FIRMAMENT  , the

sky, the heavens . In the Vulgate the word firmamentum, which means in classical Latin a strengthening or support (firmare, to make firm or strong) was used as the equivalent of amepiwp,a (arepeoew, to make firm or solid) in the LXX., which translates the Heb. rdgiya` . The Hebrew probably signifies literally " expanse," and is thus used of the expanse or vault of the sky, the verb from which it is derived meaning " to beat out." In Syriac the verb means " to make firm," and is the direct source of the Gr. are piw,ua and the Lat. firmamentum . In ancient astronomy the firmament was the eighth sphere containing the fixed stars surrounding the seven spheres of the planets .