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Job 37

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Elihu Acknowledges God's Terrifying Power 1–5

1
Yea, at this my heart trembleth, And is moved out of its place. ​
2
Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice, And the sound that goeth out of his mouth. ​
3
He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven, And his lightning unto the ends of the earth. ​
4
After it a voice roareth; He thundereth with the voice of his majesty; And he restraineth not the lightnings when his voice is heard.
5
God thundereth marvellously with his voice; Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. ​

God's Control Over Natural Forces 6–13

6
For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth; Likewise to the shower of rain, And to the showers of his mighty rain. ​
7
He sealeth up the hand of every man, That all men whom he hath made may know it. ​
8
Then the beasts go into coverts, And remain in their dens.
9
Out of the chamberof the south cometh the storm, And cold out of the north. ​
10
By the breath of God ice is given; And the breadth of the waters is straitened. ​
11
Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture; He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his lightning:
12
And it is turned round about by his guidance, That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them Upon the face of the habitable world, ​
13
Whether it be for correction, or for his land, Or for lovingkindness, that he cause it to come. ​

Challenging Job’s Wisdom in Creation 14–20

14
Hearken unto this, O Job: Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. ​
15
Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them, And causeth the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16
Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge? ​
17
How thy garments are warm, When the earth is still by reason of the southwind? ​
18
Canst thou with him spread out the sky, Which is strong as a molten mirror? ​
19
Teach us what we shall say unto him; For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness. ​
20
Shall it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?

The Unsearchable Majesty of the Almighty 21–24

21
And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies; But the wind passeth, and cleareth them. ​
22
Out of the north cometh golden splendor: God hath upon him terrible majesty. ​
23
Touchingthe Almighty, we cannot find him out: He is excellent in power; And in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict. ​
24
Men do therefore fear him: He regardeth not any that are wise of heart. ​

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for Job 37

Verse 1

my heart trembleth — Charad, to shudder with terror, and nathar, to leap: the heart springs from its place. Elihu has been speaking of the thunder, 'the noise of his tabernacle' (36:29). Habakkuk describes the same dread at God's voice: 'When I heard, my belly trembled; my lips quivered at the voice' (Hab 3:16).

Verse 2

the noise of his voice — Rogez is a commotion, a rumbling; the 'sound' (hegeh) is a muttering, a word used of thunder; and 'voice' is qol, as in Ps 29:3, 'The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth'. Elihu bids Job hear the thunder as God speaking.

Verse 3

unto the ends of the earth — 'Directeth' is sharah, to loose and so to direct: the lightning goes out 'under the whole heaven'. 'Ends' is kanaph, a wing or edge, the word of 'the four corners of the earth' (Isa 11:12) and 'the ends of the earth' (Job 38:13). Christ uses the lightning of his own coming: 'as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west' (Matt 24:27).

Verse 5

God thundereth marvellously — Ra'am, to thunder, the verb of Ps 29:3. 'Marvellously' is pala, the word of 'wondrous works' in v.14 (v.16 has its noun). What follows, 'great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend' (literally, know), is Job 5:9, 'great things and unsearchable', and Paul's 'how unsearchable are his judgments' (Rom 11:33).

Verse 6

Be thou on the earth — The snow is addressed, and the verb is havah, from the root of being: it is bidden to be on the earth. Two words for rain stand beside it, matar and geshem, 'the small rain' and 'the great rain of his strength'. 'He giveth snow like wool' (Ps 147:16), and the treasures of snow are his (Job 38:22).

Verse 7

He sealeth up the hand of every man — Chatham, to close up with a seal; it is the word of Job 9:7, 'sealeth up the stars'. The storm stops every man's work, so that 'all men' (enosh) may 'know his work'. 'That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it' (Ps 109:27).

Verse 9

Out of the south cometh the whirlwind — Literally 'out of the chamber', cheder, as in 'the chambers of the south' (Job 9:9); the whirlwind is suphah, and the LORD answers Job 'out of the whirlwind' in 38:1, there se'arah, a different word. The 'north' is mezareh, the scatterers, the winds that disperse clouds; the word is found nowhere else in Scripture.

Verse 10

the breath of God — Neshamah of El, the breath of God, which here makes frost. 'Frost' is qerach, ice, and 'straitened' is mutsaq, narrowness: the waters are drawn narrow and hard. The LORD asks in 38:29, 'Out of whose womb came the ice?' and in 38:30, 'The waters are hid as with a stone'.

Verse 12

by his counsels — Tachbulah, plural, wise direction: the 'wise counsels' a man of understanding attains (Prov 1:5). The cloud is 'turned round about' (haphak) by them, to 'do whatsoever he commandeth them' on the 'face of the world' (tebel), as 'stormy wind fulfilling his word' (Ps 148:8).

Verse 13

for correction, or for his land, or for mercy — 'Correction' is shebet, the rod. The three ends are seen in Scripture: thunder and rain sent on Israel that they 'perceive and see that your wickedness is great' (1 Sam 12:17); rain for the land when 'there was a great rain' after the drought (1 Kings 18:45); and 'mercy' (chesed, kindness).

Verse 14

stand still, and consider — Amad, to stand, and bin, to discern. 'Stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD' (Ex 14:13); 'let all the earth keep silence before him' (Hab 2:20). The 'wondrous works' (pala) are the same word as 'marvellously' in v.5, and the noun form is the 'wondrous works' of v.16.

Verse 16

the balancings of the clouds — Miphlas, a poising or balancing, found nowhere else. 'Perfect in knowledge' is tamim de'im, the phrase Elihu used of himself in 36:4 (tamim de'ot), 'he that is perfect in knowledge is with thee'. The claim behind the question is that of Jer 10:12: 'He hath established the world by his wisdom'.

Verse 17

quieteth the earth by the south wind — Shaqat, to be at rest, the verb of 'be not still' in Ps 83:1: the earth is stilled by the heat, and the garments are 'warm' (cham). Darom is the south, and Christ names the sign: 'when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat' (Luke 12:55).

Verse 18

spread out the sky — Raqa, to beat out, as metal is beaten, the word of the LORD who 'spreadeth abroad the earth by myself' (Isa 44:24); compare 'stretchest out the heavens like a curtain' (Ps 104:2). The 'molten looking glass' is a cast mirror of metal, like those the laver was made from (Ex 38:8). 'Sky' is shachaq, the 'clouds' of v.21.

Verse 19

order our speech — Arak, to set in rows, the verb of setting a case in order: Job had said, 'I would order my cause before him' (Job 23:4). Elihu says no case can be set out 'by reason of darkness' (choshek). The LORD's own first word to Job is 'Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?' (Job 38:2).

Verse 21

the bright light which is in the clouds — Bahir, shining. Men do not see the light behind the cloud until the wind 'passeth' (abar) and 'cleanseth' (taher, makes bright). 'Clouds' is shachaq, the 'sky' of v.18. Elihu has said that 'With clouds he covereth the light' (Job 36:32).

Verse 22

Fair weather cometh out of the north — The Hebrew word is zahab, gold: 'out of the north cometh gold', the KJV's 'fair weather' being the golden brightness of a clear sky (cf. Prov 25:23, 'The north wind driveth away rain'). 'Terrible majesty' is nora hod; hod is the 'majesty' in which the LORD is clothed (Ps 104:1). Hab 3:3 has 'His glory covered the heavens'.

Verse 23

we cannot find him out — 'Almighty' is Shaddai; matsa, 'find', is to come upon. He is 'excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice' (rob tsedaqah), and 'he will not afflict'. 'He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men' (Lam 3:33). Paul closes his own argument the same way: 'how unsearchable are his judgments' (Rom 11:33).

Verse 24

he respecteth not any that are wise of heart — Literally he does not look upon (ra'ah) the wise of heart. The fear that men give him (yare) is the end of Elihu's speech, and the next words are the LORD's, 'out of the whirlwind' (38:1). Isa 5:21 has the woe on the 'wise in their own eyes', and Paul says 'not many wise men after the flesh' are called (1 Cor 1:26).