Job 38 9

Job 38:9 kjv

When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

Job 38:9 nkjv

When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;

Job 38:9 niv

when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,

Job 38:9 esv

when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band,

Job 38:9 nlt

and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?

Job 38 verses

Job 38 9 Meaning

Job 38:9 portrays God’s powerful act of establishing and controlling the vast and tumultuous primeval sea. Through a series of rhetorical questions posed to Job, the Creator illustrates His supreme authority and unique ability to 'clothe' the sea with clouds and thick darkness, metaphors for His sovereign boundaries and enveloping power. This signifies that even the most chaotic elements of creation are precisely ordered and contained by His decree, emphasizing His unmatched wisdom and omnipotence over all things.

Job 38 9 Context

Job 38 initiates the LORD's first speech, addressing Job "out of the whirlwind" (Job 38:1). This divine address marks a turning point in the book, shifting from human discourse about suffering and justice to God's profound demonstration of His wisdom, power, and sovereignty. The LORD challenges Job's understanding of creation, particularly the primordial acts that predate humanity. Verses 8-11 specifically describe the "birth" of the sea, where God established its boundaries. Verse 9 contributes to this description, picturing God cloaking the newborn sea, highlighting His complete control and authority over the forces that might otherwise seem chaotic and uncontainable. This cosmic "birthing" and subsequent clothing serve as a polemic against ancient Near Eastern myths which often depicted chaotic primeval waters or sea monsters as formidable challenges to divine order. Here, the Biblical narrative clearly asserts that the Creator alone brought order, not through struggle, but by simple, sovereign decree.

Job 38 9 Word analysis

• when I made: Hebrew wayyasem (וַיָּשֶׂם) from the verb śîm (שִׂים), meaning "to put, place, set, make." This highlights God's direct, intentional, and authoritative action. It underscores His agency as the one who brought order into being, contrasting with any notion of chaos acting independently.
• the clouds: Hebrew ʿānān (עָנָן). Clouds in Scripture often signify covering, atmospheric phenomena, and are frequently associated with the divine presence, power, or mystery (e.g., the cloud by day guiding Israel, the cloud covering Mount Sinai). Here, it metaphorically serves as an outer "garment" for the sea, symbolizing its boundary and the visible manifestation of God's encompassing power.
• its garment: Hebrew leḇūšô (לְבֻשׁוֹ). Leḇūš (לְבוּשׁ) means "clothing" or "garment." This anthropomorphic imagery signifies not just a covering but also identity, protection, or a complete envelopment. God's action of "garmenting" the sea asserts His intimate and absolute control over it.
• and thick darkness: Hebrew waʿărāpel (וַעֲרָפֶל). ʿĂrāpel (עֲרָפֶל) denotes a dense, heavy, or thick darkness, often impenetrable. In biblical contexts, ʿărāpel frequently appears in relation to God's awe-inspiring presence, particularly at Sinai, emphasizing His transcendence and unapproachable holiness. Applied to the sea, it suggests the profound depth and inscrutability of the ocean, yet this very mystery is also within God's control.
• its swaddling band: Hebrew ḥătilatō (חֲתֻלָּתוֹ). Ḥātûlâ (חָתוּלָה) means "swaddling band" or "swaddling cloth," used for infants to wrap them securely. This metaphor is striking: the immeasurable, potentially destructive sea is likened to a newborn infant tightly bound by its creator. It conveys the concept of firm boundaries and precise containment. This powerful imagery communicates both the nurturing care and the absolute control God exerts over even the most chaotic elements, preventing the sea from overflowing its designated limits.

Job 38 9 Bonus section

The imagery in Job 38:9 not only emphasizes God's control but also imbues the sea, often a symbol of chaotic power in ancient thought, with an anthropomorphic "birth." This contrasts with ancient pagan myths where divine beings struggle or war with personified chaos, like the Babylonian Tiamat. In Job, God's sovereignty is effortless, His control inherent. The use of "garment" and "swaddling band" implies not just restraint but also a certain nurturing care in the setting of boundaries, a paradox revealing the tenderness alongside the omnipotence of God. This profound creative act sets a foundational pattern for all of God's ordered creation, demonstrating His ability to bring cosmos out of chaos, wisdom out of apparent confusion, and stability to what might otherwise overwhelm. It speaks to God's unmatched majesty and wisdom, the very things Job had questioned.

Job 38 9 Commentary

Job 38:9 is a vivid and potent part of God's interrogation of Job, asserting His unique role as Creator and Sustainer. Through poetic metaphor, God reveals how He established boundaries for the raging sea by "clothing" it with clouds and "swaddling" it with thick darkness. This demonstrates that what appears vast, untamed, and potentially chaotic to human eyes—the deep ocean—is actually held in a firm and tender grip by the divine hand. The imagery of garment and swaddling band illustrates God’s complete authority: He did not battle chaos, but rather adorned and contained it with His power and wisdom, just as one clothes and secures an infant. This passage emphasizes God's intelligent design and control, which far surpasses Job's, or any human's, understanding or capability. It is a powerful reminder that all of creation operates within parameters set by its magnificent Maker.