9:7 riseth not. The pre-Flood “waters above the firmament” (Genesis 1:7), originally in the form of a vast blanket of transparent water vapor and small ice crystals, were condensed into thick clouds of liquid water, which blotted out the light of the sun and stars for the first time in history. This continued for five months (Genesis 7:24–8:3), until the waters had all poured down on the earth to produce the Flood.