The Earth is Round: Ancient Wisdom Meets Modern Science

A wealth of information about the Earth, which humanity only discovered in recent centuries, has been present in Jewish sources for thousands of years. This isn't just about recognizing the Earth as round but includes a great deal more as we'll see.

Readers should note: while the idea of a round Earth existed in ancient times, it was often dismissed and ridiculed. Even those who believed the world was round frequently described it as a half sphere, not a complete one (after all, what could be "below"?). These representations often depicted the hemisphere resting on turtles, massive elephants, and the like....

Jewish sources, on the contrary, explicitly describe the Earth as round, alongside additional scientific details—far beyond its mere roundness—information that was unknown in ancient times and only discovered by humanity in the modern era.

The concept of a spherical Earth has already been published in various sources, primarily in the writings and books of Rabbi Zamir Cohen, and we don't intend to repeat those details here. In this segment, we'll present additional Jewish sources regarding the roundness of the Earth—and then immediately move on to other scientific information about the Earth found in Jewish sources, some of which have been shared with the public in various forums and some being published here for the first time.

The Earth is Round

The concept of a round Earth is ancient, dating back to ancient Greece, several hundred years BCE. However, it wasn't until the end of the Middle Ages (about 700 years ago) that the idea became a widely accepted axiom. The first successful attempt to circumnavigate the Earth by ship occurred only in the 15th century, by Columbus.

Remarkably, evidence of the Earth's roundness is well-documented in Jewish sources throughout the ages.

The Jerusalem Talmud, from about 2000 years ago:

"The world is made as a sphere"

(Jerusalem Talmud, Avodah Zarah, 3a)

"The world as a sphere"

(Jerusalem Talmud, Avodah Zarah, 3a)

The Zohar, from 1900 years ago:

"All the inhabited places [world]...

are globular"

(Zohar, Vayikra, 10a (translated to Hebrew))

"The world is...

round like a sphere"

(Zohar, Bereshit, 159-160 (translated to Hebrew))

Midrash Rabbah, from about 800 years ago:

"The world is made as a sphere"

(Numbers Rabbah, Chapter 13)

Rambam, from about 800 years ago:

"The Earth is spherical"

(Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 1, Chapter 73, Introduction 10)

Ramban, from about 800 years ago:

"The heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (Genesis 2:1) -

it includes the whole sphere"

(Ramban, Genesis 1)

"To be spherical"

(Ramban, Genesis 1)

Or HaChaim HaKadosh:

Or HaChaim lived only about 300 years ago, at a time when it was already clear to all that the world was spherical, yet we cite these sources due to his testimony that he received it from generation to generation (see the introductory chapter to this book), not from any scientific discoveries:

"It has been universally accepted by Torah elders... the world is spherical"

(Or HaChaim, Genesis 2:1)

"The reason Hashem created the world spherical..."

(Or HaChaim, Genesis 2:1)

In fact, the vast majority of great Jewish sages, from the Talmudic era about 2000 years ago to our present day, referred to the world as a sphere. An extensive list of sources appears on the "Judaism in Scientific Examination" website.

(Photo: shutterstock)

The Earth Rotates on Its Axis

Jewish sources from ancient times also noted that the Earth rotates.

The Zohar, from 1900 years ago:

"All the inhabited places [world]...

are rolling"

(Zohar, Vayikra, 10a (translated to Hebrew))

Rambam, from about 800 years ago:

"That the Earth's sphere

is revolving"

(Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 1, Chapter 73, Introduction 10)

When It's Day on One Side of the Globe, It's Night on the Other

The Zohar, from 1900 years ago:

"When there is light for these...

there's darkness for those"

(Zohar, Vayikra, 10a (translated to Hebrew))

Gravitational Pull: People on All Sides of the Globe

The Zohar, from 1900 years ago:

"All the inhabited places [world] are like a sphere...

these [people] below,

those [people] above"

(Zohar, Vayikra, 10a (translated to Hebrew))

Rambam, from about 800 years ago:

"There are inhabitants [people]

on both ends of the diameter"

[ends of the diameter—sides of the globe]

"And every man...

his head to the heavens [above]

and his feet towards...

the other diameter [below]"

(Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 1, Chapter 73, Introduction 10)

The Earth "Hangs" in Space, Unsupported

In ancient times, people speculated what the Earth all could "stand" on. Various mythologies proposed different ideas, such as a half-sphere resting on turtles or Atlas (a Greek mythological figure) holding it up. This was due to the apparent cognitive challenge of imagining the Earth supported by nothing.

In Jewish sources, however, it is explicitly written that the world is not held or supported by anything, as was scientifically discovered hundreds and thousands of years after these words were written. Here they are.

The Book of Job, over 3000 years ago:

"He hangs the Earth upon nothing"

"Upon nothing" – not supported

(Job 26:7)

Exodus Rabbah, from about 900 years ago:

"Hashem...

set...

the world on nothing"

"On nothing" – not supported

(Exodus Rabbah 15:22)

The Earth is Tilted, Yet Unsupported

In modern times, it was scientifically discovered that the Earth is tilted. This tilt is relative to the plane of its orbit around the sun.
The Earth is tilted, yet not "leaning" on anything.

The Book of Job, over 3000 years ago:

"He spreads out the north over empty space"

"Spreads" – tilted.

"Over empty space" – not supported.

(Job 26:7)

In the Arctic Summer – Eternal Daylight, No Night

In our summer, in the Arctic, the sun never sets. In the Antarctic, the sun does not set in winter.

The Zohar, from 1900 years ago:

"There's a place in the world

that is always illuminated"

(Zohar, Vayikra, 10a (translated to Hebrew))

Near the Arctic, Summer Days Are Long, Nights Short

It is now known that in our summer, as one approaches the Arctic, the days lengthen.

The Zohar, from 1900 years ago:

"There's a place in the world...

And no night is found there but for a short time"

(Zohar, Vayikra, 10a (translated to Hebrew))

Final Note: Who Circles Whom?

The question "who circles whom?", whether the Earth circles the sun or vice versa, was a monumental debate in Europe towards the end of the Middle Ages and beginning of the Renaissance. No ancient Jewish sources clarify who revolves around whom. But note the following point.

Until the 16th century, Europe held the view that the Earth was the center of the universe. That is, the sun circled the Earth. Today, we know this is incorrect; the opposite is true.

Indeed, as early as the 12th century, 400 years before scientific discoveries, Rambam explicitly wrote:

"The circular motion...

around... the center...

man knows nothing of it"

(Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 2, 24)

Rambam states that, at that point, it was unclear who circled whom. This is in directcontradiction to the prevailing view of the time.

Yet, there remains another question. In Rambam's writings, detailed astronomical calculations appear, seemingly based on the assumption that the Earth is the center. Did Rambam indeed believe this? It turns out that Rambam answers this himself:

"Astronomy...

that matches what we observe

[what we see],

whether it is so or not"

(Rambam, Guide for the Perplexed, Part 2, 24)

Rambam clarifies that these are purely mathematical calculations, not statements of reality. Indeed, it is now known that from a mathematical standpoint, the calculations yield the same results, regardless of who revolves around whom, making Rambam's assertion remarkably accurate.

In conclusion, during a time when the entire world believed the sun orbited us, Rambam explicitly writes that this is not necessarily the case. This aligns with all the other discoveries we've seen in this section, found in Jewish sources hundreds and thousands of years before science discovered them.

The text is taken from the book "Intersecting Worlds". To download and read the chapter in PDF format, click here.

The author holds a B.Sc degree in Physics with honors from the Technion.