28 Hath H3426 the rain H4306 a father? H1 or who hath begotten H3205 the drops H96 of dew? H2919
Are there H3426 any among the vanities H1892 of the Gentiles H1471 that can cause rain? H1652 or can the heavens H8064 give H5414 showers? H7241 art not thou he, O LORD H3068 our God? H430 therefore we will wait H6960 upon thee: for thou hast made H6213 all these things.
Who covereth H3680 the heaven H8064 with clouds, H5645 who prepareth H3559 rain H4306 for the earth, H776 who maketh grass H2682 to grow H6779 upon the mountains. H2022
Thou visitest H6485 the earth, H776 and waterest H7783 it: thou greatly H7227 enrichest H6238 it with the river H6388 of God, H430 which is full H4390 of water: H4325 thou preparest H3559 them corn, H1715 when thou hast so provided H3559 for it. Thou waterest H7301 the ridges H8525 thereof abundantly: H7301 thou settlest H5181 the furrows H1417 H1418 thereof: thou makest it soft H4127 with showers: H7241 thou blessest H1288 the springing H6780 thereof.
That G3704 ye may be G1096 the children G5207 of your G5216 Father G3962 which G3588 is in G1722 heaven: G3772 for G3754 he maketh G393 his G846 sun G2246 to rise G393 on G1909 the evil G4190 and G2532 on the good, G18 and G2532 sendeth rain G1026 on G1909 the just G1342 and G2532 on the unjust. G94
And also I have withholden H4513 the rain H1653 from you, when there were yet three H7969 months H2320 to the harvest: H7105 and I caused it to rain H4305 upon one H259 city, H5892 and caused it not to rain H4305 upon another H259 city: H5892 one H259 piece H2513 was rained H4305 upon, and the piece H2513 whereupon it rained H4305 not withered. H3001
Be glad H1523 then, ye children H1121 of Zion, H6726 and rejoice H8055 in the LORD H3068 your God: H430 for he hath given H5414 you the former rain H4175 moderately, H6666 and he will cause to come down H3381 for you the rain, H1653 the former rain, H4175 and the latter rain H4456 in the first H7223 month.
I will be as the dew H2919 unto Israel: H3478 he shall grow H6524 as the lily, H7799 and cast forth H5221 his roots H8328 as Lebanon. H3844
When he uttereth H5414 his voice, H6963 there is a multitude H1995 of waters H4325 in the heavens, H8064 and he causeth the vapours H5387 to ascend H5927 from the ends H7097 of the earth; H776 he maketh H6213 lightnings H1300 with rain, H4306 and bringeth forth H3318 the wind H7307 out of his treasures. H214
By his knowledge H1847 the depths H8415 are broken up, H1234 and the clouds H7834 drop down H7491 the dew. H2919
My root H8328 was spread out H6605 by the waters, H4325 and the dew H2919 lay all night H3885 upon my branch. H7105
Which doeth H6213 great things H1419 and unsearchable; H369 H2714 marvellous things H6381 without number: H4557 Who giveth H5414 rain H4306 upon H6440 the earth, H776 and sendeth H7971 waters H4325 upon H6440 the fields: H2351
And Elijah H452 the Tishbite, H8664 who was of the inhabitants H8453 of Gilead, H1568 said H559 unto Ahab, H256 As the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 liveth, H2416 before H6440 whom I stand, H5975 there shall not be dew H2919 nor rain H4306 these years, H8141 but according H6310 to my word. H1697
Ye mountains H2022 of Gilboa, H1533 let there be no dew, H2919 neither let there be rain, H4306 upon you, nor fields H7704 of offerings: H8641 for there the shield H4043 of the mighty H1368 is vilely cast away, H1602 the shield H4043 of Saul, H7586 as though he had not been anointed H4899 with oil. H8081
Is it not wheat H2406 harvest H7105 to day? H3117 I will call H7121 unto the LORD, H3068 and he shall send H5414 thunder H6963 and rain; H4306 that ye may perceive H3045 and see H7200 that your wickedness H7451 is great, H7227 which ye have done H6213 in the sight H5869 of the LORD, H3068 in asking H7592 you a king. H4428 So Samuel H8050 called H7121 unto the LORD; H3068 and the LORD H3068 sent H5414 thunder H6963 and rain H4306 that day: H3117 and all the people H5971 greatly H3966 feared H3372 the LORD H3068 and Samuel. H8050
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.