Job 38:37

Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

Who can number {H5608} the clouds {H7834} in wisdom {H2451}? or who can stay {H7901} the bottles {H5035} of heaven {H8064},

Who, by wisdom, can number the clouds? Who can tilt the water-skins of heaven,

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens

Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

Commentary

Job 38:37 is part of God's profound speech to Job, where the Almighty confronts Job's limited understanding and challenges his perspective on divine justice and control. This verse specifically highlights God's absolute mastery over the natural world, particularly meteorological phenomena.

Context

This verse comes from the heart of God's first discourse to Job from the whirlwind (Job 38-39). After chapters of debate between Job and his friends about the cause of his suffering and the nature of God's justice, God finally speaks. He doesn't directly address Job's suffering but instead poses a series of rhetorical questions about the creation and maintenance of the cosmos. The purpose is to demonstrate God's incomprehensible power, wisdom, and knowledge, thereby humbling Job and revealing the vast chasm between divine understanding and human limitations. God's questions serve to underscore His ultimate sovereignty over all things, including elements of nature that humans cannot control or fully comprehend.

Key Themes

  • Divine Omniscience and Wisdom: The core message is God's unparalleled knowledge and understanding. Humans cannot "number the clouds in wisdom," meaning we cannot fully count, comprehend, or even predict the intricate processes of cloud formation and weather patterns. This points to a wisdom far beyond human grasp.
  • Human Ignorance and Humility: The rhetorical questions are designed to expose human limitations and ignorance. We are unable to control or even fully understand the forces of nature, which serves as a powerful reminder of our need for humility before our Creator.
  • God's Absolute Control Over Creation: "Who can stay the bottles of heaven?" refers to God's complete power to open and close the "bottles" (clouds) that hold rain. This illustrates His sovereign control over vital elements like rainfall, which are essential for life and directly impact human existence. For further insight into God's control over nature, consider Jeremiah 14:22.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "number the clouds in wisdom" uses the Hebrew term mispar (ืžึดืกึฐืคึธึผืจ) for "number," implying a precise accounting or full comprehension. Coupled with chokmah (ื—ึธื›ึฐืžึธื”), meaning "wisdom" or "skill," it emphasizes the impossibility of human intellect fully grasping the complexities of atmospheric processes. The poetic imagery of "bottles of heaven" refers to the clouds as vessels holding water, and "stay" (Hebrew: shakhakh - ืฉึธืื›ึทืšึฐ) means to cause to lie down or to pour out, highlighting God's power to control the release of rain. This imagery paints a vivid picture of God's direct involvement and authority over the natural world, a theme also echoed in Psalm 104:13.

Practical Application

Job 38:37 invites us to cultivate a profound sense of awe and wonder at the intricate design and sustained operation of the natural world, all orchestrated by God. It calls for humility, reminding us that even the most advanced human knowledge pales in comparison to divine wisdom and power. In our own lives, this verse encourages us to trust in God's sovereign control, even when circumstances are beyond our understanding or control, much like Job's suffering. It is a powerful reminder that true wisdom begins with acknowledging God's greatness and surrendering to His perfect plan, as articulated in Isaiah 55:9, where God declares His thoughts and ways are higher than ours.

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Cross-References

  • Psalms 147:4

    He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by [their] names.

  • Genesis 9:15

    And I will remember my covenant, which [is] between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

  • Genesis 8:1

    ยถ And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that [was] with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;

  • Genesis 15:5

    And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
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