Job 36 33

Job 36:33 kjv

The noise thereof sheweth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapour.

Job 36:33 nkjv

His thunder declares it, The cattle also, concerning the rising storm.

Job 36:33 niv

His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.

Job 36:33 esv

Its crashing declares his presence; the cattle also declare that he rises.

Job 36:33 nlt

The thunder announces his presence;
the storm announces his indignant anger.

Job 36 verses

Job 36 33 Meaning

Job 36:33 concludes a section where Elihu describes God's awesome control over weather phenomena, particularly storms. The verse proclaims that the very sound of thunder is a declaration or announcement concerning God Himself, signifying His mighty presence, active power, and impending works. While some older translations and interpretations refer to cattle sensing a coming storm, a predominant modern understanding, supported by textual and contextual analysis, sees the entire verse as emphasizing thunder's role in revealing God's glorious attributes and approaching action, thereby prompting humanity to consider His greatness.

Job 36 33 Context

Job 36:33 is part of Elihu's fourth and final speech (Job 32-37), in which he attempts to justify God's actions and character to Job. In chapters 36 and 37, Elihu focuses on God's unsearchable greatness and sovereignty, particularly as displayed in nature, using examples like rain, clouds, lightning, and thunder. He argues that these phenomena are not random but serve various divine purposes: to provide for humanity (36:27-31), to execute judgment, and to reveal His majesty. Verse 33 acts as a powerful conclusion to this section, attributing a communicative quality to thunder. This entire discourse of Elihu, culminating in descriptions of overwhelming natural power, serves as a rhetorical prelude to God's direct appearance in the whirlwind in Job 38, demonstrating that the human mind cannot fully grasp the workings of the Almighty. Elihu seeks to elevate God's transcendence and remind Job that while human suffering is difficult, God remains sovereign, wise, and good, and He speaks through creation even before He speaks directly.

Job 36 33 Word analysis

• His thunder (קֹלוֹ – qōlô): Literally, "His voice" or "His sound." In the Hebrew Bible, qol frequently refers to the divine voice when manifested through powerful natural phenomena, especially thunder (e.g., Psa 29). This conveys God's raw power and majesty, an overwhelming acoustic experience that demands attention and proclaims His active presence rather than a silent or passive deity.

• declares/announces (יַגִּיד – yaggîd): This is the Hiphil imperfect form of the verb nagad, meaning "to make known," "to tell," "to declare," "to announce." The Hiphil stem signifies a causative action—God's thunder causes something to be known or declared. It implies a deliberate, powerful act of communication from God through nature.

• concerning Him (עָלָיו – ʿālāw): Literally "concerning him," referring directly to God. This phrase emphasizes that the thunder's declaration is primarily about God Himself—His character, power, and sovereign control—rather than merely about a natural event.

• the thunder announces His presence / the cattle also concerning the vapour (וּמִקְנֶה עַל־עוֹלֶה – ûmiqneh ʿal-ʿôleh): This is the most complex and debated phrase in the verse, leading to significant translational differences.

  • וּמִקְנֶה (ûmiqneh): "And cattle," "livestock." This is the reading of the Masoretic Text (MT).
  • עַל־עוֹלֶה (ʿal-ʿôleh): "concerning that which ascends/rises" or "concerning a rising one." The root ʿalah means "to go up," "to ascend." ʿoleh (participle) can refer to:
    1. A rising storm/vapor: Many traditional interpretations suggest cattle's instinctive knowledge of approaching weather. This highlights God's embedded wisdom in creation.
    2. A burnt offering: Less likely in this direct context.
    3. A reinterpretation as related to divine manifestation: Some textual critical approaches suggest that by slight re-vocalization or emendation, this phrase creates a strong poetic parallelism with the first half, meaning something like "the thunder announces His ascent" or "His approach," referring to God's manifested presence or intervention, akin to "that which is coming up" referring to God's coming, rather than an external object (like cattle or storm). This aligns with the common translation "announces His presence" or "announces His coming storm." Modern versions like ESV and NASB adopt this understanding, finding it more congruent with Elihu's emphasis on God's self-revelation.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "His thunder declares concerning Him...": This phrase unequivocally points to God as the subject and object of the declaration. The awesome display of thunder is not merely an impersonal force but a deliberate, powerful "word" from God. It proclaims His identity and nature. The qol YHWH (voice of the Lord) is a well-established concept in Hebrew Scripture (e.g., Psa 29) symbolizing His majestic power and authority.
  • "...the thunder announces His presence" (Modern translations' interpretation of the second half): By interpreting the second phrase as a re-iteration in parallelism, the entire verse consistently emphasizes God's self-disclosure through His powerful natural works. The "announcing His presence" aspect highlights God's active, dynamic engagement with His creation and, by extension, with humanity. This interpretation positions Job 36:33 as an acoustic and thematic preparation for the Lord's physical appearance to Job in the whirlwind (Job 38:1), suggesting that God's presence is "announced" through the storm.

Job 36 33 Bonus section

The textual difficulty of Job 36:33 is a classic example of how minor ambiguities in ancient Hebrew manuscripts can lead to vastly different translations, yet both often retain theological coherence within the broader biblical message. The traditional MT reading, understood as "cattle also concerning that which rises" (implying the wisdom embedded in animals to perceive a coming storm), presents a picture of God's wisdom extended throughout creation, even to animals. The more common modern interpretation, emphasizing God's presence, aligns well with Elihu's increasing focus on God's direct intervention and overwhelming power, setting the stage for Job 38. Both interpretations, therefore, magnify God's sovereignty, whether through the order He instills in creation or His direct, self-proclaiming acts. This verse effectively encapsulates the ancient Near Eastern understanding of thunder not just as a sound, but as the direct manifestation or "voice" of the divine, intended to inspire reverence and fear (awe) for the Creator.

Job 36 33 Commentary

Job 36:33 serves as a profound statement on divine communication through nature. Elihu's core argument is that God is not silent but actively declares His own majesty and imminent working through powerful phenomena like thunder. Far from being random or purely physical, the sound of God's "voice" in the thunder is a deliberate revelation of His attributes—His power, sovereignty, and purposeful activity. It suggests a God who is both transcendent, beyond human comprehension, yet immanent, making Himself known through the visible and audible displays of His creation. The interpretation of the second part of the verse, whether referring to cattle sensing a storm or reinforcing the idea of thunder announcing God's presence, does not fundamentally alter the primary theological thrust: God uses the raw, awe-inspiring power of the natural world to communicate His reality and to summon humanity to a deeper awareness and reverence of Him. It prepares Job, and indeed all listeners, for the ultimate divine address, by establishing a context where creation itself echoes the Creator's voice, pointing to an intentional and active God who commands all things.