Isaiah 40:22

The circle. Heb. chug, either the great vault of heaven or possibly the horizon, as also in Job 22:14. In Prov. 8:27 the same Hebrew word, translated “compass,” refers to the horizon. Above the great universe He has made, the Lord of heaven reigns supreme over all. Some have found in this verse evidence that Isaiah knew, presumably by revelation, that the earth is spherical in shape. He may, indeed, have known this fact; however, the Heb. chug seems to indicate a circle rather than a sphere, and evidence that he knew of the earth’s sphericity must come from other sources. The picture here seems to be that of God enthroned above the vast vault of heaven. Even the greatest of men are utterly insignificant in comparison with Him. In the “heaven of heavens” (1 Kings 8:27) God dwells, as it were, in a curtained tent (see Ps. 104:2; cf. Isa. 66:1).