23 Which I have reserved H2820 against the time H6256 of trouble, H6862 against the day H3117 of battle H7128 and war? H4421
And it came to pass, as they fled H5127 from before H6440 Israel, H3478 and were in the going down H4174 to Bethhoron, H1032 that the LORD H3068 cast down H7993 great H1419 stones H68 from heaven H8064 upon them unto Azekah, H5825 and they died: H4191 they were more H7227 which died H4191 with hailstones H1259 H68 than they whom H834 the children H1121 of Israel H3478 slew H2026 with the sword. H2719
And the LORD H3068 shall cause his glorious H1935 voice H6963 to be heard, H8085 and shall shew H7200 the lighting down H5183 of his arm, H2220 with the indignation H2197 of his anger, H639 and with the flame H3851 of a devouring H398 fire, H784 with scattering, H5311 and tempest, H2230 and hailstones. H68 H1259
And G2532 there fell G2597 upon G1909 men G444 a great G3173 hail G5464 out of G1537 heaven, G3772 every stone about G5613 the weight of a talent: G5006 and G2532 men G444 blasphemed G987 God G2316 because of G1537 the plague G4127 of the hail; G5464 for G3754 the plague G4127 thereof G846 was G2076 exceeding G4970 great. G3173
Behold, to morrow H4279 about this time H6256 I will cause it to rain H4305 a very H3966 grievous H3515 hail, H1259 such as hath not been H3644 in Egypt H4714 since H4480 the foundation H3117 H3245 thereof even until now.
For by them judgeth H1777 he the people; H5971 he giveth H5414 meat H400 in abundance. H4342
Say H559 unto them which daub H2902 it with untempered H8602 morter, that it shall fall: H5307 there shall be an overflowing H7857 shower; H1653 and ye, H859 O great hailstones, H417 H68 shall fall; H5307 and a stormy H5591 wind H7307 shall rend H1234 it. Lo, when the wall H7023 is fallen, H5307 shall it not be said H559 unto you, Where is the daubing H2915 wherewith ye have daubed H2902 it? Therefore thus saith H559 the Lord H136 GOD; H3069 I will even rend H1234 it with a stormy H5591 wind H7307 in my fury; H2534 and there shall be an overflowing H7857 shower H1653 in mine anger, H639 and great hailstones H417 H68 in my fury H2534 to consume H3617 it.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Job 38
Commentary on Job 38 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 38
In most disputes the strife is who shall have the last word. Job's friends had, in this controversy, tamely yielded it to Job, and then he to Elihu. But, after all the wranglings of the counsel at bar, the judge upon the bench must have the last word; so God had here, and so he will have in every controversy, for every man's judgment proceeds from him and by his definitive sentence every man must stand or fall and every cause be won or lost. Job had often appealed to God, and had talked boldly how he would order his cause before him, and as a prince would he go near unto him; but, when God took the throne, Job had nothing to say in his own defence, but was silent before him. It is not so easy a matter as some think it to contest with the Almighty. Job's friends had sometimes appealed to God too: "O that God would speak!' ch. 11:5. And now, at length, God does speak, when Job, by Elihu's clear and close arguings was mollified a little, and mortified, and so prepared to hear what God had to say. It is the office of ministers to prepare the way of the Lord. That which the great God designs in this discourse is to humble Job, and bring him to repent of, and to recant, his passionate indecent expressions concerning God's providential dealings with him; and this he does by calling upon Job to compare God's eternity with his own time, God's omniscience with his own ignorance, and God's omnipotence with his own impotency.
If, in these ordinary works of nature, Job was puzzled, how durst he pretend to dive into the counsels of God's government and to judge of them? In this (as bishop Patrick observes) God takes up the argument begun by Elihu (who came nearest to the truth) and prosecutes it in inimitable words, excelling his, and all other men's, in the loftiness of the style, as much as thunder does a whisper.
Job 38:1-3
Let us observe here,
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.
Job 38:12-24
The Lord here proceeds to ask Job many puzzling questions, to convince him of his ignorance, and so to shame him for his folly in prescribing to God. If we will but try ourselves with such interrogatories as these, we shall soon be brought to own that what we know is nothing in comparison with what we know not. Job is here challenged to give an account of six things:-
Job 38:25-41
Hitherto God had put such questions to Job as were proper to convince him of his ignorance and short-sightedness. Now he comes, in the same manner, to show his impotency and weakness. As it is but little that he knows, and therefore he ought not to arraign the divine counsels, so it is but little that he can do, and therefore he ought not to oppose the proceedings of Providence. Let him consider what great things God does, and try whether he can do the like, or whether he thinks himself an equal match for him.