Verse 1
Job 37:1. At this also my heart
trembleth — These are a few of
the works of God; and though
there be innumerable more, yet
this one single effect of his
power strikes terror into me,
and makes my heart tremble, as
if it would leap out of my body
and leave me dead. Elihu
continues here his speech, which
he had begun before, concerning
the incomprehensible works of
God; and limits himself chiefly,
as he had in the foregoing
chapter, to the wonders God
doeth in the clouds. To which,
at last, he subjoins the amazing
extent and brightness of the
sky; in which the sun shines
with a lustre which we are not
able to behold. And thence
concludes, that the splendour of
the Divine Majesty is infinitely
more dazzling, and that we must
not pretend to give an account
of his counsels.
Verse 2
Job 37:2. Hear attentively the
noise of his voice — Or, as ברגז
קלו, berogez kolo, may properly
be rendered, his voice with
trembling. The thunder is called
God’s voice, because by it God
speaks to the children of men to
fear before him: and the sound
that goeth out of his mouth —
That is produced by his word or
command. Poole, Henry, and
divers other commentators, have
thought it probable that, at
this time, while Elihu was
speaking, it thundered greatly,
and that the tempest was begun
wherewith God ushered in his
speech, as it follows, Job 38:1.
And this, they suppose, might
occasion Elihu’s return to that
subject, of which he had
discoursed before. Bishop
Patrick thus paraphrases this
verse: “Hearken, I beseech you,
seriously to the horrible noise
which comes out of some of those
clouds, and it will astonish you
also. The smallest murmurs of it
are so dreadful, that it may be
fitly styled the voice of God
calling men to stand in awe of
him.”
Verses 3-5
Job 37:3-5. He directeth it —
Namely, his voice, his thunder;
under the whole heaven — It is
heard far and near, for he darts
it through the whole region of
the air: and his lightning, &c.
— Preceded by terrible, and
often most destructive flashes
of lightning, which shoot from
one end of heaven to the other.
After it a voice roareth — After
the lightning follow awful claps
of thunder, more tremendous than
the roarings of a lion; and he
will not stay them — They grow
louder and louder, till they
conclude in a violent tempest of
rain or hail. God thundereth
marvellously — With a wonderful
and terrible noise, and so as to
produce, by the accompanying
lightning, many wonderful
effects, as the breaking down of
great and strong trees, or
buildings, and the killing of
men and beasts in an
instantaneous and awful manner.
Great things doeth he — Even in
the course of nature, and in the
visible parts of the creation.
Which we cannot comprehend —
Which all men see, but of which
few or none can give the true
and satisfactory reasons. And
therefore it is not strange if
the secret and deep counsels of
divine providence be out of our
reach. And it would argue great
pride and arrogancy in us if we
should take upon us to censure
them, because we do not
understand them.
Verses 6-8
Job 37:6-8. He saith to the
snow, Be thou on the earth — By
his powerful will the snow is
formed in the air, and falls
upon the earth where and when he
sees fit. And the great rain of
his strength — Those storms of
rain which come with great force
and irresistible violence. He
sealeth up the hand of every man
— By these great snows and rains
he drives men out of the fields,
and seals or binds up their
hands from their work, confining
them to, and, in a manner,
shutting them up in their
houses. Or, ביד, bejad, by his
hand, or power, (that is, by
those powerful works of his
hands here mentioned,) he
sealeth, or shutteth up, or
keepeth close, every man,
namely, in his house, as the
wild beasts in their dens, Job
37:8. That all men may know his
work — That men, being hindered
from their own ordinary labour,
and perfectly at leisure, may
apply themselves to a serious
consideration of these and other
great and glorious works of God.
Then — In great rains or deep
snows; the beasts go into dens —
For shelter and comfort, and are
compelled to continue therein.
Verse 9-10
Job 37:9-10. Out of the south —
Hebrew, מן החרד, min ha-chered:
εκ ταμειων: de promptuariis, out
of the store-houses, LXX.; ab
interioribus, from the inner
chambers, Vulgate Latin. The
same with the chambers of the
south, Job 9:9. Or the southern
part of the world, so called,
because in a great part it was
unknown to those of the northern
hemisphere, in which Job and his
friends lived. Cometh the
whirlwind — Violent and stormy
winds; which, in those parts,
most frequently came out of the
south, whence they are called
whirlwinds of the south,
Zechariah 9:14; Isaiah 21:1. And
cold out of the north — That is,
cold and freezing winds, which
generally come from that
quarter. “From one quarter of
the heavens blow turbulent
winds; and, from the opposite
quarter, those cold blasts,
which clear and purify the air
again.” By the breath of God
frost is given, &c. — “By the
like sharp blasts God sends the
frost; and binds up the waters
so fast that they cannot flow.”
— Bishop Patrick. Or, as the
latter clause, ורחב מים במוצק,
verechab maim be-mutzak, may be
rendered, He swelleth the waters
by the thaw.
Verse 11-12
Job 37:11-12. Also by watering —
The earth; by causing the clouds
first to receive, and then to
convey to distant parts, and
afterward to pour forth,
abundance of water; he wearieth
the thick clouds — Alluding to
men’s being wearied with
carrying burdens, travelling,
and labour. By filling and
burdening them with much water,
and making them go long journeys
to water remote countries, and,
at last, to spend and empty
themselves there, he, as it
were, wearies and fatigues them.
He scattereth his bright cloud —
As for the white and lightsome
clouds, he scattereth and
dissolveth them by the wind or
sun. But here also the Hebrew
will easily admit a different
translation. If we consider ברי,
beri, here rendered by watering,
as being one word, derived from
barah, signifying serenity, the
meaning is, Fair weather also
disperseth the cloud; his sun
scattereth the cloud abroad. It
is turned round about — The
cloud, now mentioned, is carried
about to this or that place; by
his counsels — Not by chance,
(though nothing seems more
casual than the motions of the
clouds,) but by his order and
governance. That they way do
whatsoever he commandeth them —
Either be dispersed and pass
away without effect, to the
disappointment of the
husbandman’s hopes, or be
dissolved in sweet and
fertilizing showers.
Verse 13
Job 37:13. Whether for
correction — Hebrew, אם לשׁבשׂ,
im leshebet, whether for a rod,
to scourge or correct men by
immoderate showers. The word,
however, also means, a tribe,
for a certain portion of land,
which God intends particularly
to favour or punish, in that
way. Or for his land — Hebrew,
לארצוle-artzo, for his earth;
the whole earth, which is said
to be the Lord’s, Psalms 24:1;
Psalms 50:12; and so this may
denote a general judgment by
excessive rains inflicted upon
the whole earth, and all its
inhabitants, namely, the
universal deluge, which came, in
a great measure, out of the
clouds, and was, in a manner,
then fresh in the memories of
men. And thus these first two
members of the sentence speak of
correction, and the last of
relief and comfort. Or for mercy
— For the benefit of mankind, by
cooling and cleansing the air,
and refreshing and improving all
the fruits of the earth. “It
seems not improbable to me,”
says Bishop Sherlock, “that
these reflections arose from the
methods made use of by
providence (not worn out of
memory in the time of the writer
of this book) in punishing the
old world, in consequence of the
curse laid upon the ground. Such
methods they are by which the
ground may, at any time, be
cursed, and the toil and labour
of men increased to what degree
God thinks fit.”
Verse 14-15
Job 37:14-15. Hearken unto this,
O Job, &c. — Listen diligently
unto these things; do not
dispute any more with God, but
silently consider these his
wonderful works, and think, if
there be so much matter of
wonder in the most obvious works
of God, how wonderful must his
secret counsels be. Dost thou
know when God disposed them? —
The things before mentioned, the
clouds, rain, snow, and other
meteors? Did God acquaint thee
with his counsels in the
producing and ordering of them?
And caused the light of his
cloud to shine — Probably the
rainbow, seated in a cloud,
which may well be called God’s
cloud, because therein God puts
his bow, Genesis 9:13.
Verse 16-17
Job 37:16-17. Dost thou know the
balancings of the clouds? — How
God doth, as it were, weigh the
clouds in balances; so that,
although they are full of water,
and heavy, yet they are by his
power suspended in the thin air,
and kept from falling down upon
us in spouts and floods, as
sometimes they have done, and
generally would do, if not
governed by a higher Providence.
The works of him who is perfect
in knowledge — These are effects
and evidences of his infinite
power and knowledge. How thy
garments are warm — How and why
thy garments keep thee warm; or
whence it comes, that the air
grows mild when the south wind
blows.
Verse 18-19
Job 37:18-19. Hast thou, with
him, spread out the sky — Wast
thou his assistant in spreading
out the sky, like a canopy, over
the earth? Which is strong —
Which, though it be very thin
and transparent, yet is also
firm, and compact, and
steadfast. As a molten
looking-glass — Made of brass
and steel, as the manner then
was. Smooth and polished,
without the least flaw. In this,
as in a glass, we may behold the
glory of God, and the wisdom of
his handiwork. Teach us — If
thou canst; what we shall say
unto him — Of these his
wonderful works, or of his
divine counsels and ways. For we
cannot order our speech — We
know neither with what words or
matter, nor in what manner, to
maintain discourse with him, or
plead against him. By reason of
darkness — Both because of the
darkness of the matter, God’s
counsels and ways being a great
depth, and far out of our reach;
and because of the darkness, or
blindness, of our minds.
Verse 20
Job 37:20. Shall it be told him
that I speak? — Does he need to
be informed of any thing? Is any
thing that I have said of him
worth his hearing? Will any one
report it to him? Will any man
dare to approach him? But the
Hebrew, אדבר, adabber, should
rather be rendered, I should, or
I will, speak. Shall I send, or
who dare carry, a challenge from
me to God, or a message that I
am ready and desirous to debate
with him concerning his
proceedings? This, indeed, thou
hast done, in effect, but far be
such presumption from me. If a
man speak — If a man should be
so bold and venturous as to
enter the lists with God, surely
he shall be swallowed up — With
the sense of his infinite
majesty and spotless purity.
Verse 21
Job 37:21. And now — Or, for
now, as the particle ו, vau, is
often rendered; the following
words containing a reason of
those which precede; men see not
the bright light, &c. — Men are
not able to look upon the
brightness of the sun when it
shines in the heavens, after the
winds have swept away the clouds
which before obscured the clear
sky. And therefore it is not
strange if we cannot see God, or
discern his counsels and ways.
Verses 22-24
Job 37:22-24. Fair weather
cometh out of the north — From
the northern winds, which
scatter the clouds and clear the
sky. Elihu concludes with some
short, but great sayings,
concerning the glory of God. He
speaks abruptly and in haste,
because, it should seem, he
perceived God was approaching,
and presumed he was about to
take the work into his own
hands. With God is terrible
majesty — Those glorious works
of his, which I have described,
are testimonies of that great
and terrible majesty which is in
him; which should cause us to
fear and adore him, and not to
behave ourselves so irreverently
and insolently toward him as Job
hath done. We cannot find high
out — Namely, to perfection, as
it is expressed Job 11:7. We
cannot comprehend him; his
power, wisdom, justice, and his
counsels proceeding from them,
are past our finding out. He is
excellent in power — Therefore
as he doth not need any
unrighteous action to advance
himself, so he cannot do any,
because all such things are acts
and evidences of weakness. And
in judgment — In the just
administration of judgment, he
never did nor can exercise that
power unjustly, as Job seemed to
insinuate. And in plenty of
justice — In great and perfect
justice, such as no man can
justly reproach. He will not
afflict — Namely, without just
cause, or above measure. He doth
not afflict willingly, or from
his heart, Lamentations 3:33. He
takes no pleasure in doing it.
It is his work, indeed, but a
strange work, as Isaiah
elegantly terms it, Job 28:21.
Men do therefore fear him —
Hebrew, לכן, lachen, for this
cause, namely, because of God’s
infinite and excellent
perfections, and especially
those mentioned in the foregoing
verse, men do, or should, fear,
or reverence him, and humbly
submit to him, and not presume
to quarrel or dispute with him.
He respecteth not — Hebrew, לא
יראה, lo jireh, he doth not, or
will not, behold, namely, with
respect or approbation; any that
are wise of heart — That is,
such as are wise in their own
eyes, that lean to their own
understanding, and despise other
men in comparison of themselves,
and reject their counsels; or,
that are so puffed up with the
opinion of their own wisdom,
that they dare contend with
their Maker, and presume to
censure his counsels and
actions: which he hereby
intimates to be Job’s fault, and
to be the true reason why God
did not respect nor regard him,
nor his prayers and tears, as
Job complained. And so this is
also a tacit advice and
exhortation to Job to be humble
and little in his own eyes, if
ever he expected any favour from
God.
Thus Elihu, having set forth
God’s omnipotence in the
strongest colours he was able,
concludes with an observation
very applicable to the subject
of dispute before them. “As this
speaker,” says Dr. Dodd,
“performs the part of a
moderator, he seems to have
observed the errors on both
sides, and to have hit upon the
point where the controversy
ought to rest, namely, the
unsearchable depth of the divine
wisdom; with a persuasion that
God, who is acknowledged on all
hands to be infinitely powerful
and just, will certainly find a
way to clear up all the
irregularities, as they now
appear to us, in the methods of
his providence, and bring this
intricate and perplexed scene,
at last, to a beautiful and
regular close. The great fault
of the speech seems to be this;
that he bears too hard upon Job;
and his reproofs, though there
were some grounds for them, are
nevertheless too harsh and
severe. Nay, where he endeavours
to repeat what Job had said, he
gives it, for the most part, a
wrong turn, or sets it in some
very disadvantageous light. The
silence of this good man,
therefore, during this long
speech of Elihu, may be
considered as none of the least
instances of his patience; but
as he was convinced that one
part of the charge brought
against him was but too true,
namely, that he had been now and
then too hasty and intemperate
in his expressions, he was
resolved not to increase the
fault by entering anew into the
controversy; but by his silence
and attention here, and
suffering his passions to
subside, he was the better
prepared to receive the
following speech from Jehovah
with that profound humility, and
that absolute submission, which
became him.” |