Expert: Jim Miller - 12/21/2006

Question
In Isaiah 40:22, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth, and its people are like grasshoppers...."
now I was told by my friend who is a Rabbi, that the Hebrew word for the place of circle-is one i cant pronounce or spell, sorry- but the hebrew word means sphere, or orb, possibly globe in out language. Can you concur? and how did the idea of the Earth as a circle or orb could be revealed to men of that time? Unless alittle secret said by God? Thank you for your time.


Answer
The word is chug (the "ch" pronounced like in loch or Bach).  The cognate verb means "to draw a circle."  The noun means circle, or horizon --which is the circle which defines the edge of your vision.  It is extremely interpretive to understand the term as orb or sphere.  Perhaps that was a later meaning of the term.  The simple meaning is "circle".  How much further you want to take that meaning is up to you.
I hope this is helpful,
Jim Miller