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Commentary on Job 36 verses 24–33
Elihu is here endeavouring to possess Job with great and high thoughts of God, and so to persuade him into a cheerful submission to his providence.
I. He represents the work of God, in general, as illustrious and conspicuous, Job 36:24. His whole work is so. God does nothing mean. This is a good reason why we should acquiesce in all the operations of his providence concerning us in particular. His visible works, those of nature, and which concern the world in general, are such as we admire and commend, and in which we observe the Creator's wisdom, power, and goodness; shall we then find fault with his dispensations concerning us, and the counsels of his will concerning our affairs? We are here called to consider the work of God, Ecc 7:13. 1. It is plain before our eyes, nothing more obvious: it is what men behold. Every man that has but half an eye may see it, may behold it afar off. Look which way we will, we see the productions of God's wisdom and power; we see that done, and that doing, concerning which we cannot but say, This is the work of God, the finger of God; it is the Lord's doing. Every man may see, afar off, the heaven and all its lights, the earth and all its fruits, to be the work of Omnipotence; much more when we behold them nigh at hand. Look at the minutest works of nature through a microscope; do they not appear curious? The eternal power and godhead of the Creator are clearly seen and understood by the things that are made, Rom 1:20. Every man, even those that have not the benefit of divine revelation, may see this; for there is no speech or language where the voice of these natural constant preachers is not heard, Psa 19:3. 2. It ought to be marvellous in our eyes. The beauty and excellency of the work of God, and the agreement of all the parts of it, are what we must remember to magnify and highly to extol, not only justify it as right and good, and what cannot be blamed, but magnify it as wise and glorious, and such as no creature could contrive or produce. Man may see his works, and is capable of discerning his hand in them (which the beasts are not), and therefore ought to praise them and give him the glory of them.
II. He represents God, the author of them, as infinite and unsearchable, Job 36:26. The streams of being, power, and perfection should lead us to the fountain. God is great, infinitely so, - great in power, for he is omnipotent and independent, - great in wealth, for he is self-sufficient and all-sufficient, - great in himself, - great in all his works, - great, and therefore greatly to be praised, - great, and therefore we know him not. We know that he is, but not what he is. We know what he is not, but not what he is. We know in part, but not in perfection. This comes in here as a reason why we must not arraign his proceedings, nor find fault with what he does, because it is speaking evil of the things that we understand not and answering a matter before we hear if. We know not the duration of his existence, for it is infinite. The number of his years cannot possibly be searched out, for he is eternal; there is no number of them. He is a Being without beginning, succession, or period, who ever was, and ever will be, and ever the same, the great I AM. This is a good reason why we should not prescribe to him, nor quarrel with him, because, as he is, such are his operations, quite out of our reach.
III. He gives some instances of God's wisdom, power, and sovereign dominion, in the works of nature and the dispensations of common providence, beginning in this chapter with the clouds and the rain that descends from them. We need not be critical in examining either the phrase or the philosophy of this noble discourse. The general scope of it is to show that God is infinitely great, and the Lord of all, the first cause and supreme director of all the creatures, and has all power in heaven and earth (whom therefore we ought, with all humility and reverence, to adore, to speak well of, and to give honour to), and that it is presumption for us to prescribe to him the rules and methods of his special providence towards the children of men, or to expect from him an account of them, when the operations even of common providences about the meteors are so various and so mysterious and unaccountable. Elihu, to affect Job with God's sublimity and sovereignty, had directed him (Job 35:5) to look unto the clouds. In these verses he shows us what we may observe in the clouds we see which will lead us to consider the glorious perfections of their Creator. Consider the clouds,
1.As springs to this lower world, the source and treasure of its moisture, and the great bank through which it circulates - a very necessary provision, for its stagnation would be as hurtful to this lower world as that of the blood to the body of man. It is worth while to observe in this common occurrence, (1.) That the clouds above distil upon the earth below. If the heavens become brass, the earth becomes iron; therefore thus the promise of plenty runs, I will hear the heavens and they shall hear the earth. This intimates to us that every good gift is from above, from him who is both Father of lights and Father of the rain, and it instructs us to direct our prayers to him and to look up. (2.) That they are here said to distil upon man (v. 28); for, though indeed God causes it to rain in the wilderness where no man is (Job 38:26, Psa 104:11), yet special respect is had to man herein, to whom the inferior creatures are all made serviceable and from whom the actual return of the tribute of praise is required. Among men, he causes his rain to fall upon the just and upon the unjust, Mat 5:45. (3.) They are said to distil the water in small drops, not in spouts, as when the windows of heaven were opened, Gen 7:11. God waters the earth with that with which he once drowned it, only dispensing it in another manner, to let us know how much we lie at his mercy, and how kind he is, in giving rain by drops, that the benefit of it may be the further and the more equally diffused, as by an artificial water-pot. (4.) Though sometimes the rain comes in very small drops, yet, at other times, it pours down in great rain, and this difference between one shower and another must be resolved into the divine Providence which orders it so. (5.) Though it comes down in drops, yet it distils upon man abundantly (Job 36:28), and therefore is called the river of God which is full of water, Psa 65:9. (6.) The clouds pour down according to the vapour that they draw up, Job 36:27. So just the heavens are to the earth, but the earth is not so in the return it makes. (7.) The produce of the clouds is sometimes a great terror, and at other times a great favour, to the earth, Job 36:31. When he pleases by them he judges the people he is angry with. Storms, and tempests, and excessive rains, destroying the fruits of the earth and causing inundations, come from the clouds; but, on the other hand, from them, usually, he gives meat in abundance; they drop fatness upon the pastures that are clothed with flocks, and the valleys that are covered with corn, Psa 65:11-13. (8.) Notice is sometimes given of the approach of rain, Job 36:33. The noise thereof, among other things, shows concerning it. Hence we read (Kg1 18:41) of the sound of abundance of rain, or (as it is in the margin) a sound of a noise of rain, before it came; and a welcome harbinger it was then. As the noise, so the face of the sky, shows concerning it, Luk 12:56. The cattle also, by a strange instinct, are apprehensive of a change in the weather nigh at hand, and seek for shelter, shaming man, who will not foresee the evil and hide himself.
2.As shadows to the upper world (Job 36:29): Can any understand the spreading of the clouds? They are spread over the earth as a curtain or canopy; how they come to be so, how stretched out, and how poised, as they are, we cannot understand, though we daily see they are so. Shall we then pretend to understand the reasons and methods of God's judicial proceedings with the children of men, whose characters and cases are so various, when we cannot account for the spreadings of the clouds, which cover the light? Job 36:32. It is a cloud coming betwixt, Job 36:32; Job 26:9. And this we are sensible of, that, by the interposition of the clouds between us and the sun, we are, (1.) Sometimes favoured; for they serve as an umbrella to shelter us from the violent heat of the sun, which otherwise would beat upon us. A cloud of dew in the heat of harvest is spoken of as a very great refreshment. Isa 18:4. (2.) Sometimes we are by them frowned upon; for they darken the earth at noon-day and eclipse the light of the sun. Sin is compared to a cloud (Isa 44:22), because it comes between us and the light of God's countenance and obstructs the shining of it. But though the clouds darken the sun for a time, and pour down rain, yet (post nubila Phoebus - the sun shines forth after the rain), after he has wearied the cloud, he spreads his light upon it, Job 36:30. There is a clear shining after rain, Sa2 23:4. The sunbeams are darted forth, and reach to cover even the bottom of the sea, thence to exhale a fresh supply of vapours, and so raise recruits for the clouds, Job 36:30. In all this, we must remember to magnify the work of God.
9. He had said above, Behold, God is lofty. [ver. 22] He now says again, Behold, God is great. Why is it, that when speaking of God he says, ‘Behold,’ and again repeats, ‘Behold,’ if it be not that we say, ‘Behold’ of that thing, which we point out as present? And since God is every where present, when ‘Behold’ is said of Him, He is said to be present even to those who see Him not. But he well says, that He surpasses our knowledge, Who he had said before was seen by all men. Because, though He is beheld by reason, yet His greatness is not penetrated by any subtlety of our senses. For whatever we know of the brightness of His greatness, is beneath Him; and the more we suspect that we comprehend His power, the more are we driven far away from the knowledge of Him. For though our mind is caught up on high, yet it is transcended by the immensity of His greatness. Of Whom we know as it were something in part, when we feel that we are not able to know Him worthily. It follows,
The number of His years cannot be reckoned.
10. He wished, in some way or another, to speak of eternity, and he called the very length of eternity, ‘years.’ For when we wish to expand the briefness of time, we extend our moments through hours, our hours through days, our days through months, and our months through years. Since then he wished to speak of something very large, but did not find what wider thing to speak of, he multiplied years in God without reckoning their number, saying, The number of His years cannot be reckoned; in order that while he multiplies those things which are long in themselves, human weakness may learn that it cannot measure the length of eternity. Stretch therefore thine eye into eternity, that thou mayest see God, either when He is from the beginning, or how far He extends. And there is no boundary any where above, because He begins not to be; no boundary any where below, because He ceases not to be. All things are bounded together within Him; but He is extended around all things without space, is spread abroad without place. Behold all things which are made, by the very circumscription of their creation, are encircled by a boundary both above and below. For by their own law, because they begin from not being, they are hastening not to be.
11. But some things have marvellously received this, that, though a boundary commences them above, yet no boundary confines them below; and that though they begin to be, yet that they do not cease to be for ever. But their eternity is unlike the highest eternity, because they began to be eternal. When we look at their extremes, we do not comprehend that end of theirs which is altogether wanting; but when we carry our mind back, we behold their commencement. And while we turn our thoughts below and above in them, we do not at all understand how far they extend, but we see from whence they begin. But since God has a kind of length of being through eternity, which neither commences with a beginning, nor is terminated by an end, and which does not admit in itself the from whence, nor until when; let it be said then, The number of His years cannot be reckoned. By the number of His years being mentioned, His Being is shown to be of long duration. But by its being said to be beyond number, this same Being is pointed out as infinite and incomprehensible. But we have learned, that He is known to the minds of men, when all men see Him; and that we behold and admire His greatness, when the number of His years is considered beyond number; it now remains for us to hear, what are His doings.
He had said above, “See, God is exalted in his power”; now he repeats, “See, God is great.” What does “see” mean when speaking about God, and why does he repeat “see,” but for the reason that we are speaking of what we indicate in the present? And since God is present everywhere, when we say, “see” with regard to him we recall the fact that he is present also with those who do not see him.
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SUMMARY
Elihu's declaration in Job 36:26 serves as a profound statement on the infinite nature of God, asserting His immense greatness and the inherent human inability to fully comprehend His being or the timelessness of His existence. It highlights the vast, unbridgeable chasm between the finite understanding of humanity and the boundless majesty of the Creator, setting the stage for a deeper revelation of divine sovereignty.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse is a pivotal statement within Elihu's extensive monologue, spanning Job 32 through Job 37. Elihu, a younger and previously silent observer, interjects after Job and his three friends have exhausted their arguments regarding Job's suffering. Unlike the friends, Elihu does not accuse Job of specific sin but rather posits that God's ways are inscrutable and that suffering can serve as a means of divine instruction and purification, leading to humility and repentance. Job 36 specifically focuses on Elihu's exaltation of God's power, wisdom, and justice, using natural phenomena (rain, thunder, lightning) as evidence of God's majestic control. Verse 26 acts as a climactic summation of God's incomprehensible greatness, preparing the listener—and Job—for the direct divine address that follows in Job 38. It underscores the futility of human attempts to fully grasp divine purposes.
Historical & Cultural Context: The Book of Job is a masterpiece of wisdom literature, likely set in the patriarchal period, though its exact dating is debated. The cultural context reflects an ancient Near Eastern worldview where divine power was often associated with control over natural elements and an inherent mystery surrounding the gods. Unlike pagan deities, however, the God of Job is portrayed as uniquely sovereign, righteous, and beyond human manipulation or full understanding. The concept of "wisdom" in this context is not merely intellectual knowledge but a deep, reverential understanding of the world as ordered by God, often gained through experience and divine revelation. The dialogue format, common in wisdom traditions, allows for the exploration of profound theological questions concerning suffering, justice, and the nature of God, challenging conventional wisdom that linked suffering directly to sin.
Key Themes: Job 36:26 profoundly contributes to several overarching themes in the book. Firstly, it emphasizes Divine Incomprehensibility, asserting that God's being, His thoughts, and His ways are ultimately beyond full human grasp. While humanity can know about God and experience His presence, His infinite nature remains a mystery that finite minds cannot completely fathom, as seen in Isaiah 55:8-9. Secondly, the verse highlights God's Eternity, stating that "neither can the number of his years be searched out." This speaks directly to God's timelessness and infinite existence, contrasting sharply with the temporal limitations of creation. He is from everlasting to everlasting, existing outside the constraints of time He Himself created, a truth echoed in Psalm 90:2. Finally, the opening exclamation, "Behold, God is great," underscores God's Greatness and Majesty. Elihu's discourse, particularly in Job 37, expounds on God's immense power, wisdom, and absolute control over creation, demanding reverence and worship from all.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Elihu's declaration in Job 36:26 employs several powerful literary devices to convey its profound theological message. The verse begins with an Exclamation ("Behold!"), signaled by the Hebrew particle hinneh, which immediately commands attention and underscores the awe-inspiring nature of the truth being presented. This serves to elevate the statement's significance and evoke a sense of wonder. Following this, the verse utilizes Negative Theology by stating what God is not—He is not fully knowable, and His years cannot be counted. This method of defining God by what He is not (finite, comprehensible) effectively highlights His transcendence and infinite nature, emphasizing the limits of human understanding. Furthermore, the phrase "neither can the number of his years be searched out" employs Hyperbole to underscore God's eternity. While "years" is a temporal concept, its application to God, coupled with the absolute inability to count them, stretches human language to convey an infinite reality, emphasizing the boundless and immeasurable nature of God's existence.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 36:26 stands as a cornerstone for understanding divine transcendence and human humility. It articulates the profound truth that God, in His infinite greatness, utterly surpasses human capacity for full comprehension. This incomprehensibility is not a deficit in God, but a reflection of His boundless nature, wisdom, and power, which cannot be contained or fully grasped by finite minds. It calls humanity to a posture of awe, reverence, and trust, acknowledging that even when God's ways seem mysterious or His actions unfathomable, His character remains consistent with His eternal, great, and righteous being. This foundational truth encourages faith beyond intellectual understanding, fostering a deeper reliance on His sovereign plan.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 36:26 offers a vital corrective to any human tendency to reduce God to our own categories or to assume we can fully grasp His purposes. In an age that often prioritizes intellectual mastery and control, this verse calls us to embrace the mystery of God, fostering a profound sense of humility and awe. Our inability to "know Him not" in His fullness should not lead to despair or agnosticism, but rather to worship and trust. It reminds us that God's wisdom far transcends our own, especially when we face inexplicable suffering or confusing circumstances. This truth encourages us to lean into His sovereignty, knowing that His infinite nature means His wisdom, love, and power are boundless, even when we cannot fully discern His immediate path. It invites us to rest in the assurance that the God who is too great to be fully known is also too great to make a mistake, and too loving to abandon His creation.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Does Elihu's statement imply that God is unknowable in any sense?
Answer: No, Elihu's statement in Job 36:26 does not imply that God is entirely unknowable. Rather, it emphasizes that God is incomprehensible in His infinite essence and the totality of His being. We can know God truly, intimately, and personally through His revelation—in creation, in His Word, and supremely in Jesus Christ. However, our knowledge of Him will always be partial and finite, constrained by our human limitations. We can know about God and experience His presence, but we cannot fully fathom or exhaust His infinite wisdom, power, or eternal nature. This distinction is crucial: God is knowable, but not exhaustible by human intellect.
How does this verse relate to the problem of suffering in the Book of Job?
Answer: Job 36:26 serves as a theological foundation for understanding God's response to Job's suffering. Elihu's argument, culminating in this verse, prepares Job for God's direct address from the whirlwind in Job 38. God's speech similarly highlights His unsearchable wisdom and power in creation, implicitly rebuking Job's attempts to understand or question divine justice based on his limited perspective. The verse underscores that human suffering, while real and painful, occurs within the context of a divine plan that is far grander and more complex than human minds can grasp. It calls for humility and trust in God's sovereignty, even when His reasons for allowing suffering remain mysterious.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Job 36:26 declares God's incomprehensible greatness and unsearchable eternity, the New Testament reveals how this infinite God has made Himself uniquely knowable in the person of Jesus Christ. The "God whom we know not" in His full essence is the very God who "so loved the world, that he gave his only Son" (John 3:16). Jesus is described as "the image of the invisible God" (Colossians 1:15) and "the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3). Through Christ, the unsearchable God has become approachable; the eternal God entered time; and the incomprehensible God revealed His heart. While the divine mystery remains—for even in Christ, "in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19)—He has provided the ultimate means for humanity to truly "know Him" relationally and redemptively. In Jesus, we encounter the very wisdom and power of God, making the abstract greatness of Job 36:26 concrete and salvific.