Job 38:11-21

11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days [began], [And] caused the dayspring to know its place;

13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?

14 It is changed as clay under the seal; And [all things] stand forth as a garment:

15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, And the high arm is broken.

16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death?

18 Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if thou knowest it all.

19 Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?

21 [Doubtless], thou knowest, for thou wast then born, And the number of thy days is great!

Job 38:11-21 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 38

In this chapter the Lord takes up the controversy with Job; calls upon him to prepare to engage with him in it, and demands an answer to posing questions he puts to him, concerning the earth and the fabric of it, Job 38:1-7; concerning the sea, compared to an infant in embryo, at its birth, in its swaddling bands and cradle, Job 38:8-11; concerning the morning light, its spread and influence, Job 38:12-15; concerning the springs of the sea, the dark parts of the earth, the place both of light and darkness, Job 38:16-21; concerning the various meteors, snow, hail, rain, thunder, lightning, and the influences of the stars, Job 38:22-38; and concerning provision for lions and ravens, Job 38:40,41.