English Standard Version
Job 38:26
26to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man,
Job 38:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
- New International Version (NIV)to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert,
- New King James Version (NKJV)To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man;
- New Living Translation (NLT)Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives?
Context of Job 38:26
24What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? 25"Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, 27to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass? 28"Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew?
Read all of Job 38Job 38:26 word by word
לְ֭הַמְטִיר עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ לֹא־אִ֑ישׁ מִ֝דְבָּ֗ר לֹא־אָדָ֥ם בּֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 38:26
- Job 38:11and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'?
- Psalms 104:10You make springs gush forth in the valleys; they flow between the hills;
- Psalms 107:35He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
- Psalms 147:8He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
- Isaiah 35:1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
- Isaiah 41:18I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
- Isaiah 43:19Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
- Jeremiah 14:22Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not he, O Lord our God? We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.
- Hebrews 6:7For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God.
Commentaries on Job 38:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26To cause it to rain on the earth - It is well known that rain falls copiously in thunder-storms. The flash is first seen, the clap is next heard, and last the rain descends. The lightning travels all lengths in no perceivable succession of time. Sound is propagated at the rate of 1142 feet in a second. Rain travels still more slowly, and will be seen sooner or later according to the weight of the drops, and the distance of the cloud from the place of the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 26To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is - This is designed to heighten the conception of the power of God. It could not be pretended that this was done by man, for the rain was caused to fall in the desolate regions where no one dwelt. In the lonely desert, in the wastes remote from the dwellings of people, the rain is sent down, evidently by the providential care of God, and far beyond the reach of the agency of man. There is very great beauty…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25-41Verses 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…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 24-27The east wind blows from the desert, drying up crops and seas (Genesis 41:6, 23, 27; Jeremiah 4:11; Jonah 4:8; Exodus 14:21; Isaiah 11:15). It is not like the heavy rain that causes floods. Helpful rain quenches a barren land (Psalms 104:10–11; 107:35; Isaiah 35:7; 58:11). This contrasts with both hot winds and flooding rains (Job 38:24, 25).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 19-3819-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.Read the comment
Topics related to Job 38:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries