1) Heaven
The meaning of the word translated 'heaven' in the Bible is of great beauty and has been lost in translation. Firstly, translation lost the Hebrew links of the word itself, and secondly, meaning was lost in the 'myth-conceptions' now associated with the English word.
Those who studied the Hebrew text observed that the first use of a word in the Bible in its context gives its strongest meaning. In the first occurrence of 'heaven', not only does it have meaning in context, but, in addition, we have further been given a God given definition!
In the beginning God (Hebrew: Elohim 'Mighty Ones') created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
And God said, Let there be an expanse (Hebrew: 'spreading') in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse: and it was so. And God called the expanse 'Heaven'. And the evening and the morning were the second day. (Genesis 1:1-8)
The Hebrew Bible has a habit of parallel description. Two things were made: heaven and earth. The earth was without form and void..then it is revealed that on/over the earth are waters.
And this introduces a peculiarity of Hebrew lost in English. The word in Hebrew for 'heaven' is
שׁמה .. שׁמים
shâmayim shâmeh
The Hebrew word for waters is
מים
mayim
It is to be noted that the letter שׁ in Hebrew is a prefix meaning 'that, which, who'
The Hebrew word for 'sea'
ים
yâm
Where the Hebrew letter מ is a prefix meaning 'from, of, (out of) than'
So logically the waters, mayim, come from out of the sea yam
So when God divided the waters from waters on day two, they called "the expanse" with some water(mayim)vapour they had divided from the sea (yam), 'that water' shâmayim
Which is a scientific fact that the most notable characteristic of the sky is the prevalence of clouds and the air's ability to variably absorb water, out of waters, all which come at some point from the sea. Therefore the Hebrew word reveals a meaning supported by the definition. On the day heaven was named, waters were taken and separated from the waters that covered the earth (the seas) and made into a expanse or, as the Hebrew implies, something capable of being spread.
That expanse or spreading was called shâmayim
If we wish to define what we mean by 'heaven' to align with what God meant by heaven, we may say heaven is the atmosphere containing water which is at least up to 85km above the earth into the mesosphere. Though peculiarly, most water vapour remains within the 10km high troposphere where the clouds on reaching the edge will form a flat top (often observed on thunder clouds).
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. (Psa 148:4)
The waters in the mesosphere, way above the thunder clouds limited to the troposphere, form Noctilucent clouds.
The water in the sky behaves in a most peculiar manner, in that it forms clouds of various sorts, all of which may be observed to move in such a way that it may aptly be described as 'spreading.'
It might then be less of co-incidence then that the word 'sky' was imported into English from Old Norse where it meant 'cloud' (the 'sky' still means 'cloud' in modern Danish). The sky's distinguishing feature is clouds.
Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. (Job 35:5)
There might also be the hint of the language of Adam and Noah in the word 'heaven.'
heaven
O.E. heofon "home of God," earlier "sky," possibly from P.Gmc. *khemina- (cf. Low Ger. heben, O.N. himinn, Goth. himins, O.Fris. himul, Du. hemel, Ger. Himmel "heaven, sky"), from PIE base *kem-/*kam- "to cover" (cf. chemise).
http://dictionary.reference.com/etymology/heaven
'Kam' meaning 'covering' and 'yam' where yam covered the earth. Also 'khemina' and 'shâmayim'/ 'shâmeh' where shâmayim/ shâmeh also were associated with spreading over.
Who covers thyself with light as with a garment: who stretches out the heavens like a curtain: (Psalm 104:2)
Have ye not known? have ye not heard? has it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sits upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretches out the heavens as a curtain, and spreades them out as a tent to dwell in: (Isaiah 40:21-22)
Some may object to the definition of heaven being to 85km above the earth, but for all practical purposes, even in the modern world, this is the filter through which even the stars are seen.
Though his excellency mount up to the heavens, and his head reach unto the clouds; (Job 20:6)
Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. (Deuteronomy 4:39)
The ancient Hebrews knew there was something above the heaven,
Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD'S thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is. (Deuteronomy 10:14)
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have build? (1Kings 8:27)
The expanse over the expanse called heaven (to 85km) also belonged to the God of Israel, and even that cannot contain God. And it must be noted that humans have a lot of ability to plant, control and move the things on the earth and may even have a large impact on the sea, but humans, despite great efforts, have no power over the clouds.
The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD'S: but the earth has he given to the children of men. (Psalm 115:16)
These are the heavens that matter to life on earth
Mine hand also has laid the foundation of the earth, and my right hand has spanned the heavens: when I call unto them, they stand up together. (Isaiah 48:13)
God does indeed dwell in the heavens, because looking to the clouds also is looking beyond to all that may be seen. But the inexplicably complex and layered atmosphere is the work of his hand.
The beauty in symbolism
More than the physical there is a parallel between the natural world and the political word of people. The heavens are equated to God, or human rulership given by God.
The people in multitude are described as waters.
But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. (Isaiah 57:20)
Woe to the multitude of many people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas; and to the rushing of nations, that make a rushing like the rushing of mighty waters! (Isa 17:12)
This is said explicitly and defined in Revelation,
And he saith unto me, The waters which thou saw, where the whore sits, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues. (Rev 17:15)
Troubled wicked people are like restless yam, producing from out of it miry effervescent mayim
Such a sea in the natural world may look greenish or even very brown. It is so white capped and ruffled that if does not reflect the sky.
But the sea may also on a perfectly calm day reflect perfectly the sky. The mayim may perfectly reflect the shâmayim.
When people are faithful and at peace they are clear and transparent. We often speak of people being 'transparent' when they are honest and truthful. Clear, transparent water as a sea of glass is mayim, and makes a sea, yam, that perfectly reflects Heaven, shamayim , or which perfectly reflects God's character.
And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. (Revelation 4:6)
And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. (Exodus 24:10)
The beauty of this idea is expressed when the God of Israel spoke to Habakkuk and said,
For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea. (Habakkuk 2:14)
The waters (mayim) are from out of the sea (yam) or nations. When all the redeemed people of the earth are at peace, they will be like waters in a sea of glass, perfectly reflecting the body of heaven (shamayim) in his clearness.
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