Job 38 37

Job 38:37 kjv

Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

Job 38:37 nkjv

Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

Job 38:37 niv

Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

Job 38:37 esv

Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

Job 38:37 nlt

Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
Who can tilt the water jars of heaven

Job 38 verses

Job 38 37 Meaning

Job 38:37 is a rhetorical question posed by God to Job from the whirlwind. It underscores the profound incomprehensibility of divine power and knowledge in contrast to human limitations. God asks who possesses the wisdom to count the innumerable clouds, which signify the vast and often unmeasurable meteorological processes. He further challenges Job to identify who has the power to tilt the very "bottles of heaven," a poetic image for the sky's reservoirs, to bring forth rain. These questions emphasize that only the Almighty God has such precise control and complete understanding over the vast, intricate systems of creation, particularly those essential for sustaining life like the weather.

Job 38 37 Context

Job 38:37 is situated within God's powerful first response to Job (chapters 38-39) from a whirlwind. Prior to this, Job has repeatedly questioned God's justice and wisdom concerning his suffering. In these chapters, God does not explain Job's plight directly but instead overwhelms him with rhetorical questions about the creation and sustaining of the natural world, over which only God has sovereign power and intimate knowledge.

The specific context of Job 38 is God interrogating Job regarding the very foundations of the earth, the laws of light and darkness, the sources of the sea, the intricate workings of the weather—including snow, hail, lightning, and rain—and the celestial bodies. Job 38:37 specifically targets the meteorological cycle, highlighting God's unmatched understanding of clouds and their rain-bearing capacity. Historically and culturally, in the Ancient Near East (ANE), rain was a critical, life-sustaining element, often attributed to local storm deities like Baal or Hadad. By asking these questions, God directly challenges any human claim to wisdom or control over nature, or indeed, the worship of false gods believed to manipulate the weather, establishing His unique and absolute sovereignty.

Job 38 37 Word analysis

Word-by-word analysis

• Who (מִי - mî): A singular interrogative pronoun that initiates a rhetorical question. It immediately sets up an implied negative answer, emphasizing that no human being, nor any other entity, can perform the actions that follow. This highlights human insignificance in comparison to the divine.
• can number (יְסַפֵּר - yəsapêr): A Piel imperfect verb, meaning "to count," "to recount," or "to narrate." It implies not just a simple tallying, but a comprehensive understanding, measurement, and detailed knowledge of the object. For clouds, this refers to comprehending their vastness, density, water content, and every intricate detail.
• the clouds (שְׁחָקִים - šəḥaqîm): Plural noun, typically referring to the higher, often thinner, and more numerous clouds, or even fine atmospheric dust. Its etymological root can suggest "thinness" or "fineness," reinforcing the difficulty of counting them. This choice emphasizes the immense and diffuse nature of the atmosphere.
• by wisdom (בְּחָכְמָה - bəḥɔḵmâ): The preposition bə means "by" or "in," signifying the means or manner. Ḥɔḵmâ means "wisdom," referring to human intellectual capacity, insight, or practical skill. This phrase points out that even with the greatest human sagacity, it is impossible to master this natural phenomenon. It starkly contrasts finite human wisdom with God's infinite, inherent wisdom.
• Or (וּמִי - ûmî): "And who," or "Or who." Introduces a second, parallel rhetorical question, reinforcing the impossibility for humans.
• can pour out (יַמְתִּיג - yamṯîg): A Hiphil imperfect verb, meaning "to cause to drop," "to let flow," or "to draw off." It denotes intentional action and control in dispensing liquids, specifically for rain from a container. The Hiphil causation points to a deliberate act of causing rain to fall, rather than a passive observation.
• the bottles (נִבְלֵי - niḇlê): Plural noun for "wine-skins," "flasks," or "bottles." In the ANE, animal skins were common containers for liquids. Here, it is a vivid metaphor for celestial reservoirs or containers holding rain. This imagery is powerful in asserting that the source of rain is not arbitrary or dependent on a multiplicity of pagan gods, but rather is held in divine control.
• of heaven (שָׁמָיִם - šāmāyim): Plural noun for "heavens," "sky," or "celestial sphere." It denotes the source of the divine supply. Coupled with "bottles," it paints a picture of God Himself having direct, intentional control over the vital life-giving substance of rain, stored in and dispensed from the sky.

Words-group analysis

• "Who can number the clouds by wisdom?": This phrase emphasizes the quantitative and qualitative limit of human understanding. The sheer vastness and intricate, ever-changing nature of the clouds defy any human attempt to fully grasp or account for them, no matter how profound one's wisdom might be. This implicitly contrasts human wisdom, which is finite and often foolish when pitted against creation's mysteries, with God's infinite, ordering intelligence.
• "Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven?": This phrase shifts from intellectual comprehension to practical control. It underscores the ultimate divine authority over the life-giving processes of the earth, particularly the crucial phenomenon of rain. The imagery of "bottles of heaven" strongly implies deliberate, purposeful dispensation of rain from a singular, sovereign source. This served as a polemic against pagan beliefs, such as those associated with Baal, the storm god in Canaanite mythology, suggesting that only Yahweh holds such dominion. It challenges any human pretense of power or influence over the forces of nature that sustain existence.

Job 38 37 Bonus section

• The rhetorical questions throughout Job 38-39 serve as a sustained divine "lecture" to humble Job and recalibrate his understanding of God. This particular verse reinforces the "nature wisdom" theme prevalent in the speech.
• The phrase "bottles of heaven" is a powerful anthropomorphism that makes divine action relatable while simultaneously emphasizing its distinctness from human capacity. It contrasts directly with pagan deities often depicted as physically causing storms. God, the singular deity, fills and pours out His celestial "containers" as He wills.
• The divine speech challenges the notion that Job or anyone else could truly "govern" creation's complex systems. It implies that true wisdom acknowledges and submits to God's inherent understanding and control, rather than seeking to question or duplicate it.
• This verse is not just about God's power over weather; it’s an indictment of humanity's limited perspective and wisdom when compared to the infinite Creator.

Job 38 37 Commentary

Job 38:37 is a quintessential example of God's majestic display of His creative power and wisdom to a struggling Job. God's questions are not posed to elicit an answer, but to humble Job by revealing the immeasurable gap between divine omnipotence and human finite capacity. By choosing natural phenomena like clouds and rain—which were essential for life and often seen as gifts from specific deities in ancient cultures—God unequivocally asserts His absolute and exclusive sovereignty. Humans, despite their wisdom, cannot even count the elusive clouds, let alone manipulate the source of rain. This verse powerfully conveys that God not only initiated creation but also intricately sustains its functions with knowledge and power utterly beyond human grasp. It reframes Job's perceived chaos into divine order, asserting God's meticulous care over every aspect of His universe, reinforcing that if He controls the immense and complex weather systems, He certainly orchestrates Job's circumstances with a purpose Job cannot yet comprehend.