No planet called Earth…

Originally posted on November 01, 2025 – by Andre Piet

Recently, during a speaking engagement, I happened to mention in passing that in the Bible, the earth is not a planet. Afterwards, someone approached me and asked whether I could substantiate that from Scripture. Yes, I certainly can, and I have explained this in several studies (such as in this series and this article). But because this is an unfamiliar Biblical notion, I’ll give a brief explanation below.

In our time, it is entirely self-evident to regard the earth as a planet: one of the celestial bodies moving through space. But that idea is not derived from the Bible. In Scripture, the earth is not a heavenly body. It does not belong to the heavens, but is located beneath them.

the earth is the dry land

When we follow biblical usage, we discover that “earth” simply refers to the dry land. In Genesis 1 we read:

God called the dry place “earth”…
-Gen. 1:10-

So the earth is not the globe we live on, but the solid land, as distinguished from the sea. Someone who is at sea is, in biblical terms, not “on the earth.” This also explains the expression “the ends of the earth” (Ps. 2:8; 65:5; 72:8; Isa. 41:5; 42:10; Zech. 9:10): these are the outermost boundaries of the land – where the dry land ends and the water begins. They are coastal regions. It’s not more complicated than that. Those who believe the expression “the ends of the earth” refers to a flat surface from which one could fall off at the edges, simply fail to grasp biblical terminology.

under the heavens

Besides the horizontal distinction between earth and sea, there is also the vertical distinction between earth and heavens. The very first verse of the Bible already speaks of “heavens and earth.” The earth is located under the heavens (Gen. 6:17; Ps. 103:11). This means it does not belong to the heavenly regions or celestial bodies. The sun, moon, and stars are celestial bodies; they move “in the expanse of the heavens” (Gen. 1:14,17). The earth, on the other hand, is fixed and does not waver (Job 38:4; Ps. 102:26; Isa. 51:16). In no verse of Scripture is the earth counted among the celestial bodies.

The Greek term for planet (planētēs) comes from the verb planan, which means “to wander.” A planet is literally a wandering star: a celestial body that moves among the stars. But the earth does not wander; it is not counted among the celestial bodies and is fixed in its order.

Biblically speaking, the earth is not a planet, but the solid land that God created and named. Under the heavens, and fixed in its order.

Delen: