Logos Bible Study

Job 37:2–6

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37:2Listen carefully1 to the thunder of his voice,

to the rumbling2 that proceeds from his mouth.

37:3Under the whole heaven he lets it go,

even his lightning to the far corners3 of the earth.

37:4After that a voice roars;

he thunders with an exalted voice,

and he does not hold back his lightning bolts4

when his voice is heard.

37:5God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways;5

he does great things beyond our understanding.6

37:6For to the snow he says, ‘Fall7 to earth,’

and to the torrential rains,8 ‘Pour down.’9

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Footnotes

  1. 1 The imperative is followed by the infinitive absolute from the same root to express the intensity of the verb.
  2. 2 The word is the usual word for “to meditate; to murmur; to groan”; here it refers to the low building of the thunder as it rumbles in the sky. The thunder is the voice of God (see Ps 29).
  3. 3 Heb “wings,” and then figuratively for the extremities of garments, of land, etc.
  4. 4 The verb simply has the pronominal suffix, “them.” The idea must be that when God brings in all the thunderings he does not hold back his lightning bolts either.
  5. 5 The form is the Niphal participle, “wonders,” from the verb פָּלָא (pala’, “to be wonderful; to be extraordinary”). Some commentators suppress the repeated verb “thunders,” and supply other verbs like “shows” or “works,” enabling them to make “wonders” the object of the verb rather than leaving it in an adverbial role. But as H. H. Rowley (Job [], 236) notes, no change is needed, for one is not surprised to find repetition in Elihu’s words.
  6. 6 Heb “and we do not know.”
  7. 7 The verb actually means “be” (found here in the Aramaic form). The verb “to be” can mean “to happen, to fall, to come about.”
  8. 8 Heb “and [to the] shower of rain and shower of rains, be strong.” Many think the repetition grew up by variant readings; several Hebrew delete the second pair, and so many editors do. But the repetition may have served to stress the idea that the rains were heavy.
  9. 9 Heb “Be strong.”

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Keep listening to the thunder of his voice

and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

Under the whole heaven he lets it go,

and his lightning to the corners of the earth.

After it his voice roars;

he thunders with his majestic voice,

and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard.

God thunders wondrously with his voice;

he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’

likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,

to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven

and sends it to the ends of the earth.

After that comes the sound of his roar;

he thunders with his majestic voice.

When his voice resounds,

he holds nothing back.

God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;

he does great things beyond our understanding.

He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’

and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Just listen to his thunderous voice

and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

He lets it loose beneath the entire sky;

his lightning to the ends of the earth.

Then there comes a roaring sound;

God thunders with his majestic voice.

He does not restrain the lightning

when his rumbling voice is heard.

God thunders wondrously with his voice;

he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

For he says to the snow, “Fall to the earth,”

and the torrential rains, his mighty torrential rains,

NLTNew Living Translation

Listen carefully to the thunder of God’s voice

as it rolls from his mouth.

It rolls across the heavens,

and his lightning flashes in every direction.

Then comes the roaring of the thunder—

the tremendous voice of his majesty.

He does not restrain it when he speaks.

God’s voice is glorious in the thunder.

We can’t even imagine the greatness of his power.

“He directs the snow to fall on the earth

and tells the rain to pour down.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Listen carefully to his voice’s thunder

and the rumbling that goes out from his mouth.

He lets it loose under all the heavens,

and his lightning to the earth’s corners.

After it, his voice roars;

it thunders with his majestic voice,

and he does not restrain it when his voice is heard.

“God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways;

he does great things, and we cannot comprehend.

For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth’;

and the shower of rain, his heavy shower of rain—

KJV 1900King James Version

Hear attentively the noise of his voice,

And the sound that goeth out of his mouth.

He directeth it under the whole heaven,

And his lightning unto the ends of the earth.

After it a voice roareth:

He thundereth with the voice of his excellency;

And he will not stay them when his voice is heard.

God thundereth marvellously with his voice;

Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth;

Likewise to the small rain,

And to the great rain of his strength.