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Job 37

Elihu uses God’s rule over the weather to confront the limits of human knowledge and call Job to reverence.

Elihu describes thunder rolling across the sky as the sound of God’s voice. Addressing Job, he traces God’s command over rain and snow, weather that stops human work and sends animals into shelter. He then asks whether Job can explain the clouds or help spread out the sky. His speech closes by joining God’s overwhelming power with justice, urging reverence before the Almighty whose works exceed human knowledge.

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1“Yes, at this my heart trembles, and is moved out of its place.
2Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice, the sound that goes out of his mouth.
3He sends it out under the whole sky, and his lightning to the ends of the earth.
4After it a voice roars. He thunders with the voice of his majesty. He doesn’t hold back anything when his voice is heard.
5God thunders marvelously with his voice. He does great things, which we can’t comprehend.
6For he says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the shower of rain, and to the showers of his mighty rain.
7He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he has made may know it.
9Out of its room comes the storm, and cold out of the north.
10By the breath of God, ice is given, and the width of the waters is frozen.
11Yes, he loads the thick cloud with moisture. He spreads abroad the cloud of his lightning.
12It is turned around by his guidance, that they may do whatever he commands them on the surface of the habitable world,
13whether it is for correction, or for his land, or for loving kindness, that he causes it to come.
14“Listen to this, Job. Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
15Do you know how God controls them, and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
16Do you know the workings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?
17You whose clothing is warm when the earth is still by reason of the south wind?
18Can you, with him, spread out the sky, which is strong as a cast metal mirror?
19Teach us what we will tell him, for we can’t make our case by reason of darkness.
20Will it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?
21Now men don’t see the light which is bright in the skies, but the wind passes, and clears them.
22Out of the north comes golden splendor. With God is awesome majesty.
23We can’t reach the Almighty. He is exalted in power. In justice and great righteousness, he will not oppress.
24Therefore men revere him. He doesn’t regard any who are wise of heart.”
World English BibleRead in NIV in Psalmlog →Highlighted verses are the most connected.
Key verses
Job 37:23Elihu’s closing claim joins God’s unreachable greatness with justice, insisting that supreme power does not make him oppressive.
Job 37:2The command to hear introduces thunder as God’s voice, setting the tone for Elihu’s account of divine rule.
Job 37:22Golden splendor from the north brings Elihu’s weather imagery toward its climax in the awesome majesty of God.
Where this chapter reaches

Psalm shares the portrayal of thunder as God’s voice and of weather under his command, while Exodus links thunder and lightning with God’s presence. Romans shares the emphasis on the limits of human knowledge before God’s wisdom and judgments.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which of Elihu’s questions to Job most challenges your sense of what you can explain?

Write on this

How does Elihu’s claim that God will not oppress shape your reading of his storm imagery?

Write on this

Questions people ask about Job 37

Who is speaking in Job 37?

Elihu is speaking, continuing his address to Job. He describes weather as evidence of God’s command over creation, then names Job in verse 14 and questions his understanding. The chapter records Elihu’s speech, so its claims need to be read as part of the book’s debate over Job’s suffering.

Does Job 37:13 say storms are punishment from God?

Elihu includes correction among the purposes of weather, alongside care for the land and loving kindness. His description places clouds and rain under God’s direction. The verse does not identify the purpose of any particular storm or give readers a way to determine why a specific disaster occurred.

What does the cast metal mirror mean in Job 37:18?

Elihu compares the sky to a strong mirror made of cast metal. The image evokes a firm, gleaming surface and asks whether Job could help God spread it out. It belongs to the speech’s poetic description of creation, where the scale of the sky exposes the limits of human power.

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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).