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Job 36:26
Verse
Context
Sermons
William MacDonald
Stephen Kaung
W.F. Anderson
Joy Dawson
Octavius Winslow
Charles E. CowmanSummary
Commentary
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
God is great - He is omnipotent. We know him not - He is unsearchable. Neither can the number of his years be searched out - He is eternal. These three propositions are an ample foundation for endless disquisition. As to paraphrase and comment, they need none in this place; they are too profound, comprehensive, and sublime.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
26 Behold, God is exalted-we know Him not entirely; The number of His years, it is unsearchable. 27 For He draweth down the drops of water, They distil as rain in connection with its mist, 28 Which the clouds do drop, Distil upon the multitude of men. 29 Who can altogether understand the spreadings of the clouds, The crash of His tabernacle? The Waw of the quasi-conclusion in Job 36:26 corresponds to the Waw of the train of thought in Job 36:26 (Ges. 145, 2). מספּר שׁניו is, as the subject-notion, conceived as a nominative (vid., on Job 4:6), not as in similar quasi-antecedent clauses, e.g., Job 23:12, as an acc. of relation. שׂגּיא here and Job 37:23 occurs otherwise only in Old Testament Chaldee. In what follows Elihu describes the wondrous origin of rain. "If Job had only come," says a Midrash (Jalkut, 518), "to explain to us the matter of the race of the deluge (vid., especially Job 22:15-18), it had been sufficient; and if Elihu had only come to explain to us the matter of the origin of rain (מעשׂה ירידת גשׁמים), it had been enough." In Gesenius' Handwrterbuch, Job 36:27 is translated: when He has drawn up the drops of water to Himself, then, etc. But it is יגרע, not גּרע; and גּרע neither in Hebr. nor in Arab. signifies attrahere in sublime (Rosenm.), but only attrahere (root גר) and detrahere; the latter signification is the prevailing one in Hebr. (Job 15:8; Job 36:7). With כּי the transcendent exaltation of the Being who survives all changes of creation is shown by an example: He draws away (draws off, as it were) the water-drops, viz., from the waters that are confined above on the circle of the sky, which pass over us as mist and cloud (vid., Genesis, S. 107); and these water-drops distil down (זקק, to ooze, distil, here not in a transitive but an intransitive signification, since the water-drops are the rain itself) as rain, לאדו, with its mist, i.e., since a mist produced by it (Gen 2:6) fills the expanse (רקיע), the downfall of which is just this rain, which, as Job 36:28 says, the clouds (called שׁחקים on account of its thin strata of air, in distinction from the next mist-circle) cause to flow gently down upon the multitude of men, i.e., far and wide over the mass of men who inhabit the district visited by the rain; both verbs are used transitively here, both נזל as Isa 45:8, and רעף, as evidently Pro 3:20. אף אם, Job 36:29, commences an intensive question: moreover, could one understand = could one completely understand; which certainly, according to the sense, is equivalent to: how much less (אף כּי). אם is, however, the interrogative an, and אף אם corresponds to האף in the first member of the double question, Job 34:17; Job 40:8. מפרשׂי are not the burstings, from פּרשׂ = פּרס, frangere, findere, but spreadings, as Eze 27:7 shows, from פּרשׂ, expandere, Psa 105:39, comp. supra on Job 36:9. It is the growth of the storm-clouds, which collect often from a beginning "small as a man's hand" (Kg1 18:44), that is intended; majestic omnipotence conceals itself behind these as in a סכּה (Psa 18:12) woven out of thick branches; and the rolling thunder is here called the crash (תּשׁאות, as Job 39:7, is formed from שׁוא, to rumble, whence also שׁואה, if it is not after the form גּולה, migration, exile, from שׁאה morf ,, vid., on Job 30:3) of this pavilion of clouds in which the Thunderer works.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
(Job 37:13). God's greatness in heaven and earth: a reason why Job should bow under His afflicting hand. know him not--only in part (Job 36:25; Co1 13:12). his years-- (Psa 90:2; Psa 102:24, Psa 102:27); applied to Jesus Christ (Heb 1:12).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Behold, God is great,.... In his power and might, in his wisdom and knowledge, in his truth and faithfulness, in his love, grace, and mercy, and that to admiration; and it is worthy of notice and attention, which the word "behold", prefixed hereunto, is expressive of: or is "much" or "many" (f); as he is in his persons: for though his essence is one, his persons are more, they are three, Father, Son, and Spirit; in his perfections, of which there is a fulness; in his thoughts, counsels, purposes? and decrees, which respect other persons and things; in his works of creation, providence, and grace, and in the blessings of his goodness, which are so many as not to be reckoned up; and we know him not; God is to be known by the works of creation, and even by the very Heathen; though such is their inattention to them, that they are said not to know God; yea, even the wisest among them, by all their wisdom, knew not God, Co1 1:21; for though they might know there was a God, they knew not who and what he was. God is known by his word among those who are favoured with a divine revelation of him, and especially by true believers in Christ, who know God in Christ, whom to know is life eternal; and yet these know but in part, there is no finding out the Almighty to perfection; God is not known clearly, fully, and perfectly, by any: or "we know it not"; the greatness of God; he is great, but we know not how great he is; his greatness is beyond all conception and expression; neither can the number of his years be searched out; years are ascribed to God, after the manner of men, otherwise, properly speaking, they are not applicable to him; by which time is measured, and which belongs not to the eternal God; however, the number of his years in an eternity past, and of those to come, cannot be searched out and reckoned up: it requires no great skill in arithmetic to reckon up the years of the oldest man that ever lived; yea, the months, the days, the hours, and minutes, of his life may be counted; but the years of the Most High cannot; this is a phrase expressive of the eternity of him which is, and was, and is to come, and who from everlasting to everlasting is God. He was before the world was, as the creation of it out of nothing shows. Jehovah the Father had a Son, and he loved him before the foundation of the world, and all his people in him; he made an everlasting choice of them in him, before the world began; he made an everlasting covenant with them in him, and gave them grace in him as early as that; he set him up as Mediator from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was; and will be the everlasting and unchangeable portion of his people to all eternity. Cocceius thinks that these words are expressive of the constant love of God to the church, and the continuance of his kingdom in it; and of his most fixed purpose of love to men, and indefatigable care of them. (f) Sept. "multus", Mercerus, Drusius.
Job 36:26
Elihu Describes God’s Power
25All mankind has seen it; men behold it from afar. 26Indeed, God is great—beyond our knowledge; the number of His years is unsearchable. 27For He draws up drops of water which distill the rain from the mist,
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The Attributes of God - Part 1
By William MacDonald1.1K39:30Attributes of GodJOB 26:14JOB 36:26PSA 56:8PSA 104:32In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the greatness of God and His ability to behold and count the things in heaven and on earth. The preacher references Psalm 113:6, which states that God humbles Himself to behold the things in the heavens. He also mentions Psalm 147:4, which highlights God's ability to count the number of stars and call them by name. The preacher uses examples from Job and Habakkuk to further illustrate the greatness and power of God, emphasizing that human language can only begin to describe His majesty.
Job #3: The Spirit's Interpretation
By Stephen Kaung1.0K57:51JOB 19:25JOB 26:14JOB 33:29JOB 36:26JOB 37:232CO 7:1HEB 12:5In this sermon, the speaker discusses the journey of Job in the book of Job, specifically focusing on chapters 29 to 31. The speaker highlights how Job's life was initially filled with fellowship with God and righteous acts. However, in chapter 30, Job experiences a reversal where he becomes despised and his soul is poured out like water. Despite this, the speaker emphasizes that even in the midst of Job's suffering, there are flashes of divine light that enter his soul, such as Job's declaration that he knows his Redeemer lives. The speaker also mentions Elihu's attempt to interpret God's ways and encourage Job to appreciate God's discipline. However, the speaker concludes that neither mysticism, traditionalism, nor dogmaticism can truly help in a spiritual crisis, as it ultimately requires soul searching. Despite this, the speaker notes that soul searching alone cannot solve spiritual problems, and one ends up where they began.
Distress of Job - Part 2
By W.F. Anderson73444:13JOB 4:7JOB 5:17JOB 6:14JOB 7:17JOB 8:3JOB 9:22JOB 10:2JOB 11:7JOB 12:13JOB 13:15JOB 14:14JOB 15:11JOB 16:2JOB 17:3JOB 19:25JOB 22:21JOB 23:10JOB 32:8JOB 33:4JOB 34:10JOB 35:10JOB 36:26JOB 37:5JOB 38:1JOB 38:4JOB 38:12JOB 38:31JOB 40:2JOB 40:8JOB 42:2The video is a sermon on the book of Job in the Bible. It begins by describing the structure of the book, with a prologue and three cycles of speeches between Job and his friends. The first cycle focuses on the nature of God and the belief that suffering is a result of sin. The second cycle discusses God's providence and how he deals with wicked people, while the third cycle addresses Job's innocence and the sins he may have committed. The sermon emphasizes the importance of reading different translations alongside the King James version to fully understand the poetic and dramatic nature of the book.
The Greatness of God
By Joy Dawson5147:03Faith in AdversityGod's Greatness2CH 16:9JOB 36:26PSA 147:5ISA 40:28JER 33:3MAT 19:26ROM 8:31EPH 3:20PHP 4:41JN 4:4Joy Dawson emphasizes the greatness of God, sharing her personal experiences that affirm God's supremacy over all aspects of life, including our understanding, problems, and even our successes. She encourages believers to recognize that God is always greater than any circumstance, urging them to live in faith and expect remarkable outcomes in their daily lives. Dawson highlights the importance of intimate friendship with God, asserting that knowing Him deeply transforms our understanding and experience of life. She challenges the congregation to believe in God's greatness and to actively seek His presence in every situation, promising that such faith will lead to extraordinary testimonies. Ultimately, she calls for a revolution in how we perceive and interact with God, emphasizing that His greatness is limitless and ever-present.
Evening Thoughts - April
By Octavius Winslow0Understanding GodThe Role of Jesus in PrayerDEU 6:4JOB 36:26JHN 1:16JHN 14:91CO 12:262CO 5:15PHP 3:201JN 4:20REV 3:1REV 3:17Octavius Winslow reflects on the nature of God and the believer's relationship with Him, emphasizing the importance of understanding God's spiritual essence in prayer. He encourages believers to focus on God's character rather than attempting to comprehend His infinite nature, and to approach Him through Jesus Christ, who embodies the divine. Winslow highlights the necessity of living for God, the significance of love among believers, and the comfort found in God's presence during trials. He reassures that God is always ready to comfort those who are cast down, and that true prayer is a vital connection between the believer and God, facilitated by the Holy Spirit.
Showers and Sunshine
By Charles E. Cowman0JOB 36:26ISA 40:29EZK 34:26ROM 8:28JAS 1:17Charles E. Cowman preaches about the promise of showers of blessings from God, emphasizing that even in seasons of drought or darkness, God will send various blessings to His people. These blessings are interconnected and include converting grace, comforting grace, and other forms of divine favor. The sermon encourages believers to open their hearts to receive God's abundant blessings, transforming their challenges into opportunities for growth and flourishing.
- Adam Clarke
- Keil-Delitzsch
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
- John Gill
Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
God is great - He is omnipotent. We know him not - He is unsearchable. Neither can the number of his years be searched out - He is eternal. These three propositions are an ample foundation for endless disquisition. As to paraphrase and comment, they need none in this place; they are too profound, comprehensive, and sublime.
Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch Old Testament Commentary
26 Behold, God is exalted-we know Him not entirely; The number of His years, it is unsearchable. 27 For He draweth down the drops of water, They distil as rain in connection with its mist, 28 Which the clouds do drop, Distil upon the multitude of men. 29 Who can altogether understand the spreadings of the clouds, The crash of His tabernacle? The Waw of the quasi-conclusion in Job 36:26 corresponds to the Waw of the train of thought in Job 36:26 (Ges. 145, 2). מספּר שׁניו is, as the subject-notion, conceived as a nominative (vid., on Job 4:6), not as in similar quasi-antecedent clauses, e.g., Job 23:12, as an acc. of relation. שׂגּיא here and Job 37:23 occurs otherwise only in Old Testament Chaldee. In what follows Elihu describes the wondrous origin of rain. "If Job had only come," says a Midrash (Jalkut, 518), "to explain to us the matter of the race of the deluge (vid., especially Job 22:15-18), it had been sufficient; and if Elihu had only come to explain to us the matter of the origin of rain (מעשׂה ירידת גשׁמים), it had been enough." In Gesenius' Handwrterbuch, Job 36:27 is translated: when He has drawn up the drops of water to Himself, then, etc. But it is יגרע, not גּרע; and גּרע neither in Hebr. nor in Arab. signifies attrahere in sublime (Rosenm.), but only attrahere (root גר) and detrahere; the latter signification is the prevailing one in Hebr. (Job 15:8; Job 36:7). With כּי the transcendent exaltation of the Being who survives all changes of creation is shown by an example: He draws away (draws off, as it were) the water-drops, viz., from the waters that are confined above on the circle of the sky, which pass over us as mist and cloud (vid., Genesis, S. 107); and these water-drops distil down (זקק, to ooze, distil, here not in a transitive but an intransitive signification, since the water-drops are the rain itself) as rain, לאדו, with its mist, i.e., since a mist produced by it (Gen 2:6) fills the expanse (רקיע), the downfall of which is just this rain, which, as Job 36:28 says, the clouds (called שׁחקים on account of its thin strata of air, in distinction from the next mist-circle) cause to flow gently down upon the multitude of men, i.e., far and wide over the mass of men who inhabit the district visited by the rain; both verbs are used transitively here, both נזל as Isa 45:8, and רעף, as evidently Pro 3:20. אף אם, Job 36:29, commences an intensive question: moreover, could one understand = could one completely understand; which certainly, according to the sense, is equivalent to: how much less (אף כּי). אם is, however, the interrogative an, and אף אם corresponds to האף in the first member of the double question, Job 34:17; Job 40:8. מפרשׂי are not the burstings, from פּרשׂ = פּרס, frangere, findere, but spreadings, as Eze 27:7 shows, from פּרשׂ, expandere, Psa 105:39, comp. supra on Job 36:9. It is the growth of the storm-clouds, which collect often from a beginning "small as a man's hand" (Kg1 18:44), that is intended; majestic omnipotence conceals itself behind these as in a סכּה (Psa 18:12) woven out of thick branches; and the rolling thunder is here called the crash (תּשׁאות, as Job 39:7, is formed from שׁוא, to rumble, whence also שׁואה, if it is not after the form גּולה, migration, exile, from שׁאה morf ,, vid., on Job 30:3) of this pavilion of clouds in which the Thunderer works.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
(Job 37:13). God's greatness in heaven and earth: a reason why Job should bow under His afflicting hand. know him not--only in part (Job 36:25; Co1 13:12). his years-- (Psa 90:2; Psa 102:24, Psa 102:27); applied to Jesus Christ (Heb 1:12).
John Gill Bible Commentary
Behold, God is great,.... In his power and might, in his wisdom and knowledge, in his truth and faithfulness, in his love, grace, and mercy, and that to admiration; and it is worthy of notice and attention, which the word "behold", prefixed hereunto, is expressive of: or is "much" or "many" (f); as he is in his persons: for though his essence is one, his persons are more, they are three, Father, Son, and Spirit; in his perfections, of which there is a fulness; in his thoughts, counsels, purposes? and decrees, which respect other persons and things; in his works of creation, providence, and grace, and in the blessings of his goodness, which are so many as not to be reckoned up; and we know him not; God is to be known by the works of creation, and even by the very Heathen; though such is their inattention to them, that they are said not to know God; yea, even the wisest among them, by all their wisdom, knew not God, Co1 1:21; for though they might know there was a God, they knew not who and what he was. God is known by his word among those who are favoured with a divine revelation of him, and especially by true believers in Christ, who know God in Christ, whom to know is life eternal; and yet these know but in part, there is no finding out the Almighty to perfection; God is not known clearly, fully, and perfectly, by any: or "we know it not"; the greatness of God; he is great, but we know not how great he is; his greatness is beyond all conception and expression; neither can the number of his years be searched out; years are ascribed to God, after the manner of men, otherwise, properly speaking, they are not applicable to him; by which time is measured, and which belongs not to the eternal God; however, the number of his years in an eternity past, and of those to come, cannot be searched out and reckoned up: it requires no great skill in arithmetic to reckon up the years of the oldest man that ever lived; yea, the months, the days, the hours, and minutes, of his life may be counted; but the years of the Most High cannot; this is a phrase expressive of the eternity of him which is, and was, and is to come, and who from everlasting to everlasting is God. He was before the world was, as the creation of it out of nothing shows. Jehovah the Father had a Son, and he loved him before the foundation of the world, and all his people in him; he made an everlasting choice of them in him, before the world began; he made an everlasting covenant with them in him, and gave them grace in him as early as that; he set him up as Mediator from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was; and will be the everlasting and unchangeable portion of his people to all eternity. Cocceius thinks that these words are expressive of the constant love of God to the church, and the continuance of his kingdom in it; and of his most fixed purpose of love to men, and indefatigable care of them. (f) Sept. "multus", Mercerus, Drusius.