About Job

Job explores the mystery of suffering through the story of a righteous man who lost everything yet maintained his faith in God.

Author: UnknownWritten: c. 2000-1800 BCReading time: ~5 minVerses: 41
SufferingSovereigntyFaithWisdomJusticeRestoration

King James Version

Job 38

41 verses with commentary

The Lord Answers Job: Where Were You?

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,

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KJV Study Commentary

The text records: 'Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said.' After 35 chapters of human speeches, Yahweh (יְהוָה, LORD) speaks directly. The phrase min ha-searah (מִן־הַסְּעָרָה, out of the whirlwind) suggests theophany—divine manifestation through natural phenomena (cf. Exodus 19:16-19, 1 Kings 19:11-12, Ezekiel 1:4). The whirlwind signifies divine power, majesty, and otherness....
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

XXXVIII. (1) **Then the Lord answered Job.**—This chapter brings the grand climax and catastrophe of the poem. Unless all was to remain hopelessly uncertain and dark, there could be no solution of the questions so fiercely and obstinately debated but by the intervention of Him whose government was the matter in dispute. And so the Lord answered Job out of *the *whirlwind, or tempest: that is to sa...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**22. as God--**has persecuted me. Prefiguring Jesus Christ (Psa 69:26). That God afflicts is no reason that man is to add to a sufferer's affliction (Zec 1:15). **satisfied with my flesh--**It is not enough that God afflicts my flesh literally (Job 19:20), but you must "eat my flesh" metaphorically (Psa 27:2); that is, utter the worst calumnies, as the phrase often means in Arabic.

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

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KJV Study Commentary

God's opening challenge: 'Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?' This doesn't answer Job's questions but reframes them. God questions the questioner, revealing that human words about divine ways often obscure rather than illuminate truth.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(2) **Who is this?**—The question may be answered by Job’s own words (Job 14:1). It is a man as so described, a dying and enfeebled man, like Job himself, not even a man in his best estate, but one so persecuted and exhausted as Job: one, therefore, altogether unequal to the task he has undertaken. **That darkeneth counsel.**—That is, probably, *my counsel, *which was the matter under debate. The ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

23. Despairing of justice from his friends in his lifetime, he wishes his words could be preserved imperishably to posterity, attesting his hope of vindication at the resurrection. **printed--**not our modern printing, but engraven.

Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. answer: Heb. make me know

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KJV Study Commentary

God commands: 'Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.' This summons Job to stand before divine interrogation. God doesn't answer Job's questions but poses counter-questions, shifting from human complaint to divine examination.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**24. pen--**graver. **lead--**poured into the engraven characters, to make them better seen [Umbreit]. Not on leaden plates; for it was "in the rock" that they were engraved. Perhaps it was the hammer that was of "lead," as sculptors find more delicate incisions are made by it, than by a harder hammer. FOSTER (One Primeval Language) has shown that the inscriptions on the rocks in Wady-Mokatta, ...
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Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. hast: Heb. knowest understanding

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.</strong> God breaks His silence with this majestic rhetorical question, beginning His answer to Job from the whirlwind. The Hebrew <em>eyphoh</em> (אֵיפֹה, "where") demands Job locate himself temporally and spatially—where was he when creation began? "When I laid the foundations" (<em>beyasedi</e...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(4) **Where wast thou?**—The comparison of the creation of the world to the building of an edifice is such a concession to the feebleness of man as serves of itself to heighten the effect of the inevitable answer to the question preferred.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**25. redeemer--**Umbreit and others understand this and Job 19:26, of God appearing as Job's avenger before his death, when his body would be wasted to a skeleton. But Job uniformly despairs of restoration and vindication of his cause in this life (Job 17:15, 16). One hope alone was left, which the Spirit revealed--a vindication in a future life: it would be no full vindication if his soul alone ...
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Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

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KJV Study Commentary

God asks: "Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?" The Hebrew <em>maddeyha</em> (מַדֶּיהָ, "its measures") and <em>qav</em> (קָו, "line") use surveying language. God challenges Job with creation's precise design—dimensions, proportions, mathematical precision. This reveals divine wisdom in establishing natural laws and cosmic order. The rhetori...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

26. Rather, though after my skin (is no more) this (body) is destroyed ("body" being omitted, because it was so wasted as not to deserve the name), yet from my flesh (from my renewed body, as the starting-point of vision, So 2:9, "looking out from the windows") "shall I see God." Next clause [Job 19:27] proves bodily vision is meant, for it specifies "mine eyes" [Rosenmuller, 2d ed.]. The Hebrew o...
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Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; foundations: Heb. sockets fastened: Heb. made to sink?

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KJV Study Commentary

"Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof?" The Hebrew <em>adaneyha</em> (אֲדָנֶיהָ, "foundations") and <em>even pinnah</em> (אֶבֶן פִּנָּה, "corner stone") employ architectural metaphor for cosmic stability. Ancient cosmology imagined earth resting on foundations or pillars. God's question emphasizes creation's stability derives from His power alone, no...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**27. for myself--**for my advantage, as my friend. **not another--**Mine eyes shall behold Him, but no longer as one estranged from me, as now [Bengel]. **though--**better omitted. **my reins--**inward recesses of the heart. **be consumed within me--**that is, pine with longing desire for that day (Psa 84:2; 119:81). The Gentiles had but few revealed promises: how gracious that the few sh...
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When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

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KJV Study Commentary

<strong>When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?</strong> God continues His creation discourse with this stunning poetic image of celestial worship at earth's founding. "Morning stars" (<em>kokhvei boker</em>, כּוֹכְבֵי בֹקֶר) likely refers to angelic beings rather than literal stars, paralleled by "sons of God" (<em>benei Elohim</em>, בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים), a phra...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(7) **The morning stars.**—The context seems to suggest that by the stars are meant the angels entrusted with their guardianship, from whence Milton has borrowed his conceptions. The magnificent sublimity of the expression and the thought needs no comment.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

28. Rather, "ye will then (when the Vindicator cometh) say, Why," &amp;c. **root ... in me--**The root of pious integrity, which was the matter at issue, whether it could be in one so afflicted, is found in me. Umbreit, with many manuscripts and versions, reads "in him." "Or how found we in him ground of contention."

Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

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KJV Study Commentary

God asks: 'Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?' This poetic description of creation's boundaries (sea contained, womb imagery) reveals divine power ordering chaos. Job who questions God's governance wasn't present when God established cosmic order.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**29. wrath--**the passionate violence with which the friends persecuted Job. **bringeth, &amp;c.--**literally, "is sin of the of the sword" **that ye may know--**Supply, "I say this." **judgment--**inseparably connected with the coming of the Vindicator. The "wrath" of God at His appearing for the temporal vindication of Job against the friends (Job 42:7) is a pledge of the eternal wrath at...
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When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

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KJV Study Commentary

"When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it." The poetic imagery presents creation wrapped in clouds and darkness like an infant in swaddling clothes. The Hebrew <em>lebusho</em> (לְבֻשׁוֹ, "garment") and <em>chatullato</em> (חֲתֻלָּתוֹ, "swaddling") suggest tender care alongside sovereign power. God portrays Himself as caring for primordial creation, clot...
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And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, brake: or, established my decree upon it

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KJV Study Commentary

"And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors." God established boundaries for the sea through divine decree (<em>chuqqi</em>, חֻקִּי, "my decree/statute"). The imagery of bars (<em>beriach</em>, בְּרִיחַ) and doors (<em>delatayim</em>, דְּלָתָיִם) personifies the sea as something powerful that must be restrained. This echoes Genesis 1:9-10 where God gathered waters into seas. The ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(10) **And brake up for it my decreed place.**—Rather, *And prescribed for it my decree: *that is to say, determined the boundaries of its abode. When we bear in mind the vast forces and unstable nature of the sea, it seems a marvel that it acknowledges any limits, and is held in restraint by them.

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? thy: Heb. the pride of thy waves

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KJV Study Commentary

"And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?" God quotes His own decree to the sea, using <em>ad-poh</em> (עַד־פֹה, "thus far") to mark absolute limits. The personification continues—the sea has "proud waves" (<em>geʾon galekha</em>, גְּאוֹן גַּלֶּיךָ). This reveals God's authority to command even the proudest natural forces. The verse anticipates ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 20 SECOND SERIES. Job 20:1-29. Reply of Zophar. **2. Therefore--**Rather, the more excited I feel by Job's speech, the more for that very reason shall my reply be supplied by my calm consideration. Literally, "Notwithstanding; my calm thoughts (as in Job 4:13) shall furnish my answer, because of the excitement (haste) within me" [Umbreit].

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

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KJV Study Commentary

God questions Job: 'Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place?' This asks whether Job controls daily sunrise - something so routine humans take it for granted, yet entirely beyond human power.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(12) **And caused the dayspring to know his place.**—Changing, as it does, from day to day with the changing seasons.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**3. check of my reproach--**that is, the castigation intended as a reproach (literally, "shame") to me. **spirit of ... understanding--**my rational spirit; answering to "calm thoughts" (Job 20:2). In spite of thy reproach urging me to "hastiness." I will answer in calm reason.

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? ends: Heb. wings

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KJV Study Commentary

"That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?" God describes dawn gripping earth's edges like shaking out a garment, dislodging the wicked who operate under darkness's cover. The Hebrew <em>yinnater</em> (יִנָּעֵר, "be shaken out") suggests vigorous action. This reveals God's moral governance—light exposes and disrupts wickedness. The imagery anticip...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(13) **Shaken out of it.**—The figure is that of a man shaking a cloth (Job 24:15-17).

It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

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KJV Study Commentary

"It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment." Dawn transforms earth's appearance as dramatically as wet clay receives a seal's impression or a garment displays its colors when unfolded. The Hebrew <em>tithappek</em> (תִּתְהַפֵּךְ, "is turned/transformed") suggests complete change. Darkness flattens landscape into indistinct shapes; sunrise reveals contours, colors, and details. ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(14) **As clay to the seal.**—In the darkness every object is without form and void, just as clay or wax, which has no distinctness of shape till the seal is applied, and then the impression is clear and manifest. So with the coming of the daylight after darkness. We should rather render, *It is changed as clay under the seal, and all things stand forth as in their proper raiment.*

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**5. the hypocrite--**literally, "the ungodly" (Psa 37:35, 36).

And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.

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KJV Study Commentary

"And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken." Darkness is paradoxically called the wicked's "light" (<em>orem</em>, אוֹרָם)—the medium in which they operate. Dawn withholds this, exposing evil. The "high arm" (<em>zero'a ramah</em>, זְרוֹעַ רָמָה) represents violence and oppression being broken. This reveals God's justice—He systematically undermines evil's pow...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. (Is 14:13; Ob 3, 4).

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

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KJV Study Commentary

God asks: 'Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?' This questions Job's knowledge of ocean depths - regions utterly inaccessible in ancient times. Divine knowledge encompasses what human exploration cannot reach.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(16) **The search of the depth**—*i.e., *the secret recesses of it. The “springs of the sea” are rather, perhaps, the *mazes, intricacies, &c. of the trackless, pathless deep. *This leads to the cognate thought of the **bottomless **pit of death (Job 38:17).

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**7. dung--**in contrast to the haughtiness of the sinner (Job 20:6); this strong term expresses disgust and the lowest degradation (Psa 83:10; 1Ki 14:10).

Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

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KJV Study Commentary

"Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?" God questions whether Job has accessed death's realm. The Hebrew <em>sha'are mavet</em> (שַׁעֲרֵי־מָוֶת, "gates of death") and <em>sha'are tsalmavet</em> (שַׁעֲרֵי צַלְמָוֶת, "gates of the shadow of death") present death as a guarded domain. Only God possesses authority over death and Sheol. This a...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. (Psa 73:20).

Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

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KJV Study Commentary

"Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all." God challenges Job to comprehend earth's vast dimensions. The Hebrew <em>rachavey-erets</em> (רַחֲבֵי־אָרֶץ, "breadth/expanse of earth") emphasizes magnitude beyond human grasp. This question humbles human pretensions to comprehensive knowledge. If Job cannot comprehend spatial dimensions, how can he judge God's govern...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(18) **Perceived.**—Or rather, perhaps, *comprehended.* **The breadth of the earth.**—The earth being conceived of as a vast plain (comp. Job 38:13). Unscientific as all this language is, it is not a little remarkable that the majestic sublimity of it is not one whit affected thereby.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

9. Rather "the eye followeth him, but can discern him no more." A sharp-looking is meant (Job 28:7; Job 7:10).

Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

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KJV Study Commentary

"Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof?" God asks about light and darkness's origin and habitation. Ancient thought often personified these as substances with dwelling places. The question probes reality's fundamental nature—sources of light and darkness. Job cannot answer, highlighting God's unique knowledge of creation's deepest structures. Theolo...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**10. seek to please--**"Atone to the poor" (by restoring the property of which they had been robbed by the father) [De Wette]. Better than English Version, "The children" are reduced to the humiliating condition of "seeking the favor of those very poor," whom the father had oppressed. But Umbreit translates as Margin. **his hands--**rather, "their (the children's) hands." **their goods--**the...
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That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof? to the bound: or, at, etc

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KJV Study Commentary

"That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?" God continues questioning about light and darkness—can Job guide them to their boundaries and pathways? The imagery treats light and darkness as entities with domains and routes. This emphasizes God's comprehensive knowledge versus human ignorance of creation's workings. The rhetorical ...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(20) **That thou shouldest take *it****—i.e., *go with or track it.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

11. (Psa 25:7), so Vulgate. Gesenius has "full of youth"; namely, in the fulness of his youthful strength he shall be laid in the dust. But "bones" plainly alludes to Job's disease, probably to Job's own words (Job 19:20). Umbreit translates, "full of his secret sins," as in Psa 90:8; his secret guilt in his time of seeming righteousness, like secret poison, at last lays him in the dust. The Engli...
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Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

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KJV Study Commentary

"Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?" Divine irony punctuates God's questions. Job wasn't present at creation; his lifetime, though long by human standards, is infinitesimal compared to eternity. The Hebrew <em>ki-az tivaled</em> (כִּי־אָז תִּוָּלֵד, "for then you were born") uses biting sarcasm to humble human presumption. This rhetorical devi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(21) **Knowest thou it?**—It is better to read this verse without an interrogation, as sublime irony. “Doubtless thou knowest all this, for thou wast born then, and the number of thy days is so great!”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**12. be--**"taste sweet." Sin's fascination is like poison sweet to the taste, but at last deadly to the vital organs (Pr 20:17; Job 9:17, 18). **hide ... tongue--**seek to prolong the enjoyment by keeping the sweet morsel long in the mouth (so Job 20:13).

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

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KJV Study Commentary

God challenges: 'Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail?' This question treats weather phenomena as divine 'treasures' stored for purposes Job doesn't understand. God's providence extends to meteorology.

Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

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KJV Study Commentary

"Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" God reveals His strategic stockpiling of natural phenomena (snow, hail from v.22) for use in judgment and warfare. The Hebrew <em>chasakhti</em> (חָשַׂכְתִּי, "I have reserved/withheld") indicates intentional storage for future purposes. This demonstrates God's sovereignty over history—He prepares instruments o...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(23) **The time of trouble.**—As was the case with the Canaanites, in Joshua 10:11. (Comp. Psalm 18:13.)

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**14. turned--**Hebrew denotes a total change into a disagreeable contrary (Jr 2:21; compare Re 10:9, 10). **gall--**in which the poison of the asp was thought to lie. It rather is contained in a sack in the mouth. Scripture uses popular language, where no moral truth is thereby endangered.

By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

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KJV Study Commentary

God's interrogation continues with questions about light distribution and wind patterns. The 'way' (derek, דֶּרֶךְ) implies an established path or route, asking Job if he understands the mechanics by which light is 'parted' (chalaq, חָלַק)—divided or distributed across the earth. The 'east wind' (qadim, קָדִים) in the ancient Near East was known as a destructive force, yet God scatters it accordin...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(24) **By what way is the light parted?**—*i.e., *distributed in turn to all the inhabitants of the earth. **The east wind.**—As naturally suggested by the origin of light and the mention of it.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

15. He is forced to disgorge his ill-gotten wealth.

God Questions Job About Nature

Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

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KJV Study Commentary

"Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder?" God questions who channels rainwater and lightning. The Hebrew <em>pelleg</em> (פֶּלֶג, "watercourse/channel") and <em>derekh</em> (דֶּרֶךְ, "way/path") suggest intentional routing. Rain doesn't fall randomly—God directs it with purpose. Lightning follows divinely ordained paths. This reveals God...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(25) **Who hath divided a watercourse.**—Rather, cleft a channel for the water-flood.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**16. shall suck--**It shall turn out that he has sucked the poison, &amp;c.

To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

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KJV Study Commentary

"To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man." God sends rain on uninhabited lands, serving no immediate human purpose. This challenges anthropocentric thinking—creation exists for God's glory, not merely human utility. The double emphasis "where no man is" highlights God's care for creation itself, apart from human benefit. This demonstrates God's...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(26*)* **To cause it to rain on the earth.**—Because God is mindful of His creation, independently of the wants of man.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**17. floods--**literally, "stream of floods," plentiful streams flowing with milk, &amp;c. (Job 29:6; Ex 3:17). Honey and butter are more fluid in the East than with us and are poured out from jars. These "rivers" or water brooks are in the sultry East emblems of prosperity.

To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

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KJV Study Commentary

"To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?" God's rain satisfies (<em>sova</em>, שֹׂבַע, "to satisfy/saturate") even desolate places, making vegetation spring forth. This demonstrates God's redemptive impulse—He delights in bringing life from barrenness, beauty from desolation. The imagery anticipates Isaiah's promises of desert blooming (Is...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. Image from food which is taken away from one before he can swallow it. **restitution--**(So Pr 6:31). The parallelism favors the English Version rather than the translation of Gesenius, "As a possession to be restored in which he rejoices not." **he shall not rejoice--**His enjoyment of his ill-gotten gains shall then be at an end (Job 20:5).

Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

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KJV Study Commentary

"Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?" God asks whether natural phenomena have human-like parentage. The Hebrew <em>holid</em> (הוֹלִיד, "beget/father") uses procreation language for rain and dew. The answer is clear—only God generates these. This challenges pagan mythologies that personified natural forces as deities or divine offspring. Rain and dew aren't autonomous be...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**19. oppressed--**whereas he ought to have espoused their cause (2Ch 16:10). **forsaken--**left helpless. **house--**thus leaving the poor without shelter (Is 5:8; Mi 2:2).

Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

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KJV Study Commentary

"Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?" Continuing the parentage theme, God uses feminine imagery—womb (<em>beten</em>, בֶּטֶן) and gendering (<em>yalad</em>, יָלָד). Ice and frost lack natural parents; God alone produces them. The mixing of masculine (fathering) and feminine (womb) imagery for God's creative work shows both are metaphors pointing to ...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

20. Umbreit translates, "His inward parts know no rest" from desires. **his belly--**that is, peace inwardly. **not save--**literally, "not escape with that which," &amp;c., alluding to Job's having been stripped of his all.

The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. is: Heb. is taken

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KJV Study Commentary

"The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen." God describes water's transformation to ice—liquid becoming solid "as with a stone" (<em>kaeven</em>, כָּאֶבֶן). Even the deep (<em>tehom</em>, תְּהוֹם), primordial waters representing chaos, freezes solid under God's command. This demonstrates God's power to transform and control even the most formidable natural forces. Ice...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(30) **The waters are hid.**—Or, *The waters hide themselves and become like stone. *Water loses its familiar quality, and is turned into stone.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**21. look for--**rather, "because his goods," that is, prosperity shall have no endurance.

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Pleiades: or, the seven stars: Heb. Cimah Orion: Heb. Cesil?

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KJV Study Commentary

God asks: 'Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?' This references stellar constellations beyond human control. Even the 'sweet influences' (beneficial effects) of stars operate under divine governance, not human manipulation.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(31) **The sweet influences.**—With reference to their supposed effect on weather and the like, or perhaps the word means *chain *or *band, *with allusion to their group—“Glitter like a swarm of fire-flies tangled in a silver braid.” The context, however, of “the bands of Orion” seems rather to favour the other view. “Canst thou regulate the influences exerted by these several constellations in ei...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**22. shall be--**rather, "he is (feeleth) straitened." The next clause explains in what respect. **wicked--**Rather, "the whole hand of the miserable (whom he had oppressed) cometh upon him"; namely, the sense of his having oppressed the poor, now in turn comes with all its power (hand) on him. This caused his "straitened" feeling even in prosperity.

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? Mazzaroth: or, the twelve signs guide: Heb. guide them

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KJV Study Commentary

God challenges Job with astronomical phenomena beyond human control. 'Mazzaroth' (mazzarot, מַזָּרוֹת) likely refers to the constellations or zodiac in their seasons, though the exact meaning is debated. 'Arcturus with his sons' refers to the constellation Ursa Major (the Great Bear) with its associated stars. The verbs 'bring forth' (yatsa, יָצָא) and 'guide' (nachah, נָחָה) emphasize active dire...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(32) **Mazzaroth **is commonly understood to mean the signs of the Zodiac, and by the children of Arc-turus the three stars in the tail of Ursa Major.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

23. Rather, "God shall cast (may God send) [Umbreit] upon him the fury of His wrath to fill his belly!" **while ... eating--**rather, "shall rain it upon him for his food!" Fiery rain, that is, lightning (Psa 11:6; alluding to Job's misfortune, Job 1:16). The force of the image is felt by picturing to one's self the opposite nature of a refreshing rain in the desert (Ex 16:4; Psa 68:9).

Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

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KJV Study Commentary

God's question intensifies by addressing cosmic law and earthly governance simultaneously. 'Ordinances of heaven' (chuqqot shamayim, חֻקּוֹת שָׁמָיִם) refers to the fixed laws or statutes governing celestial bodies—what we might call physics or natural law. 'Set the dominion thereof in the earth' (mishtar, מִשְׁטָר) asks whether Job can establish heaven's rule or authority over earth. This verse r...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(33) **The ordinances of heaven.**—Comp. Job 28:26. That is, the recurring seasons and their power of influencing the earth.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**24. steel--**rather, "brass." While the wicked flees from one danger, he falls into a greater one from an opposite quarter [Umbreit].

Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

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KJV Study Commentary

God's interrogation shifts to weather phenomena, asking if Job can command clouds to release rain on demand. 'Lift up thy voice' (rum qol, רוּם קוֹל) implies authoritative command, while 'abundance of waters may cover thee' (shiphah-mayim, שִׁפְעַת־מַיִם) suggests overwhelming response to one's word. This question reveals the vast gulf between divine and human authority—God speaks, and nature obey...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**25. It is drawn--**Rather, "He (God) draweth (the sword, Jos 5:13) and (no sooner has He done so, than) it cometh out of (that is, passes right through) the (sinner's) body" (De 32:41, 42; Eze 21:9, 10). The glittering sword is a happy image for lightning. **gall--**that is, his life (Job 16:13). "Inflicts a deadly wound." **terrors--**Zophar repeats Bildad's words (Job 17:11; Psa 88:16; 55:...
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Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? Here: Heb. Behold us?

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KJV Study Commentary

The divine interrogation reaches lightning—the most dramatic and fearsome natural phenomenon. 'Send lightnings' (shalach baraq, שָׁלַח בָּרָק) uses vocabulary of dispatching messengers on a mission. The response 'Here we are' (hinenu, הִנֵּנוּ) is the same word used when prophets and patriarchs respond to God's call (Genesis 22:1, Isaiah 6:8), suggesting personal, obedient relationship. This anthr...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**26. All darkness--**that is, every calamity that befalls the wicked shall be hid (in store for him) in His (God's) secret places, or treasures (Jude 13; De 32:34). **not blown--**not kindled by man's hands, but by God's (Is 30:33; the Septuagint in the Alexandrian Manuscript reads "unquenchable fire," Mt 3:12). Tact is shown by the friends in not expressly mentioning, but alluding under color ...
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Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

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KJV Study Commentary

God questions: 'Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?' This addresses the source of human wisdom - not self-generated but divinely implanted. Even human capacity to think about God comes from God.

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(36) **Wisdom in the inward parts.**—The mention of the inward parts and the heart here, in the midst of natural phenomena, perplexes every one; but it is a natural solution to refer them to the lightnings personified: “Who hath put such understanding in their inward parts?”

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

27. All creation is at enmity with him, and proclaims his guilt, which he would fain conceal.

Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven, stay: Heb. cause to lie down

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KJV Study Commentary

God's questions about clouds emphasize both knowledge and power. 'Number the clouds in wisdom' (saphar shechaqim, סָפַר שְׁחָקִים) asks who possesses sufficient understanding to count and categorize atmospheric phenomena. 'Stay the bottles of heaven' (shakab niblei, שָׁכַב נִבְלֵי) uses imagery of tipping or pouring water containers—who can tip the heavenly reservoirs to release rain? The term 'bo...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(37) **Who can stay the bottles of heaven?**—This is understood in two opposite senses—of pouring out the bottles or of laying them up in store. It is not easy to decide which is most in accordance with the context, for the context also is somewhat uncertain, according as we interpret the solid mass of thick mud or of hard, dry soil. The survey of physical phenomena ends with this verse.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**28. increase--**prosperity. Ill got--ill gone. **flow away--**like waters that run dry in summer; using Job's own metaphor against himself (Job 6:15-17; 2Sa 14:14; Mi 1:4). **his wrath--**God's.

When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together? groweth: or, is turned into mire: Heb. is poured

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse describes a specific meteorological condition: when rain transforms dust into hardened ground. 'Groweth into hardness' (yatsaq, יָצַק) literally means to pour out or cast, like metal being poured into a mold, referring to how rain compacts dust. 'Clods cleave fast together' (regabim, רְגָבִים) describes soil particles bonding after rain, creating the firm surface necessary for agricultu...
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

**29. appointed--**not as a matter of chance, but by the divine "decree" (Margin) and settled principle.

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions, the appetite: Heb. the life

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KJV Study Commentary

God transitions from meteorology to zoology, asking if Job provides food for lions. 'Hunt the prey' (tsud tsayid, צוּד צַיִד) means to chase and capture game. 'Fill the appetite' (male nephesh, מָלֵא נֶפֶשׁ) literally means to satisfy the soul or life-force, emphasizing not just physical hunger but vitality. 'Young lions' (kephir, כְּפִיר) refers to strong, mature lions in their prime. This questi...
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Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(39) **Wilt thou hunt the prey?**—The new chapter ought to begin here with this verse, inasmuch as the animal creation now passes under review.

When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

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KJV Study Commentary

This verse continues the lion imagery, describing their hunting behavior. 'Couch in their dens' (rabats me'onah, רָבַץ מְעוֹנָה) refers to the lion's resting posture in its lair. 'Abide in the covert to lie in wait' (yashab sukkah, יָשַׁב סֻכָּה) describes patient ambush hunting from concealed positions. The verse emphasizes the lions' patient, strategic hunting—waiting for prey rather than consta...
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Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.

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KJV Study Commentary

God asks: 'Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.' This reveals divine care for ravens - birds considered unclean and insignificant. If God feeds ravens, how much more does He care for Job?

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers

(41) **They wander for lack of meat.**—The second clause is not a direct statement, but is dependent on the previous one; thus: “When his young ones cry unto God, when they wander for lack of meat.” **Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. **Bible Hub

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

CHAPTER 21 SECOND SERIES. Job 21:1-34. Job's Answer. **2. consolations--**If you will listen calmly to me, this will be regarded as "consolations"; alluding to Eliphaz' boasted "consolations" (Job 15:11), which Job felt more as aggravations ("mockings," Job 21:3) than consolations (Job 16:2).

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