Job 38:4-41

The Lord Answers Job

4 "Where were you when I u laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
 5 Who determined its measurements - surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
 6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone,
 7 when the morning stars v sang together
and all w the sons of God x shouted for joy?

8 "Or who y shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb,
 9 when I made clouds its garment
and z thick darkness its swaddling band,
 10 and prescribed a limits for it
and set bars and doors,
 11 and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your b proud waves be stayed'?

12 "Have you c commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
 13 that it might take hold of d the skirts of the earth,
and the wicked be e shaken out of it?
 14 It is changed like clay under the seal,
and its features stand out like a garment.
 15 From the wicked their f light is withheld,
and g their uplifted arm is broken.

16 "Have you h entered into the springs of the sea,
or walked in the recesses of the deep?
 17 Have i the gates of death been revealed to you,
or have you seen the gates of j deep darkness?
 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.

19 "Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
 20 that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern k the paths to its home?
 21 You know, for l you were born then,
and the number of your days is great!

22 "Have you entered m the storehouses of the snow,
or have you seen m the storehouses of the hail,
 23 which I have reserved n for the time of trouble,
n for the day of battle and war?
 24 What 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 o a way for the thunderbolt,
 26 to bring rain on p a land where no man is,
on q the desert in which there is no man,
 27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land,
and to make the ground sprout with r grass?

28 "Has s the rain a father,
or who has begotten the drops of dew?
 29 From whose womb did t the ice come forth,
and who has given birth to t the frost of heaven?
 30 The waters become hard like stone,
and the face of the deep is u frozen.

31 "Can you bind the chains of v the Pleiades
or loose the cords of v Orion?
 32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth 1 in their season,
or can you guide v the Bear with its children?
 33 Do you know w the ordinances of the heavens?
Can you establish their rule on the earth?

34 "Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
that x a flood of waters may cover you?
 35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go
and say to you, 'Here we are'?
 36 Who has y put wisdom in z the inward parts 2
or given understanding to the mind? 3
37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
 38 when the dust runs into a mass
and a the clods stick fast together?

39 "Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or b satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
 40 when they crouch in their c dens
or lie in wait d in their thicket?
 41 Who provides for e the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God for help,
and wander about for lack of food?

  1. Cross References
    Psalms 104:5
    He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.
    Proverbs 30:4
    Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name? Surely you know!
    Isaiah 40:12 - 14
    Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand and marked off the heavens with a span, enclosed the dust of the earth in a measure and weighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance?
    Proverbs 8:24 - 29
    When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water.
  2. Cross References
    Psalms 19:1 - 4
    The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
  3. Cross References
    Job 1:6
    Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them.
  4. Cross References
    Luke 2:13 - 14
    And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying.
  5. Cross References
    Genesis 1:9
    And God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear." And it was so.
    Psalms 33:7
    He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap; he puts the deeps in storehouses.
    Psalms 104:8 - 9
    The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place that you appointed for them.
    Jeremiah 5:22
    Do you not fear me? declares the Lord. Do you not tremble before me? I placed the sand as the boundary for the sea, a perpetual barrier that it cannot pass; though the waves toss, they cannot prevail; though they roar, they cannot pass over it.
  6. Cross References
    Job 22:13
    But you say, 'What does God know? Can he judge through the deep darkness?
  7. Cross References
    Job 38:33
    Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?
  8. Cross References
    Psalms 65:7
    Who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, the tumult of the peoples.
    Psalms 89:9
    You rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, you still them.
    Psalms 93:4
    Mightier than the thunders of many waters, mightier than the waves of the sea, the Lord on high is mighty!
  9. Cross References
    Psalms 65:8
    So that those who dwell at the ends of the earth are in awe at your signs. You make the going out of the morning and the evening to shout for joy.
    Psalms 74:16
    Yours is the day, yours also the night; you have established the heavenly lights and the sun.
  10. Cross References
    Job 37:3
    Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth.
  11. Cross References
    Nehemiah 5:13
    I also shook out the fold of my garment and said, "So may God shake out every man from his house and from his labor who does not keep this promise. So may he be shaken out and emptied." And all the assembly said "Amen" and praised the Lord. And the people did as they had promised.
  12. Cross References
    Job 18:5
    Indeed, the light of the wicked is put out, and the flame of his fire does not shine.
    Matthew 6:23
    But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
    Job 24:13 - 17
    There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.
  13. Cross References
    Psalms 10:15
    Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till you find none.
    Psalms 37:17
    For the arms of the wicked shall be broken, but the Lord upholds the righteous.
    Ezekiel 30:21 - 22
    Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and behold, it has not been bound up, to heal it by binding it with a bandage, so that it may become strong to wield the sword.
  14. Cross References
    Psalms 77:19
    Your way was through the sea, your path through the great waters; yet your footprints were unseen.
  15. Cross References
    Psalms 9:13
    Be gracious to me, O Lord! See my affliction from those who hate me, O you who lift me up from the gates of death.
    Psalms 107:18
    They loathed any kind of food, and they drew near to the gates of death.
    Isaiah 38:10
    I said, In the middle of my days I must depart; I am consigned to the gates of Sheol for the rest of my years.
    Matthew 16:18
    And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
  16. Cross References
    Job 3:5
    Let gloom and deep darkness claim it. Let clouds dwell upon it; let the blackness of the day terrify it.
  17. Cross References
    Job 24:13
    There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.
  18. Cross References
    Job 15:7
    Are you the first man who was born? Or were you brought forth before the hills?
  19. Cross References
    Psalms 135:7
    He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
  20. Cross References
    Psalms 135:7
    He it is who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses.
  21. Cross References
    Joshua 10:11
    And as they fled before Israel, while they were...
    Isaiah 28:17
    And I will make justice the line, and righteous...
    Isaiah 30:30
    And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to b...
    Ezekiel 13:11
    Say to those who smear it with whitewash that i...
    Ezekiel 13:13
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : I will make ...
    Ezekiel 38:22
    With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into...
    Revelation 16:21
    And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds ...
    Job 37:13
    Whether for correction or for his land or for l...
  22. Cross References
    Joshua 10:11
    And as they fled before Israel, while they were...
    Isaiah 28:17
    And I will make justice the line, and righteous...
    Isaiah 30:30
    And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to b...
    Ezekiel 13:11
    Say to those who smear it with whitewash that i...
    Ezekiel 13:13
    Therefore thus says the Lord God : I will make ...
    Ezekiel 38:22
    With pestilence and bloodshed I will enter into...
    Revelation 16:21
    And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds ...
    Job 37:13
    Whether for correction or for his land or for l...
  23. Cross References
    Job 28:26
    When he made a decree for the rain and a way for the lightning of the thunder.
  24. Cross References
    Job 37:13
    Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen.
  25. Cross References
    Psalms 107:35
    He turns a desert into pools of water, a parched land into springs of water.
  26. Cross References
    Genesis 1:11
    And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so.
    2 Samuel 23:4
    He dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.
  27. Cross References
    Psalms 147:8
    He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.
    Jeremiah 14:22
    Are 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.
  28. Cross References
    Psalms 147:16 - 17
    He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
  29. Cross References
    Psalms 147:16 - 17
    He gives snow like wool; he scatters hoarfrost like ashes.
  30. Cross References
    Job 37:10
    By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast.
  31. Cross References
    Job 9:9
    Who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south.
    Amos 5:8
    He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.
  32. Cross References
    Job 9:9
    Who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south.
    Amos 5:8
    He who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns deep darkness into the morning and darkens the day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the surface of the earth, the Lord is his name.
  33. Cross References
    Job 38:31
    Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion?
  34. Cross References
    Jeremiah 31:35
    Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar - the Lord of hosts is his name:
  35. Cross References
    Job 22:11
    Or darkness, so that you cannot see, and a flood of water covers you.
  36. Cross References
    Job 32:8
    But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand.
  37. Cross References
    Psalms 51:6
    Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
  38. Cross References
    Job 21:33
    The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all mankind follows after him, and those who go before him are innumerable.
  39. Cross References
    Psalms 104:21
    The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God.
  40. Cross References
    Job 37:8
    Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens.
  41. Cross References
    Psalms 17:12
    He is like a lion eager to tear, as a young lion lurking in ambush.
  42. Cross References
    Psalms 147:9
    He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.
    Luke 12:24
    Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!
    Matthew 6:26
    Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.