When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
When I made {H7760} the cloud {H6051} the garment {H3830} thereof, and thick darkness {H6205} a swaddlingband {H2854} for it,
when I made the clouds its blanket and dense fog its swaddling cloth,
when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket,
When I made clouds the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,
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Genesis 1:2
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness [was] upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
Context
Job 38:9 is part of God's dramatic and powerful discourse to Job, delivered from a whirlwind, beginning in Job 38:1. After Job's prolonged lamentations and questioning of divine justice, God confronts Job, not by explaining the reasons for his suffering, but by challenging Job's understanding of the universe and His own infinite wisdom and power. This verse specifically describes God's meticulous control over the mighty sea, building on the rhetorical questions posed in the preceding verses about the sea's origin and boundaries, such as in Job 38:8.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The imagery in Job 38:9 is particularly striking. "Garment" (Hebrew: levush) and "swaddlingband" (Hebrew: chathullah) are terms typically associated with human care for an infant. To apply them to the mighty, untamed sea is a profound anthropomorphism. It suggests that God's control is not merely distant command but an intimate, personal, and deliberate act of creation and containment. The "thick darkness" serving as a "swaddlingband" implies that even the absence of light is a tool in God's creative hands, used to wrap and define the nascent sea, much like a protective blanket.
Cross-References & Connections
This powerful depiction of God's control over the sea resonates throughout Scripture. Similar themes of God establishing the boundaries of the waters can be found in:
Practical Application
Job 38:9 offers profound comfort and challenge for contemporary believers. It encourages us to: