Welcome to the Chronological Bible Study Podcast with Nate and Sandra.
This is Episode 21, the technical study of Job 37-39.
My Bible study process is:
I expect you to read the chapters we'll be going over and making your own notes and analysis.
In just a moment, I'll summarize the reading, one section at a time.
Next, I'll highlight some important verses in each chapter, esp. those that apply to our chosen topic of Sex and Marriage.
I'll then compare the reading in different translations which will help bring out translational challenges and bring important words to our attention.
We'll get into a bit of a word study using Strong's and other references to dive deeper into the words used and what they mean.
As needed, I have genealogy charts and maps to help make this a little easier.
Lastly, I'll come to some conclusions on each chapter and collate these conclusions with our prior studies to bring the verses on our topic into focus.
As always, your feedback is appreciated.
Job 36:27- Job 37 Summary
Elihu (Part 6)
36:27,28 Water Cycle
36:29-31 Weather control
36:32-37:1 Presence
37:2-5 Thunder = Voice
37:6-9 Control movement
God is, again, controlling both man and beast with the weather by sending snow or flood or other weather event. We choose to stay inside or get out and move around. Nowadays, we move around regardless of the weather. There are some restrictions, but we mostly just ignore it. Plans are accomplished rain or shine.
37:10 God's Cold Breath
37:11-13 Why He controls it.
Job earlier mentioned ocean currents. Here, Elihu is mentioning air currents, what we know as the jet stream.
vs13
It's interesting to note the sentence structure differences between various translations. They say the same thing, but the order is different.
What you put first, people understand.
What you put in the middle, people tend to forget.
What you put last, people will remember.
What's the most important thing to say in this verse (1)?
2nd most important thing (2)?
3rd most important thing (3)?
KJV = “God causes it.” Correction. Mercy.
BSB = Correction. “God causes it”. Love.
ESV = Correction. Love. “God causes it”.
37:14-19 Can you do it, Job?
37:20-24 God is Unapproachable
If you're scared of snow and lightning and the sun, what makes you think that you can approach God Who made all those things?
Highlights
36:31 For by these He judges peoples; He gives food in abundance.
Geography and rainfall have a DRASTIC affect on people's growth and migration and rise to or fall from power. Egypt was built by the regular, predictable flooding of the Nile which gave them fertile cropland.
There's a YouTube channel that likes to discuss different countries' "geography problem" as they call it. Dominant winds means that this area gets LOTS of rain and that area is a desert. Mountains hinder or funnel traffic. Rivers help goods flow or the lack of rivers hinder transportation distance between clean water, good harbors, and fertile soil affect population growth and flow.
37:10a “By the breath of God ice is given,”
Superman is God-like: Advantage or disadvantage of superheros with God-like powers.
37:12a “They turn around and around by his guidance,”
37:24 Therefore men fear him; He does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.
Job 36 Alternate Translations & Word Studies
v28 “Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.”
OR “which the clouds drip down, and drop upon men plentifully.”
“drop” - H5140 – A primitive root; to drip, or shed by trickling
“distil” - H7491 – A primitive root; to drip
Job 36:27 – Job 37 Conclusions
Elihu is marveling at God's power over nature.
Rain = light as love vs floods as punishment
Lightning = Power and Majesty
Thunder = Voice of God
Snow = Movement of man and animals
Sun = God's splendor
You don't know how He does it.
You can't do it.
You can't survive what He does.
Yet, you think God is going to answer to you?!
Job 38 Summary
God (Part 1)
Vs 1 God questions Job
Vs 4-11 Knowledge of Creation?
vs 6 is an obvious bait for a foolish answer since Job has already said that the earth rests on nothing.
vs 8 God also has no qualms with making obvious references to sex or birth. This is a reference to the sudden gush of water than can accompany childbirth. Womb also has a more general definition of place of origin.
Sandra suggested that it might also be a reference to when God opened and closed the waters of the deep during the Flood.
vs 9 This is BOTH a clothing and a birth reference.
This "garment" used for clouds is the same word as "that which wraps around" so the "swaddling band" which refers to the blanket you wrap tightly around a newborn baby is a parallel to that.
vs 11 Again a reference to stopping pride using the ocean as an example.
Vs 12-15 Control of wicked
vs 13 Another clothing reference: I've seen Mom do this w her skirts. Have you ever shaken out your skirt?
vs 14 Another clothing reference: You clothes can stand out or blend in. Some people like to draw attention with their clothes: style, colors, etc. The waves in the hillside might also be reminiscent of a ripples in a fabric.
Vs 16-23 Homes
This section is all about where things live or reside. The home or origin of various things.
Vs 24-27 Channels
From the home of nature to the distribution channels. How does it get from home to you?
Vs 28-30 Origin of Ice
Again conception and birth language to describe the origin of rain, dew, ice, and frost. Skeptics in the Scripture point to the literal words of "father", "womb" and "birth" as nonsense in the context of the water cycle. That's part of the point. Job can look at animals and people and understand parentage and the birthing process, but in regard to the majority of nature, he is ignorant.
Today, we can explain these questions to a certain extent now, but the details eventually get to the point where even the most knowledgeable scientist would have to say, "We're still trying to figure that out. I don't know."
He can go farther than Job, but the answer is still the same: "I don't know."
Be humble. You don't know. God does.
vs 30 God knows about the arctic and antarctic ice sheets. Did Job?
vs 31-33 Astronomy
Pleiades. Orion. Mazzaroth (aka Zodiac). The Bear (Ursa Major & Ursa Minor). All are constellations.
vs 33 The stars are orderly. We can't control them, but they don't have control over us either. This is a direct assault against Astrology and the believed rule on the earth by the Constellations. Nonsense.
Vs 34-38 Power of Weather
vs 34 Shouting at the clouds is synonomous w wasted effort on impossible goals.
Vs 39-41 Care of Beasts
Highlights
v3a “Dress for action like a man;”
God uses LOTS of clothing references in this chapter. Here's the first: "Dress for action like a man".
Different clothes and ways to wear clothes depending on what you're doing. I didn't wear the same clothes while working in the oilfield as when I was going swimming or lounging around the house.
There's a time and place for formal clothes vs informal. There was the big hubub over Elon Musk's T-shirt & sports jacket vs Zalinski's military casual outfit vs more traditional suit and ties when meeting leaders of countries.
This "man" is specifically "a valiant man or warrior". IOW, "get dressed for battle" or in modern parlance: "You wanna take this outside? Let's go.”
v7 “when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
We referenced this earlier when discussing the "sons of God" reference in Gen 6 and discussing the birth of the Nephilim.
v21 “You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!”
God is sarcastic! Another example of humiliating someone's pride through mockery. Job was proud of his long life, but he hasn't really lived that long in the grand scheme of things.
v36 “Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?”
Any wisdom Job or any of us has was put there by God. Why are we taking credit for what God has done?
Job 38 Alternate Translations & Word Studies
v24 “By what way is the light parted, Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?”
OR “Have you ever gone to the place where the sun comes up, where it makes the east wind blow all over the earth?”
“parted” - H2505 – A primitive root; to be smooth (figuratively); by implication (as smooth stones were used for lots) to apportion or separate
“scattered” - H6327 – A primitive root; to dash in pieces, literally or figuratively (especially to disperse)
Job 38 Conclusions
God is thoroughly mocking Job's age and wisdom by asking him a series of increasingly impossible questions.
They've been arguing about God through nature, but God is revealing His true nature to them all.
Showing Himself as a God of wisdom, intelligence, and power.
The proud OUGHT to be mocked. This is how they are humbled and see things truly.
Job 39 Summary
God (Part 2)
Vs 1-4 Goats / Deer
"wild goat" is an ibex.
"hind" is old English for deer.
Vs 5-8 Donkeys
"wild ass" is an onager.
Vs 9-12 Bull / Rhino
"wild ox" or "wild bull" vs "unicorn" which is the old English term for rhinoceros.
Vs 13-18 Ostriches
Vs 19-25 Horses
Vs 26 Hawk
Vs 27-30 Eagle
Highlights
v17 “For God has deprived her of wisdom; He has not endowed her with understanding.”
Job 39 Alternate Translations & Word Studies
vs13 “Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?”
OR “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?”
OR “The wing of the ostriches flap joyously, though not like the stork's pinions for flight.”
“peacock” - H7443 – From H7442; an ostrich (from its wail)
“feathers” - H2624 – Feminine of H2623; the kind (maternal) bird, that is, a stork
“ostrich” - H5133 – Feminine active participle of H5327 in the sense of flying; a pinion (or wing feather); often (collectively) plumage
Job 39 Conclusions
God continues asking Job about animals.
Many of these questions we now know after many years of dedicated research.
The tenor of the declarations and questions are:
“Did YOU make this creature like this?”
“Do YOU have power over it?”
“Are you even as powerful as an animal?”
People have always lived in a bubble of our own making both mentally and physically.
There are no verses on sex & marriage added this week.
Next week, we'll look at Job 40-42.
God and Job come to a meeting of the minds.
Then we have the conclusion of Job's travail
Enjoy!
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