Job 37 17

Job 37:17 kjv

How thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth by the south wind?

Job 37:17 nkjv

Why are your garments hot, When He quiets the earth by the south wind?

Job 37:17 niv

You who swelter in your clothes when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

Job 37:17 esv

you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind?

Job 37:17 nlt

When you are sweltering in your clothes
and the south wind dies down and everything is still,

Job 37 verses

Job 37 17 Meaning

Job 37:17 poses a rhetorical question contrasting the warmth a person feels from their clothing with the immeasurable, quiet warmth brought by God's powerful command over the south wind. Elihu uses this comparison to highlight God's sovereign control over the natural world and the inadequacy of human understanding or power in the face of divine wisdom and might, implicitly urging Job to acknowledge God's majesty and unsearchable ways.

Job 37 17 Context

Job 37:17 is part of Elihu's extensive discourse, which spans chapters 32-37. In this section, Elihu continues his argument, aiming to vindicate God's justice and sovereignty, contrasting it with Job's perceived challenge to God. Elihu uses various natural phenomena—storm, rain, lightning, cold, and wind—as evidence of God's immense power, wisdom, and unsearchable ways (Job 36:26-33, 37:1-13).This verse specifically focuses on God's control over temperature and winds. Elihu presents these wonders as reasons why Job, or any human, cannot truly comprehend or question God. The immediate verses preceding (37:15-16) ask rhetorical questions about Job's knowledge of God's control over light, clouds, and creation's wonders. Verse 17 directly follows this, using a common human experience of seeking warmth to underscore the far greater, silent, yet powerful warmth God brings. Elihu seeks to lead Job from focusing on his suffering to a proper reverence and awe of God. Historically and culturally, in the ancient Near East, control over weather phenomena, particularly rain and winds, was often attributed to various deities. Elihu's discourse, therefore, serves as a strong polemic against such pagan beliefs, asserting Yahweh's exclusive and absolute sovereignty over all aspects of nature. The south wind, often bringing heat and dryness to the region, demonstrates God's nuanced control, not just of powerful storms, but also of quiet, atmospheric shifts.

Job 37 17 Word analysis

• How thy garments are warm:
  • How: Introduces a rhetorical question, highlighting a self-evident yet profound contrast. It's an exclamation of wonder and an indirect challenge to Job's understanding.
  • Thy garments: Refers to clothing, a human-made solution for warmth. It represents human agency, limitations, and everyday experiences. The contrast sets human effort against divine power.
  • Warm (Hebrew: חַם, cham): Implies a sensation of heat, comfort, or warmth from an external, man-controlled source. This seemingly simple word contrasts sharply with the vast, uncontainable heat from a divine source. It signifies a tangible, human-scale effect.
• when he quieteth the earth:
  • When: Indicates a specific condition or circumstance under God's control. It marks the timing of a divine act.
  • He: Refers to God, the implicit and central actor throughout Elihu's discourse. It emphasizes divine agency and sovereignty.
  • Quieteth (Hebrew: יַשְׁקִּט, yashqiṭ): Derived from שָׁקַט (shaqaṭ), meaning "to be quiet," "to be at rest," "to be tranquil." This word can imply bringing stillness after commotion, causing something to settle, or bringing a serene, perhaps oppressive, calm. In the context of a hot wind, it might suggest the wind bringing a still, stifling heat, or a lull that precedes changes, or a calming effect on the earth's atmosphere. It signifies a divine imposition of stillness or a state of repose.
  • The earth: Refers to the whole planet or the land. It denotes the vast scale of God's power, extending beyond human perception.
• by the south wind:
  • By: Indicates the means or instrument through which God acts.
  • The south wind (Hebrew: דָּרוֹם, dārôm): The directional wind, particularly significant in the biblical world. In Israel, the south wind (from the Arabian desert) was notoriously hot and dry, sometimes even oppressive, associated with bringing heat or even stifling conditions rather than cooling or rain. Its "quieting" effect, combined with warmth, is a direct observation of weather phenomena controlled by God. This specific natural force is chosen to demonstrate God's ability to warm on a grand, atmospheric scale, far beyond human garments.
• Words-group Analysis:
  • "how thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth": This juxtaposes human, localized attempts to create warmth (garments) with God's ability to influence the entire earth's climate and stillness. It highlights human limitation versus divine omnipresence and omnipotence. The rhetorical question compels introspection about the vast difference in scale and source of warmth.
  • "quieteth the earth by the south wind": This phrase reveals God's meticulous and nuanced control over powerful natural elements. It's not just about raw power, but about directing forces like the hot, often dry, south wind to "quiet" or influence the atmospheric state, bringing warmth across vast distances. This indicates a sophisticated divine orchestration of natural phenomena, not random chance. The choice of the "south wind" which is typically known for bringing heat or dry weather further strengthens the point about its warming effect under divine command.

Job 37 17 Bonus section

The rhetorical force of Elihu's questions in Job 37, including this verse, is a precursor to God's own direct address to Job in chapters 38-41. Both Elihu and God use the unassailable wonders of creation to challenge Job's presumption and demonstrate the vast gulf between divine wisdom and human intellect. The south wind (דָּרוֹם, dārôm) in ancient Israel was often seen as bringing oppressive heat or dryness, a sharp contrast to the desirable north or west winds which brought cool air and rain. For God to use even such a specific, and sometimes harsh, natural element to "quiet" the earth and impart warmth demonstrates a meticulous, comprehensive control that transcends mere chaotic force. This also reinforces a consistent biblical theme: all of creation, even its seemingly unpredictable aspects, acts as an obedient servant to God's will.

Job 37 17 Commentary

Job 37:17 functions as a poignant rhetorical question from Elihu, designed to elevate God's unparalleled greatness and to humble Job, who has been questioning divine justice. The verse ingeniously contrasts the small-scale warmth provided by human clothing with the immense, pervasive warmth generated by God's sovereign control over the south wind. While a garment's warmth is tangible and within human experience, the scale of God's action in "quieting" the earth with the south wind, and thereby imparting a pervasive warmth, is beyond human imitation or full comprehension. "Quieting" here can signify a calming of weather patterns leading to consistent heat, or even a suffocating stillness caused by the dry, hot air, both effects utterly controlled by God. This underscores the theological truth that God is the ultimate orchestrator of creation, manipulating even the most basic elements like wind and temperature to fulfill His purposes. It's a reminder that human understanding is finite when faced with God's infinite wisdom and power, echoing other scriptures that speak of God's unsearchable ways. It compels an attitude of awe and humble submission rather than demanding explanations from the Almighty.