What did the Hebrews believe anout the earth?

[Lupac]

From what I've read, this picture illustrates how the Hebrews thought the earth was shaped:

(http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5806/1359/1600/Cosmos.png)

Is that right? What does it mean? Should we take the Genesis account literally?

[WhiteWings]

Let me answer that with 2 questions.

1] Do the present day orthodox Jews still believe in a flat earth?
2] If not do they agree the Scripture or their previous interpretation was wrong?

[Reverend G]

Go read the OT for yourself, look for phrases like "the circle of the earth".....do you really think that means the earth was a dinner plate?  I have heard people say that the Bible could not be true because it speaks of the sun rising and setting, and we know that that does not really happen....it only appears to do so.  Yet they see no conundrum when our "scientific" minds today refer to sunrise and sunset, since they work well in local though processes.  People really look hard to disparage, and it just doesn't really hold water.