God is to be feared because of his great works, 1-14. His wisdom is unsearchable in them, 15-24.
1 "At this also my heart trembles/
and is moved out of its place.
2 Hear attentively the noise of his voice/
and the sound that goes out of his mouth.
3 He directs it under the whole heaven,/
and his lightning to the ends of the earth.
4 After it a voice roars./
He thunders with the voice of his excellence,/
and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.
5 God thunders marvelously with his voice./
He does great things which we cannot comprehend.
6 For he says to the snow, 'Be on the earth,'/
and likewise to the small rain/
and to the great rain of his strength.
7 He seals up the hand of every man/
so that all men may know his work.
8 Then the beasts go into dens/
and remain in their places.
9 From the south comes the whirlwind,/
and cold from the north.
10 By the breath of God frost is given,/
and the breadth of the waters is constrained.
11 Also by watering he wearies the thick cloud./
He scatters his bright cloud,
12 And it is turned around by his counsels/
so that they may do whatever he commands them/
upon the face of the world on the earth.
13 He causes it to come, whether for correction,/
for his land, or for mercy.
14 Listen to this, O Job./
Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God.
15 Do you know when God disposed them/
and caused the light of his cloud to shine?
16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds,/
the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,
17 You whose garments are warm,/
when he quiets the earth by the south wind?
18 Have you with him spread out the sky/
which is strong and as a cast metal mirror?
19 Teach us what we shall say to him,/
for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.
20 Shall it be told to him that I speak?/
If a man speaks, surely he will be swallowed up.
21 And now men do not see the bright light/
which is in the clouds./
But the wind passes and cleanses them.
22 Fair weather comes from the north./
With God is awesome majesty.
23 Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out./
He is excellent in power,/
in judgment, and in abundance of justice./
He will not afflict.
24 Men therefore fear him./
He does not respect any who are wise of heart."
Matthew Henry Commentary - Job, Chapter 37[➚]
John Gill's Chapter Summary:
Elihu in this chapter proceeds to show the greatness of God as it appears in some other of his works of nature, which greatly affected him, and to an attention to which he exhorts others (verses 1-2); particularly thunder and lightning, the direction, extent, and order of which he observes (verses 3-4); and then suggests that besides these there are other great things done by him, incomprehensible and unknown in various respects; as the snow, and rain, lesser and greater, which come on the earth at his command, and have such effect on men as to seal up their hands, and on the beasts of the field as to cause them to retire to their dens, and there remain (verses 5-8); and then he goes on to take notice of wind, and frost, and the clouds, and dispersion of them; their use and ends, whether in judgment or mercy (verses 9-13); and then calls on Job to consider these wondrous works of God, and remark how ignorant men are of the disposition of clouds for the rainbow; of the balancing of them; of the heat and quietness that come by the south wind, and of the firmness of the sky (verses 14-21); and from all this he concludes the terrible majesty, unsearchable nature of God, the excellency of his power and justice; and that men therefore should and do fear him, who is no respecter of persons (verses 21-23).
[v.10] - "constrained" - From the Geneva Bible study notes: "That is, frozen up and dried."