King James Version
Job 37
24 verses with commentary
Elihu Continues: God's Mighty Works in Nature
At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Human Response to Divine Power:</strong> The Hebrew word <em>חָרַד</em> (charad, "trembleth") conveys trembling from fear or awe, the same word used of the Israelites trembling before Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16). Job's friend Elihu is responding to the thunder and lightning described at the end of chapter 36. <strong>Physiological Reaction:</strong> The phrase "moved out of his place" (Hebr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
XXXVII.
(1) **At this also my heart trembleth.**—Elihu is discoursing of the same matter. He says, “Not only are the cattle terrified, but at this also *my *heart trembleth and is moved out of its place. Hark! listen to the sound of His voice.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. after ... before--**rather, "those in the West--those in the East"; that is, all people; literally, "those behind--those before"; for Orientals in geography turn with their faces to the east (not to the north as we), and back to the west; so that before--east; behind--north (so Zec 14:8).
**day--**of ruin (Ob 12).
**affrighted--**seized with terror (Job 21:6; Is 13:8).
Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth. Hear: Heb. Hear in hearing
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth</strong>—Elihu calls Job to careful listening as a thunderstorm approaches. <em>Shim'u shamoa</em> (שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ, hear, yes hear!) employs the intensive infinitive absolute—'listen most attentively!' The verb <em>shama</em> (שָׁמַע) means not just auditory perception but obedient hearing, the same word ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21. (Job 8:22, Margin).
He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth. lightning: Heb. light ends: Heb. wings
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth</strong>—God's governance extends to lightning's path. <em>Tachat kol-hashamayim yishrehu</em> (תַּחַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׁרֵהוּ, under all the heavens He directs it) uses <em>yashar</em> (יָשַׁר), meaning to make straight, level, or direct. The pronoun 'it' refers to God's voice/thunder from v. 2, but a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **He directeth it.**—Or, *sendeth it forth: i.e., *the noise and rumbling which fills all heaven.
After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency</strong>—The Hebrew <em>qôl</em> (קוֹל) means 'voice' or 'sound,' used three times here to emphasize God's thunder as divine speech. <strong>The voice of his excellency</strong> (<em>qôl ge'ônô</em>, קוֹל גְּאוֹנוֹ) uses <em>ga'on</em> for 'majesty' or 'exaltation'—the same word describing God's transcendent glory in ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **After it a voice roareth**—*i.e., *the thunderclap which follows the lightning-flash.**
And he stayeth them not **(or will not stay them) **when his voice is** **heard.**—What does this mean? We understand it, “Yet none can track them (*i.e.*, the thunder and the lightning) when His voice is heard. They travel in paths which none can explore. Vivid as the lightning is, who shall pursue its c...
Read full commentary →God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Elihu marvels: 'God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.' This acknowledgment of divine incomprehensibility prepares for God's speeches. Elihu correctly identifies mystery in God's ways.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 19
SECOND SERIES.
Job 19:1-29. Job's Reply to Bildad.
**2. How long, &c.--**retorting Bildad's words (Job 18:2). Admitting the punishment to be deserved, is it kind thus ever to be harping on this to the sufferer? And yet even this they have not yet proved.
For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength. likewise: Heb. and to the shower of rain, and to the showers of rain of his strength
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth</strong> (<em>le-sheleg 'emor heyeh-'arets</em>, לַשֶּׁלֶג אֱמֹר הֱיֶה־אָרֶץ)—The imperative <em>'emor</em> ('say' or 'be') personalizes God's command to inanimate creation. Snow and rain don't mechanically fall—they obey divine orders. <strong>The great rain of his strength</strong> (<em>geshem 'oz</em>, גֶּשֶׁם עֹז) literally means 'rain of migh...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **For he saith to the snow.**—All the operations of nature obey the behest of God—the snow, the gentle showers, the drenching downpour. By means of these He sealeth up the hand of every man, obstructing and impeding their works and movements, so that all the men whom He has made may know it or know Him. This is the plain meaning, which the Authorised Version gives somewhat less clearly. Men ma...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. These--**prefixed emphatically to numbers (Ge 27:36).
**ten--**that is, often (Ge 31:7).
**make yourselves strange--**rather, "stun me" [Gesenius]. (See Margin for a different meaning [that is, "harden yourselves against me"]).
**4.erred--**The Hebrew expresses unconscious error. Job was unconscious of wilful sin.
**remaineth--**literally, "passeth the night." An image from harboring ...
Read full commentary →He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.
View commentary
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He sealeth up the hand of every man</strong> (<em>beyad-kol-'adam yahtom</em>, בְּיַד־כָּל־אָדָם יַחְתּוֹם)—The verb <em>hatam</em> (חָתַם) means to seal, stamp, or authenticate—used of royal signet rings marking official documents. Winter weather 'seals' or immobilizes human labor, forcing cessation from agricultural work. <strong>That all men may know his work</strong> (<em>lada'at kol-a...
Read full commentary →Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places</strong> (<em>watabo hayah bi-m'onah u-vim'onoteyha tishkon</em>, וַתָּבוֹא חַיָּה בִמְעוֹנָה וּבִמְעוֹנֹתֶיהָ תִּשְׁכּוֹן)—The verb <em>shakan</em> (שָׁכַן) means to dwell or abide, the same root as <em>Shekinah</em>, God's dwelling presence. Even wild animals practice seasonal Sabbath, 'dwelling' in hibernation shelters. The noun <...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Then the beasts go into dens.**—And not man only, but the beasts likewise, have to take refuge in their dens and coverts.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. magnify, &c.--**Speak proudly (Ob 12; Eze 35:13).
**against me--**emphatically repeated (Psa 38:16).
**plead ... reproach--**English Version makes this part of the protasis, "if" being understood, and the apodosis beginning at Job 19:6. Better with Umbreit, If ye would become great heroes against me in truth, ye must prove (evince) against me my guilt, or shame, which you assert. In t...
Read full commentary →Out of the south cometh the whirlwind: and cold out of the north. south: Heb. chamber north: Heb. scattering winds
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Out of the south cometh the whirlwind</strong> (<em>min-heder tabo sufah</em>, מִן־הַחֶדֶר תָּבוֹא סוּפָה)—The Hebrew <em>heder</em> (חֶדֶר) means 'chamber' or 'inner room,' suggesting God stores weather in celestial storehouses (Psalm 135:7, Jeremiah 10:13). <em>Sufah</em> (סוּפָה) denotes a tempest or whirlwind. <strong>And cold out of the north</strong> (<em>u-min-mezarim qarah</em>, וּ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Out of** **the south.**—Rather, *out of its chamber *(see Job 9:9) cometh the whirlwind, or typhoon: and cold from the northern constellations, from the quarter of the heavens where they shine.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. compassed ... net--**alluding to Bildad's words (Job 18:8). Know, that it is not that I as a wicked man have been caught in my "own net"; it is God who has compassed me in His--why, I know not.
By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>By the breath of God frost is given</strong> (<em>mi-nishmat-'El yitten-qarah</em>, מִנִּשְׁמַת־אֵל יִתֶּן־קָרַח)—The noun <em>nishmat</em> (נִשְׁמַת) from <em>neshamah</em> (נְשָׁמָה) means 'breath' or 'spirit,' the same word used when God breathed life into Adam (Genesis 2:7). God's breath both animates life and freezes water—creative and destructive power from the same source. <strong>T...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **The breadth of the waters is straitened.**—Firm, like a molten mass.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. wrong--**violence: brought on him by God.
**no judgment--**God will not remove my calamities, and so vindicate my just cause; and my friends will not do justice to my past character.
Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud: his: Heb. the cloud of his light
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>By watering he wearieth the thick cloud</strong> (<em>af-beri yat'riah 'av</em>, אַף־בְּרִי יַטְרִיחַ עָב)—The verb <em>tara'ach</em> (טָרַח) means to burden or load down; God 'burdens' clouds with moisture until they're heavy with rain. The noun <em>'av</em> (עָב) denotes thick, dark storm clouds. <strong>He scattereth his bright cloud</strong> (<em>yafits 'anan 'oro</em>, יָפִיץ עֲנַן או...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) He **wearieth the thick cloud.**—Also He ladeth the thick cloud with moisture, maketh it to be charged with rain. “He scattereth the cloud of His lightning,” that is, which containeth His lightning. Others render, “Yea, the bright sun weareth out (disperseth) the thick cloud; it scattereth the cloud that holds His lightning. And it (the cloud) is turned round about by His counsels, that they ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. Image from a benighted traveller.
And it is turned round about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the face of the world in the earth.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>It is turned round about by his counsels</strong> (<em>ve-hu mesibbot mithappek be-tahbulotav</em>, וְהוּא מְסִבּוֹת מִתְהַפֵּךְ בְּתַחְבּוּלֹתָיו)—The verb <em>hafak</em> (הָפַךְ) means to turn or overturn; clouds rotate according to God's <em>tahbulot</em> (תַּחְבּוּלוֹת), meaning 'guidance' or 'wise direction.' <strong>That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them</strong> (<em>lefa'lo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. stripped ... crown--**image from a deposed king, deprived of his robes and crown; appropriate to Job, once an emir with all but royal dignity (La 5:16; Psa 89:39).
He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy. correction: Heb. a rod
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He causeth it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy</strong> (<em>im-le-shevet im-le-'artso im-le-hesed yamtsi'ehu</em>, אִם־לְשֵׁבֶט אִם־לְאַרְצוֹ אִם־לְחֶסֶד יַמְצִאֵהוּ)—God sends weather with three distinct purposes: <em>shevet</em> (שֵׁבֶט, 'rod' or 'correction'), provision for <em>artso</em> ('His land'), or <em>hesed</em> (חֶסֶד, 'covenant loyalty/mercy'). T...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. destroyed ... on every side--**"Shaken all round, so that I fall in the dust"; image from a tree uprooted by violent shaking from every side [Umbreit]. The last clause accords with this (Jr 1:10)
**mine hope--**as to this life (in opposition to Zophar, Job 11:18); not as to the world to come (Job 19:25; Job 14:15).
**removed--**uprooted.
Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Elihu commands Job: "Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God." The imperative <em>ha'azin</em> (הַאֲזִין, "hearken") means to give ear, listen intently. The command <em>amad</em> (עֲמֹד, "stand still") means to cease movement, to pause. The verb <em>hitbonen</em> (הִתְבּוֹנֵן, "consider") means to discern or understand deeply. Elihu urges Job to stop striving ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. enemies--**(Job 13:24; La 2:5).
Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Dost thou know when God disposed them</strong> (<em>hata-yada'ta be-sum 'eloah 'alayhem</em>, הֲתַדַּע בְּשׂוּם אֱלוֹהַּ עֲלֵיהֶם)—Elihu's rhetorical question uses <em>yada'</em> (יָדַע, 'know') with the preposition <em>be-sum</em> (בְּשׂוּם, 'in the placing'), challenging Job's understanding of divine ordering. <strong>And caused the light of his cloud to shine</strong> (<em>ve-hofi'a or ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Light of His cloud**—*i.e., *lightning, as before. “Dost thou know all the secrets of God’s thunderbolts, at whom and how He will use them?” Some understand this otherwise: “Dost thou know when God setteth the sun over them (the clouds), and causeth the light (*i.e., *the sun) to shine upon His cloud?” *i.e.*, “Dost thou know how God useth the sun to disperse the clouds?”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. troops--**Calamities advance together like hostile troops (Job 10:17).
**raise up ... way--**An army must cast up a way of access before it, in marching against a city (Is 40:3).
Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Elihu asks Job: "Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?" The noun <em>miphlas</em> (מִפְלָשׂ, "balancings") refers to how clouds hang suspended or float. The phrase "perfect in knowledge" (<em>temim de'im</em>, תְּמִים דֵּעִים) describes God's complete understanding. Elihu points to atmospheric phenomena exceeding human comprehension a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **The balancings of the clouds.**—How they are poised and suspended in the sky. “Ye clouds, that far above *me float *and pause.”—Coleridge.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. brethren--**nearest kinsmen, as distinguished from "acquaintance." So "kinsfolk" and "familiar friends" (Job 19:14) correspond in parallelism. The Arabic proverb is, "The brother, that is, the true friend, is only known in time of need."
**estranged--**literally, "turn away with disgust." Job again unconsciously uses language prefiguring the desertion of Jesus Christ (Job 16:10; Lu 23:49; ...
Read full commentary →How thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth by the south wind?
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>How thy garments are warm</strong>—Elihu's rhetorical question exposes human dependence on God's atmospheric control. The Hebrew חַמִּים (chammim, 'warm') describes the oppressive heat that makes clothing uncomfortable. When God <strong>quieteth the earth</strong> (הַשְׁקֵט אֶרֶץ, hashket eretz), He brings stillness and calm through <strong>the south wind</strong> (רוּחַ דָּרוֹם, ruach dar...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **When he quieteth the earth.**—Or, When the earth is still.
Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Hast thou with him spread out the sky</strong> (תַּרְקִיעַ שְׁחָקִים, tarqia shechaqim)—the verb רָקַע (raqa) means to stamp, beat out, or spread like hammering metal into thin sheets. The heavens appear <strong>strong</strong> (חֲזָקִים, chazaqim, firm/solid) <strong>as a molten looking glass</strong> (מַרְאָה יְצוּקָה, mareh yetzuqah), referring to polished bronze mirrors. Ancient Near E...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18*)* **Spread out the sky.**—Some understand this of the action of the sun in dispersing the clouds; but it seems more probable that it refers to God. “Hast thou spread out with Him the magnificent dome of heaven?” The words used, however, imply *the clouds *rather than the cloudless sky which resembles a burnished mirror; so that it is not improbable that the sun may be the subject here and in ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. They that dwell, &c.--**rather, "sojourn": male servants, sojourning in his house. Mark the contrast. The stranger admitted to sojourn as a dependent treats the master as a stranger in his own house.
Teach us what we shall say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Teach us what we shall say unto him</strong>—Elihu acknowledges human inadequacy in addressing God. The phrase <strong>we cannot order our speech</strong> (לֹא־נַעֲרֹךְ, lo-naarokh) uses עָרַךְ (arakh), meaning to set in order, arrange, or prepare for battle. We cannot marshal arguments before God as warriors array battle lines. Why? <strong>By reason of darkness</strong> (מִפְּנֵי־חֹשֶׁךְ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Teach us what we shall say unto **(or, *concerning*) **him**—*i.e.*, the sun. “He is altogether hidden by the clouds; but is he gone? is he not still there behind them?”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. servant--**born in my house (as distinguished from those sojourning in it), and so altogether belonging to the family. Yet even he disobeys my call.
**mouth--**that is, "calling aloud"; formerly a nod was enough. Now I no longer look for obedience, I try entreaty.
Shall it be told him that I speak? if a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Shall it be told him that I speak?</strong>—Elihu questions whether humans should even presume to demand God's attention. The Hebrew verb סָפַר (saphar, 'told/recounted') suggests formal reporting. <strong>If a man speak</strong> with complaints or accusations against God, <strong>surely he shall be swallowed up</strong> (יְבֻלָּע, yebula). The verb בָּלַע (bala) means to swallow, engulf, ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Be swallowed up.**—The sense will vary, according as we understand this of God or of the sun. In the first case, it is a simple expression of awe at God’s majesty: “Shall it be told Him that I would speak? If a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up;” but unquestionably the sense is clearer if we understand it of the sun: “Shall it be told of him? Shall I, indeed, speak it? or hath any ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. strange--**His breath by elephantiasis had become so strongly altered and offensive, that his wife turned away as estranged from him (Job 19:13; 17:1).
**children's ... of mine own body--**literally, "belly." But "loins" is what we should expect, not "belly" (womb), which applies to the woman. The "mine" forbids it being taken of his wife. Besides their children were dead. In Job 3:10 the ...
Read full commentary →And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And now men see not the bright light</strong> (אוֹר בָּהִיר, or bahir)—Elihu describes the sun obscured by clouds, invisible despite its brightness. Yet <strong>the wind passeth, and cleanseth them</strong> (רוּחַ עָבְרָה וַתְּטַהֲרֵם, ruach avrah vatehaherem). The verb טָהֵר (taher, 'cleanse') is used for ritual purification—wind purifies the sky by dispersing clouds, revealing the sun th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **And now men see not the bright light**—*i.e., *the sun. “But he is bright behind the clouds, and when the wind has passed over them and cleared them away, even the north wind, he will come forth like gold; but upon God there is terrible majesty. Though the sun is hidden, we shall see him again, but who shall ever find out God?” It is manifest that this rendering adds great sublimity, and po...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. young children--**So the Hebrew means (Job 21:11). Reverence for age is a chief duty in the East. The word means "wicked" (Job 16:11). So Umbreit has it here, not so well.
**I arose--**Rather, supply "if," as Job was no more in a state to stand up. "If I stood up (arose), they would speak against (abuse) me" [Umbreit].
Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty. Fair: Heb. Gold
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Fair weather cometh out of the north</strong> (זָהָב מִצָּפוֹן, zahav mitzaphon)—literally 'gold from the north,' referring either to golden sunlight breaking through northern clouds or the golden splendor of God's glory. The north, in ancient Near Eastern cosmology, was associated with divine presence (Psalm 48:2, Isaiah 14:13). <strong>With God is terrible majesty</strong> (נוֹרָא הוֹד, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**19. inward--**confidential; literally, "men of my secret"--to whom I entrusted my most intimate confidence.
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Elihu concludes: 'Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice, he will not afflict.' This final statement affirms divine justice and power while claiming God doesn't afflict without cause - yet this is precisely what Job's case challenges.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out.**—He is excellent, or mighty, in power and justice, &c.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
20. Extreme meagerness. The bone seemed to stick in the skin, being seen through it, owing to the flesh drying up and falling away from the bone. The Margin, "as to my flesh," makes this sense clearer. The English Version, however, expresses the same: "And to my flesh," namely, which has fallen away from the bone, instead of firmly covering it.
**skin of my teeth--**proverbial. I have escaped wi...
Read full commentary →Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Elihu concludes: "Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart." The verb <em>yare</em> (יָרֵא, "fear") means reverential awe. The phrase "wise of heart" (<em>chakhemei-lev</em>, חַכְמֵי־לֵב) describes those who consider themselves intelligent or discerning. The verb <em>ra'ah</em> (רָאָה, "respecteth") in negative form means God doesn't regard or show partiality toward ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Men do therefore fear him.**—Or, “Therefore men may fear Him; but as for the wise in heart, no one even of them shall see Him.” This may be, and probably is, the meaning, though the literal rendering is that of the Authorised Version, which, however, involves a somewhat doubtful sentiment in itself, for God, we may believe, does regard or respect those who are truly wise. In the original th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
21. When God had made him such a piteous spectacle, his friends should spare him the additional persecution of their cruel speeches.