רָקִיעַ (rāqîaʿ) is
a Hebrew noun
meaning extended surface. It appears
17 times
in 4 books of the Hebrew Bible
(Strong's H7549).
Also rendered
expanse
Same Hebrew root (TWOT 2217a)
Range of meaning (TWOT 2217a)extended surface, expanse; firmament, visible arch of the sky
Full entry: Brown-Driver-Briggs and Strong's
רָקִיעַnoun, masculine: extended surface, expanse
1.(flat) expanse
2.the vault of heaven, or ‘firmament,’ regarded by Hebrews as solid
Strong's H7549רָקִיעַ: properly, an expanse, i.e. the firmament or (apparently) visible arch of the sky KJV:firmament.
Meanings: Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906) and Strong's Hebrew Dictionary (1890), public domain, via the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible Project (CC BY 4.0). TWOT numbers for reference only.
Root family 2217: רָקַעrāqaʿ — beat, stamp, beat out, spread out; with gold overlayeth it; silver beaten out; pound, expand, overlay; make broad, spread abroad, stretch