New English Translation
Job 38:1
Job 38:1 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
- New International Version (NIV)Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
Context of Job 38:1
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 2“Who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge? 3Get ready for a difficult task like a man; I will question you and you will inform me!
Read all of Job 38Job 38:1 word by word
וַיַּֽעַן־יְהוָ֣ה אֶת־אִ֭יּוֹב מִ֥ן׀ הַסְּעָרָ֗ה וַיֹּאמַֽר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 38:1
- Job 37:1At this also my heart pounds and leaps from its place.
- Exodus 19:16On the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud horn; all the people who were in the camp trembled.
- Deuteronomy 4:11You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to the sky above it and yet dark with a thick cloud.
- Deuteronomy 5:22The Lord said these things to your entire assembly at the mountain from the middle of the fire, the cloud, and the darkness with a loud voice, and that was all he said. Then he inscribed the words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
- 1 Kings 19:11The Lord said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord is ready to pass by.” A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
- 2 Kings 2:1Just before the Lord took Elijah up to heaven in a windstorm, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.
- Ezekiel 1:4As I watched, I noticed a windstorm coming from the north – an enormous cloud, with lightning flashing, such that bright light rimmed it and came from it like glowing amber from the middle of a fire.
- Nahum 1:3The Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will certainly not allow the wicked to go unpunished. He marches out in the whirlwind and the raging storm; dark storm clouds billow like dust under his feet.
Commentaries on Job 38:1
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind - It is not סופה suphah, as in the preceding chapter, Job 37:9; but סורה searah, which signifies something turbulent, tumultuous, or violently agitated; and here may signify what we call a tempest, and was intended to fill Job's mind with solemnity, and an awful sense of the majesty of God. The Chaldee has, a whirlwind of grief, making the whole rather allegorical than real; impressing the scene on Job's…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Then the Lord answered Job - This speech is addressed particularly to Job, not only because he is the principal personage referred to in the book, but particularly because he had indulged in language of murmuring and complaint. God designed to bring him to a proper state of mind before he appeared openly for his vindication. It is the purpose of God, in his dealings with his people, “to bring them to a proper state of mind” before he appears as their…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1God calls upon Job to answer. (1-3) God questions Job. (4-11) Concerning the light and darkness. (12-24) Concerning other mighty works. (25-41) Verses 1-3 Job had silenced, but had not convinced his friends. Elihu had silenced Job, but had not brought him to admit his guilt before God. It pleased the Lord to interpose. The Lord, in this discourse, humbles Job, and brings him to repent of his passionate expressions concerning God's providential dealings…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1Then the LORD answered Job: In this last part, the LORD challenges Job's strong self-defense by showing his works. This reminds Job of God's supreme greatness.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-41Job 38:1-41. 1. Jehovah appears unexpectedly in a whirlwind (already gathering Job 37:1, 2), the symbol of "judgment" (Psa 50:3, 4, &c.), to which Job had challenged Him. He asks him now to get himself ready for the contest. Can he explain the phenomena of God's natural government? How can he, then, hope to understand the principles of His moral government? God thus confirms Elihu's sentiment, that submission to, not reasonings on, God's ways is man's…Read the comment
Topics related to Job 38:1
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. Job 38:1 This is the culmination of it all, the revelation of the Lord to Job. Most interpreters see here the style and content of the author of the book, a return to the beginning of the book. Here the Lord speaks to Job and displays his sovereign power and glory. Job has lived through the suffering – without cursing God. He has held to his integrity, and nowhere regretted it. But he was unaware of the real reason for the suffering, and will remain unaware throughout these speeches. God intervenes to resolve the spiritual issues that surfaced. Job was not punished for sin. And Job’s suffering had not cut him off from God. In the end the point is that Job cannot have the knowledge to make the assessments he made. It is wiser to bow in submission and adoration of God than to try to judge him. The first speech of God has these sections: the challenge (38:1-3), the surpassing mysteries of earth and sky beyond Job’s understanding (4-38), and the mysteries of animal and bird life that surpassed his understanding (38:39–39:30). ↩
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries