’s another question: If the earth is really round and orbits around the sun, why does the Bible describe it as stationary and supported by pillars?
"Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved" (1 Chronicles 16:30 NIV).
"Say among the nations, 'The Lord reigns.' The world is firmly established, it cannot be moved; he will judge the peoples with equity" (Psalm 96:10 NIV).
"For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world" (1 Samuel 2:8 ESV).
"He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble" (Job 9:6 NIV).
And consider this: If the earth orbits the sun, how come God made a day last longer by making the sun stand still?
"On the day the Lord gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the Lord in the presence of Israel:
'Sun, stand still over Gibeon,
and you, moon, over the Valley of Aijalon.'
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,'as it is written in the Book of Jashar.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day" (Joshua 10:12-13 NIV).
Obviously, modern science says the Earth is round and orbits around the sun; the sun is stationary. That means the earth, not the sun, would have to stand still to create a long day.
Add those verses together and it feels like a clear case. But do these interpretations stand up to deeper scrutiny?
What Does "The Four Corners of the Earth" Really Mean?
Revelation 7:1 is one of the most popular flat-earther Bible verses. But it’s also one of the weakest. Treating Revelation 7:1 as a flat-earth verse neglects a crucial part of Bible interpretation: understanding a book’s genre.
The Book of Revelation is about the end of the world. Its genre is prophecy, but more specifically, it is apocalyptic literature that focuses on the end times. Rather than showing an exact replay (pre-play?) of the future, books in this genre typically use cryptic symbolic imagery.
For instance, the book of Daniel contains chapters in the apocalyptic literature genre. In Daniel chapter 7, Daniel describes a vision in which he saw four strange animals, one of which was a leopard with four heads and wings (verse 6). Rather than believing that a literal four-headed flying leopard would appear in the future, Daniel recognized this imagery was symbolic. While experiencing the vision, he asked an angel to explain what he’d seen. The angel explained that these four beasts symbolized four kingdoms (verses 15-17).
When we read Revelation, we see a great deal of similar imagery. For instance, John sees Jesus as a lamb with seven horns and seven eyes, and this is clearly communicated as symbolic (Revelation 5:6). To presume that the “four corners of the earth” John sees in Revelation should be taken as a literal physical description of a square earth ignores the genre and the author’s intent. Modern scholars believe the “four corners” is a reference to the four cardinal directions. The vision’s purpose is to communicate that the entire earth is affected, even the most isolated regions. Some kings in the Ancient Near East would even use the title “King of the Four Corners.” Though the kings knew they did not rule literal corners at the edges of the earth, they used this poetic title to emphasize their widespread authority.
We can scratch Revelation 7:1 as evidence for a flat earth, but we still have several verses to go. What about 1 Chronicles 16:30, Psalm 96:10, 1 Samuel 2:8, and Job 9:6? Is the Bible claiming the earth is stationary and sitting on pillars?
Let’s ask the same classic study questions: What is the genre (the author’s intent)? And what can we learn from reading the context of the surrounding verses?
The Book of Psalms and the Book of Job are both considered “wisdom literature.” Wisdom literature is a genre that communicates wise teachings, often using poetic language to emphasize its points.
Psalm 96:10 emphasizes how God’s power over the earth is firm and secure. This is described in connection to God’s fairness and his promised justice. This Psalm is teaching the stability of God’s rule, not necessarily the physical structure of the earth. Job 9:6, on the other hand, emphasizes how God has the power to shake the whole earth—that nothing is more powerful than the Creator. Surrounding verses also use poetic imagery, talking about God’s power over mountains and even the sun and the stars.
The books of 1 Chronicles and 1 Samuel are in the genre of historical narratives, though. Is it fair to claim they are also using poetic imagery?
Even books that are largely in one genre may contain sections in other genres. Reading 1 Chronicles 16:30 and 1 Samuel 2:8 in context, we can see that these verses are both from songs of praise—David praising God when the Ark of the Covenant is brought to Jerusalem and Hannah praising God after she brings Samuel to the Tabernacle. These songs are comparable to the Psalms, using poetic language to praise God. For instance, the 1 Chronicles 16 song describes trees singing for joy (verse 33). No one argues that trees can sing, so it seems a bit disingenuous to insist that the Bible teaches a literally stationary earth sitting on pillars.
We will save our final verses, Joshua 10:12-13, for later. First, we need to address a significant counterargument in favor of a flat earth—an argument from historical context.
How Did Ancient Cultures View the Shape of the Earth?
Just because language is poetic does not necessarily mean it is non-literal. After all, many Psalms reference literal realities and express them in poetic ways. The question is, what did the writers of the Bible believe and what did they intend to say?
In the Ancient Near East during the time of the Old Testament, cultures such as Egypt and Babylon both described the earth as flat in their mythologies. Though their descriptions varied significantly, some elements mentioned include the earth (with a flat surface) and a “firmament” (see Gen. 1:7-8) protecting the earth and sky (perhaps like a solid dome, and perhaps holding back a sea of water). Heaven, where God (or gods) live would be above this firmament, and an underworld beneath the earth is also often described. Sometimes, pillars (either holding up the earth or holding up the heavens) are described. If these elements are added together, the result is a model not unlike a snow globe.
Some scholars argue that this model is what the Biblical authors and their ancient readers literally believed. Some would even argue that the biblical authors derived their understanding of the universe from Egypt’s or Babylon’s myths and then changed the myth to refer to one God instead of many gods. Taken altogether, the case for a biblical flat earth seems compelling:
- The earth was commonly described as flat in Ancient Near Eastern mythology.
- The Bible uses language and imagery that reflects this description.
- Therefore, the Bible teaches that the earth is flat.
Case closed, right?
Not exactly. For instance, Dr. William Lane Craig notes:
“I am still rather skeptical about the attempt to see this creation account in Genesis 1 as significantly shaped by Egyptian creation myths. . . . Parallels can be found for almost anything. . . . For example, in historical Jesus studies, I know that many scholars have noted the significant similarities between the empty tomb story of Jesus and the story of Daniel in the lion’s den. . . . [I]t is easy to cherry pick stories in order to pull out similarities without there being any kind of genetic relationship between them.”
Craig also notes that in cherry-picking similarities, scholars often miss crucial differences between those accounts. He and other Christian scholars would contest the idea that the Bible’s account of creation is a cheap knock-off of existing mythology. Scholars also debate whether these ancient cultures meant to describe a strictly literal understanding of the universe or whether these descriptions were primarily meant to communicate more abstract truths through symbolism.
While we don’t have space to explore this topic in more detail, recognize that this topic is subject to debate and is not cut-and-dried. But what if we granted that people in biblical times, including the Bible’s authors, firmly believed the earth was flat? Would that discredit the Bible? To answer that question, let’s circle back to Joshua 10:12-13.
The earth revolves around the sun. But Joshua 10 describes the sun “stopping,” which implies the sun is normally moving. This is clearly unscientific language.
But what else should we expect Joshua to say?
Even today, nobody says “I woke up at the time the sun became visible due to the rotation of the earth.” We say “I woke up at sunrise.” We know the sun is stationary and does not literally “rise,” but we use phenomenological language to describe what we see in a natural way. Using this language does not mean we deny modern science or that we are lying in some way. It simply means we’re trying to describe something in a concise and natural way. When Joshua 10 describes the sun “standing still,” we can quickly and easily visualize what that looked like and why it impacted the long battle.
Using strict and precise literal language all the time is bad writing. It bogs the reader down with unnecessary details and makes it harder for the reader to pick out the central point of what you’re saying. The point of Joshua 10 is not “the sun revolves around the earth.” The point of Joshua 10 is that God answered Joshua’s prayer and lengthened the day so that Israel could finish defeating their enemies. The Book of Joshua is a historical chronicle—not a science textbook—and it’s written in a way that suits that genre.
Does Isaiah 40:22 Suggest a Round Earth?
It’s worth noting that some would argue the Bible teaches the earth is round. Isaiah 40:22 says, “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” (NIV). Does this imply the Bible teaches the earth is a circle or a sphere?
Probably not.
Let’s run this verse through the same criteria we ran the “flat earth” verses through. What is the genre and the author’s intent?
Again, we’re looking at poetry, and the “circle of the earth” line is immediately followed by poetic imagery. Looking at the Hebrew language, it also seems unlikely that chug, the word translated “circle” in this passage, is intended to mean “sphere.” Strong’s Lexicon states “[t]he Hebrew word ‘chug’ primarily denotes a circle or a circuit. It is used to describe the circular nature of the earth or the heavens, emphasizing the completeness and perfection of God's creation. The term can also imply the idea of a boundary or limit, as seen in its usage in the context of the earth's horizon or the heavens.”
If Isaiah meant to specify that the earth was spherical, the word dur would be a more likely choice, since dur is sometimes translated “ball.”
As convenient as it might be to find a prooftext of the Bible revealing scientific knowledge about a round earth, we need to be consistent with our interpretation methods. Isaiah 40:22 is not intending to teach astronomy any more than the “flat earth” Bible verses are.
Does the Bible Speak about Science or Spiritual Truth?
We’ve learned that the Bible is not a science textbook. With that said, some take this concept to the extreme and create a false dichotomy. They claim that science and spirituality are completely separate from each other and that the hard facts of the Bible’s claims (historical events, miracles, etc.) don’t matter since it’s the spiritual message that counts. The Bible itself disputes this claim. For example, consider the “spiritual truth” of salvation:
"And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. . . . And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost" (1 Corinthians 15:14-18 NIV).
Without the literal physical reality of Jesus’s death and resurrection, the spiritual hope we have in Jesus has no basis. Literal historical events provide the foundation and the context for our spiritual beliefs—let’s not be quick to separate the two. We don’t serve an abstract idea. We serve a living God who moves and acts, both throughout history and in our modern day.
And consider something else: even if biblical authors did not understand the science behind what they witnessed, what they witnessed may be corroborated by science. For instance, Luke describes Jesus’s sweat being like drops of blood when he was praying before his crucifixion (Luke 22:44). Many might assume this is poetic language or is something Luke made up for dramatic effect. However, sweating blood is a real medical condition, known as hematidrosis, and it’s brought on by extreme stress and anguish.
Another example comes from when John describes Jesus’s side being pierced and “blood and water” flowing out (John 19:34). Was this some sort of miracle with symbolic meaning? Possibly. But very likely, Jesus’s blood loss resulted in pericardial effusion and/or pleural effusion (buildup of fluid around the heart and lungs, respectively). Would this fluid be literally 100 percent water? No. But if clear-ish fluid poured out of Jesus’s side, describing it as water seems like a concise way to communicate that. The Holy Spirit had little reason to divinely reveal to John the specific chemical composition of this fluid and have him write about it in his Gospel.
John’s crucifixion narrative is not a medical journal article, nor should it be. John’s message is that Jesus truly died, that he truly rose from the dead, and that John witnessed both events. The fact that modern medicine sheds additional light on what John witnessed is an added bonus.
What Can We Learn from This Debate?
The point is this: Even if Biblical authors did not understand the scientific complexities behind the events they witnessed, what they recorded was faithful and true. The Bible doesn’t give a firm teaching on the shape of the earth because the Holy Spirit did not make that a teaching priority. God provided believers from many different times, places, and cultures with the information we needed about Him, and He left out the information we didn’t need (John 21:25). That’s good writing, and it’s what we should expect to see in God’s Word—not evidence against it.
Also, in case you were still wondering . . . the earth isn’t flat.
Photo credit: ©Getty Images/buradaki
