I see what I did. Let me start over. Lets assume we have a vessel that measures 30 feet around. Am I making a mistake in calculating the diameter of that vessel to be 9.55 feet (30 feet divided by 3.14 ) ?
Next lets say I desire to put a rim around it so that it makes it easier to slip into the vessel. Lets say I make it 10 feet from rim to rim. Couldn't I do that ?
You could, but then (if you insisted on using different circles to measure circumference and diameter), you'd probably say that the diameter was 9.55 feet and the circumference was 31.4 feet. This is because the inner diameter (what can I fit inside) and the outer circumference (how big is this thing) are far more useful and meaningful measures than the inner circumference and the outer diameter.
But come, these are Clintonian word games to try to rescue the literal truth of that passage. If the Holy Word of God requires Clinton-speak in order to parse it, you know that your approach to it must be wrong.