Job 37 18

Job 37:18 kjv

Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?

Job 37:18 nkjv

With Him, have you spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror?

Job 37:18 niv

can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

Job 37:18 esv

Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?

Job 37:18 nlt

he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror.
Can you do that?

Job 37 verses

Job 37 18 Meaning

Job 37:18 presents Elihu's rhetorical question to Job, challenging him regarding his ability to create or comprehend the immensity of God's work in the heavens. It describes the sky as a divinely spread out entity, inherently strong and resembling a cast metal mirror. This emphasizes God's unique power as the sole architect and sustomder of creation, far beyond human capacity to achieve or even fully grasp.

Job 37 18 Context

Job 37:18 is part of Elihu's final and most extended speech (chapters 32-37) to Job and his friends. Throughout these chapters, Elihu asserts God's righteousness, wisdom, and omnipotence, especially as revealed in natural phenomena. He argues that Job’s suffering, rather than being unjust, serves a purpose in humbling and refining him, highlighting God’s ways which are beyond human comprehension.

Chapter 37, in particular, focuses on God's awe-inspiring control over meteorological phenomena: lightning, thunder, rain, snow, and clouds. Elihu uses these grand displays of power to emphasize God’s majesty and sovereignty, culminating in the question of Job's capacity to understand or emulate such divine acts. This verse specifically addresses the expanse of the sky as another profound example of God's unsearchable might. Elihu prepares the ground for God's direct intervention in chapters 38-41 by vividly painting God's transcendent power, urging Job to stand in humble awe before the Creator rather than question His justice.

The historical and cultural context reflects an ancient Near Eastern understanding of the cosmos, where the sky was often perceived as a solid dome or vault—the "firmament" (Hebrew raqia'). This perspective, common to the era, allowed Elihu to vividly portray the sky as an impressive, mighty structure. The imagery of a "molten looking glass" further conveys solidity, durability, and a smooth, reflective surface, akin to ancient polished metal mirrors. This served as a powerful polemic against any belief systems that attributed the creation or control of the sky and its phenomena to multiple, lesser deities or to a mere happenstance, strongly asserting YHWH's unique, unparalleled, and sole authorship over such a magnificent, powerful entity.

Job 37 18 Word analysis

• Hast thou: This is a rhetorical question, typical of Elihu’s approach (and later, God’s own questions to Job), designed to highlight Job's human limitations and ignorance when contrasted with God's divine knowledge and power. It's an implied challenge: "Could you ever do this?"
• with him: Hebrew ‘immo (עִמּוֹ), meaning "with Him" (referring to God). This phrase immediately places the question in the context of divine activity. It implies co-agency, but the rhetorical nature means no one could possibly be "with Him" in this capacity, emphasizing God’s singular, incomparable agency in creation. It underscores humanity’s utter inability to assist, let alone accomplish, such a feat alongside God.
• spread out: Hebrew teraqa‘ (תִּרְקַע), from the root raqa‘ (רָקַע). This verb means "to beat out, stamp down, spread out by hammering or pounding." It evokes the imagery of a metalsmith pounding a malleable metal sheet to expand and solidify it. This choice of word conveys the intense, powerful, and purposeful action involved in creating the sky, implying great strength and meticulous craftsmanship, much like forging.
• the sky: Hebrew shechaqim (שְׁחָקִים). This term broadly refers to the heavens, sky, or clouds, particularly the upper regions. While often translated as "skies" or "clouds," in this context, it speaks of the vast, visible expanse above the earth. Its poetic usage emphasizes the grand scale of the atmospheric and cosmic dome, serving as a powerful canvas for God’s displays of power.
• which is strong: Hebrew chazaq (חָזָק), meaning "strong, firm, mighty, hard, severe." This adjective emphasizes the sky's inherent resilience, stability, and enduring nature. It’s not a flimsy, transient entity, but a solid, enduring structure that resists change or decay, reflective of its divine construction. The strength underscores God's ability to create something immensely stable and lasting.
• and as a molten: Hebrew kemar’eh mutzaq (כְּמַרְאֶה מוּצָק). This phrase combines kemar’eh ("as a sight/appearance of") and mutzaq (מוּצָק), meaning "cast," "solidified," "poured out" (referring to metal casting). This vividly describes something that was liquid, then poured into a mold, and then hardened into a fixed, rigid, and substantial form. It strongly reinforces the idea of the sky as a solid, crafted entity, suggesting a seamless, smooth, and unified surface.
• looking glass: Hebrew mar’ah (מַרְאָה), meaning "mirror," "looking glass," "vision," or "appearance." Ancient mirrors were typically made of highly polished metal (bronze, copper, or silver), not glass as we know it today. Such mirrors, though not perfectly clear, offered a reflection. The comparison implies the sky has a polished, unblemished, reflective surface—perhaps reflecting sunlight or the moon in a brilliant way, appearing like an enormous, highly polished metallic expanse above.

• "Hast thou with him spread out the sky": This grouping highlights the core of the challenge. Elihu points to the unbridgeable gap between Job's (human) capacity and God's (divine) power. It dismisses any possibility of human involvement in such cosmic creation, directly emphasizing God's sole, unchallenged omnipotence.
• "which is strong, and as a molten looking glass": This phrase paints a detailed, sensory picture of the sky. The strength (chazaq) and the imagery of a solidified, polished metal (mutzaq mar’ah) powerfully convey stability, immensity, and flawless divine craftsmanship. It’s a description of monumental engineering, solid and enduring, serving as an undeniable testament to the Creator’s unmatched might and artistry.

Job 37 18 Bonus section

The concept of raqia' (often translated as "firmament") from its root raqa', meaning "to beat out" or "hammer," suggests a solid, hammered-out expanse. This interpretation is strongly reinforced by Elihu's subsequent comparison of the sky to a "molten looking glass" in Job 37:18. This specific imagery of cast metal further cements the ancient perception of the heavens as a fixed, tangible dome, rather than an ethereal void. For the ancient listener, this would have profoundly conveyed the incredible, incomprehensible power required by God to forge such a massive, permanent, and impressive structure. It magnifies the unapproachableness and awesome might of the Creator.

The theological implication of this verse, and Elihu’s speech overall, is the doctrine of divine incomprehensibility (Job 11:7-9, Isa 40:28, Rom 11:33-36). Humans, no matter how wise, cannot fully grasp God’s infinite wisdom or the depth of His works. The sky, vast and seemingly immovable, stands as a silent witness to God's unparalleled creative power and serves as a call for humanity to embrace humility and trust in the One whose knowledge and capabilities are boundless.

Job 37 18 Commentary

Job 37:18 encapsulates Elihu’s climactic argument for God's overwhelming majesty and Job's profound ignorance regarding the divine creative power. By asking "Hast thou with him spread out the sky?", Elihu uses a rhetorical device to underscore the impossibility of any human being partaking in or even comprehending the sheer scale of divine creation. The description of the sky as "strong, and as a molten looking glass" is not a scientific statement about its composition but a profound poetic analogy from an ancient worldview.

The "molten looking glass" evokes the image of a vast, unyielding dome, perhaps shining and reflective like polished metal. This implies the sky is not merely a gaseous expanse but a formidable structure, divinely engineered and immensely powerful, capable of containing meteorological forces. Elihu's purpose is to humble Job, reminding him that the very visible cosmos stands as an unquestionable testament to God’s unsearchable wisdom and strength. Just as Job cannot explain the intricacies of a storm or the nature of snow and ice (Job 37:9-13), so he utterly lacks the power or knowledge to create something as immense and steadfast as the sky. The verse serves as a preamble to God's own interrogation of Job (Job 38-41), firmly establishing human limitations in the face of divine sovereignty. It's a call to profound reverence and trust in a God whose ways are beyond our full understanding.