Proverbs 8:28 - Exposition

When he established the clouds above. The reference is to the waters above the firmament ( Genesis 1:7 ), which are suspended in the ether; and the idea is that God thus made this medium capable of sustaining them. Vulgate, Quando aethera firmabat sursum ; Septuagint, "When he made strong the clouds above" (comp. Job 26:8 ). When he strengthened the fountains of the deep ; rather, as in the Revised Version, when the fountains of the deep became strong ; i.e. when the great deep ( Genesis 7:11 ) burst forth with power (comp. Job 38:16 ). The Septuagint anticipates the following details by here rendering, "When he made secure the fountains of the earth beneath the heaven."