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Elihu Continues: God’s Ways Are Beyond Human Understanding

37 “My heart pounds because of this
    and jumps out of its place.
Listen! Listen to the roar of God’s voice,
    to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.
        He flashes his lightning everywhere under heaven.
        His light flashes to the ends of the earth.
        It is followed by the roar of his voice.
        He thunders with his majestic voice.
        He doesn’t hold the lightning back when his thunder is heard.
        El’s voice thunders in miraculous ways.
        It does great things that we cannot understand.

“He says to the snow, ‘Fall to the ground,’
    and to the pouring rain, ‘Rain harder!’
He makes it impossible to do anything[a]
    so that people will recognize his work.
        Animals go into their dens
            and stay in their lairs.
        A storm comes out of its chamber.
            It is cold because of the strong winds.[b]
10 El’s breath produces ice,
    and the seas freeze over.
11 Yes, he loads the thick clouds with moisture
    and scatters his lightning from the clouds.
12 He guides the clouds as they churn round and round
    over the face of the inhabited earth
        to do everything he orders them.
13 Whether for discipline,
    or for the good of his earth,
        or out of mercy,
            he makes the storm appear.

14 “Open your ears to this, Job.
    Stop and consider El’s miracles.
15 Do you know how Eloah controls them
    and makes the lightning flash from his clouds?
16 Do you know how the clouds drift
    (these are the miracles of the one who knows everything),
17 you whose clothes are hot and sweaty,
    when the earth is calm under a south wind?
18 Can you stretch out the skies with him
    and make them as firm as a mirror made of metal?
19 Teach us what we should say to him.
    We are unable to prepare a case because of darkness.
20 Should he be told that I want to speak?
    Can a person speak when he is confused?
21 People can’t look at the sun
    when it’s bright among the clouds
        or after the wind has blown and cleared those clouds away.
22 A golden light comes from the north.
    A terrifying majesty is around Eloah.
23 Shadday, whom we can’t reach,
    is great in power and judgment,
        has more than enough righteousness,
            and does not oppress.
24 That is why people should fear him.
    He does not respect those who think they’re wise.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 37:7 Or “He seals up every person’s hand.”
  2. Job 37:9 Hebrew meaning uncertain.

37 1 Elihu proveth that the unsearchable wisdom of God is manifest by his works. 4 As by the thunders. 6 The snow. 9 The whirlwind. 11 And the rain.

At this also mine heart is [a]astonied, and is moved out of his place.

Hear the [b]sound of his voice, and the noise that goeth out of his mouth.

He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his light unto the ends of the world.

After it a noise soundeth: he thundereth with the voice of his majesty, and he will not stay [c]them when his voice is heard.

God thundereth marvelously with his voice: he worketh great things, which we know not.

For he saith to the snow, Be thou upon the earth [d]likewise to the small rain and to the great rain of his power.

With the force thereof he [e]shutteth up every man, that all men may know his work.

Then the beasts go into the den, and remain in their places.

The whirlwind cometh out of the South, and the cold from the [f]North wind.

10 At the breath of God the frost is given, and the breadth of the waters [g]is made narrow.

11 He maketh also the clouds to [h]labor, to water the earth, and scattereth the cloud of [i]his light.

12 And it is turned about by his government, that they may do whatsoever he commandeth them upon the whole world:

13 Whether it be for [j]punishment, or for his land, or of mercy, he causeth it to come.

14 Hearken unto this, O Job: stand and consider the wondrous works of God.

15 Didst thou know when God disposed them? and caused the [k]light of his cloud to shine?

16 Hast thou known the [l]variety of the cloud, and the wondrous works of him that is perfect in knowledge?

17 Or how thy clothes are [m]warm, when he maketh the earth quiet through the South wind?

18 Hast thou stretched out the heavens, which are strong, and as a molten [n]glass?

19 Tell us what we shall say unto him: for we cannot dispose our matter because of [o]darkness.

20 Shall it be [p]told him when I speak? or shall man speak when he shall be [q]destroyed?

21 And now men see not the light, [r]which shineth in the clouds, but the wind passeth and cleanseth them.

22 The [s]brightness cometh out of the North: the praise thereof is to God, which is terrible.

23 It is the Almighty: we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power and judgment, and abundant in justice: he [t]afflicteth not.

24 Let men therefore fear him: for he will not regard any that are wise in their own conceit.

Footnotes

  1. Job 37:1 At the marvelling of the thunder and lightnings: whereby he declareth that the faithful are lively touched with the majesty of God, when they behold his works.
  2. Job 37:2 That is, the thunder, whereby he speaketh to men to waken their dullness, and to bring them to the consideration of his works.
  3. Job 37:4 Meaning, the rains and thunders.
  4. Job 37:6 So that neither small rain, nor great, snow nor anything else cometh without God’s appointment.
  5. Job 37:7 By rains and thunders God causeth men to keep themselves within their houses.
  6. Job 37:9 In Hebrew it is called the scattering wind, because it driveth away the clouds and purgeth the air.
  7. Job 37:10 That is, is frozen up and dried.
  8. Job 37:11 Gather the vapors and move to and fro to water the earth.
  9. Job 37:11 That is, the cloud that hath lightning in it.
  10. Job 37:13 Rain, cold, heat, tempests and such like are sent of God, either to punish man, or to profit the earth, or to declare his favor toward man, as Job 36:31.
  11. Job 37:15 That is, the lightning to break forth in the clouds?
  12. Job 37:16 Which is sometimes changed into rain, or snow, hail, or such like.
  13. Job 37:17 Why thy clothes should keep thee warm when the South wind bloweth, rather than when any other wind bloweth?
  14. Job 37:18 For their clearness.
  15. Job 37:19 That is, our ignorance: signifying that Job was so presumptuous, that he would control the works of God.
  16. Job 37:20 Hath God need that any should tell him when man murmureth against him?
  17. Job 37:20 If God would destroy a man, should he repine?
  18. Job 37:21 The cloud stoppeth the shining of the sun, that man cannot see it till the wind have chased away the cloud: and if man be not able to attain to the knowledge of these things, how much less of God’s judgments?
  19. Job 37:22 In Hebrew, gold, meaning, fair weather and clear as gold.
  20. Job 37:23 Meaning, without cause.