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Job Chapter
Thirty-eight
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 38
In
this chapter the Lord takes up the controversy with Job; calls upon him to
prepare to engage with him in it
and demands an answer to posing questions he
puts to him
concerning the earth and the fabric of it
Job 38:1;
concerning the sea
compared to an infant in embryo
at its birth
in its
swaddling bands and cradle
Job 38:8;
concerning the morning light
its spread and influence
Job 38:12;
concerning the springs of the sea
the dark parts of the earth
the place both
of light and darkness
Job 38:16;
concerning the various meteors
snow
hail
rain
thunder
lightning
and the
influences of the stars
Job 38:22; and
concerning provision for lions and ravens
Job 38:40.
Job 38:1 Then
the Lord
answered Job out of the whirlwind
and said:
YLT
1And Jehovah answereth Job
out of the whirlwind
and saith: --
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind
.... As soon
as Elihu had done speaking
who saw the tempest rising
and gave hints of it
Job 37:2; and
hastened to finish his discourse. This was raised to give notice of the Lord
being about to appear
and to display his majesty
and to command reverence and
attention. The Targum calls it the whirlwind of distress
as it might be to
Job; and a representation of the distressed and disturbed state and condition
in which he was. The person that spoke out of it is Jehovah the Son of God
the
eternal Word
who very probably appeared in an human form; there was an object
seen
Job 42:5; and spoke
with an articulate voice to Job;
and said; in answer to his frequent wishes and desires that the Lord would
appear and take his cause in hand.
Job 38:2 2 “Who is this who
darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
YLT
2Who [is] this -- darkening
counsel
By words without knowledge?
Who is this
.... Meaning not Elihu the last speaker
as
some think; and there are some who suppose not only that these words are
directed to him
but all that is said in this and the following chapter: but it
was Job the Lord spoke to and answered
as expressed in Job 38:1; and these
words are taken by Job to himself
Job 42:3.
Concerning whom the Lord inquires
not as ignorant of him
who he was; but
wondering that such a man as he should talk as he did; and as angry with him
and rebuking him for it;
that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? either his
own counsel
his sense and sentiments of things
which were delivered in such
an obscure manner as not to be intelligible by those that heard them; whereby
they were led
as Job's friends were
into some mistaken notions of him: or
rather the counsel of God
his works of providence
which are done according to
the counsel of his will
and were misrepresented by Job
as not being wise and
good
just and equitable; see Job 34:3.
Job 38:3 3 Now prepare yourself like
a man; I will question you
and you shall answer Me.
YLT
3Gird
I pray thee
as a
man
thy loins
And I ask thee
and cause thou Me to know.
Gird up now thy loins like a man
.... Like a man of valour
that girds on his harness for battle: Job is bid to prepare for the controversy
the Lord was entering into with him; and bring forth his strong reasons and
most powerful arguments in his own defence. The allusion is to the custom in
the eastern countries
where they wore long garments
to gird them about their
loins
when they engaged in work or war. Job had blustered what he would do
and now he is dared to it; see Job 23:4;
for I will demand of thee
and answer thou me; put questions
to him
to which he required a direct and positive answer. Jehovah takes the
part of the opponent in this dispute
and gives that of the respondent to Job;
since Job himself had put it to his option which to take
Job 13:22.
Job 38:4 4 “Where were you when I
laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me
if you have understanding.
YLT
4Where wast thou when I
founded earth? Declare
if thou hast known understanding.
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?.... The earth
has foundations
and such firm ones that it cannot be moved; but what are they
since it is hung in the air on nothing! No other than the power and will of
God
who laid these foundations
and the Son of God
who has created and
upholds all things by the word of his power
Hebrews 1:3. Where
was Job then? In a state of nothingness
a mere nonentity: he was not present
when this amazing work of nature was done
and saw not how the Lord went about
it; and yet takes upon him to dive into the secret works and ways of
Providence
for which he is rebuked by this question and the following;
declare
if thou hast understanding: Job had the
understanding of a man in things natural and civil
and of a good man in things
spiritual and divine; but he had no understanding of this
of what he is
questioned about; could not declare in what place he was
and where he stood
when the earth was founded.
Job 38:5 5 Who determined its
measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
YLT
5Who placed its measures --
if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched out upon it a line?
Who hath laid the measures thereof
if thou knowest?.... Did God
or a creature? The Lord
no doubt. He laid them out in his divine mind
and
laid them forth by his divine power; who does all things by weight and measure.
He fixed the dimensions of the earth
how long
how thick
and how broad it
should be; he settled the borders and boundaries of it. This Job might know
that the Lord did; but he laid them
and what they are that are laid
he knew
not. Mathematicians pretend to give us the circumference and diameter of the
earth; but in their accounts are not agreed
but widely differ; which shows
they are at no certainty about themF5The mathematicians in
Aristotle's time reckoned the breadth of the earth a little less than forty
myriads of furlongs
and the length of it seventy myriads. Aristot. de Mundo
c. 3. Vid. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 108
109. According to the moderns
the
circumference of the earth is 25
031.5 of our statute miles
and its diameter
7967 such miles. See Chamber's Dictionary on the word "Earth". ; and
Job and the men of his age might be still less knowing: though the words may be
rendered
"for thou knowest"F6כי
"quadoquidem"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; "quia"
Michaelis; "nam"
Schultens; so Broughton. ; surely such a knowing
man as thou art must needs know this and so are a severe sarcasm upon him;
or who hath stretched the line upon it? The measuring
line being formed according to rule
with exact symmetry and proportion. This
may be the same with the circle of the earth
and the compass set upon the face
of the deep or terraqueous globe
Proverbs 8:27. And
with the same exactness and just proportion are the ways and works of
Providence
which Job ought to have acquiesced in as being well and wisely
done.
Job 38:6 6 To what were its
foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone
YLT
6On what have its sockets
been sunk? Or who hath cast its corner-stone?
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?.... Or the
pillars of it
as Ben Gersom interprets it; see Psalm 75:3; and
which Aben Ezra understands of the mountains: but be they what they may
on
what can they be fastened or sunk into
when the earth hangs on nothing
and
there is nothing visible to support it
nothing but the mighty hand of God?
or who laid the corner stone thereof? which unites
cements
and keeps the fabric together
and is the ornament and beauty of it;
but who can tell what that is? Aben Ezra interprets it of the point or centre
of the earth.
Job 38:7 7 When the morning stars
sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
YLT
7In the singing together of
stars of morning
And all sons of God shout for joy
When the morning stars sang together
.... Either
all the stars in a literal sense; for though
strictly speaking
there is but
one morning star
yet all may be called so
because early created in the
morning of the world; and are all stars of light
shine till the morning; and
it is observed by some
that the nearer the morning the brighter they shine:
and these in their way sing the praises of God
and set forth the glory of his
perfections
and occasion songs of praise in men; see Psalm 148:3. Or
figuratively
either angels
as most interpret them
comparable to stars for
their glory
purity
and light
for their constancy
permanency
and numbers:
or good men
particularly ministers of the word
and angels of the churches;
who are stars in Christ's right hand
Revelation 1:20;
but the principal morning star is Christ himself
Revelation 22:16;
and all the sons of God shouted for joy; which are
usually understood of angels also
so the Targum; who are the sons of God
not
by birth
as Christ
nor by adoption
as saints; but by creation
as Adam
Luke 3:38. And
because they bear some likeness to God
as holy spirits
and honour and obey
him in doing his will; though the character of sons of God
as distinct from
the children of men
given to professors of religion
obtained before the times
of Job; see Genesis 6:2; and
who might be said to sing together
and shout for joy
when they met for social
worship; see Job 1:6; and
especially when any fresh discoveries were made to them of the Messiah
and
salvation by him. Thus Abraham
one of these sons of God
saw Christ's day and
was glad
and shouted for joy
John 8:56. For
these words are not necessarily to be restrained to the laying of the
foundation and cornerstone of the earth
as our version directs; though indeed
the angels then might be present
being created as soon as the heavens were
and with the stars
as Capellus on this place observes; and rejoiced
when the
foundations of the earth were laid
on beholding such a display of the power
wisdom
and goodness of God therein; and which may be said of them
in allusion
to what is done at the laying of the foundation of any building of note; see Ezra 3:10; for it
may be repeated from Job 38:4;
"where wast thou when the morning stars"
&c. and so may refer to
any rejoicing
whether of angels or men
before the times of Job
at which he
was not present.
Job 38:8 8 “Or who shut in the
sea with doors
When it burst forth and issued from the womb;
YLT
8And He shutteth up with
doors the sea
In its coming forth
from the womb it goeth out.
Or who shut up the sea with doors
.... From the
earth the transition is to the sea
according to the order of the creation; and
this refers not to the state and case of the sea as at the flood
of which some
interpret it
but as at its first creation; and it is throughout this account
represented as an infant
and here first as in embryo
shut up in the bowels of
the earth
where it was when first created with it
as an infant shut up in its
mother's womb
and with the doors of it; see Job 3:10; the
bowels of the earth being the storehouses where God first laid up the deep
waters
Psalm 33:7; and
when the chaos
the misshapen earth
was like a woman big with child;
when it brake forth out of the abyss
as the
Targum
with force and violence
as Pharez broke out of his mother's womb; for
which reason he had his name given
which signifies a breach
Genesis 38:29; so
it follows
as if it had issued
out of the womb; as a child out of its mother's womb; so the sea burst forth and
issued out of the bowels of the earth
and covered it all around
as in Psalm 104:6; and
now it was that the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters
before
they were drained off the earth; this was the first open visible production of
the sea
and nay be called the birth of it; see Genesis 1:2.
Something like this the Heathen philosopher Archelaus had a notion of
who saysF7Laert.
Vit. Philosoph. l. 2. p. 99.
the sea was shut up in hollow places
and was as
it were strained through the earth.
Job 38:9 9 When I made the clouds its
garment
And thick darkness its swaddling band;
YLT
9In My making a cloud its
clothing
And thick darkness its swaddling band
When I made the cloud the garment thereof
.... For this
newborn babe
the sea;
and thick darkness a swaddling band for it; which was the
case of the sea when it burst out of the bowels of the earth and covered it
for then darkness was upon the face of the deep
a dark
foggy
misty air
Genesis 1:2; and
this was before its separation from the land
and in this order it stands in
this account; though since
clouds
fogs
and mists
which rise out of the sea
are as garments to it
and cover it at times
and the surrounding atmosphere
as it presses the whole terraqueous globe
and keeps the parts of the earth
together
so the waters of the sea from spilling out; and these are the garments
and the swaddling bands with which the hands and arms of this big and
boisterous creature are wreathed; it is said of the infant in Ezekiel 16:4 that
it was neither "salted nor swaddled at all"; but both may be said of
the sea; that it is salted is sufficiently known
and that it is swaddled is
here affirmed; but who except the Lord Almighty could do this? and who has
managed
and still does and can manage
this unruly creature
as easily as a
nurse can turn about and swaddle a newborn babe upon her lap.
Job 38:10 10 When I fixed My limit for
it
And set bars and doors;
YLT
10And I measure over it My
statute
And place bar and doors
And brake up for it my decreed place
.... Or
as
Mr. Broughton translates it
"and brake the earth for it by my
decree": made a vast chasm in the earth to hold the waters of the sea
which was provided as a sort of cradle to put this swaddled infant in; God
cleaved the earth
raised the hills and sank the valleys
which became as
channels to convey the waters that ran off the earth to their appointed place
which beautifully expressed in Psalm 104:7; and
refers there
as here
to the work of creation on the second day
Genesis 1:9 F8Or
determined
that is
appointed for it its convenient
proper
and fixed place;
so David de Pomis
Lexic. fol. 203. 1. ;
and set bars and doors; to keep it in its
decreed appointed place
that the waters might not go over the earth; these are
the shores
as the Targum
the cliffs and rocks upon them
the boundaries of the
sea; to which may be added
and what is amazing
the sand upon the seashore is
such a boundary to it that it cannot pass
Jeremiah 5:22; but
these would be insufficient was it not for the power and will of God
next
expressed.
Job 38:11 11 When I said
‘This far you
may come
but no farther
And here your proud waves must stop!’
YLT
11And say
`Hitherto come
thou
and add not
And a command is placed On the pride of thy billows.'
And said
hitherto shalt thou come
but no further
.... The
waters of the sea shall spread themselves to such and such shores
and wash
them
but go no further; its rolling tides shall go up so far in rivers that go
out of it
and then return
keeping exactly to time and place; this is said by
Jehovah
the Word of God
and through his almighty power is tended to;
and here shall thy proud waves be stayed; so high and
no higher shall they lift up themselves; so far and no farther shall they roll
on
than to the boundaries fixed for them; and though they may toss up
themselves as proud men toss up their heads
for which
reason pride is
ascribed to them
yet they shall not prevail
Jeremiah 5:22; all
this may be accommodated to the afflictions of God's people
which are
sometimes compared to the waves and billows of the sea
Psalm 42:7; and
these issue out of the womb of God's purposes and decrees
and are not the
effects of chance; they are many
and threaten to overwhelm
but God is with
his people in them
and preserves them from being overflowed by them; he has
set the bounds and measures of them
beyond which they cannot go; see Isaiah 27:8; and
also to the world
and to the men of it
who are like a troubled sea
Daniel 7:2; and who
rise
and swell
and dash against the people of God
being separated from them
who were originally mixed with them; but the Lord restrains their wrath and
fury
and suffers them not to do his people any harm; whom he has placed in the
munition of rocks out of their reach
that those proud waters cannot go over
them as they threaten to do; see Psalm 76:10.
Job 38:12 12 “Have you commanded the
morning since your days began
And caused the dawn to know its place
YLT
12Hast thou commanded morning
since thy days? Causest thou the dawn to know its place?
Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days;.... Job had
lived to see many a morning
but it never was in his power to command one; he
had been in such circumstances as to wish for morning light before it was
but
was obliged to wait for it
could not hasten it
or cause it to spring before
its time; see Job 7:3; one of the
Targums is
"wast
thou in the days of the first creation
and commandedst the morning to be?'
he
was not
God was; he was before the first morning
and commanded it into being
Genesis 1:3;
and caused the dayspring to
know his place; the first spring of light or dawn of day; which though it has a
different place every day in the year
as the sun ascends or descends in the
signs of the Zodiac
yet it knows and observes its exact place
being taught of
God.
Job 38:13 13 That it might take hold of
the ends of the earth
And the wicked be shaken out of it?
YLT
13To take hold on the skirts
of the earth
And the wicked are shaken out of it
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth
.... As when
the morning light springs forth
it quickly does
reaching in a short time the
extreme part of the hemisphere; which
and what goes before
may be applied to
the light of the Gospel
and the direction of that under divine Providence in
the several parts of the world
and unto the ends of it; see Psalm 19:4;
that the wicked might be shaken out of it? the earth
by
means of the light; which may be understood either of wicked men who have been
all night upon works of darkness
and be take themselves on the approach of
light to private lurking places
like beasts of prey
so that the earth seems
to be
as it were
clear of them; or of their being taken up in the morning for
deeds done in the night
and brought to justice
which used to be exercised in
mornings
Jeremiah 21:12; and
so the earth rid of them: thus wicked men shun the light
of the Gospel
and
are condemned by it; and in the latter day light and glory they will cease from
the earth; see John 3:19.
Job 38:14 14 It takes on form like clay
under a seal
And stands out like a garment.
YLT
14It turneth itself as clay
of a seal And they station themselves as clothed.
It is turned as clay to the seal
.... As the
clay receives a different form by the impress of the seal upon it
so the earth
appears in a different manner by the spring of morning light upon it; in the
darkness of the night nothing of its form and beauty is to be seen; it is a
mere "tohu" and "bohu"
like the chaos
Genesis 1:2; its
rising hills
and spreading dales
and beautiful landscapes
cannot be observed
with pleasure; but when the light breaks forth in the morning
it is seen in
all its beauty and glory: of the change the light of the Gospel makes in men
see
2 Corinthians 3:18;
and they stand as a garment; or things stand upon it
as a garment
as Mr. Broughton renders the words; herbs
plants
and trees
unseen
in the night
stand up like a vesture to the earth in the morning light; and as
they are clothed themselves
they are a garment to that
which now puts on
another and beautiful habit; the pastures are clothed with flocks
and the
valleys covered with corn
and the whole earth with light itself
as with a
garment: and as beautifully do men made light in the Lord appear; see Isaiah 41:10.
Job 38:15 15 From the wicked their
light is withheld
And the upraised arm is broken.
YLT
15And withheld from the
wicked is their light
And the arm lifted up is broken.
And from the wicked their light is withholden
.... Whose
light is darkness
and whose day is the night
of which they are deprived when
the morning light breaks forth; see Job 24:17; it may
be figuratively understood of the light of prosperity being removed from them
or the light of life
when they shall be sent into utter darkness;
and the high arm shall be broken; their power weakened and
made useless; even the power of such wicked men who have had a large share of
it
and have used it in a tyrannical manner; and especially this will be their
case at death; see Isaiah 14:10.
Job 38:16 16 “Have you entered the
springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?
YLT
16Hast thou come in to
springs of the sea? And in searching the deep Hast thou walked up and down?
Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?.... The
subterraneous passages through which the waters flow into the sea and supply
it; or the springs and fountains that rise up at the bottom of itF9According
to Dr. Plot
the principal fountains have their origin
and are supplied with
water through subterraneous passages from the sea. De Origine Fontium
&c.
apud Act. Erudit. Lips. A. M. 1685. p. 538. See Gen vii. 11. ; and some tell us
of springs of sweet water that rise there
even though the water at the bottom
of the sea is saltier than on the surfaceF11Vid. Scheucbzer. Physic.
Sacr. vol. 4. p. 803. : some render it "the drops of the sea"F12נבכי ים "guttas maris"
Tigurine version
Grotius. ; hast thou considered them and counted them? art
thou able to do it? no: others the "perplexities" of itF13"Perplexitates
maris"
Munster.
so the Targum
the word being used in this sense
Exodus 14:3; the
thickets of it; some speak of woods and forests in it; see Gill on Exodus 10:19;
others "rocks" and shelvesF14"Scopulos maris"
Michaelis; "salebrosa maris"
Schultens.
and others the
"borders" of itF15So Jarchi. ; and the sense then is
hast
thou entered into and travelled through the main ocean
observed the forests in
it
the shelving rocks and sandy mountains in it
and gone to the utmost
borders of it?
or hast thou walked in the search of the depth? to find out
the deepest place of it
where no sounding line can reachF16For
though the greatest depth of the sea is said by Fabianus (apud Plin. Nat. Hist.
l. 2
c. 102.) to be fifteen furlongs
or near two miles
this must be
understood of that part of it which is fathomable and nearer land. But such as
those
called Bathea Ponti
the depths of the Pontus
and are almost three
hundred furlongs from the continent
they are said (Plin. ib.) to be of an
immense depth
and the bottom not to be found. And if the Sardinian sea
the
deepest in the Mediterranean (Aristot. Meteorolog. l. 2
c. 1.) is a thousand
orgies or fathoms deep
(Posidonius apud Strabo. Geograph. l. 1
p. 37.) that
is
one mile and a fifth
what must the depth of the vast ocean be? ; or walked
in quest of the curiosities of it
animals
plants and minerals
unknown to
men; or of the riches that lie at the bottom of it
for which now the diving
bell is used
but not invented and known in the times of Job; and if Job had
not done and could not do all this
how should he be able to enter into the
secret springs of Providence
or trace the ways of God
whose way is in the
sea
and whose paths are in the great waters
and his footsteps not known? Psalm 77:19.
Job 38:17 17 Have the gates of death
been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
YLT
17Revealed to thee were the
gates of death? And the gates of death-shade dost thou see?
Have the gates of death been opened unto thee?.... Meaning
not by which death has entered into the world
and which have been the causes
and occasion of it; as the sin of man
the appointment of God
and various
providences
calamities and diseases; but by which men enter into the state of
the dead. Men know not experimentally what death is
nor in what way they shall
go out of the world
nor at what time
nor in what place; they know not what
the state of the dead is
there is no correspondence between them and the
living; they do not know either what they enjoy or endure
or who precisely and
with certainty are in the separate abodes of bliss or misery; the gates of
these dark and invisible regions to us have never been thrown open
for mortals
to look into them;
or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? the same
thing in other words; the Targum and Jarchi interpret this of hell.
Job 38:18 18 Have you comprehended the
breadth of the earth? Tell Me
if you know all this.
YLT
18Thou hast understanding
Even unto the broad places of earth! Declare -- if thou hast known it all.
Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth?.... Which may
be put for all the dimensions of it
length
breadth
diameter
and
circumference
but especially it regards the surface of it
and the measurement
of that; hast thou gone over the whole face of the earth and measured it
all
its parts
its hills and dales
rocks and mountains
and took a survey of all
the cities
towns and villages
woods
forests
fountains
rivers
&c? no;
if a man lived as long as Methuselah
and spent all his days in this way
he
could never be able to do it; and some parts are inaccessible
and not to be
measured by the most skilful geometer;
declare
if thou knowest it all; the whole earth and
every part of it
and all that is in it. Whether the other hemisphere and the
antipodes were known in Job's time is a question; however not America
or the
new world
which is a late discovery; and even now
in our most exact maps of
the world
some parts are marked with "terra incognita"
the unknown
land.
Job 38:19 19 “Where is the way to
the dwelling of light? And darkness
where is its place
YLT
19Where [is] this -- the way
light dwelleth? And darkness
where [is] this -- its place?
Where is the way where light dwelleth?.... Or the
way to the place where it dwells
and what that is;
and as for darkness
where is the place thereof? where these
were placed when they were first separated at the creation? where light goes
and dwells
when it departs from us at sun setting? and where the darkness
betakes itself
and makes its abode at sun rising? What is the chamber of the
sun
and the tabernacle of it? from whence it sets out
and whither it returns?
And though these questions may be answered by geographers and astronomers in
their way; yet they seem to respect chiefly the disposal of light and darkness
in such a manner as to cause the revolution of them
and the inequality of days
and nights in different seasons and climates; and which is not in the power of
men to effect
but depends on the sovereign will of God.
Job 38:20 20 That you may take it to its
territory
That you may know the paths to its home?
YLT
20That thou dost take it unto
its boundary
And that thou dost understand The paths of its house.
That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof
.... Either
darkness
or rather the light; take it as it were by the hand
and guide and
direct its course to its utmost bound. This only the Lord can do and does: he
has set a tabernacle for the sun
which goes forth at his command as a strong
man to run a race; whose going forth is from the end of the heavens
and his
circuit unto the ends of it: in which his course is so steered and directed by
the Lord
that he never misses his way or errs from it; but keeps his path
exactly
as well as knows its rising and setting
its utmost bounds;
and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof? from whence
it sets out
and whither it returns; see Psalm 19:4. And so
the light and darkness of prosperity and adversity
as well as natural light
and darkness
are of God
at his disposal
and bounded by him
and therefore
his will should be submitted to; which is the doctrine the Lord would teach Job
by all this.
Job 38:21 21 Do you know it
because you were born then
Or because the number of your days is
great?
YLT
21Thou hast known -- for then
thou art born And the number of thy days [are] many!
Knowest thou it
because thou wast then born?.... When
light and darkness were first separated
and had their several apartments
assigned them; their laws and rules given them
and their bounds and limits set
them? No; he was not: and
had he been the first man
could not have been early
enough to have been present at the doing of this
and so come at the knowledge
thereof; since man was not made until the sixth day of the creation;
or because the number of thy days is great; reach to the
beginning of time
and so as old as the creation. This was not the case. Some
understand these words ironically; "thou knowest" the places and
bounds of light and darkness
since thou art a very old man
born as soon as
the world was. Whereas he was of yesterday
and knew nothing; which to convince
him of is the design of this biting
cutting
expression. The Targum is
"didst
thou know then that thou shouldest be born
and the number of thy days many?'
No
Job did not know when he was born
nor of whom
and in what circumstances
but
by the relation of others; and much less could he know before he was born
that
he should be
or how long he should live in the world: but God knows all this
beforehand; when men shall come into the world
at what period and of what
parents
and how long they shall continue in it.
Job 38:22 22 “Have you entered the
treasury of snow
Or have you seen the treasury of hail
YLT
22Hast thou come in unto the
treasure of snow? Yea
the treasures of hail dost thou see?
Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou
seen the treasures of the hail? The vapours raised
and clouds formed in the
atmosphere
which is the storehouse of those meteors; and may be called
treasures
because hidden in the clouds
and not seen by man until the fall of
them; and because they are in the keeping
and at the command and direction of
the Lord the proprietor of them; and because rich and enriching
especially
snow
which falling keeps the earth warm
and makes it fruitful; and because of
the abundance thereof which sometimes falls. Now we are not to imagine that the
Lord has stores of these laid up in heaps
in times past for time to come; but
that he can and does as easily and as soon produce them when he pleases
as one
that has treasures laid up can bring them forth at once.
Job 38:23 23 Which I have reserved for
the time of trouble
For the day of battle and war?
YLT
23That I have kept back for a
time of distress
For a day of conflict and battle.
Which I have reserved against the time of trouble
.... For the
punishment or affliction of men; and is explained as follows
against the day of battle and war? as his artillery and
ammunition to light his enemies with. Of hail we have instances in Scripture
as employed against the Egyptians and Canaanites
Exodus 9:25; and of
a reserve of it in the purposes of God
and in prophecy against the day of
battle with antichrist
Revelation 16:21;
and so Jarchi interprets it here of the war of Gog and Magog. And though there
are no instances of snow being used in this way in Scripture
yet there is in
history. StraboF19Geograph. l. 11. p. 363. reports
that at Corzena
and Cambysena
which join to Mount Caucasus
such snows have fallen
that whole
companies of men have been swallowed up in them; and even armies have been
overwhelmed with them
as the army of the GaulsF20Cicero de
Divinatione
l. 1. ; and such quantities have been thrown down from mountains
on which they have been lodged
that towns
towers
and villages
have been
laid prostrate by themF21Olaus Magu. de Ritu Gent. Septent. l. 2. c.
13. ; and in the year 443
a vast snow destroyed manyF23Whiston's
Chronolog. Tables
cent. 20. . Frequently do we hear in our parts of the
disasters occasioned by them. The Targum particularly makes mention of snow;
and renders it
"which snow I have reserved"
&c. though absurdly
applies it to punishment in hell.
Job 38:24 24 By what way is light
diffused
Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
YLT
24Where [is] this
the way
light is apportioned? It scattereth an east wind over the earth.
By what way is the light parted
.... That is
dost thou
know by what way it is parted or divided? as at the first creation
when God
divided the light from darkness
Genesis 1:4; or at
sun rising and sun setting; and so in the two hemispheres
when there is
darkness on the one
and light on the other; or under the two poles
when there
are interchangeably six months light and six months darkness. Or how it is
parted in an unequal distribution of day and night
at different seasons and in
different climates; or how on one and the same day
and at the same time
the
sun shall shine in one part of the earth
and not another; and more especially
if this had been now a fact
and known
that there should be darkness all over
the land of Egypt
and light in Goshen. Some understand this of lightning
but
that is later mentioned;
which scattereth the
east wind upon the earth? that rising sometimes with the sun
or first spring of light;
see Jonah 4:8; or which
light spreads and diffuses itself "from the east"
as it may be
rendered. The sun rises in the east
and in a very quick and surprising manner
spreads and diffuses its light throughout the hemisphere. Or this may respect
the east wind itself
which scatters the clouds; and either spreads them in the
heavens over the earth
or disperses them and drives away rainF24"Agente
nimbos ocyor euro". Horat. Carmin. l. 2. Ode 16.
as the north wind does:
or as Mr. Broughton renders the words
"and the east wind scattereth
itself over the earth"; it blowing invisibly and without our knowledge
goes and returns as other winds do
John 3:8.
Job 38:25 25 “Who has divided a channel
for the overflowing water
Or a path for the thunderbolt
YLT
25Who hath divided for the
flood a conduit? And a way for the lightning of the voices?
Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters
.... For a
very large shower of rain
as the Vulgate Latin version: for this is not to be
understood of an aqueduct
channel
or canal made on earth
either for the
draining of waters off of land overflowed thereby
or for the conveyance of it
to different parts to overflow it; such as were cut out of the Nile in Egypt
for the overflowing of the land
to make it fruitful; such may be and have been
made by men: but of a watercourse in the air or atmosphere
as a canal or
channel
for the rain to come down upon the earth; and this is the work of God
and him only
who directs and steers the course of rain
that it falls
regularly and gently
not in spouts and floods
but in drops larger or lesser
on what spot of ground
or part of the earth
he pleases: and if what Jarchi
says true
that every drop has its course
its canal
through which it passes
it is still more wonderful;
or a way for the lightning of thunder: which
generally go together
and are of God. His fire and voice
and for which he
makes a way
by which they burst and break forth out of the cloud
and their
course is directed by him under the whole heavens; see Job 28:26. So the
Gospel
compared to rain and lightning
has its direction and its course
steered to what part of the world
he pleases; see Psalm 19:4.
Job 38:26 26 To cause it to rain on a
land where there is no one
A wilderness in which there is no
man;
YLT
26To cause [it] to rain on a
land -- no man
A wilderness -- no man in it.
To cause it to rain on the earth
where no man is; on
the wilderness
wherein there is no man. Which is uninhabited by
men
being so dry and barren; where there is no man to cultivate and water it
as gardens are; and where is no man to receive any advantage by the rain that
comes upon it; and yet the Lord sends it for the use of animals that dwell
there; which shows his care and providence with respect even to the wild beasts
of the earth. This may be an emblem of the rain of the Gospel upon the Gentile
world
comparable to a wilderness; see Isaiah 35:1.
Job 38:27 27 To satisfy the desolate
waste
And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?
YLT
27To satisfy a desolate and
waste place
And to cause to shoot up The produce of the tender grass?
To satisfy the desolate and waste ground
.... Which is
exceeding desolate
and therefore two such words are used to express it; which
is so dry and thirsty that it is one of the four things that say not it is
enough
Proverbs 30:16; and
yet God can and does give it rain to its full satisfaction
Psalm 104:13; so
the Lord satisfies souls
comparable to dry and thirsty ground
by his word and
ordinances
with the goodness and fatness of his house; see Psalm 63:1;
and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? grass for the
cattle
and herb for the service of men
Psalm 104:14; of
like use is the word in a spiritual sense for the budding and increase of the
graces of the Spirit in the Lord's people; see Deuteronomy 32:2.
Job 38:28 28 Has the rain a father? Or
who has begotten the drops of dew?
YLT
28Hath the rain a father? Or
who hath begotten the drops of dew?
Hath the rain a father?.... None but God; hence
the Heathens themselves call God γετιοςF25Aristot.
de Mundo
c. 7.
and ομβριοςF26Pausan.
Attica
sive
l. 1. p. 60. ; see Jeremiah 14:22; he
that is our Father in heaven is the Father of rain
and him only; whatever
secondary causes there be
God only is the efficient cause
parent
and
producer of it: so the Gospel is not of men but of God
is a gift of his
comes
down from heaven
tarries not for men
and is a great blessing
as rain is;
or who hath begotten the drops of the dew? which are
innumerable; he that is the parent of the rain is of the dew also
and he onlyF1Though
a certain poet (Alcman Lyricus apud Macrob. Saturnal. l. 7. c. 16.) says that
dew is the offspring of the air and of the moon; but these can only at most be
reckoned but secondary causes. The Arabs speak of an angel over dew.
Abulpharag
Hist. Dynast. p. 75. ; to which sometimes not only the word of God
and his free favour and good will
but the people of God themselves are
compared for their number
influence
and use; see Psalm 110:3; and
their new birth is similar to the generation of dew
it being not of the will
of man
but of God
according to his abundant mercy
free favour
and good
will
is from above
from heaven
and is effected silently
secretly
suddenly
at an unawares; John 1:13.
Job 38:29 29 From whose womb comes the
ice? And the frost of heaven
who gives it birth?
YLT
29From whose belly came forth
the ice? And the hoar-frost of the heavens
Who hath begotten it?
Out of whose womb came the ice?.... The parent of the rain
and dew is the parent of the ice also
and he only; it is therefore called
"his ice"
his child
his offspring
Psalm 147:17. Here
the Lord is represented as a mother
and so he is by OrpheusF2Apud
Clement. Stromat. l. 5. p. 608. called "metropator"
or
"mother-father";
and the hoary frost of heaven
who hath gendered it? this is of
God
and by his breath; see Job 37:10.
Job 38:30 30 The waters harden like
stone
And the surface of the deep is frozen.
YLT
30As a stone waters are
hidden
And the face of the deep is captured.
The waters are hid as with a stone
.... The
surface of the waters by frost become as hard as a stone
and will bear great
burdens
and admit of carriages to pass over themF3"Nunc
hospita plaustris"
&c. Virg. Georgic. l. 3. v. 362. where ships went
before; so that the waters under them are hid and quite out of sight: an emblem
of the hard heart of man
which can only be thawed by the power and grace of
God
by the south wind of the Spirit blowing
and the "sun of
righteousness" rising on it;
and the face of the deep is frozen; or bound together by the
frost
as the Targum; it is taken
laid hold on
and kept together
as the word
signifies
so that it cannot flow. Historians speak of seas being frozen up
as
some parts of the Scythian sea
reported by MelaF4De Situ Orbis
l.
3. c. 5.
and the Cimmerian Bosphorus
by HerodotusF5Melpomene
sive
l. 4. c. 20. Vid. Macrob. Saturnal. l. 7. c. 12.
and the northern seas
by Olaus MagnusF6De Ritu Gent. Septent. l. 1. c. 13. ; as that men
might travel over them on foot or on horseback
from one country to another;
and Strabo relatesF7Geograph. l. 7. p. 211. Vid. Alex. ab Alex.
Genial. Dier. l. 1. c. 22.
that where a sea fight has been in the summer
time
armies and hosts have met and fought in the winter. In Muscovy the ice is
to six and ten feet deepF8Scheuchzer. Phys. Sacr. vol 4. p. 810. ;
in the year 401 the Euxine seaF9Universal History
vol. 16. p. 489.
was frozen over for the space of twenty days; and in the year 763 the seas at
Constantinople were frozen one hundred miles from the shore
so thick as to
bear the heaviest carriagesF11Universal History
vol. 17. p. 45. .
Job 38:31 31 “Can you bind the cluster
of the Pleiades
Or loose the belt of Orion?
YLT
31Dost thou bind sweet
influences of Kimah? Or the attractions of Kesil dost thou open?
Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades
.... Of which
See Gill on Job 9:9; and this
constellation of the seven stars which is meant
rising in the spring
the pleasantnesses
of the season
as the word may be rendered
may be intended here; which cannot
be restrained or hindered from taking place in the proper course of the year;
which is beautifully described in Song of Solomon 2:12;
and may in a spiritual sense relate to the effects of powerful and efficacious
grace
the influences of which are irresistible
and cause a springtime in the
souls of men
where it was before winter
a state of darkness
deadness
coldness
hardness
and unfruitfulness
but now the reverse. Some versions
read
"the bands of the Pleiades"F12מעדנות
כימה δεσμον
πλειαδος
Sept. "nexus stellarum"
Schmidt; so Jarchi
and Targum.--According to the Talmud
the word signifies an hundred stars. Vid.
T. Bab. Beracot
fol. 58. 2.
as if the sense was
canst thou gather and bind
or cluster together
such a constellation as the seven stars be
as I have
done? thou canst not; and so not stop their rising or hinder their influences
according to the other versions:
or loose the bands of Orion? of which See Gill on Job 9:9 and Amos 5:8. This
constellation appears in the winter
and brings with it stormy winds
rain
snow
and frost
which latter binds up the earth
that seeds and roots in it
cannot spring up; and binds the hands of men from working
by benumbing them
or rendering their materials or utensils useless; for which reasons bands are
ascribed to Orion
and are such strong ones that it is not in the power of men
to loose: the seasons are not to be altered by men; and
Job might be taught by
this that it was not in his power to make any change in the dispensations of
Providence; to turn the winter of adversity into the spring of prosperity; and
therefore it was best silently to submit to the sovereignty of God
and wait
his time for a change of circumstances.
Job 38:32 32 Can you bring out
Mazzaroth[a] in its
season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?
YLT
32Dost thou bring out
Mazzaroth in its season? And Aysh for her sons dost thou comfort?
Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season?.... Which are
thought to be the same with "the chambers of the south"
Job 9:9; the
southern poleF13David de Pomis
Lexic. fol. 77. 3. with its stars
signified by chambers
because hidden from our sight in this part of the globe;
and here by Mazzaroth
from
"nazar"
to separate
because separated
and at a distance from us; some thinkF14Vatablus
Codurcus
Schultens; so Suidas in voce μαζουραθ.
the twelve signs of the Zodiac are meant
each of which are brought forth in
their season
not by men
but by the Lord; see Isaiah 40:26;
or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons? a
constellation of many stars called its sons
of which see Job 9:9. Schmidt
conjectures that Jupiter and his satellites are meant; but rather what we call
the greater and lesser Bear
in the tail of which is the north pole star
the
guide of mariners
saidF15Callimachus apud Laert. Vit. Thalet. p.
16. to be found out by Thales
by which the Phoenicians sailed
but is not to
be guided by men; this
constellation is fancied to be in the form of a wain or
wagon
and is called Charles's wain; could this be admitted
there might be
thought to be an allusion to itF16Vid. Hinckelman. Praefat. ad
Alkoran. p. 29
30.
and the sense be
canst thou guide and lead this
constellation
as a wagon or team of horses can be guided and led? stars have
their courses
Judges 5:20; but
are not steered
guided
and directed by men
but by the Lord himself.
Job 38:33 33 Do you know the ordinances
of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?
YLT
33Hast thou known the
statutes of heaven? Or dost thou appoint Its dominion in the earth?
Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven?.... Settled
by the decree
purpose
and will of God
and are firm and stable; see Psalm 148:6; the
laws and statutes respecting their situation
motion
operation
influence
and
use
which are constantly observed; these are so far from being made by men
and at their direction
that they are not known by them
at least not fully and
perfectly;
canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth? or over it;
of the heavens over the earth; not such an one as judicial astrologers ascribe
unto them
as to influence the bodies of men
especially the tempers and
dispositions of their minds; to affect their wills and moral actions
the
events and occurrences of their lives
and the fate of nations and kingdoms;
their dominion is not moral and civil
but physical or natural
as to make the
revolutions of night and day
and of the several seasons of the year; and to
affect and influence the fruits of the earth
&c. see Genesis 1:16; but
this dominion is solely under God
and at his direction
and is not of men's
fixing.
Job 38:34 34 “Can you lift up your
voice to the clouds
That an abundance of water may cover you?
YLT
34Dost thou lift up to the
cloud thy voice
And abundance of water doth cover thee?
Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds
that abundance of
waters may cover thee? Thy gardens
fields
and farms; canst thou
in a magisterial way
call to and demand of the clouds to let down rain in large quantities
sufficient to water them and make them fruitful? no
thou canst not: thou
mayest cry and call as long as thou wilt
not a cloud will stir
nor a drop of
water be let down; rain is to be had in a suppliant way
through the prayer of
faith
as by Elijah
but not in a dictatorial authoritative way: the clouds and
rain are only at the disposal of the Lord; ask of him
and he will give them;
but they are not to be commanded
Zechariah 10:1; see
Amos 5:8.
Job 38:35 35 Can you send out
lightnings
that they may go
And say to you
‘Here we are!’?
YLT
35Dost thou send out
lightnings
and they go And say unto thee
`Behold us?'
Canst thou send lightnings
that they may go
and say unto thee
Here we are? Thy humble servants; we have been where thou didst send us
and
have executed what we were bid to do
and are returned
and here we are waiting
further orders; see Matthew 8:9; no;
lightnings are only at the command of God
and there have been some awful
instances of it
Leviticus 10:1; but
not in the power of men; indeed we have an extraordinary instance in Elijah
who
at the motion
and under the impulse of the spirit of prophecy in him
called for fire
or lightning
to consume captains with their fifties
and it
came down on them
and consumed them
2 Kings 1:10; but
he is not to be imitated herein: when the disciples of Christ desired the same
upon a provocation
they were severely reproved by him
Luke 9:54; were
these at the call and dispose of men
what dreadful things would be done in the
world! for if good men
when provoked
would make use of such a power to
destroy the lives of men
much more bad men; and our eyes would continually
behold the flashes of lighting
and our ears hear the roarings of thunder
and
the terrible effects thereof; but neither mercies nor judgments are at the
command of men
but of God.
Job 38:36 36 Who has put wisdom in the
mind?[b] Or who has
given understanding to the heart?
YLT
36Who hath put in the inward
parts wisdom? Or who hath given To the covered part understanding?
Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts?.... That is
of man
in his heart
as explained in the next clause; such wisdom as to guide
the stars
know the ordinances of heaven
set their dominion on earth
manage
and direct the clouds and lightning; no such wisdom is put in man:
or who hath
given understanding to the heart? to understand
all the above things
and answer to the several questions put in this chapter;
though
as these clauses may respect much one and the same thing
they may be
understood of wisdom and understanding in man
whether natural or spiritual;
and seeing they are found there
the question is
who put them there
or how
came they there? who gave them to him? the answer must be
God himself
and no other;
man has his rational soul
his intellectual powers
the light of nature and
reason in him; all his understanding in arts and sciences
trades and
manufactures
is of the Lord
and not of himself or another
see Job 32:8; all
spiritual wisdom and understanding which lies in a man's concern for his
eternal welfare in the knowledge of himself
and of his state and condition by
nature
and of the way of life and salvation by Christ
and of the truths and
doctrines of the Gospel
is all of God and Christ
and by the spirit of wisdom
and revelation in the knowledge of him; no man
therefore
has any reason to
glory in his wisdom and knowledge
of whatsoever kind
as though he had not
received it; nor should he dare to arraign the wisdom of God in his
providential dealings with men; since he that teaches man knowledge must needs
know better than man how to govern the world he has made
and dispose of all
things in it. The last clause is in the Vulgate Latin rendered
"who hath
given to the cock understanding?" and so the Targums and other Jewish
writersF16Jarchi
Ramban
Simeon Bar. Tzemach. interpret it; and
they observeF17Vajikra Rabba
s. 25. fol. 166. 1. Vid. T. Roshhashanah
fol. 26. 1.
that in Arabia a cock is called by the word that is here used;
and in their morning prayers
and at hearing a cock crowF18Seder
Tephillot. fol. 2. 2. Ed. Basil. & Bab. Beracot
fol. 60. 2.
"Blessed
be the Lord
who giveth to the cock understanding to distinguish between the
day and the night:'
but
however remarkable the understanding of this creature is
which God has given
it
and which is even taken notice of by Heathen writersF19Plin.
Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 21. Aelian. de Animal. l. 4. c. 29. ; that it should know
the stars
distinguish the hours of the night by crowing
and express its joy
at the rising of the sun and moon; yet such a sense of the text seems
impertinent
as well as that of the Septuagint version
of giving to women the
wisdom and knowledge of weaving and embroidery.
Job 38:37 37 Who can number the clouds
by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven
YLT
37Who doth number the clouds
by wisdom? And the bottles of the heavens
Who doth cause to lie down
Who can number the clouds in wisdom?.... Or has such wisdom
as to be able to count them when the heavens are full of them; hence they are
used to denote a great multitude
Isaiah 55:8; or
"declare" themF20יספר
"enarrabit"
V. L. "vel explicabit"
Mercerus
Schmidt.
set forth and explain the nature of them
their matter
motion
and use; none
can do this perfectly or completely. Aben Ezra interprets it
who can make them
as sapphire? in which he is followed by Mr. Broughton and othersF21Junius
& Tremellius
Piscator
Vid. Ravii Orthograph. Ebr. p. 22. ; the sapphire
is a precious stone
very clear and lucid
of a sky colour. And then the sense
is
who can make a clear and serene sky
when it is cloudy? None but the Lord;
see Job 37:11;
or who can stay the bottles of heaven? or
"barrels"
as Mr. Broughton; the clouds in which the rain is bottled
or barrelled up; and when it is the pleasure of God to pour them out
who can
stay
stop
or restrain them? or who can "cause them to lie
down"F23ישכיב "cubare
faciet"
Drusius
Schmidt; "quiescere"
Montanus;
"descendere"
Pagninus
so Aben Ezra; "effundit humi"
Schultens. ? that is
on the earth; to descend or "distil" on it
as
the same translator. Who can do this
when it is the will of God to withhold
them? To stop or unstop
those bottles
to restrain rain
or pour it forth
is
entirely at his dispose
and not man's; see Job 38:34.
Job 38:38 38 When the dust hardens in
clumps
And the clods cling together?
YLT
38In the hardening of dust
into hardness
And clods cleave together?
When the dust groweth into hardness
and the clods cleave fast
together? When the dust is attenuated
and ground
as it were
into powder;
and the clods cleave together
as if glued
as in a drought for want of rain:
or the bottles of heaven being unstopped and poured out; or
"sprinkling
the dust with this sprinkling
'
as
Mr. Broughton. Or rather
pouring on the dust with pouring; that is
pouring
down rain
by unstopping the bottles of heaven. The dust
as meal
by water
poured into it
cements
unites
and is compacted
and becomes earth
that may
be cultivated; is clodded and cleaves together
and may be ploughed and sown.
Job 38:39 39 “Can you hunt the prey for
the lion
Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions
YLT
39Dost thou hunt for a lion prey?
And the desire of young lions fulfil?
Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion?.... From
meteors the Lord passes to animals
beasts
and birds
wherefore some here
begin the thirty ninth chapter
which only treats of such; and he begins with
the lion
the strongest among beasts
and most fierce; cruel
and voracious;
and asks
who hunts his prey for him? Not man
who cannot; and if he could
durst not: but the Lord does; and
according to some writersF24Thevenot's
Travels
part 2. c. 13.
he has provided a small creature
between a fox and a
wolf
called a jackal; which goes before the lion
and hunts the prey for him.
And could this be understood particularly of the old lion
as Cocceius and
others
naturalistsF25Aelian. de Animal. l. 9. c. 1. observe
that
young lions hunt for the old ones
when they are not able to go in search of
prey; and when they have got it
either bring it to them
or call them to
partake of it with them;
or fill the appetite of the young lions
whose
appetite is sharp and keen
and requires a great deal to fill it
and
especially to satisfy a great many of them; herds of them
as Mr. Broughton
renders the word
and which signifies a company; see Psalm 68:30. Men
cannot feed them
but God can and does; there being some ends in Providence to
be answered thereby
see Psalm 104:21; see
also Psalm 34:8.
Job 38:40 40 When they crouch in their
dens
Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?
YLT
40When they bow down in dens
-- Abide in a thicket for a covert?
When they couch in their dens
and abide in the
covert to lie in wait? Which some understand of old lions
who
for want of strength
lie couchant in their dens
or in some covert place
waiting for any prey that
passes by
to seize upon it. But the same pasture and places are used by
younger lions
as well as old ones; who are emblems of wicked men
cruel
persecutors
and bloodthirsty tyrants
who fill their palaces and kingdoms with
murder and rapine; see Psalm 10:8
Nahum 2:11.
Job 38:41 41 Who provides food for the
raven
When its young ones cry to God
And wander about for lack of food?
YLT
41Who doth prepare for a
raven his provision
When his young ones cry unto God? They wander without
food.
Who provideth for the
raven his food?.... Not man
but God; he feeds the ravens
creatures very
voracious
mean
and useless
Luke 12:24;
when his young ones cry unto God; cry for want of food;
which is interpreted by the Lord as a cry unto him
and he relieves them
Psalm 147:9; when
deserted by the old ones; either left in their nests through forgetfulness
as
someF26Plin. apud Servium in Virgil. Georgic. l. 1. p. 189. ; or
because they are not
till fledged
black like them
as othersF1Pirke
Eliezer
c. 21. ; when God feeds them
as some sayF2Hieron. in Pasl.
cxlvii. 9.
with a kind of dew from heaven
or with flies that fly about them
and fall into their mouths; or with worms bred out of their dung but these
things are not to be depended on; it may rather respect them when cast out of
the nest by the old ones
when able to fly
which is testified by naturalistsF3Aristot.
Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 3. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 12. ; and with this agrees
what follows:
they wander for lack of meat; being obliged to shift
for themselves
when God takes care of them; which is an instance of his
providential goodness; and how this is to be improved
see Matthew 6:26.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)