Skeptics frequently accuse the Bible of teaching a primitive, "flat earth" cosmology, pointing to poetic phrases like the "ends of the earth."

However, it must be understood that the Hebrews, like all Ancient Near Eastern cultures, lacked modern scientific terminology and a specific word-concept for infinite physical space or a spherical globe. The Hebrew word often translated as "earth" is 'erets, which does not necessarily refer to the entire global planet. Instead, it typically refers to the oikoumene—the habitable land area upon which the peoples lived or the known shoreline of the day. It is the skeptic's burden to prove that the text is referring to the entire planetary globe rather than local geography.

Furthermore, words describing the "ends" or "corners" of the earth (kanaph) indicate compass points (north, south, east, west) or the extremities of the known land, rather than literal geometric corners of a flat disk. We still use phenomenological language today (such as "sunrise" or "the ends of the earth") despite understanding the actual shape of the planet. It is unreasonable to impose hyper-literal demands on ancient languages that relied heavily on metaphor and observational descriptions.