By: Brian G. Chilton, PhD | April 19, 2026
Let’s face it. The current climate is replete with skepticism and conspiratorial thinking. Among all the modern claims, one of the most bizarre is the idea that the earth is flat and not round. Oddly, some of the proponents of the flat-earth theory argue that the Bible teaches as much. But is this true? Does the Bible teach that the earth is flat?
People are free to believe whatever they wish. But to claim that the Bible purports such a notion requires serious biblical investigation. Because this claim not only deters the reliability of its proponent, the Bible's inclusion could cause some to question its integrity.
What does the Bible teach about the shape of the earth, if anything at all? Let’s take a look.
The Passages Claimed to Purport a Flat Earth
Though flat-earthers likely use many other passages, consider three of the most prominent passages used to promote a flat earth. The first is in Genesis 1, the creation text. The second is in Deuteronomy 13:7, and the third is Psalm 75:3.
Genesis 1
The creation text of Genesis 1 uses language like “expanse between the waters, separating water from water” (Gen. 1:6–7).[1] The author, likely Moses, also speaks of lights in the expanse of the sky. Because the term “expanse” (Heb. רְקִיע, or reqia), some argue that the author had a flat expanse in mind. But is this what is really going on?
Granted, we must concede that early biblical writers were likely influenced by the culture of their times. In the Ancient Near East, some advocated the idea that the earth was an expanse, held up by pillars, under a firmament of waters. However, the author does not seem to be promoting this idea in the creation narrative. Rather, God gives him a revelation with something else in mind.
In the days of Moses, the more prevalent view among people was that various godlike intermediaries created all that existed. In stark contrast, the creation narrative shows that only God created all that exists. The opening phrase “heavens and the earth” is likely an idiom that references the universe and all of reality. The primary theological truth of Genesis 1 is that there is a God, and the one God created everything that exists. He is, as Thomas Aquinas states, “pure actuality,”[2] pure existence, and has no rival. As Hiebert notes, “The author of Genesis 1 takes great pains to demonstrate to his audience that the universe is not populated with deities or demons who need to be subdued or appeased, but that it is all controlled by one Creator.”[3]
In fact, what Genesis 1 does not include would have been glaringly apparent to the first readers of Genesis. There is no explicit reference to the sun and moon. Yes, Genesis 1 speaks of a “greater light,”[4] a “lesser light,”[5] and “lights in the expanse of the sky”[6] (Gen. 1:14–17). However, he does not speak of the sun (Heb. שֶׁמֶשׁ) until Genesis 15:12. Why? Because the Egyptians worshiped the sun-god, Re, others worshiped the sun-god, Shamash, and the moon-god, Yarih.[7] Such gods do not have a creative presence in Genesis 1. Only God creates all that exists. He has neither an equal nor any rival. Therefore, Genesis 1 does not really purport any particular view of the earth’s shape. The focus is on God’s sole activity as creator.
Deuteronomy 13:7
Deuteronomy 13:7 reflects on the people in Moses’s day who would say “‘Let’s go and worship other gods’—which neither you nor your ancestors have known, any of the gods of the peoples around you, near you or far from you, from one end of the earth to the other” (Deut. 13:6b–7). Quite honestly, Moses uses metaphorical language at this juncture. He is likely talking about the boundaries of Israel or the boundaries of the land around them. Seeing that a certain group of people are in mind, Moses is speaking of the entire populace instead of the earth’s geometry. Therefore, the text offers insufficient data concerning the earth’s shape.
Psalm 75:3
The psalmist writes, “When the earth (Heb. אֶרֶץ) and all its inhabitants shake, I am the one who steadies its pillars” (Ps. 75:3). Here again, the psalmist seems to use metaphorical language to speak of God’s control. Pillars (Heb. עַמּוּדי) speak to the foundation that God gives all creation. The psalmist, Asaph, speaks to a people who felt like the world around them was collapsing. The boastful and wicked were boasting about their apparent victory over the faithful people of God. The people were facing a time of great turmoil and distress. Therefore, Asaph is not necessarily speaking of the flatness of the earth in this case, and neither is he claiming that literal pillars were holding the earth in place. Rather, he encourages people with the truth that God is fully in control even when everything seems to be in chaos. Asaph encourages people to trust in God’s sovereignty and faithfulness.
In the examples listed above, none of the texts support the notion that the earth is flat. The passages speak to greater theological truths rather than any kind of notion held by those of the Ancient Near East. To the contrary, we have good reasons to believe that these texts use metaphorical language to speak to the theological oneness of God and God’s sovereignty. In fact, I think the theological aspects of the passages are far more important than the flat Earth debate.
Now that we have seen that the flat earth theory is flat (pun intended), do we have reasons to believe that Scripture points to the spherical geometry of the earth? Interestingly, we actually do.
Biblical Passages Claiming the Earth is Round
Numerous biblical texts suggest that the earth is round. Let’s consider a few of the most prominent.
Proverbs 8:27
Proverbs states that wisdom was there when God “established the heavens, when he laid out the horizon on the surface of the ocean” (Prov. 8:27). Granted, the author uses metaphorical language as did the previous texts we examined. However, the term for “heavens” (Heb. שַׁמַיִם) is plural, indicating the existence of several layers of heaven. Paul expresses a similar understanding when he speaks of traveling to the “third heaven” (Gk. τρίτου οὐρανοῦ) during his near-death experience (2 Cor. 12:2). This suggests that the earth is found in the heavens rather than a flat-like existence purported by flat earthers. The text does not offer a slam dunk defense for a round earth, but it does imply something more along the lines of what is observed in the universe.
Isaiah 40:21–22 and Isaiah 44:13
The prophet Isaiah offers a strong case for a round earth. After charging that God cannot be compared with any manmade or natural object, he then says, “Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not considered the foundations of the earth? God is enthroned above the circle of the earth; its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a thin cloth and spreads them out like a tent to live in” (Isa. 40:21–22). What is especially interesting is Isaiah’s use of the Hebrew phrase חוּג הַ אַרֶץ, that is, “circle of the earth.” The term חוּג, or chug, means “circle” or “compass.”
A derivative of chug is used in the term מּחוּגַה, or amechugah, which means “compass,” in Isaiah 44:13. In the text, the prophet speaks of the futility of idols and manmade objects. Isaiah 44:13 speaks of a carpenter who uses a compass to trace out a circle for his woodmaking project, perhaps for a circular object. The same term, chug, speaks of this circular and spherical earth suspended in the heavens. All manmade idols are foolish compared to the awesome creation of God. Isaiah offers one of the clearest glimpses of the earth’s true geometric shape. God sits above the heavens—in the third heaven, according to Paul—and sovereignly controls all of creation, including the circular earth in which we live.
Luke 17:30–36
Last, but assuredly not least, Jesus implicitly refers to not only the circularity of the earth, but also that half of the earth is in sunlight, while the other half is in darkness. Jesus speaks of his return when he says, “It will be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a man on the housetop, whose belongings are in the house, must not come down to get them. Likewise, the man who is in the field must not turn back. Remember Lot’s wife! Whoever tries to make his life secure will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night two will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other will be left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left” (Lk. 17:30–36).
Notice something extremely fascinating about this text. Jesus observes that some will be taken in the daylight while others will be taken at night. The only way this is possible is if the earth is round. Jesus’s teaching demolishes the flat-earth theory, as his teaching implies different time zones.
Conclusion
To answer the question posed by the title, does the Bible teach that the earth is flat? No, it most assuredly does not. Let’s face it. The Bible does not offer a scientific explanation of the universe. It does not provide the theory of relativity and does not explain quantum physics. Nor did it ever intend to. The Bible is God’s revelation to humanity. Its focus is on the existence of God, God’s interaction with humanity, the explanation of God’s salvific plan, and the bolstering of one’s reason for believing in God’s sovereignty over all creation.
However, if we evaluate the claims of Scripture, it becomes evident that the Bible itself offers a stronger case for a round earth. The fact that the Bible offers a case for the earth’s circumference and placement in the heavens opposed the concepts of the culture and time. It shows that the Bible was well ahead of its time and disclosed some truths that could not have been known to the ancient people of that age. In my estimation, this assertion gives us even further reason to hold that the Bible is truly God’s divine revelation, trustworthy, inspired, infallible, and inerrant.
Notes
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all quoted Scripture comes from the Christian Standard Bible (Nashville: Holman, 2020).
[2] Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica I.q13.a5.
[3] Robert J. V. Hiebert, “Create, Creation,” in Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, electronic ed., Baker Reference Library (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1996), 132.
[4] Sun.
[5] Moon.
[6] Stars.
[7] This is another reason to hold that Moses wrote the book of Genesis. The creation narratives serve as an apologetic to a people who had been influenced by the pagan cultures of their time. Rather than adopting Ancient Near East philosophies, the revelation in Genesis was calling the people out of that line of thinking and into divine truth.
