New Living Translation
Job 38:1
1Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
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 from the whirlwind: 2“Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? 3Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.
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 37:1“My heart pounds as I think of this. It trembles within me.
- Exodus 19:16On the morning of the third day, thunder roared and lightning flashed, and a dense cloud came down on the mountain. There was a long, loud blast from a ram’s horn, and all the people trembled.
- Deuteronomy 4:11“You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while flames from the mountain shot into the sky. The mountain was shrouded in black clouds and deep darkness.
- Deuteronomy 5:22“The Lord spoke these words to all of you assembled there at the foot of the mountain. He spoke with a loud voice from the heart of the fire, surrounded by clouds and deep darkness. This was all he said at that time, and he wrote his words on two stone tablets and gave them to me.
- 1 Kings 19:11“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
- 2 Kings 2:1When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were traveling from Gilgal.
- Ezekiel 1:4As I looked, I saw a great storm coming from the north, driving before it a huge cloud that flashed with lightning and shone with brilliant light. There was fire inside the cloud, and in the middle of the fire glowed something like gleaming amber.
- Nahum 1:3The Lord is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. He displays his power in the whirlwind and the storm. The billowing clouds are the dust beneath 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
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 Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries