What verse in the Bible says the earth is round?

Answer 1

A:In biblical times, the Greeks had already worked out that the earth is spherical and even calculated its size to a surprising degree of accuracy. However, the Hebrews believed the world was flat, with some biblical references to it being circular and some references to the "corners of the earth", suggesting perhaps a square shape. We would of course choose a passage that refers to the earth as round, and see if we can interpret this as really meaning the world is spherical.

Isaiah 40:22 speaks of "the circle of the earth." This is often interpreted to say that the word 'circle' means 'sphere'" and therefore the earth is a sphere. However this seems most unlikely since the Hebrew word used here means 'circle' and there is a better Hebrew word for 'sphere'. Moreover, the passage goes on to say that the heavens cover the earth as a tent, a simile that makes a spherical earth unsustainable, as tents are erected on flat ground.

A:

A circle is spherical. Maybe some early explorers read this Scripture and believed:

Isaiah 40:22New King James Version (NKJV)

22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,

And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,

Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,

And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

A:The Bible does not say this directly, as 'sphere' and 'spherical' do not appear in the Bible, but we may presume this, according to this scripture which refers to the creator:

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: (Isaiah 40.22)

AnswerIsaiah 40:22 describes the earth as round, just as you see it when standing on a hill and looking around the horizon. On the other hand, Revelation 7:1 describes the earth as having four corners. Neither verse describes the earth as round in the sense of being spherical.