Job 38:9 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 38:4-11

For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance even concerning the earth and the sea. Though so near, though so bulky, yet he could give no account of their origination, much less of heaven above or hell beneath, which are at such a distance, or of the several parts of matter which are so minute, and then, least of all, of the divine counsels. I. Concerning the founding of the earth. ?If he have such a mighty insight, as he pretends to have, into the counsels of God, let him give... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 38:9

When I made the cloud the garment thereof ,.... For this newborn babe, the sea; and thick darkness a swaddling band for it ; which was the case of the sea when it burst out of the bowels of the earth and covered it, for then darkness was upon the face of the deep, a dark, foggy, misty air, Genesis 1:2 ; and this was before its separation from the land, and in this order it stands in this account; though since, clouds, fogs, and mists, which rise out of the sea, are as garments to it,... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 38:9

When I make the cloud the garment - Alluding to the cloth in which the new-born infant is first received. The cloud was the same to the newly raised vapor, as the above recipient to the new-born child. And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it - Here is also an allusion to the first dressings of the new-born child: it is swathed in order to support the body, too tender to bear even careful handling without some medium between the hand of the nurse and the flesh of the child. "The image,"... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:1-41

The tone of the appeal is sustained at a high pitch, and the entire passage is one of extraordinary force and eloquence. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:4-15

Jehovah to Job: the first answer-the examination: 1. Concerning the creation. I. THE CREATION OF THE EARTH THE HANDIWORK OF GOD . 1 . An exclusively Divine work. Jehovah claims not simply to have been the Framer of the mighty fabric of the globe, but to have shared the honour of that stupendous achievement with no co-worker. Hence certainly not with Job. "Where wast thou when I established the earth?" Not taking part or even looking on, since thou wast not then in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:4-33

Human impotence and ignorance exposed. Job's affliction is a mystery—a mystery that needs to be revealed. Job has not given the explanation of it. He has not known it. His friends have failed. It has been attributed to his sin; but he is confident in his honest integrity, and cannot be persuaded that he is suffering punishment, for he has not a consciousness of guilt. Elihu has indicated the hidden nature of the Divine works, and has not made the mystery clearer. But he has closed the lips... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:8-11

Jehovah to Job: the first answer-the examination: 2. Concerning the sea. I. THE PRODUCTION OF THE SEA . 1 . The place whence it issued. The sea, by a bold metaphor, is represented as a child proceeding from its mother's womb. The allusion apparently is to the third day's creative work, when the terrestrial waters were collected into seas by "the upheaval of the land through the action of subterranean fires, or the subsidence of the earth's crust in consequence of the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:8-11

Lessons of the sea. Passing from the thought of the joy of creation, when the morning stars sang together, we find our thoughts directed to the sea in its power and pride, first formed by the hand of God, and ever reined in by his commanding voice. I. GOD 'S POWER OVER WHAT IS MOST GREAT . The sea strikes our imagination chiefly because of its vastness. It only consists of water, which, when we see it in the trickling rill or hold it in the cup, is one of the most simple... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:9

When I made the cloud the garment thereof . The account of creation here given is certainly not drawn wholly from Genesis It is to be viewed as a second, independent, account of the occurrences, in fuller detail, but vaguer, by reason of the poetical phraseology. And thick darkness a swaddllng-band for it . The infant sea, just come from the womb (verse 8), is represented as clothed with a cloud, and swaddled in thick darkness, to mark its complete subjection to its Creator from the first. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Job 38:9

When I made the cloud the garment thereof - Referring to the garment in which the new-born infant is wrapped up. This image is one of great beauty. It is that of the vast ocean just coming into being, with a cloud resting upon it and covering it. Thick darkness envelopes it, and it is swathed in mists; compare Genesis 1:2,” And darkness was upon the face of the deep.” The time here referred to is that before the light of the sun arose upon the earth, before the dry land appeared, and before... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Job 38:4-11

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Job 38:9

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Job 38:9

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:1-41

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:4-15

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:4-33

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:8-11

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:8-11

The Pulpit Commentary - Job 38:9

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Job 38:9

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