Job 38 38

Job 38:38 kjv

When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?

Job 38:38 nkjv

When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together?

Job 38:38 niv

when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?

Job 38:38 esv

when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together?

Job 38:38 nlt

when the parched ground is dry
and the soil has hardened into clods?

Job 38 verses

Job 38 38 Meaning

Job 38:38 encapsulates God's rhetorical question to Job, challenging his understanding of fundamental natural processes. It highlights how God, through rain, transforms loose dust into a cohesive, solid mass—either hardened earth or clinging clods—a process vital for sustaining life and demonstrating His intricate control over the created order. The question underscores God's wisdom and power, which far exceed human comprehension and capacity to replicate or manage.

Job 38 38 Context

Job 38:38 is part of God's initial address to Job from a whirlwind, marking a dramatic shift in the book. After chapters of dialogue between Job and his friends, God intervenes not to explain Job's suffering directly, but to assert His own transcendent power, wisdom, and sovereign control over creation. The chapter systematically questions Job about his understanding of various natural phenomena—from the foundations of the earth and the boundaries of the sea to light, darkness, weather patterns, and the very composition of the cosmos. Each question, including verse 38, serves to humble Job by highlighting his profound ignorance and incapacity compared to God's limitless knowledge and divine orchestration of the universe. The reference to dust and clods speaks to the vital yet seemingly simple agricultural process controlled by God, setting the stage for demonstrating God's meticulous care over even the smallest details of the world He created.

Job 38 38 Word analysis

Word-by-word analysis

• When (וּבְ): This prefix introduces the circumstance or time, implying a "when this happens" scenario. It poses a rhetorical question, challenging Job on a fundamental process.
• dust (עָפָ֣ר 'ā·p̄ār): Refers to fine, loose, dry earth. In the Bible, 'aphār frequently symbolizes human frailty and mortality (Gen 2:7, Gen 3:19) but also serves as the very medium God uses in creation. Here, it denotes the elemental state before divine intervention.
• hardens (בְצֶ֥קֶת bə·ṣe·qeṯ): Derived from the root "yatsaq," meaning to pour, cast, melt, or solidify. It implies a process of becoming firm or rigid, often referring to casting metal or pouring concrete. This verb suggests a transformative process where loose particles are rendered firm.
• into a mass (לַמּוּצָ֑ק lam·mū·ṣāq): Also from the root "yatsaq," this term denotes something cast, poured out, or solidified into a firm, cohesive lump or block. It signifies the end result of the hardening process, a new state of solidity.
• and (וּ־): Connects the two related consequences of precipitation on earth.
• the clods (רְגָבִ֖ים rə·ḡā·ḇîm): Refers specifically to lumps of soil, dried up chunks of earth that have broken off. These are the natural result of moistened and then dried soil, crucial for agricultural purposes.
• cling together (יְדֻבָּֽקוּ yə·ḏub·bā·qū): From the root "dabaq," meaning to stick, cleave, or adhere. This verb describes the act of cohesion or binding. It implies an intentional process, a divinely designed mechanism for soil particles and larger clods to join. It can describe physical sticking, or even a profound emotional attachment. Here, it refers to the physical binding of earth.

Words-group by words-group analysis

• "When the dust hardens into a mass": This phrase describes the initial stage of transformation where fine, loose soil particles, when subjected to moisture (implied by the preceding verses about rain), coalesce and solidify. It points to a process often taken for granted: how seemingly inert dust is made to cohere into something firm and stable. This is crucial for agricultural stability, preventing erosion, and forming stable ground for foundations. God asks if Job comprehends the mechanism behind this fundamental natural change.
• "and the clods cling together?": This complements the first part, focusing on larger aggregated lumps of earth that also bind. This cohesion of clods is essential for water retention, soil structure, and supporting plant life. Without this "clinging together," soil would remain too loose to support vegetation effectively, highlighting God's intricate design for earthly fertility. The combination of these two phrases points to God's mastery over the very chemistry and physics of earth and water, turning basic elements into stable ground. This also stands as an implicit polemic against ancient fertility cults like Baalism, proclaiming that the God of Israel, not any local deity, governs these vital natural processes.

Job 38 38 Bonus section

• The passage reveals God's intimate knowledge of geophysical and meteorological processes that would have been completely mysterious to Job. The transformation of loose "dust" ('aphar) into firm "clods" (regabim) by "hardening" (basaq, suggesting pouring and solidification) and "clinging" (dabaq, bonding) implies a detailed understanding of soil mechanics and the role of water in cohesion.
• God's questions throughout Job 38-39 are not accusatory but rather pedagogical, designed to elevate Job's perspective from his personal suffering to the grandeur of God's cosmic sovereignty. This particular verse uses a commonplace phenomenon (the drying of muddy ground) to illustrate a profound truth about God's ordering of creation.
• The contrast between the vulnerability of dust and its eventual cohesion highlights God's power to bring order, stability, and purpose even to the most basic elements. This echoes how God forms and sustains all life from elemental beginnings.

Job 38 38 Commentary

Job 38:38 serves as a powerful reminder of God's incomprehensible wisdom and sovereign control over creation, even in the seemingly mundane. By questioning Job about the transformation of loose dust into solid masses and adhering clods, God exposes the vast gap between human understanding and divine omnipotence. This verse points to the essential processes of the hydrologic cycle and soil formation, vital for sustaining all life on Earth, yet fully beyond human control or detailed comprehension. It demonstrates that the most ordinary phenomena, such as a field of hardened clods after rain, are complex wonders orchestrated by God, not by chance or human intervention. The rhetorical question demands humility from Job, compelling him to recognize his limitations and to marvel at the divine architect who orchestrates such fundamental, life-giving processes.

• Example 1: Consider the process of creating pottery or brick: dust/clay requires water to be molded and then heat to harden. God does this naturally with earth and rain, requiring no human input for this foundational transformation.
• Example 2: A farmer knows the importance of soil structure for a good harvest. This verse implicitly speaks to how God, through rain, naturally prepares the very ground, causing soil particles to adhere, which enables growth, fertility, and prevents land degradation.