בִּ/רְקִ֣יעַ

𐤁/𐤓𐤒𐤉𐤏

bireqia

in the expanse

from רָקַע; properly, an expanse, i.e. the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky; firmament.

H7549

Genesis 1:17 · Word #4

Lexicon H7549

Lemmaרָקִיעַ
Lemma (Paleo)𐤓𐤒𐤉𐤏
Transliterationrâqîyaʻ
Strong'sH7549
In-contextin the expanse

Morphology HR/Ncmsc All morphology codes

Part of Speech N — Noun — A person, place, thing, or idea
Subtype c — Common — Common noun
Gender m — Masculine — Masculine
Number s — Singular — Singular
State c — Construct — The noun is bound to the following word

SIBI-P1 H7549-01

in the hammered-out expanse of

Rootרקע (r-q-ʿ)
Core Meaningsto beat out, hammer, stamp, spread out by pounding, flatten into a broad surface
Semantic Rangethe sky, firmament, visible dome of the heavens, cosmic expanse separating waters, stretched-out surface
Conceptual SignificanceIn Genesis 1, the רָקִיעַ is the divinely formed expanse that separates the waters above from the waters below, expressing ordered creation. Its root imagery of hammered metal underscores the ancient Near Eastern conception of the sky as a solid, shaped structure established by YHWH’s creative act.
Morphological NotesPreposition בִּ ("in") prefixed to a masculine singular construct noun רְקִיעַ from רָקִיעַ. The construct form indicates a genitive relationship ("expanse of ...").
Rendering RationaleThe noun רָקִיעַ derives from the root רקע, "to beat out" or "hammer flat," evoking the image of metal spread into a broad sheet. Rendering it as "hammered-out expanse" preserves this concrete root imagery. The preposition בִּ and masculine singular construct form (Ncmsc) are reflected in "in the ... expanse of," maintaining singular number and the construct relationship.

AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)

Words from Root רקע (to beat out, hammer, stamp, spread out by pounding, flatten into a broad surface)

SILEX Code Transliteration SIBI-P1
H7549-02 haraqia the beaten-out expanse
H7549-03 laraqia to the hammered-out expanse
H7554-01 roqa one who beats out and spreads

Word Usage (17 occurrences of H7549)

Location Form Transliteration Meaning
Genesis 1:6 רָקִ֖יעַ raqia an expanse
Genesis 1:7 הָ/רָקִיעַ֒ haraqia the expanse
Genesis 1:7 לָ/רָקִ֔יעַ laraqia the expanse