Job 38
38
1Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind,#38:1. “Whirlwind,” or “storm.” 2“Who is this who questions my wisdom by talking so ignorantly? 3Prepare yourself, be strong,#38:3. Literally, “like a man.” for I am going to question you, and you must answer me. 4Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have such knowledge! 5Who decided its dimensions? Don't you know? Who stretched out a measuring line? 6What do its foundations rest upon? Who laid its cornerstone, 7when the stars of the morning sang together and all the angels#38:7. Literally, “sons of God” as in 1:6. The parallel there of “the stars of the morning” would similarly apply to heavenly beings. shouted for joy.
8Who laid down the boundaries of the sea when it was born?#38:8. Literally, “who shut in the sea with doors when it burst forth from the womb.” 9Who clothed it with clouds, and wrapped it in a blanket of deep darkness? 10I set its limits, marking its borders.#38:10. Literally, “I set bars and doors.” 11I said, ‘You may come here, but no farther. Here is where your proud waves stop.’
12During your lifetime, have you ever ordered the morning to begin? 13Have you ever told the dawn where to appear that it might take hold of the corners of the earth and shake the wicked out?#38:13. This poetic image is meant to convey the idea that when daylight comes the wicked cease their evil. 14The earth is changed like clay under a seal;#38:14. Like a seal impressing an image on a smooth piece of clay. its features stand out like a crumpled garment. 15The ‘light’#38:15. Of course the wicked's “light” is the reverse—darkness. of the wicked is taken away from them; their acts of violence are stopped.
16Have you entered the sources of the sea? Have you explored their hidden depths? 17Have you been shown where the gates of death are? Have you seen the gates of utter darkness? 18Do you know how far the earth extends? Tell me if you know all this! 19In which direction does light live? Where does darkness dwell? 20Can you take them home? Do you know the way to where they live? 21Of course you know, because you were already born then! You've lived so long!
22Have you been to where the snow is kept? Have you seen where the hail is held? 23I have stored them up for the time of trouble, for the day of war and battle.#38:23. Hail is often associated with God's involvement in battle: Joshua 10:11; Exodus 9:22; Isaiah 28:17; Ezekiel 13:13. 24Do you know the way to where light comes from, or to where the east wind blows over the earth? 25Who cuts a channel for the rain to flow? Who creates a path for the thunderbolt?
26Who brings rain to an uninhabited land, to a desert where nobody lives, 27to water a parched wasteland to make the green grass grow? 28Does the rain have a father? Who was the father of the dewdrops? 29Who was the mother of ice? Does the frost of the air have a mother? 30Water turns into rock-hard ice; its surface freezes solid. 31Can you tie together the stars of the Pleiades? Can you loosen the belt of the Orion constellation?#38:31. God is speaking figuratively regarding the stars in these constellations, previously mentioned in 9:9. 32Can you guide the stars of Mazzaroth#38:32. A star grouping whose name is not known. It may refer to the 12 constellations of the Zodiac. at the right time? Can you direct the Great Bear constellation and its other stars? 33Do you know the laws of the heavens?#38:33. In the context, God is referring particularly to the laws governing heavenly bodies. Can you apply them to the earth?
34Can you shout to the clouds and command them to pour rain down on you? 35Can you send out bolts of lightning and direct them, so that they can answer you saying, ‘Here we are’? 36Who has placed wisdom inside people? Who has given understanding to the mind?#38:36. The interpretation of this verse is unclear and many possible translations have been suggested. 37Who is clever enough to count the clouds? Who can turn heaven's water jars on their sides 38when the dust has baked into a solid mass?#38:38. In other words, who can cause the rain to fall when the earth is parched?
39Can you hunt prey for the lion? Can you feed the lion cubs 40as they crouch down in their dens and lie in wait in the bushes? 41Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God, weak from starvation?”
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Job 38: FBV
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com