Job 37 15

Job 37:15 kjv

Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?

Job 37:15 nkjv

Do you know when God dispatches them, And causes the light of His cloud to shine?

Job 37:15 niv

Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?

Job 37:15 esv

Do you know how God lays his command upon them and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?

Job 37:15 nlt

Do you know how God controls the storm
and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds?

Job 37 verses

Job 37 15 Meaning

Job 37:15 captures Elihu’s challenge to Job, questioning Job's understanding of God's majestic control over natural phenomena. It directly asks if Job comprehends how God orchestrates events, specifically referring to how the Divine arranges the meteorological elements and causes the brilliant light, often understood as lightning or God’s glory, to emanate from His clouds. This rhetorical question highlights the profound chasm between human finite comprehension and God's infinite wisdom and power in managing the created order.

Job 37 15 Context

Job 37:15 is uttered by Elihu, the youngest of Job's counselors, who positions himself as speaking on behalf of God. This verse comes at the culmination of Elihu's long speech (Job 32-37), in which he progressively exalts God's incomprehensible power, wisdom, and righteousness. Elihu meticulously details God's command over various weather phenomena—rain, snow, ice, wind, and crucially, thunder and lightning. His detailed descriptions in the preceding verses (Job 36:27-37:14) build up to this rhetorical question in Job 37:15, implying that if Job cannot even grasp the mechanisms of God's atmospheric control, he is certainly not in a position to question God's moral governance of human affairs. Elihu's discourse serves to prepare Job (and the reader) for the direct divine intervention from the whirlwind in the subsequent chapters (Job 38-41), where God himself will similarly challenge Job's limited understanding of creation. This passage implicitly presents a theological polemic against ancient Near Eastern pagan beliefs, like the worship of Baal as a storm god, by attributing all power and orderly disposition of nature solely to the one true God, Yahweh.

Job 37 15 Word analysis

• "Do you know" (Hebrew: הֲתֵדַע - hăṯēḏaʿ): This is a strong rhetorical question introduced by the interrogative particle "ha-," from the root yadaʿ, "to know." It is not an inquiry for information but a challenge, implying a definite "no." Elihu uses it to confront Job's presumed wisdom and self-righteousness, highlighting Job's ignorance regarding the depths of God's wisdom and intricate workings in creation. It sets up the contrast between human limitation and divine omnipotence.

• "how" (Hebrew: אֵיךְ - êḵ): This interrogative adverb goes beyond simply asking if one knows that God does something; it questions the understanding of the manner or the precise mechanism by which God acts. It emphasizes the intricacy and complexity of God's methods, which are beyond human comprehension.

• "God" (Hebrew: אֱלוֹהַּ - ʾĕlōah): A singular form often used in the Book of Job to emphasize God's unique and transcendent nature, His power, and His distinct separation from humanity. It underscores His role as the sovereign, unapproachable Ruler and Creator, who operates with supreme authority.

• "disposes them" / "governs them" (Hebrew: יְשִׂימֵם - yəśîmêm): From the verb śîm, meaning "to set, place, put, appoint, arrange." The plural suffix "them" refers back to the elements of weather—clouds, rain, snow, lightning, and wind—which Elihu has been describing as under God's control. This word conveys not random chance but deliberate, purposeful, and precise arrangement, management, and execution of His will within the natural order. It signifies God’s active superintendence.

• "and causes... to shine" / "makes flash" (Hebrew: וְהוֹפִ֬יעַ - wəhōfîaʿ): The "waw" (wə) conjunction links this action directly to God's disposal. Hôfîaʿ is the Hiphil imperfect of yāfaʿ, meaning "to shine forth, give light, appear, manifest brilliantly." In context, it primarily refers to the sudden, dazzling appearance of lightning. However, yāfaʿ can also denote the radiant manifestation of God’s glory (as in Deut 33:2, Psa 50:2). This word encapsulates the suddenness, power, and overwhelming visual impact of God’s creative and governing action.

• "light" (Hebrew: אוֹר - ʾôr): Refers to the brilliance emanating from the clouds. While most directly meaning lightning, it can also subtly evoke the broader concept of divine light and glory. This links the powerful natural phenomenon to God’s radiant presence and majesty, suggesting that even a flash of lightning is a momentary display of His overwhelming splendor.

• "of his cloud" (Hebrew: עֲנַן לוֹ - ʿănan lōw):

  • ʿănan: "cloud." Clouds in Scripture frequently symbolize divine presence, either veiling God’s glory (Exo 19:9; Psa 97:2) or serving as the medium for His manifestation and communication (Exo 19:16; Matt 17:5; Rev 1:7).
  • lōw: "his/for him." This possessive pronoun unequivocally assigns ownership and ultimate control of the clouds to God, not to any other deity or impersonal force. The clouds are His instrument, serving His purpose.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Do you know how God disposes them": This phrase directly confronts Job's presumed knowledge and challenges the intellectual basis of his complaints. It underscores Elihu's assertion that Job's finite human mind cannot fathom God's infinite wisdom, especially regarding the intricate orchestration of creation. The "how" suggests that not only are God's actions beyond human control, but also the very mechanisms and reasons for them are deeply mysterious and complex.
  • "and causes the light of his cloud to shine": This clause focuses on the spectacular and observable manifestation of God's power in nature—the sudden, powerful flash of lightning from a cloud. It illustrates that these phenomena are not random events but deliberate, purposeful acts by a sovereign God who commands light, darkness, and all meteorological forces. The possessive "his cloud" reaffirms God's absolute sovereignty and proprietary control over even the elements that strike terror or bring sustenance, indicating that they are instruments of His will and perhaps even His revelation.

Job 37 15 Bonus section

• Elihu's detailed description of God's weather control (Job 36-37) functions as an extended argumentum ad ignorantiam, challenging human intellectual limitations as a preamble to divine revelation.
• The phrase "light of his cloud" links back to earlier biblical themes where God manifests Himself amidst thunder and lightning within thick clouds (Exo 19), hinting at a direct divine appearance—which immediately follows Elihu’s speech.
• The rhetorical question not only emphasizes human ignorance but also God's absolute sovereignty, portraying Him as the supreme meteorologist and orchestrator of natural forces, without rivals or limitations.
• This verse can encourage a posture of wonder and worship in contemplating natural phenomena, viewing them not just as scientific occurrences but as direct, ongoing expressions of God's wisdom, power, and glory in creation.

Job 37 15 Commentary

Job 37:15 serves as a profound rhetorical question posed by Elihu, leading into the climax of the book where God himself speaks. Elihu strategically uses the awe-inspiring, yet commonplace, phenomena of weather to underscore the vast disparity between human knowledge and divine omnipotence. The question, "Do you know how God disposes them, and causes the light of his cloud to shine?" is a challenge to Job's, and indeed all humanity's, limited understanding of the intricate, deliberate ordering of the universe by God.

This verse goes beyond simply stating God's power over lightning or clouds; it questions our comprehension of the mechanism and purpose behind such divine actions ("how God disposes them"). The "light of his cloud" explicitly refers to lightning, a dramatic and potent manifestation of God's control over creation, which serves both as a bringer of rain (vital for life) and an expression of awesome, potentially destructive, power. The "cloud" is explicitly "His," reinforcing that even elements seemingly belonging to the natural world are utterly subjected to God's will and used for His purposes, whether to reveal His presence (as at Sinai), execute judgment, or simply demonstrate His majesty.

Elihu's aim is to instill humility and profound respect for God's unfathomable wisdom. If humanity cannot explain the physics of a lightning flash within a storm cloud, how can it presume to understand God's ultimate justice, His ways in human suffering, or the intricacies of His moral governance? The verse powerfully redirects Job's attention from his suffering to the unsearchable greatness of God, thereby preparing Job to abandon his arguments and embrace a posture of awe and submission, setting the stage for the direct divine intervention from the whirlwind in the subsequent chapters. It teaches that true wisdom begins not with understanding God's specific actions, but by acknowledging the boundlessness of His being.