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EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

Job 38:12-15

The men were afraid of the night. During the night, evil people seemed to be more powerful (Job 24:13-17). And the darkness reminded the men about death (Job 10:21-22).

God explained that he causes the morning to begin. The dawn reminds us that evil people cannot always continue their evil behaviour. Their activities by night must end when the day begins. And so the day will come when their lives will end. They will die and then God will be their judge.

God knows every place

v16 You did not visit the deepest part of the sea. v17 You have not seen hell. You do not know where dead men belong. v18 You do not even know the measurements of the earth. The earth is vast. Tell me, if you know these things!

v19 You do not know where the light belongs. And you do not know where the darkness hides. v20 You cannot take me to those places. You cannot even tell me the route. v21 But you ought to know this! You think that you are so wise! But you are not old enough to know such things.

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See also Job 38:12-15 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Job 38:12. _HAST THOU COMMANDED THE MORNING_] This refers to _dawn_ or _morning twilight_, occasioned by the _refraction_ of the _solar_ _rays_ by means of the _atmosphere_; so that we receive...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    HAST THOU COMMANDED THE MORNING SINCE THY DAYS - That is, in thy lifetime hast thou ordered the light of the morning to shine, and directed its beams over the world? God appeals to this as one of the...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    V. THE LORD'S TESTIMONY TO JOB AND CONTROVERSY WITH HIM CHAPTER 38:1-38 _ 1. The Lord speaks to Job (Job 38:1)_ 2. The questions of the Lord (Job 38:4) Job 38:1. The voice of man is hushed; the voi...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    THE WONDERS OF THE INANIMATE CREATION. Where was Job when the earth was made? The work of creation is described as the building of a house. In Job 38:7 the stars, which are older than the world (contr...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    Yahweh, speaking to Job out of the storm, challenges him to the contest, which he has so often demanded....

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    THE MORNING. See the Alternation below, verses: Job 38:12....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The dawn that daily overspreads the earth....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    A survey of the inanimate creation, the wonders of earth and sky the earth, Job 38:4; the heavens, Job 38:18...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _since thy days_ i. e. since thou wast born, all thy life. The question, naturally, implies the other query, whether Job be coeval with the dawn? _the dayspring_ i. e. the dawn....

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    _THE SHATTERING OF SILENCE_ VI. THE PRESENCE OF GOD AND THE PENITENCE OF JOB (Job 38:1, Job 42:6) A. INTEGRITY, CERTAINTY, AND KNOWLEDGE (Job 38:1, Job 40:2) 1.

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _HAST THOU COMMANDED THE MORNING SINCE THY DAYS; AND CAUSED THE DAYSPRING TO KNOW HIS PLACE;_ Passing from creation to phenomena in the existing inanimate world. Verse 12. HAST THOU - as God daily d...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE FIRST SPEECH OF THE ALMIGHTY (JOB 38:39) The marvels of creation, which witness to the infinite wisdom, power, and watchful care of the Creator, are presented to Job in such a way as to force fro...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    SINCE THY DAYS] RV adds 'began.'...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    AND CAUSED THE DAYSPRING TO KNOW HIS PLACE. — Changing, as it does, from day to day with the changing seasons....

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    הְֽ֭ מִ יָּמֶיךָ צִוִּ֣יתָ בֹּ֑קֶר _יִדַּ֖עְתָּ_† _הַ_†_שַּׁ֣חַר_

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    XXVII. "MUSIC IN THE BOUNDS OF LAW" Job 38:1 OVER the shadowed life of Job, and the world shadowed for him by his own intellectual and moral gloom, a storm sweeps, and from the storm issues a voice....

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    DIVINE POWER AND HUMAN IGNORANCE Job 38:1 When the storm had ceased and the thunder was hushed, a voice spoke out of the golden splendor of the sky. See Job 37:21. Job had challenged God to answer hi...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Here begins the third movement in the great drama, that which deals with the controversy between Jehovah and Job. Out of the midst of the whirlwind the divine voice speaks. Its first word is a challen...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Hast thou commanded the (i) morning since thy days; [and] caused the dayspring to know his place; (i) That is, to rise, since you were born?...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Place. Thou art but as yesterday: where is thy power? (Calmet)_...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (4) В¶ Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. (5) Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? ...

  • John Brown Commentaries Selected Books of the Bible

    God Speaks Job Repents I. INTRODUCTION A. Last week we covered a lot of territory! 1. We finished with Elihu's speeches to Job and found that, although he was a lot more accurate in what he had to...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 38 THROUGH 42. Jehovah then speaks, and addressing Job, carries on the subject. He makes Job sensible of his nothingness. Job confesses himself to be vile, an...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    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 be...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; [and] caused the dayspring to know his place; Ver. 12. _Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days_] It may be thou wilt say, These are ancient thi...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Hast thou commanded the morning?_ That is, the morning light, or the sun, which is the cause of it. Didst thou create the sun, and appoint the order and succession of day and night. _Since thy days _...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days, with power to make its light rise in the east ever since he was born, AND CAUSED THE DAYSPRING, the dawn of the morning, TO KNOW HIS PLACE, so that it k...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S MAJESTY IN CREATION...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    Marvellously, God Himself directly intervenes in this discussion so early in the history of man. The storm that had been brewing as Elihu spoke becomes a whirlwind, and God spoke to Job out of the whi...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    God's control of the earth is also demonstrated by the daily sequence of dawn and darkness. God brings the dawn every single day, and this is something that Job had never done in his lifetime. The "da...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    12-24 The Lord questions Job, to convince him of his ignorance, and shame him for his folly in prescribing to God. If we thus try ourselves, we shall soon be brought to own that what we know is nothi...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THE MORNING, i.e. the morning light, or the sun, which is the cause of it. Didst thou create the sun, and appoint the order and succession of day and night? SINCE THY DAYS; since thou wast born. This...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Job 38:12 commanded H6680 (H8765) morning H1242 days H3117 dawn H7837 know H3045 (H8765) place H4725 comm

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: God's challenge to Job. CHARACTERS: God, Job. CONCLUSION: Those who try to call God to account, will be called to account. Seeking to establish one's own character and darkening the counse...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Job 38:1. _The whirlwind._ Clouds and flames are the chariots of the Lord, in deigning to speak with men. When he spake to Elijah in Horeb, it was with wind, and fire, and earthquake. Likewise in Psal...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    JOB—NOTE ON JOB 38:12 The Lord reminds Job that he cannot see fully what the Lord is doing about justice and judgment (see vv. Job 38:13,...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _JEHOVAH’S ADDRESS TO JOB_ Elihu had now said all he intended. Possibly interrupted by the storm which had been gathering during his speech. Out of the storm-cloud, from which already issued thunders...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    CLOSE OF THE CONTROVERSY BY THE INTERFERENCE OF THE ALMIGHTY. EXPOSITION The discourse, by which the Almighty answers Job and rebukes his "friends," occupies four chapters (ch. 38-41.). It is broken...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou m...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    2 Peter 1:19; Genesis 1:5; Job 15:7; Job 38:21; Job 38:4;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    GOD SPEAKS TO JOB Job 38:1 _to Job 42:1_ INTRODUCTORY WORDS God's words to Job do not carry much by way of the explanation of redemption. Job was a child of God, and well-instructed on those lines....

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Morning — Didst thou create the sun, and appoint the order and succession of day and night. Since — Since thou wast born: this work was done long before thou wast born. To know — To observe the punctu...

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