What does l-samai, l-samaa, l-samawati mean in Quran?

[oazabir]

Quran has three usage

The sky, l-samai
The sky, l-samaa
The heavens, l-samawati

First I thought l-samai means the sky - the first layer of the atmosphere. Many Quranic verses say it rains from the sky. For example,

sends down rain from the sky and makes it flow as springs in the earth 3921
sends down to you from the sky, provision 4013
And who sends down rain from the sky in measured amounts, and We revive thereby a dead land - thus will you be brought forth 4311

But the following verse makes no sense when it is just the sky from where rain comes

And it is Allah who is deity in the sky, and on the earth deity. And He is the Wise, the Knowing 4384

Allah is not just the deity in the sky. If it said "deity in the heavens", it would have made sense. Otherwise if you go outside the atmosphere, Allah is not the Deity? No.

Next verse says the nearest heaven, the sky, is a protection

And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. 4112

But we know the nearest sky, from where rain comes, isn't the protection. The higher layers, the ionosphere, ozonosphere are the protections.

Now from this verse, if we assume the nearest heaven = the sky, is the entire atmosphere of the earth, then it makes sense in some places.

sends down rain from the atmosphere and makes it flow as springs in the earth 3921
sends down to you from the atmosphere, provision 4013
And who sends down rain from the atmosphere in measured amounts, and We revive thereby a dead land - thus will you be brought forth 4311

It also makes sense for the following verse

adorned the nearest heaven (atmosphere) with an adornment of stars 376

Because it is because of the atmosphere, the stars twinkle. Without the atmosphere, stars would not twinkle, thus no adornment.

Next problem is with l-samawati = the heavens. If l-samai is the atmosphere, l-samawati must be the atmosphere, the space and anything beyond.

It does not make sense for the following verses, where it says the heavens were created after earth is created

It is He who created for you all of that which is on the earth. Then He directed Himself to the heaven, and made them seven heavens, and He is Knowing of all things. 229
And He completed them as seven heavens within two days and inspired in each heaven its command. And We adorned the nearest heaven with lamps and as protection. That is the determination of the Exalted in Might, the Knowing. 4112

If the heavens indicate the space, the universe, surely this does not match with science.
On the other hand, if the heavens mean the atmosphere, then it makes sense. Atmosphere is developed into seven layer after earth was formed.

In that case, l-samai, the heaven, cannot be the whole atmosphere. It then has to be the lowest layer of atmosphere. I explained above why l-samai cannot be the lowest layer in atmosphere.

Then next use is l-samaa

And We did not create the heaven (l-samaa) and the earth and that between them aimlessly 3827

Here l-samaa should mean the universe. Not just the sky. Because everything Allah created for purpose.

Does anyone have conclusive proof what l-samai, l-samaa, l-samawati mean?