Job 38

1 And Jehovah answered Job out of the whirlwind and said,

2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; and I will demand of thee, and inform thou me.

4 Where wast thou when I founded the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.

5 Who set the measures thereof -- if thou knowest? or who stretched a line upon it?

6 Whereupon were the foundations thereof sunken? or who laid its corner-stone,

7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8 And who shut up the sea with doors, when it burst forth, issuing out of the womb?

9 When I made the cloud its garment, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it;

10 When I cut out for it my boundary, and set bars and doors,

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

12 Hast thou since thy days commanded the morning? hast thou caused the dawn to know its place,

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

14 It is changed like the signet-clay; and [all things] stand forth as in a garment:

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

16 Hast thou entered as far as the springs of the sea? and hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep?

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

18 Hath thine understanding compassed the breadths of the earth? Declare if thou knowest it all.

19 Where is the way to where light dwelleth? and the darkness, where is its place,

20 That thou shouldest take it to its bound, and that thou shouldest know the paths to its house?

21 Thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great!

22 Hast thou entered into the storehouses of the snow, and hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail,

23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress, for the day of battle and war?

24 By what way is the light parted, [and] the east wind scattered upon the earth?

25 Who hath divided a channel for the rain-flood, and a way for the thunder's flash;

26 To cause it to rain on the earth, where no one is; on the wilderness wherein there is not a man;

27 To satisfy the desolate and waste [ground], and to cause the sprout of the grass to spring forth?

28 Hath the rain a father? or who begetteth the drops of dew?

29 Out of whose womb cometh the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who bringeth it forth?

30 When the waters lie hidden as in stone, and the face of the deep holdeth fast together.

31 Canst thou fasten the bands of the Pleiades, or loosen the cords of Orion?

32 Dost thou bring forth the constellations each in its season? or dost thou guide the Bear with her sons?

33 Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? dost thou determine their rule over the earth?

34 Dost thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that floods of waters may cover thee?

35 Dost thou send forth lightnings that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?

36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the mind?

37 Who numbereth the clouds with wisdom? or who poureth out the bottles of the heavens,

38 When the dust runneth as into a molten mass, and the clods cleave fast together?

39 Dost thou hunt the prey for the lioness, and dost thou satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

40 When they crouch in [their] dens, [and] abide in the thicket to lie in wait?

41 Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, [and] they wander for lack of meat?

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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit. 'broke.'
• [b]. i.e. darkness was their 'light.'
• [c]. Lit. 'life:' see ch. 33.20.

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.