Job 38

1 Forsooth the Lord answered from the whirlwind to Job, and said, (Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,)

2 Who is this man, wrapping together sentences with unwise words?

3 Gird thou as a man thy loins; I shall ask thee, and answer thou [to] me. (Gird thou up thy loins like a man; I shall ask thee, and thou shalt answer me.)

4 Where were thou, when I set the foundaments of the earth? (when I made the foundations of the earth?) show thou to me, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who setted [the] measure(ment)s thereof, if thou knowest? either who stretched forth a line thereupon?

6 Upon what thing be the foundaments thereof made (stead)fast? either who sent down the cornerstone thereof,

7 when the morrow stars praised me together, and all the sons of God sang joyfully?

8 Who closed together the sea with doors, when it brake out coming forth as of the womb? (Who altogether enclosed the sea with doors, when it broke out as if coming forth from the womb?)

9 When I setted a cloud the covering thereof, and I wrapped it with darkness, as with (the) ?clothes of young childhood.

10 I (en)compassed it with my terms, and I setted a bar, and doors; (I surrounded it with borders, and I set its doors and bars in place;)

11 and I said, Hitherto thou shalt come, and thou shalt not go further; and here thou shalt break together thy swelling waves. (and I said, Thou shalt come hitherto, and thou shalt go no further; and here thou shalt altogether break thy swelling waves.)

12 Whether after thy birth thou commandedest to the beginning of the day, and showedest to the morrowtide his place? (and hast shown, or told, the morning its place?)

13 Whether thou heldest shaking together the last parts of [the] earth, and shakedest away [the] wicked men therefrom? (Hast thou taught it to take hold of the last parts of the earth, and shakedest out the wicked from there?)

14 A sealing shall be restored as clay, and it shall stand as a cloth. (It shall be as clear as the mark of a seal on a piece of clay, and it shall stand out like the folds of a cloak.)

15 The light of wicked men shall be taken away from them, and an high arm shall be broken.

16 Whether thou hast entered into the depth of the sea, and hast walked in the last parts of the depth, that is, the ocean, or the great west sea? (Hast thou entered into the depths of the sea? or hast thou walked in the deep parts of the ocean?)

17 Whether the gates of death be opened to thee, and thou hast seen the dark doors? (Be the gates of death opened to thee, and hast thou seen the dark doors?)

18 Whether thou hast beheld the breadth of the earth? Show thou to me, if thou knowest all (these) things,

19 in what way the light dwelleth, and which is the place of darkness; (yea, the way to where the light dwelleth, and where the place of darkness is;)

20 that thou lead out each thing to his terms, and that thou understand the ways of his house. (so that thou can then lead out each to its boundary, and that thou know the way to its house.)

21 Knewest thou then, that thou shouldest be born, and knew thou the number of thy days?

22 Whether thou enteredest into the treasures of snow, either beheldest thou the treasures of hail? (Hast thou entered into the treasure house of the snow? or beheldest thou the treasure house of the hail?)

23 which things I made ready into the time of an enemy, into the day of fighting and of battle. (which things I made ready for the time of an enemy, for the day of fighting and of battle.)

24 By what way is the light spread abroad, and by what way heat is parted upon earth? (By what way is the light spread abroad, and by what way is the east wind carried here and there, over the earth?)

25 Who gave course to the strongest rain, and way of the thunder sounding? (Who gave a course for the strongest rain, and a way for the sounding thunder?)

26 That it should rain on the earth without man, in desert, where none of deadly men dwelleth? (So that it would rain on the earth where there is no one, yea, in the wilderness, where no person liveth?)

27 That it should [ful]fill a land without (a) way and desolate, and should bring forth green herbs?

28 Who is [the] father of (the) rain, either who engendered the drops of dew?

29 Of whose womb went out ice, and who begat frost from heaven? (Out of whose womb went out the ice, and who begat the frost from the heavens?)

30 (The) Waters be made hard in the likeness of [a] stone, and the over-part of [the] ocean is constrained together (and the face of the ocean is altogether frozen).

31 Whether thou shalt be able to join together [the] shining stars (called) Pleiades, that is, the seven stars, either thou shalt be able to destroy the compass of Arcturus? (or shalt thou be able to destroy the orbit of Orion?)

32 Whether thou bringest forth Lucifer, that is, the day star, in his time, and makest the even star to rise upon the sons of [the] earth? (Bringest thou forth Mazzaloth in its time, that is, the stars and the constellations, or makest Arcturus to rise upon the sons of the earth?)

33 Whether thou knowest the order of heaven, and shall set the reason thereof in [the] earth? (Knowest thou the order of the heavens, and can thou impose that order here on earth?)

34 Whether thou shalt raise thy voice into a cloud, and the fierceness of (their) waters shall cover thee? (Can thou raise up thy voice to the clouds, so that the fierceness of their waters shall then cover thee?)

35 Whether thou shalt send out lightnings (Can thou send out lightnings), and they shall go forth, and those shall turn again, and shall say to thee, We be present?

36 Who hath put wisdom (in)to the entrails of man, that is, (into his) soul, either who gave understanding to the cock?

37 Who shall tell out the reason of (the) heavens, and who shall make [the] according of heaven to sleep? (Who can count the clouds, and who can empty out all the rain from the heavens?)

38 When dust was founded on the earth, and clots were joined together? (Yea, when the dust is as hard as iron, and clods be joined together!)

39 Whether thou shalt take [the] prey to the lioness, and shalt fill the souls of her whelps, (Shalt thou take the prey for the lioness, and fulfill, or satisfy, the hunger of her whelps,)

40 when they lie in (their) caves, and (wait in) ambush in (their) dens?

41 Who maketh ready for the crow his meat, when his young cry to God, and wander about, for they have not meats? (Who prepareth food for the crow, when his young cry to God, and wander about, for they have no food?)

Job 38 Commentary

Chapter 38

God calls upon Job to answer. (1-3) God questions Job. (4-11) Concerning the light and darkness. (12-24) Concerning other mighty works. (25-41)

Verses 1-3 Job had silenced, but had not convinced his friends. Elihu had silenced Job, but had not brought him to admit his guilt before God. It pleased the Lord to interpose. The Lord, in this discourse, humbles Job, and brings him to repent of his passionate expressions concerning God's providential dealings with him; and this he does, by calling upon Job to compare God's being from everlasting to everlasting, with his own time; God's knowledge of all things, with his own ignorance; and God's almighty power, with his own weakness. Our darkening the counsels of God's wisdom with our folly, is a great provocation to God. Humble faith and sincere obedience see farthest and best into the will of the Lord.

Verses 4-11 For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church stands as firm as the earth.

Verses 12-24 The Lord questions Job, to convince him of his ignorance, and shame him for his folly in prescribing to God. If we thus try ourselves, we shall soon be brought to own that what we know is nothing in comparison with what we know not. By the tender mercy of our God, the Day-spring from on high has visited us, to give light to those that sit in darkness, whose hearts are ( 2 Corinthians. 4:6 ) government of the world is said to be in the sea; this means, that it is hid from us. Let us make sure that the gates of heaven shall be opened to us on the other side of death, and then we need not fear the opening of the gates of death. It is presumptuous for us, who perceive not the breadth of the earth, to dive into the depth of God's counsels. We should neither in the brightest noon count upon perpetual day, nor in the darkest midnight despair of the return of the morning; and this applies to our inward as well as to our outward condition. What folly it is to strive against God! How much is it our interest to seek peace with him, and to keep in his love!

Verses 25-41 Hitherto God had put questions to Job to show him his ignorance; now God shows his weakness. As it is but little that he knows, he ought not to arraign the Divine counsels; it is but little he can do, therefore he ought not to oppose the ways of Providence. See the all-sufficiency of the Divine Providence; it has wherewithal to satisfy the desire of every living thing. And he that takes care of the young ravens, certainly will not be wanting to his people. This being but one instance of the Divine compassion out of many, gives us occasion to think how much good our God does, every day, beyond what we are aware of. Every view we take of his infinite perfections, should remind us of his right to our love, the evil of sinning against him, and our need of his mercy and salvation.

Chapter Summary

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.