Job 37 21

Job 37:21 kjv

And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.

Job 37:21 nkjv

Even now men cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies, When the wind has passed and cleared them.

Job 37:21 niv

Now no one can look at the sun, bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.

Job 37:21 esv

"And now no one looks on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them.

Job 37:21 nlt

We cannot look at the sun,
for it shines brightly in the sky
when the wind clears away the clouds.

Job 37 verses

Job 37 21 Meaning

Elihu observes that even in the natural world, humanity often fails to perceive a brilliant light that exists behind the obscuring clouds. It is only when the wind sweeps through, clearing the sky, that this hidden brightness becomes visible. This serves as an analogy for God's profound glory and power, which, like the sun veiled by clouds, is often beyond human comprehension or direct perception until He Himself acts to reveal it.

Job 37 21 Context

Job 37:21 is part of Elihu’s final discourse, specifically his majestic summation on God's omnipotence as revealed through natural phenomena. In chapters 36 and 37, Elihu has been building a theological case for God's perfect justice and awesome power, urging Job to humble himself before a God whose ways are beyond human understanding. This verse appears just before Elihu's crescendo, where he describes God's coming in fearful majesty from the north. Elihu uses meteorological phenomena (thunder, lightning, rain, wind, clouds) as evidence of God's unseen, uncontrollable power and His perfect governance of the cosmos. He highlights the incomprehensibility of natural wonders as a prelude to stating the even greater incomprehensibility of God Himself. Historically, this aligns with an ancient Near Eastern understanding where storm gods were often deities of immense power. However, Elihu elevates this, presenting Yahweh as the sole orchestrator, using nature not merely as a display of raw power but as a testimony to His inscrutable wisdom and moral governance. The implicit polemic is against human attempts to limit or fully comprehend God, including Job’s perceived challenge to divine justice, arguing that if humans cannot even understand visible weather, they cannot truly grasp the invisible divine.

Job 37 21 Word analysis

• וְעַתָּה (ve'attah) - And now: This conjunction often introduces a new point or conclusion, shifting the focus to a current observation or a summing up of preceding arguments. It draws attention to the immediate reality being described.
• לֹא רָאוּ (lo' ra'u) - do not see / have not seen: "לֹא" (lo') is the negative particle. "רָאוּ" (ra'u) is from the verb "ראה" (ra'ah), meaning 'to see', 'perceive', or 'understand'. This phrase emphatically states human inability to perceive something directly, implying a limitation of perception or understanding.
• אוֹר (or) - light: A fundamental biblical word, referring to physical illumination (Gen 1:3) but often carrying profound theological implications as God's presence, wisdom, glory, and life itself (Ps 27:1; Ps 36:9). Here, it denotes an intense, existing radiance.
• בָּהִיר (bahir) - bright / clear / dazzling: An adjective modifying "light", signifying an intense, pure, brilliant illumination. It is used sparingly in the Old Testament, suggesting exceptional clarity and splendor. It points to a light of remarkable purity, unlike faint or obscured light.
• הוּא (hu) - it: The independent pronoun, confirming that "it" (the light) is undeniably present, though unseen. It emphasizes the inherent existence of this dazzling light.
• בַּשְּׁחָקִים (bash'khaqim) - in the clouds / heavens: "בַּ" (ba) is the preposition "in". "שְּׁחָקִים" (sh'khakim) refers to the clouds, firmament, or highest heavens. It situates the intense light in an elevated, seemingly inaccessible, and often obscure realm, a common biblical location for divine manifestations.
• וְרוּחַ (veruach) - and wind / spirit: "וְ" (ve) is "and". "רוּחַ" (ruach) is a multifaceted Hebrew word, meaning 'wind', 'breath', or 'spirit' (both human and divine). In this context of clearing clouds, 'wind' is primary, but the broader semantic range subtly hints at divine agency, especially as it relates to the Spirit of God which brings clarity and revelation (Gen 1:2; Ps 104:3-4).
• עָבְרָה (avrah) - passes / has passed: From "עבר" (avar), 'to pass over', 'to pass through', 'to cross'. It denotes the action of movement, the active process of the wind doing its work.
• וַתְּטַהֲרֵם (vattetahahem) - and clears them / purifies them: "וַתְּ" (va + t'ta) is a waw-consecutive, indicating sequential action. "טַהֲרֵם" (taharhem) is from the verb "טהר" (tahar), meaning 'to be clean', 'to purify', 'to cleanse', 'to make clear'. The suffix 'ם' (them) refers to the clouds. The choice of "purify" instead of simply "clear" for the clouds is significant. It implies an active cleansing, making what was obscured transparent and clean, echoing ritual purification. This could metaphorically point to divine actions that "cleanse" perception to reveal God’s glory.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And now men do not see the light that is bright": This phrase immediately establishes a central paradox: something intensely brilliant exists, yet it is unseen by human observers. It points to human limitations in perception, perhaps even a willful blindness, or an inherent inability to grasp certain truths unless circumstances change. The brilliance of the light implies it should be easily seen, accentuating the human failure to perceive it.
• "in the clouds": This specifies the location of the hidden brilliance. Clouds often represent mystery, divine veiling, or the inaccessibility of the divine (Ps 97:2; 1 Kgs 8:12). The light is there, but it's obscured by elements of creation that are also God's domain.
• "but the wind passes and clears them": This describes the divine solution or the mechanism of revelation. The 'wind' (רוּחַ, ruach) acting to 'clear' (וַתְּטַהֲרֵם, vatetahahem - purify/make clear) the clouds. This powerful action, often linked to God's Spirit or direct intervention, implies that only through God's active involvement (the wind clearing the obstructions) can the veiled light (God's glory) become manifest to human perception. The 'purification' aspect suggests a making clean and transparent, removing hindrances not just meteorologically, but perhaps spiritually or epistemologically.

Job 37 21 Bonus section

The verse stands as a powerful literary and theological bridge. Elihu, speaking before God intervenes, provides a human attempt at explaining divine action that foreshadows God’s own direct questioning from the whirlwind. The “light that is bright” could specifically evoke images of God's uncreated glory or the "Shekinah," which in other biblical accounts often appeared as a dazzling brightness within a cloud or associated with a cloud. This verse also introduces a dichotomy: God's veiled majesty (behind the clouds) and His sovereign power to reveal Himself (wind clears). It hints at a divine pedagogical method: God often hides His face (Ps 30:7) to draw humanity into greater faith and humility, before revealing Himself. Elihu argues that true wisdom acknowledges God's unsearchable depths, prompting profound reverence rather than challenge.

Job 37 21 Commentary

Elihu’s statement in Job 37:21 is a climactic rhetorical question embedded within an observation, serving to humble Job and underscore God’s unsearchable greatness. He asserts that despite the existence of dazzling light beyond the clouds, it remains imperceptible to humans until God, through the wind, actively clears the sky. This is not just a meteorological observation but a profound theological analogy. The "bright light" behind the clouds is symbolic of God's transcendent, radiant glory and His immeasurable wisdom, which are intrinsically pure and powerful but are often veiled from human understanding. Just as a physical cloud can obstruct our view of the sun, our finite minds, sinful nature, or lack of divine revelation can obscure our understanding of God.

The subsequent action of the "wind" (ruach), clearing or "purifying" the clouds, points to God's sovereignty and His active role in revelation. It suggests that when and how God's glory is unveiled is entirely dependent on His divine will and power. The verb "to purify" elevates this beyond a simple weather phenomenon; it hints at a divine cleansing action that removes obstructions, whether literal or spiritual, allowing a glimpse of the unblemished, glorious truth. Elihu is preparing Job for the actual divine appearance (the "whirlwind" in Job 38) that will clear Job's distorted perceptions. If humanity struggles to comprehend observable natural phenomena orchestrated by God, how much more incomprehensible are His moral governance and ultimate wisdom in dealing with human suffering? It's a call to awe and humility, recognizing that God is both hidden in majesty and revealed through His active, powerful work in creation.