Job 38:14

14 It is changed like clay [under] a seal, and they appear like a garment.

Job 38:14 Meaning and Commentary

Job 38:14

It is turned as clay [to] the seal
As the clay receives a different form by the impress of the seal upon it, so the earth appears in a different manner by the spring of morning light upon it; in the darkness of the night nothing of its form and beauty is to be seen; it is a mere "tohu" and "bohu", like the chaos, ( Genesis 1:2 ) ; its rising hills, and spreading dales, and beautiful landscapes, cannot be observed with pleasure; but when the light breaks forth in the morning, it is seen in all its beauty and glory: of the change the light of the Gospel makes in men, see ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ) ;

and they stand as a garment;
or things stand upon it as a garment, as Mr. Broughton renders the words; herbs, plants, and trees, unseen in the night, stand up like a vesture to the earth in the morning light; and as they are clothed themselves, they are a garment to that, which now puts on another and beautiful habit; the pastures are clothed with flocks, and the valleys covered with corn, and the whole earth with light itself, as with a garment: and as beautifully do men made light in the Lord appear; see ( Isaiah 41:10 ) ( Revelation 3:4 Revelation 3:5 ) ( 12:1 ) .

Job 38:14 In-Context

12 "Have you {ever in your life} commanded [the] morning? Have you made the dawn know its place,
13 to take hold of the earth's skirts so that the wicked might be shaken off from it?
14 It is changed like clay [under] a seal, and they appear like a garment.
15 And their light is withheld from [the] wicked, and [their] uplifted arm is broken.
16 "Have you entered into [the] sea's sources? Or have you walked around in [the] recesses of the deep?
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.