8 "Or who enclosed the sea with doors When, bursting forth , it went out from the womb ; 9 When I made a cloud its garment And thick darkness its swaddling band , 10 And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors , 11 And I said , 'Thus far you shall come , but no farther ; And here shall your proud waves stop '?
12 "Have you ever e in your life e commanded the morning , And caused the dawn to know its place , 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth , And the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 "It is changed like clay under the seal ; And they stand forth like a garment . 15 " From the wicked their light is withheld , And the uplifted arm is broken . 16 "Have you entered into the springs of the sea Or walked in the recesses of the deep ? 17 "Have the gates of death been revealed to you, Or have you seen the gates of deep darkness ? 18 "Have you understood the expanse of the earth ? Tell Me, if you know all this. 19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light ? And darkness , where is its place , 20 That you may take it to its territory And that you may discern the paths to its home ? 21 "You know , for you were born then , And the number of your days is great ! 22 "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow , Or have you seen the storehouses of the hail , 23 Which I have reserved for the time of distress , For the day of war and battle ? 24 "Where is the way that the light is divided , Or the east wind scattered on the earth ?
25 "Who has cleft a channel for the flood , Or a way for the thunderbolt e , 26 To bring rain on a land without people , On a desert without a man in it, 27 To satisfy the waste and desolate land And to make the seeds of grass to sprout ? 28 "Has the rain a father ? Or who has begotten the drops of dew ? 29 "From whose womb has come the ice ? And the frost of heaven , who has given it birth ? 30 "Water becomes hard like stone , And the surface of the deep is imprisoned . 31 "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades , Or loose the cords of Orion ? 32 "Can you lead forth a constellation in its season , And guide the Bear with her satellites ? 33 "Do you know the ordinances of the heavens , Or fix their rule over the earth ? 34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds , So that an abundance of water will cover you? 35 "Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, 'Here we are'? 36 "Who has put wisdom in the innermost being Or given understanding to the mind ? 37 "Who can count the clouds by wisdom , Or tip the water jars of the heavens , 38 When the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together ? 39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion , Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions , 40 When they crouch in their dens And lie in wait in their lair ? 41 "Who prepares for the raven its nourishment When its young cry to God And wander about without food ?
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 38:8-41
Commentary on Job 38:4-11
(Read Job 38:4-11)
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church stands as firm as the earth.
Commentary on Job 38:12-24
(Read Job 38:12-24)
The Lord questions Job, to convince him of his ignorance, and shame him for his folly in prescribing to God. If we thus try ourselves, we shall soon be brought to own that what we know is nothing in comparison with what we know not. By the tender mercy of our God, the Day-spring from on high has visited us, to give light to those that sit in darkness, whose hearts are turned to it as clay to the seal, 2 Corinthians 4:6. God's way in the government of the world is said to be in the sea; this means, that it is hid from us. Let us make sure that the gates of heaven shall be opened to us on the other side of death, and then we need not fear the opening of the gates of death. It is presumptuous for us, who perceive not the breadth of the earth, to dive into the depth of God's counsels. We should neither in the brightest noon count upon perpetual day, nor in the darkest midnight despair of the return of the morning; and this applies to our inward as well as to our outward condition. What folly it is to strive against God! How much is it our interest to seek peace with him, and to keep in his love!
Commentary on Job 38:25-41
(Read Job 38:25-41)
Hitherto God had put questions to Job to show him his ignorance; now God shows his weakness. As it is but little that he knows, he ought not to arraign the Divine counsels; it is but little he can do, therefore he ought not to oppose the ways of Providence. See the all-sufficiency of the Divine Providence; it has wherewithal to satisfy the desire of every living thing. And he that takes care of the young ravens, certainly will not be wanting to his people. This being but one instance of the Divine compassion out of many, gives us occasion to think how much good our God does, every day, beyond what we are aware of. Every view we take of his infinite perfections, should remind us of his right to our love, the evil of sinning against him, and our need of his mercy and salvation.