Job 37:9-19

9 The storm winds come from the south, and the biting cold from the north.
10 The breath of God freezes the waters, and turns them to solid ice.
11 Lightning flashes from the clouds,
12 as they move at God's will. They do all that God commands, everywhere throughout the world.
13 God sends rain to water the earth; he may send it to punish us, or to show us his favor.
14 Pause a moment, Job, and listen; consider the wonderful things God does.
15 Do you know how God gives the command and makes lightning flash from the clouds?
16 Do you know how clouds float in the sky, the work of God's amazing skill?
17 No, you can only suffer in the heat when the south wind oppresses the land.
18 Can you help God stretch out the sky and make it as hard as polished metal?
19 Teach us what to say to God; our minds are blank; we have nothing to say.

Job 37:9-19 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 37

Elihu in this chapter proceeds to show the greatness of God as it appears in other of his works of nature, which greatly affected him, and to an attention to which he exhorts others, Job 37:1,2; particularly thunder and lightning, the direction, extent, and order of which he observes, Job 37:3,4; and then suggests that besides these there are other great things done by him, incomprehensible and unknown in various respects; as the snow, and rain, lesser and greater, which come on the earth at his command, and have such effect on men as to seal up their hands, and on the beasts of the field as to cause them to retire to their dens, and there remain, Job 37:5-8; and then he goes on to take notice of wind, and frost, and the clouds, and dispersion of them; their use and ends, whether in judgment or mercy, Job 37:9-13; and then calls on Job to consider these wondrous works of God, and remark how ignorant men are of the disposition of clouds for the rainbow; of the balancing of them; of the heat and quietness that come by the south wind, and of the firmness of the sky, Job 37:14-21; and from all this he concludes the terrible majesty, unsearchable nature of God, the excellency of his power and justice; and that men therefore should and do fear him, who is no respecter of persons, Job 37:21-23.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. [Verse 11 in Hebrew is unclear.]
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.