Job 38:8-11

8 "Or who ¹enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;

9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band,

10 And I ²placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,

11 And I said, 'Thus far you shall come, but no farther; And here shall your proud waves stop '?

Job 38:8-11 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.

Cross References

• 1. Genesis 1:9; Psalms 104:6-9; Proverbs 8:29; Jeremiah 5:22
• 2. Genesis 1:9; Psalms 33:7; Psalms 104:9; Proverbs 8:29; Jeremiah 5:22

Footnotes

• [a] Lit "broke My decree on it"