God called it Heaven! But what does that really mean for creation?

Genesis 1:8 (KJV):
“And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.”

Genesis 1:8 sits at the end of Day 2 of creation and adds several important truths to what God is doing in the opening chapter of the Bible.

1. “God called the firmament Heaven”
On Day 2 (verses 6–8), God has just created the firmament—the “expanse” or “vault” that separates the waters below from the waters above. Now in verse 8 He names this expanse “Heaven” (Hebrew: shamayim).​

The firmament (Hebrew raqia) is the stretched‑out space above the earth—the visible sky, the atmosphere where clouds form and birds later fly.​

By naming it, God is exercising authority and ownership. In Scripture, naming is an act of dominion and definition. God is not just making things; He is assigning identity and purpose.​

This is important in the ancient world, where surrounding cultures often worshiped the sky, sun, moon, and stars as gods. Genesis 1 quietly but powerfully declares: the sky is not a god; it is something God made, named, and rules.​

So Genesis 1:8 teaches:

The vast “heavens” above are part of God’s creation, not divine themselves.

The order and beauty of the sky point to a Designer, not to a pantheon of sky‑gods.

2. What “Heaven” means in this verse
The Bible uses “heaven/heavens” in more than one sense, and this verse focuses on the physical sky:

Here in Genesis 1:8, “Heaven” is the visible expanse—clouds, atmosphere, the space above the earth.​

Elsewhere, “heaven” can also mean:

Outer space (the realm of sun, moon, and stars).

The highest heaven—God’s dwelling place (Psalm 11:4).

Genesis 1 is starting with the cosmic architecture: separating light/dark (Day 1), then sky/waters (Day 2), preparing the stage for everything that will fill these spaces on later days.​

3. “Evening and morning were the second day”
This repeated phrase structures the entire creation week.

“Evening and morning” mark a full cycle—what we’d call a day. In Hebrew thinking, the day begins in the evening (still reflected in Jewish practice, where a new day starts at sundown).​

This refrain shows:

God’s work is ordered and purposeful—He completes a phase, then marks the day as finished.

Time itself is part of God’s creation and under His control.​

Day 2 ends with the sky in place, the waters arranged above and below the firmament, and the creation story ready to move forward to land, seas, and vegetation on Day 3.

4. Why Day 2 has no explicit “it was good”
Many notice that Day 2 is the only creation day where the phrase “God saw that it was good” is not stated before the day closes.

Common explanations from commentators include:​

The work of separating and arranging the waters is completed and affirmed together with the appearance of dry land on Day 3—hence the phrase “it was good” appears twice on the third day.

The text’s focus is on function and structure more than evaluation at this point; the full goodness of this vertical separation (waters/sky/land) becomes evident once the earth is habitable.

Either way, Genesis 1 still clearly presents Day 2 as part of God’s wise, intentional ordering of creation.

5. Theological and practical significance
Genesis 1:8 does more than describe ancient cosmology. It reveals several enduring truths:

God is a God of order.

He brings structure to what was formless.

Day 2 shows Him organizing the environment—creating a breathable, livable world long before humans arrive.​

God has sovereignty over the “heavens.”

By naming the sky “Heaven,” God claims lordship over what people often fear or worship—the weather, the powers above, the unknown.

Nothing “up there” (storms, stars, fate) is random or divine; all of it is under Him.​

Creation is purposeful, not accidental.

The sequence—light, then sky, then land and vegetation, then lights in the heavens, then creatures—shows careful design.

The heavens are given place and name because they serve God’s purposes in sustaining life.

6. Application for today
How does Genesis 1:8 speak into modern faith?

Against fear of the unknown: Whether it’s weather, climate, or cosmic events, believers can remember: the God who named the heavens still holds them.

Against worship of creation: Nature is beautiful and powerful, but it is creation, not Creator. Awe at the sky should lead to worship of God, not of the universe itself.

For trust in God’s order: In a chaotic world, Genesis 1 reminds us that God specializes in bringing order from chaos—both in the physical world and in our lives.

In summary, Genesis 1:8 shows God naming and finishing the work of Day 2: the sky established, the waters divided, and time marked as “the second day.” It quietly but firmly proclaims that even the vast heavens above us are works of His hands, under His command, and part of His wise design.