Job 38:30-40

30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen.

31 "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion?

32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?

33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you?

35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, 'Here we are!'?

36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?

37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

38 When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together?

39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,

40 When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?

Job 38:30-40 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.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally Constellations
• [b]. Literally inward parts