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Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Job 37:18

(18) Spread out the sky. — Some understand this of the action of the sun in dispersing the clouds; but it seems more probable that it refers to God. “Hast thou spread out with Him the magnificent dome of heaven?” The words used, however, imply the clouds rather than the cloudless sky which resembles a burnished mirror; so that it is not improbable that the sun may be the subject here and in the following verses.

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See also Job 37:18 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Job 37:18. _HAST THOU WITH HIM SPREAD OUT THE SKY_] Wert thou with him when he made the expanse; fitted the weight to the winds; proportioned the aqueous to the terrene surface of the globe; th...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HAST THOU WITH HIM SPREAD OUT THE SKY? - That is, wert thou employed with God in performing that vast work, that thou canst explain how it was done? Elihu here speaks of the sky as it appears, and as...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER S 36:22--37:24 _ 1. God's power and presence in nature (Job 36:22)_ 2. The thunderstorm (Job 37:1) 3. The snow and the rain (Job 37:6) 4. Elihu's concluding remarks ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    Job is invited to consider God's wonders. Does he know how God lays His charge upon them, _i.e._ probably the phenomena just described by Elihu in Job 37:1? Does he understand the flashing of the ligh...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    SKY. skies. LOOKING GLASS. mirror....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The present tense is better in this verse, Canst thou with him spread out the skies, Strong, as a molten mirror? "With Him" may mean "along with Him," or rather _like_Him. The comparison of the cle...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Job 36:26-33. The greatness and unsearchableness of God, seen in His marvellous operations in the skies; and exhortation to Job to allow these wonders duly to impress him, and to bow beneath the great...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Elihu's own imagination kindles at the thought of the wonders which he is unfolding, and he beseeches Job to observe them with a reverent awe, and learn from them the unsearchableness of Him who is th...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    2. Man should realize his insignificant position and fear God. (Job 37:14-24) TEXT 37:14-24 14 HEARKEN UNTO THIS, O JOB: Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. 15 Dost thou know how...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _HAST THOU WITH HIM SPREAD OUT THE SKY, WHICH IS STRONG, AND AS A MOLTEN LOOKING GLASS?_ _ HAST THOU WITH HIM SPREAD OUT THE SKY, WHICH IS STRONG, AND AS A MOLTEN LOOKING GLASS?_ With him - like as h...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SPEECHES OF ELIHU (CONCLUDED) 2. The thunder is frequently called the voice of God: cp. Psalms 29. SOUND] RM 'muttering.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    LOOKING GLASS] RV 'mirror' (of metal). 19-20. Elihu shrinks from the presumptuous thought of contending with the Almighty, such as Job had uttered. 20B. RV 'Or should a man wish that he were swallow...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    JOB, A SERVANT OF GOD Job _KEITH SIMONS_ Words in boxes (except for words in brackets) are from the Bible. This commentary has been through Advanced Checking. CHAPTER 37 ELIHU INTRODUCES GOD TO...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    God does all these wonderful things. No person can do such things. Even today, people cannot control the weather. So we should learn that God deserves honour. He is greater than anybody else. We mus...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    תַּרְקִ֣יעַ עִ֭מֹּו לִ שְׁחָקִ֑ים חֲ֝זָקִ֗ים כִּ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    XXVI. THE DIVINE PREROGATIVE Job 35:1; Job 36:1; Job 37:1 AFTER a long digression Elihu returns to consider the statement ascribed to Job, "It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE LIGHT IN THE CLOUDS Job 37:1 As Elihu spoke a thunder-storm was gathering, and much of the imagery of this chapter is suggested by that fact. The little group listened to the sound of God's voice...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The description of the storm commenced in the previous chapter and is here completed. There is first the drawing up of the water into the clouds, their spreading over the sky, the strange mutterings o...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Hast thou with him spread out the sky, [which is] strong, [and] as a molten looking (o) glass? (o) For the clearness....

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Brass. Hebrew, "Hast thou with him stretched out (or beaten, as brass, tarkiang; which word Moses uses for the firmament) the heavens, which are as solid (Chaldean, and like) a molten looking-glass?...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (14) В¶ Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. (15) Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine? (16) Dost thou know the b...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 32 THROUGH 37. But these spiritual affections of Job did not prevent his turning this consciousness of integrity into a robe of self-righteousness which hid G...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    HAST THOU WITH HIM SPREAD OUT THE SKY?.... Wast thou concerned with him at the first spreading out of the sky? wast thou an assistant to him in it? did he not spread it as a curtain or canopy about hi...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Hast thou with him spread out the sky, [which is] strong, [and] as a molten looking glass? Ver. 18. _Hast thou with him spread out the sky_] He had convinced Job of his ignorance, and now he will of...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Hast thou, with him, spread out the sky_ Wast thou his assistant in spreading out the sky, like a canopy, over the earth? _Which is strong_ Which, though it be very thin and transparent, yet is also...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    FINAL ADMONITION ADDRESSED TO JOB...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Hast thou with Him spread out the sky, the vault, or firmament, of the clouds and the arch of the sky, WHICH IS STRONG AND AS A MOLTEN LOOKING-GLASS? The reference being to the polished metal mirrors...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    MAN'S IMPOTENCE IN THE STORM (vv.1-5) As the storm breaks upon them, Elihu himself trembles (v.1). The thunder of God's voice calls for man's close attention and His lightning spreads over the whole...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    Nor is Job able, like God, to spread out the skies. "Mirrors were made of bronze that had been heated, flattened, and polished. The cloudless summer sky appeared to be such. mirror" _(Zuck p. 160)._ I...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    14-20 Due thoughts of the works of God will help to reconcile us to all his providences. As God has a powerful, freezing north wind, so he has a thawing, composing south wind: the Spirit is compared...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    Wast thou his co-worker or assistant in spreading out the sky like a tent or canopy over the earth? or canst thou spread out such another sky? Then indeed thou mayst with some colour pretend to be pri...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Job 37:18 out H7554 (H8686) skies H7834 Strong H2389 cast H3332 (H8716) mirror H7209 spread -...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Elihu's discourse continued. God's majesty. CHARACTERS: God, Elihu, Job. CONCLUSION: We must all own that our finite understandings cannot comprehend the infinite perfections of God, but w...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Job 37:5. _God thundereth marvellously with his voice._ See on Psalms 29. This chapter is divided from the former, in the midst of a sublime description of a storm. Job 37:22. The golden splendour _co...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Hast thou with Him spread out the sky?_ THE SKY For beauty, for inspiration, for health and refreshment, for a sense of freedom and enlargement, is there anything like the sky when the earth does no...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 37:14 Elihu focuses on God’s majesty. He calls on Job to listen (HEAR THIS, O JOB) and consider this description in his complaint before God....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _ELIHU’S FOURTH SPEECH CONTINUED_ Elihu continues his discourse, apparently in the midst of loud thunder-claps, suddenly issuing from the storm-cloud out of which the Almighty was about to speak, and...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION JOB 37:1 It has been already remarked that there is no natural division between Job 36:1 and Job 37:1.—the description of the thunderstorm and its effects runs on. From its effect on cattl...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    At this also my heart trembled, and is moved out of his place. Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth. He directs it under the whole heaven, and his lightni...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Exodus 38:8; Genesis 1:6; Isaiah 40:12; Isaiah 40:22; Isaiah 44:24;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    With him — Wast thou his assistant in spreading out the sky like a canopy over the earth? Strong — Which though it be very thin and transparent, yet is also firm and compact and steadfast. Looking gla...

  • When Critics Ask: A Popular Handbook on Bible Difficulties, Norman L. Geisler and Thomas Howe, 1960

    Does the Bible err in speaking of a solid dome above the earth? PROBLEM: Job speaks of God who “spread out the skies” like “a cast metal mirror” (37:18). Indeed, the Hebrew word for the “firmament” (r...

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