Job 38 20

Job 38:20 kjv

That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

Job 38:20 nkjv

That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home?

Job 38:20 niv

Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?

Job 38:20 esv

that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?

Job 38:20 nlt

Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?

Job 38 verses

Job 38 20 Meaning

Job 38:20 continues God's challenging inquiry to Job from the whirlwind. It rhetorically questions Job's ability to comprehend, much less control, the fundamental elements of light and darkness. The verse probes whether Job knows where light and darkness originate ("the house thereof") and whether he can guide them to their assigned boundaries. It serves to emphasize the vast gap between God's omniscient power and humanity's limited understanding, demonstrating God's sole dominion over creation's order and mysteries.

Job 38 20 Context

Job 38:20 is situated within God's direct address to Job, marking the climax of the book. After Job's persistent questions and self-justification, God finally speaks "out of the whirlwind" (Job 38:1), launching into a series of rhetorical questions that highlight His infinite power, wisdom, and knowledge, contrasting them with Job's limited human perspective. Chapters 38-41 focus on God's demonstration of His unchallenged control over the cosmos and the animal kingdom. This specific verse (38:20) immediately follows a question about the "way where light dwells, and as for darkness, where is its place?" (38:19). It continues to challenge Job's capacity to understand or manage cosmic phenomena like light and darkness. The historical context reflects a time when natural elements were often revered or attributed to various deities in ancient Near Eastern cultures. God's majestic display of power in Job 38 is a decisive polemic, asserting that the God of Israel, Yahweh, is the sole, all-powerful Sovereign, meticulously maintaining order in a world He alone created, not any pantheon of lesser gods.

Job 38 20 Word analysis

• That (כי - ki): In this context, ki introduces an interrogative or a strong assertion within a rhetorical question. It implies "Can it be that you...?" setting up a challenge to Job's capability.

• thou shouldest take it (תקחנו - tiqgāḥēhū): From the verb לָקַח (laqach), meaning "to take," "to fetch," or "to seize." The force here implies control, transportation, or command. God is asking if Job possesses the authority or ability to direct something as vast and ethereal as light or darkness. The "it" refers back to "light" and "darkness" from verse 19.

• to the bound thereof (אל גבולו - ʾel gvulō):

  • אל (ʾel): "To" or "towards."
  • גבולו (gvulō): "Its boundary," "its border," "its limit." From גְּבוּל (g'vul), signifying a defined or marked-off territory. God established specific parameters for all elements of creation. The question implies Job's ignorance of these divinely ordained limits and his inability to manipulate cosmic elements to them.

• and that thou shouldest know (וכי תביננו - w'kī tāvinēnū):

  • וכי (w'kī): "And that," continuing the rhetorical question.
  • תביננו (tāvinēnū): "You should understand it," "you should discern it," or "you should make it understand/guide it." From בִּין (bin), which is broader than mere intellectual knowing; it encompasses insight, discernment, understanding, and even guiding or making intelligent. God questions if Job possesses such profound comprehension or control over "it."

• the paths to the house thereof (אל ביתו - ʾel bêṯō):

  • אל (ʾel): "To" or "towards."
  • ביתו (bêṯō): "Its house," "its dwelling," "its origin." From בַּיִת (bayit), which literally means "house" or "home." This metaphorical "house" for light and darkness points to their fundamental source or a divinely established resting place or origin. The KJV "the paths" is an interpretive addition; the Hebrew directly states "to its house," implying the way or path to its origin. God questions if Job knows where these fundamental forces come from or reside.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "That thou shouldest take it... and that thou shouldest know": This parallel phrasing emphasizes the twin impossibilities for Job: both commanding (taking/guiding) and fully comprehending (knowing/discerning) these cosmic forces. It's a total lack of power and knowledge on Job's part.
  • "to the bound thereof, and... to the house thereof": These phrases define the extreme limits and the ultimate origins of light and darkness. They represent the fullest extent of cosmic knowledge and control, attributes exclusively belonging to God. The rhetorical pairing underscores the meticulous order God has imposed on creation, setting boundaries and assigning dwellings to even abstract elements like light and darkness.

Job 38 20 Bonus section

The "house thereof" (ביתו) for light and darkness might seem like personification, but it's a profound metaphor for the cosmic order God established. It implies that these are not just ephemeral forces but have a divinely appointed place and source, demonstrating God's thorough and detailed command over all things, even those invisible or abstract to human eyes. This verse, like much of God's speech, serves not merely to silence Job but to re-educate him and the reader on the scope of divine wisdom and power, highlighting that creation's order is far too complex for human understanding to encompass or for human hands to manage. It's a call to trust God's sovereign hand, even when His ways seem unsearchable.

Job 38 20 Commentary

Job 38:20 acts as a humbling revelation for Job, drawing an inescapable distinction between Creator and created. God challenges Job on his fundamental understanding of light and darkness, not as simple phenomena but as controlled entities within a divinely ordered cosmos. The rhetorical questions demand that Job acknowledge his inability to manipulate these elements by taking them "to their bound" (limits or assigned territories) or to comprehend their deepest origins ("the house thereof"). This points to the divine wisdom that meticulously designed, located, and now sustains the cosmos. Human experience might involve the presence of light and darkness, but humanity neither controls their daily arrival nor knows their ultimate dwelling place or the precise laws governing their movement. God, by contrast, establishes and maintains the universe through precise wisdom and power. This serves to redirect Job from self-pity and challenging God's justice to profound awe at God's incomprehensible greatness and sovereign care, even over seemingly chaotic elements.