Bible Verses That Mention “Heaven” (and How to Tell What They Mean)

Photo by James Servant

The word “heaven” or “heavens” is all over the Bible. Those are just two words in English, but there are several different root words that end up translated as such. And not all of them literally refer to the place where God dwells, or the divine realm.

Why is that? And how does that affect how we can understand what heaven actually is?

Unless something signals us otherwise, when reading the Bible today, it’s easy to assume each word means the same thing in the original language. And since most of us aren’t fluent in ancient Hebrew, Greek, or Aramaic, it can sometimes be hard to tell when the limitations of our own language, perspective, or associations might affect how we understand a translated Bible verse.

But that doesn’t have to limit how we experience Scripture. There’s still a lot we can do to draw out the intended meaning of each passage, and the Holy Spirit has promised to always be there to help us understand spiritual truths (John 14:26 16:13; Luke 24:45; 1 Corinthians 2:12-14).

While we read, our safest bet is to consider the original language, context, literary purpose, and the likely frame of reference the original writers were working within.

On the topic of “heaven,” here you’ll find all the Bible verses that include this word in many English translations. It’s organized by the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek word behind the translation and explained according to the root word’s meaning.

(All Bible verses are listed in the ESV, unless otherwise noted.)

• Aramaic words translated as “heaven”
  • Shamayin
• Greek words translated as “heaven”
  • Ouranos
  • Epouranios
  • Ouranothen
  • Diopetés
  • Hupsistos
  • Mesouranéma
• Hebrew words translated as “heaven”
  • Raqia
  • Marom
  • Rum
  • Shachaq
  • Shamayin

For some entries, we’ve included additional notes to explain why English translations use the word “heaven” even when the root word has a broader meaning or varying applications.

Aramaic words translated as “heaven”

Shâmayin/šᵊmayin (Strong’s H8065)

Shâmayin is the Aramaic term corresponding to Shamayim in Hebrew (shown in the next section). They are similar in spelling and in meaning, literally translated to mean both “where God dwells” or simply “sky.”

Hebrew words translated as “heaven”

Rāqîa (Strong’s H7549)

Rāqîa is a Hebrew noun that literally means “ expanse” or “firmament.” It’s derived from the verb rāqa, which means “to hammer thin” or “to spread out,” and refers to the vast yet visible heavens above the earth, rather than the heavenly realm or God’s dwelling place.

In the verse below, the word “heaven” appears in several English translations as an interpretive addition that clarifies what kind of expanse is being described. Other translations express it as “sky above” (ESV) or “firmament” (NKJV).

• Daniel 12:3 (CSB) – “Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

Ma’al (Strong’s H4605)

Ma’al is a Hebrew term literally meaning “the upper part” or “higher part,” and used only adverbially as upward, above, overhead, from the top, etc. Depending on the usage, it could mean heaven, as in God’s domain.

• Isaiah 7:11 – “Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.”
• Isaiah 13:10 – “For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.”
• Isaiah 14:12 – “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!”
• Isaiah 14:13 – “You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north;'”

Mārôm (Strong’s H4791)

Mārôm is a Hebrew term meaning height, or high place, but can also use the idea of height to show exaltation, or an exalted place.

• Job 25:2 – “Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven.”
• Psalm 71:19 – “Your righteousness, O God, reaches the high heavens. You who have done great things, O God, who is like you?”
• Isaiah 24:21 – “On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth.”

Rûwm/Rûm (Strong’s H7311)

Rûm is a Hebrew world which means to be actively high up, to rise or raise, or to lift or exalt (in various applications, literally or figuratively)

• Psalm 78:69 – “He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever.”

Shachaq/šaḥaq (Strong’s H7834)

Photo by Zelch Csaba

Shachaq is a Hebrew word which literally means powder, cloud, or small dust, and by extension heaven, sky and the firmament.

• Psalm 89:6 (NKJV) – “For who in the heavens can be compared to the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the Lord?”

Shâmayim/šāmayim (Strong’s H064)

Shâmayim is a Hebrew word literally meaning the sky or highest heavens, the dual alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies revolve.

Greek words translated as “heaven”

Ouranos (Strong’s G3772)

Similar to the Hebrew word shâmayim, ouranos is the Greek term literally translated to mean the sky (“heavens”), but by extension can also refer to where God dwells.

Epouranios (Strong’s G2032)

Epouranios is a Greek adjective derived from the preposition epi (upon/atop/above) with ouranos, so it’s often translated as “heavenly” or “of heaven.” It describes something that exists in, belongs to, or came from heaven, where God dwells. But since ouranos can also mean sky or even beyond the visible sky, epouranios can also, at times, mean celestial, or “of the skies” or “of the heavens,” depending on the context.

• 1 Corinthians 15:40 – “There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another.”

• 1 Corinthians 15:48 – “As was the man of dust, so also are those who are of the dust, and as is the man of heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.”

• 1 Corinthians 15:49 – “Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven.”

• Ephesians 1:3 – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”

• Ephesians 1:20 – “That he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places.”

• Ephesians 2:6 – “And raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”

• Ephesians 3:10 – “So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”

• Ephesians 6:12 – “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

• Philippians 2:10 – “So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.”

• 2 Timothy 4:18 – “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

• Hebrews 3:1 – “Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession.”

• Hebrews 6:4 – “For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit.”

• Hebrews 8:5 – “They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, ‘See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain.'”

• Hebrews 9:23 – “Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.”

• Hebrews 11:16 – “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.”

• Hebrews 12:22 – “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering.”

Ouranothen (Strong’s G3771)

Ouranothen is a Greek adverb meaning “from heaven,” “from the sky,” or “from above.” Because it expresses the source or origin of something, English translations usually include the preposition “from.” Like ouranos, the word oranothen can refer to either the physical sky or space above, or the heavenly realm, depending on the context.

• Acts 26:13 – “At midday, O king, I saw on the way a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, that shone around me and those who journeyed with me.”

• Acts 14:17 – “Yet he did not leave himself without witness, for he did good by giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness.”

Diopetēs (Strong’s G1356)

Diopetēs is a rare Greek adjective that literally means “fallen from Zeus.” In ancient Greek, it was intended to describe something that fell from above (the divine realm) to the earth, implying a divine origin. Many lexicons also include the definitions, “fallen from heaven” or “heaven-sent.”

Dios is the genitive form of Zeus, while petēs, derived from the verb petomai (“to fly”), refers to something that has fallen, or was in a previous state of flight.

In this single occurrence listed below, the Ephesian clerk was speaking from the perspective of the local belief that Artemis’ sacred image of Artemis had descended from heaven, or the divine realm.

• Acts 19:35 (CSB) – “When the city clerk had calmed the crowd down, he said, ‘People of Ephesus! What person is there who doesn’t know that the city of the Ephesians is the temple guardian of the great Artemis, and of the image that fell from heaven?'”

Hypsistos (Strong’s G5310)

Hypsistos is a Greek adjective that means “highest,” “supreme,” or “most high.” It is used to describe the highest possible rank, degree, or position.

It only appears in this list of verses about heaven because some English translations use the phrase “highest heaven” in Luke 2:14, even though the Greek text does not include a word for heaven. Instead, “heaven” was added as an implied location, while other translations represent the phrase more literally as “Glory to God in the highest.”

• Luke 2:14 (CSB) – “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!”

Mesouranēma (Strong’s G3321)

Mesouranēma is a Greek noun that refers to the middle, midpoint, or highest region of the sky (or the visible heavens). Other definitions listed are “midst of heaven,” “mid-heaven,” or “highest point in the sky,” and many English translations use phrases like “directly overhead” (ESV) or “high overhead” (CSB).

It generally refers to a visible yet high-up location, rather than the divine realm itself. In the verses listed below, it’s used to emphasize how something appears in relation to the viewer.

• Revelation 8:13 (NKJV) – “And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice,’Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!'”

• Revelation 14:6 (NKJV) – “Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—”

• Revelation 19:17 (NKJV) – “Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, ‘Come and gather together for the supper of the great God,'”

All in all, it’s easy to see that the Bible has a lot to say about heaven, the heavens, and the “upward” direction God desires us grow toward.

(And it’s much, much more than what the Bible has to say about hell, the second death, or eternal destruction!)

We can see that each root word tells us something slightly different, and it can be helpful to know more about the original meaning and intent behind the word choice when we’re reading through Scripture. It can deepen our understanding and appreciation of this popular biblical term that refers both to God’s domain and to the vast expanse above us.

Want to know what the Bible has to say about hell, too?

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