In recent years, you have had a lot of claims from atheists and flat-earthers alike that the Bible teaches a flat earth. We will take a look at as many of these claims as possible to check their validity. We will also look at some arguments that go against the notion that the Bible teaches a flat earth.
The Bible never says the earth is flat. Not only does the Bible never actually say the earth is flat, but you do not even find the words earth and flat in the same verses. This means that to claim that the Bible teaches a flat earth, you need to find verses that you can interpret as referring to a flat earth.
This means that, at best, the entire argument depends upon a very specific interpretation of selected Bible verses.
The Starting Assumption
The starting assumption with atheists is that the Bible is a man-made, late Bronze Age book written by people who believed the earth is flat. As a result, they are cherry-picking verses that they can interpret in such a manner.
It also needs to be noted that this claim was originally started by atheists in the early 1800s.
Common Mistakes in Interpretation
There are several mistakes that are commonly made by those claiming that the Bible teaches a flat earth. Ironically, many of them, but not all, are also made by geocentrics. Once you recognize many of these mistakes, the notion that the Bible teaches a flat earth falls apart.
Mistake 1: Assuming "Earth" Means the Planet
The most common mistake is assuming that when the Bible uses the word ”earth," it is referring to the planet. However, unless the context indicates otherwise, the Bible is clear that the word earth refers to dry land and not the planet. This one fact destroys most flat-earth arguments.
Genesis 1:10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters called he seas, and God saw that it was good.
Mistake 2: Ignoring Genre and Figurative Language
They completely ignore the genre of the passage in question. They will insist on taking a passage filled with figurative language with absolute, stringent literalness based on a false notion of the literalist interpretation of the Bible.
A literal interpretation of the Bible does not mean taking every verse of the Bible with stringent literalness. It is recognized by biblical literalists that some passages are poetry and include obvious figurative language such as metaphors and similes. While you may be able to get some useful literal information from such passages, if you take it too far, you will get into trouble.
For example, Jesus says, "I am the door." If you take this too literally, you will conclude that Jesus was a piece of wood on hinges. It is obviously not to be taken literally.
Mistake 3: Demanding Unreasonable Scientific Precision
Another common mistake is insisting on a degree of scientific precision that is unreasonable outside of a scientific text. A prime example is the description of the Earth as an oblate spheroid rather than a sphere. Earth's equatorial diameter is 7,926 miles (12,756 kilometers). Earth's polar diameter is 7,900 miles (12,712 kilometers). The difference is just 26 miles or 44 kilometers — a difference of one three-hundredth. This is such a small difference that oblate spheroid versus sphere is just nitpicking. It is demanding precision where none is required nor expected.
Mistake 4: Translation Shopping
They will engage in translation shopping, in that they will use a modern translation whose wording fits their argument the best. In many of these cases, going to an older translation, such as the King James Bible, the claim disappears because the wording does not fit their flat-earth presupposition. This is the worst type of cherry picking because there are several very bad and twisted translations out there.
Mistake 5: Taking Verses Out of Context
It is also common for those who claim that the Bible teaches a flat earth to take verses out of context. Context is important for understanding everything that is said or written, and the Bible is no exception. That context includes the surrounding text and the nature of the text itself.
For example, in a narrative, when the Bible quotes someone it quotes them accurately even if they are lying through their teeth. As a result, even if the Bible quoted someone as specifically saying that the earth is flat, it would only be showing what the person said and not teaching that what was said was true. If you assume that everything that someone, including the devil, is quoted as saying is true, then you will come up with some really bad interpretations.
Claim #1: The Circle of the Earth (Isaiah 40:22)
The claim here is that the Bible says the earth is a circle, and circles are flat; therefore, it is saying the earth is flat. This logic is fundamentally flawed in that a flat earth would not be a circle but a disc. A circle is a one-dimensional line curved into a second dimension. So calling the earth a circle would just be a general reference to the fact that it is round. You cannot use such a reference to insist the Bible is teaching a flat earth.
Isaiah 40:22 "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."
The first thing that needs to be noted is that this verse is not calling the earth itself a circle — it merely indicates that it has a circle. This is an important distinction, and by itself, it destroys the wording of the original claim.
Next, we need to take notice of the nature of the text, because this verse contains three similes comparing people to grasshoppers and the heavens to both a curtain and a tent. Because of this, it is inappropriate to take the reference to God sitting on the circle of the earth any more literally than people being grasshoppers or the heavens being a tent or curtain.
Also, does the reference to the circle of the earth fit a disc or an oblate spheroid better? With a disc, you can consider the circle of the earth to be its rim. Meanwhile, an oblate spheroid also has only one natural circle, its equator. The conclusion is that you cannot really draw a conclusion from this verse about the shape of the earth, and doing so is taking the figurative language in the verse way too literally.
More likely than not, what Isaiah had in mind when writing this verse was the circle of the horizon, which, by the way, is a natural result of a spherical earth but needs a secondary explanation on a flat earth.
Claim #2: Set a Compass (Proverbs 8:27)
This is actually a continuation of Claim #1. Since that one has already been busted, this one is subsequently also busted. It is based primarily on the wrong definition of the word compass.
Proverbs 8:27 "When he prepared the heavens, I was there, when he set a compass upon the face of the depth."
It needs to be noted that this verse does not even refer to the earth, but rather it refers to the surface of the ocean by the term "face of the depth." This makes the claim at best a stretch, nullifying any notion that this teaches a flat earth.
The keyword here is compass, and the claim relies on a specific selection from several possible definitions:
(1) a boundary or circumference.
(2) a curved or roundabout course.
(3) a device for determining directions.
(4) an instrument for inscribing circles.
Among the four definitions, the first two make the most sense within the context of the verse. The originator of this claim arbitrarily chose the definition that makes his case, despite the fact that it does not make sense within the context.
A boundary makes sense within the context of this verse because the sea has a boundary where it contacts the land. A curved or roundabout course makes perfect sense if the depth was a spherical body of water that was later formed into a spherical earth. So this verse actually suggests a spherical, not a flat one.
Claim #3: Upon a Face (Genesis 1:2)
Genesis 1:2 “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."
This one is a total joke because it says nothing of the kind. This verse speaks of darkness on the face of the deep and the Spirit of God being above the face of the water and the earth is not even mentioned.
Claim #4: Bounded Waters (Job 26:10)
Job 26:10 “He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end."
This one is also a joke because it refers to the waters of the ocean having a boundary, not the planet Earth. There is no basis in this verse for such a claim. It needs to be noted that the oceans do indeed have a boundary, it's called dry land
Claim #5: Ends of the Earth
Job 28:24 “For he looketh to the ends of the earth, and seeth under the whole heaven."
Job 37:3 “He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth."
Job 38:13 “That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it."
The flaw in this claim is assuming that the word earth refers to the planet. This ignores the fact that in Genesis 1:10 God himself calls the dry land earth, defining the word earth as generally used in the Bible. Once this is realized, any notion of the Bible teaching a flat earth is busted — because the dry land does have ends. Pay a visit to your nearest ocean if you don't believe it.
Claim #6: It Does Not Move
1 Chronicles 16:30 "Fear before him, all the earth: the world also shall be stable, that it be not moved."
Psalms 93:1 "The Lord reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the Lord is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved."
Psalms 96:10 "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people righteously."
Psalm 104:5 "Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever."
Isaiah 45:18 "For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else."
First of all, none of these verses are talking about the physical motion of the earth. If you actually read the verses it is clear that they are speaking of permanence and stability, not physical motion. This is particularly true of Psalm 104:5 and Isaiah 45:18, where the wording doesn't even imply motion.
Psalm 104:5 says "removed" not "moved." Isaiah 45:18 says absolutely nothing motion-related. Finally, even if these verses were referring to physical motion, they use the word "moved" not "move." The word moved is passive voice — therefore referring to something acting on the earth to move it from its intended path. These verses allow the planet Earth to be moving in an active sense, but just indicate that nothing will move it from the path intended by God.
One final note: even if their interpretation were correct, it would be geocentric, not flat earth.
Claims #7 & 8: The Firmament Dome (Genesis 1)
First of all, the Bible does not actually say any such thing. This claim is based on nothing but a presupposition that the Bible must be teaching a flat earth and a subsequent erroneous definition of the word firmament.
Genesis 1:6–8 "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And 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. And God called the firmament heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."
The keyword in these verses is firmament. Webster's Dictionary (1828) defines it as: "THE REGION OF THE AIR; THE SKY OR HEAVENS. In Scripture, the word denotes an expanse, a wide extent. The original, therefore, does not convey the sense of solidity, but of stretching, extension, the great arch or expanse over our heads, in which are placed the atmosphere and the clouds, and in which the stars appear to be placed."
Note that it does not convey the sense of solidity, but of stretching, extension. So not only is the word firmament not referring to a dome or anything solid, but it is consistent with the general relativity view of space having a structure that can be stretched. This also makes it consistent with the modern idea that space itself is expanding.
Claim #8 that the dome contains the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14–18) is based entirely on the false claim in #7 that the word firmament refers to a dome. Since Claim #7 has been debunked, this one is automatically debunked as well.
Claim #9: The Book of Enoch
Enoch 75:3 "Thus the signs, the durations of time, the years and the days were shown to me by the Malacurial, whom Yahweh, Almighty of eternal splendor, has appointed over all the luminaries of heaven, both in heaven and the world, in order that they, the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the created objects which circulate in all the chariots of heaven, should rule in the face of the sky and be seen on the earth to be guides for the day and the night."
I have to admit; they got this 100% correct. There is, however, one little problem: the so-called Book of Enoch is not part of the Bible and never was. The Book of Enoch seems to have been written in the 2nd century B.C.
Claim #10: Sky Solid like Molten Looking Glass (Job 37:18)
Job 37:18 “Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?"
This is actually the best one that they have because it requires no manipulation, no corrupt translation they are not even misinterpreting. This verse is actually implying that the sky is solid, and you cannot even twist it to imply otherwise.
However, there are two serious problems with using it to claim that the Bible teaches a flat earth. First, this description is not just consistent with the idea of a dome over a flat earth but also with a geocentric global earth where the stars are embedded in a sphere centered on a spherical earth. This means you cannot use it to claim the Bible teaches a flat earth.
Second, when you look at the context, it becomes clear that the Bible is teaching neither a flat earth nor geocentrism here. This entire chapter is part of an extensive monologue by one of Job's friends by the name of Elihu. In the narrative, the Bible is accurately quoting Elihu's monologue inaccuracies and all. God gives us the monologues of Job's friends to show how messed up their advice and theology were. So, while this verse may give us insight into Elihu's personal beliefs, the reference is not intended to teach anything about reality.
Claim #11: Four Corners of the Earth
Isaiah 11:12 "And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth."
Revelation 7:1 “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree."
First of all, this runs counter to the idea that the earth is a circle or a disc. As a result, some flat-earthers actually try to have it both ways by having a square with a circle under a dome in the center. However, the reality is that this reference has nothing to do with the shape of the Earth.
The most likely interpretation is that the term "four corners of the earth" is simply a reference to the four directions of North, South, East, and West. It is critical to note that the word earth is not referring to the planet but only to dry land (Genesis 1:10). This is further supported by the fact that Revelation 7:1 specifically refers to the earth and the sea as separate entities. Regardless of the precise meaning of the term, the four corners of the earth clearly has nothing to do with the shape of the planet Earth.
Claim #12: The Earth has Foundations
The Bible references foundations of the earth in many passages: Job 38:4, Psalm 18:7, Psalm 82:5, Psalm 104:5, Proverbs 8:29, Isaiah 24:18, Isaiah 40:21, Isaiah 51:13, Isaiah 51:16, Jeremiah 31:37, and Micah 6:2.
Job 38:4 "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding."
Micah 6:2 "Hear ye, O mountains, the Lord's controversy, and ye strong foundations of the earth: for the Lord hath a controversy with his people, and he will plead with Israel."
Yes, the Bible teaches that the earth has foundations. Where this claim messes up is assuming that the word earth means the planet. However, the default biblical definition of the word earth is dry land and not the planet (Genesis 1:10). So the real question is: does the dry land of planet Earth have foundations? Actually, it does, because each continent sits on a slab of granite that forms a literal foundation that goes deep into the planet. The continental crust literally serves as the foundation of the continents. So not only do these verses not teach a flat earth, but they also agree 100% with what we know about the earth's interior.
Claim #13 — The Earth has pillars
1 Samuel 2:8 "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them."
Job 9:6 "Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble."
Psalm 75:3 "The earth and all the inhabitants thereof are dissolved: I bear up the pillars of it. Selah."
The primary error of this claim is the same mistake as above: assuming that earth refers to the planet when it actually refers to dry land. Once you look at this from the standpoint that the word earth is a reference to dry land, not only does any flat-earth notion disappear, but what it really refers to is quite clear. On planet Earth, many caves have features called stalactites and stalagmites, which often grow together forming literal pillars, and this phenomenon exists on a much larger scale throughout the Earth's crust.
Claim #14: The heavens have pillars
Job 26:11 "The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof."
First of all, this verse is part of Job's response to his friend Bildad; as a result, the Bible is accurately quoting Job regardless of the accuracy of what he said. Furthermore, this claim rests upon assuming one of three definitions of the word pillar:
(1) a tall vertical structure of stone, wood, or metal used as a support for a building, or as an ornament or monument;
(2) something shaped like a pillar;
(3) a person or thing regarded as reliably providing essential support for something.
The problem is that this claim relies on the first definition, ignoring the others. In space, there exist nebulae that form pillar-like structures. Also, a pillar can mean something that provides functional (not just physical) support — including objects such as stars, planets, galaxies, or anything else critical to the functioning of the universe. The point is that this reference doesn't necessarily or even likely refer to physical support structures.
Claim #15 — The heavens have foundations
2 Samuel 22:8 "Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations of heaven moved and shook, because he was wroth."
First of all, this is a song that was sung by King David as part of the historical narrative in 2 Samuel. This means that the Bible recorded what he sang accurately, regardless of its accuracy. This claim also presupposes that the word heaven refers exclusively to what we see in the sky.
However, the Bible refers to a place called the third heaven, where the throne of God is, and where believers go upon physical death. This city, also called the New Jerusalem, is described as having walls with twelve foundations (Revelation 21:14). This verse could also be referring to these twelve walls. In either case, this reference cannot be used to claim that the Bible teaches a flat earth.
Claim #16: Windows of Heaven
Genesis 7:11 "In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened."
The claim is that the windows of heaven were openings for the rain to come through. The problem is that it is not the function of windows, whose main purpose is to let light in and allow those who are inside to see out; this would be the atmosphere, since that is what we see the heavens through.
Note that the windows of heaven opening are associated with the break-up of the fountains of the deep and not the rain. The fountains of the deep would have been a release of large amounts of subterranean water. This water would have shot up into the atmosphere at high speed, punching a hole in the atmosphere, literally opening the windows of heaven. Once again, this verse is not implying that the earth is flat. It is a magnificent description of the result of large amounts of subterranean water erupting and ripping through the atmosphere at high speed.
Claim #17: High Mountain View
Matthew 4:8 "Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them."
The claim is that only on a flat earth could you see all the kingdoms of the world from the top of a high mountain. Except that this should be impossible as a physical event, even on a flat earth, apart from the fact that no such mountain exists, because you cannot see all the kingdoms of the world even from the top of Mount Everest.
The fact is that this would have had to have been a spiritual thing regardless of the shape of the earth. Just the distance alone to see somewhere like Rome would have made any details imperceivable by natural means. This means the devil had to use something other than natural sight to show Jesus all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. The idea that this teaches a flat earth is bogus because it could not have been a physical event, regardless of the shape of the earth.
Anti-Flat Earth Passages
Genesis 1:10 "And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering together of the waters called he seas, and God saw that it was good."
This verse makes it clear that when the Bible uses the word earth it generally refers to dry land and not the planet Earth. This automatically neutralizes most of the claims about the Bible teaching a flat earth.
Proverbs 8:27 "When he prepared the heavens, I was there, when he set a compass upon the face of the depth."
Setting a compass upon the face of the depth refers to making a circular path around a spherical ball of water. This verse actually goes contrary to a flat earth, requiring deliberate twisting to imply otherwise.
Job 38:13–14 "That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? It is turned as clay to the seal, and they stand as a garment."
Here, the earth is referred to in terms of dry land, and it says that it is turned in a manner consistent with the continental crust turning along the surface of a rotating planet Earth.
Luke 17:34–36 "I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left."
In these verses, we have an event described as taking place at night and day at the same time. It mentions two activities that would only occur during the day. This means that this verse is referring to the fact that day and night occur at the same time in different parts of the world, something that can only occur on a round planet Earth.
Origins of the Flat Earth Myth
The claim that the Bible teaches a flat earth was originally started by atheists in the early 1800s. It is not a claim that arose from serious biblical scholarship or from within the Christian community. Rather, it began as a polemical argument against the Bible, based on the presupposition that ancient peoples and, therefore, the biblical authors must have believed the earth was flat. From this assumption, verses are cherry-picked and interpreted in ways that fit the predetermined conclusion.
Conclusion
The Bible never says the earth is flat. The word earth in the Bible almost universally refers to dry land, not the planet. The vast majority of the so-called flat earth proof texts either:
(1) use the word earth to mean dry land, which naturally has ends, corners, foundations, and pillars;
(2) are taken from highly figurative or poetic passages that should not be read with wooden literalism;
(3) are quotations of individuals (Job's friends, King David, Job himself) whose statements the Bible records accurately without endorsing; or
(4) rely on translation choices or definitions that do not hold up under scrutiny.
When the relevant anti-flat-earth passages are taken into account, particularly the references that imply simultaneous day and night in different parts of the world (Luke 17:34–36), the circular path of the deep (Proverbs 8:27), and the rotating motion of the earth (Job 38:13–14) the Bible is far more consistent with a spherical earth than a flat one.
The notion that the Bible teaches a flat earth is not the result of careful exegesis. It is the result of a presupposition-driven, cherry-picked, and often mistranslated reading of Scripture. Once the common interpretive mistakes are recognized, the claim falls apart entirely.
