Job 37:18

Verse

Berean Standard Bible

can you, like Him, spread out the skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze?

American Standard Version (1901)

Canst thou with him spread out the sky, Which is strong as a molten mirror?

Bible in Basic English

Will you, with him, make the skies smooth, and strong as a polished looking-glass?

Free Bible Version

Can you hammer out the sky so it becomes like a molten mirror, as he does?

King James (Authorized) Version

Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?

Translation for Translators

◄Can you stretch out the skies like God does and make them as hard as [SIM] a sheet of polished brass?/You certainly cannot stretch out the skies like God does and make them as hard as [SIM] a sheet of polished brass!► [RHQ]

Unlocked Literal Bible

Can you spread out the sky as he can— the sky, which is as strong as a mirror of cast metal?

Noah Webster Bible

Hast thou with him spread out the sky which is strong, and as a molten looking-glass?

World English Bible

Can you, with him, spread out the sky, which is strong as a cast metal mirror?

Young's Literal Translation

Thou hast made an expanse with Him For the clouds — strong as a hard mirror!

Context

Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty

¹⁷You whose clothes get hot when the land lies hushed under the south wind, ¹⁸can you, like Him, spread out the skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze?

Summary

In this verse, Elihu marvels at the wonders of God's creation, specifically the spreading of clouds, which are like a molten mirror in the sky. He acknowledges the incomprehensible power and wisdom of God displayed in nature, emphasizing that humans cannot fully understand or control the works of the Almighty. This verse serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over all creation and the limitations of human knowledge, prompting humility and awe in the face of His magnificent works.

Commentary

Adam Clarke
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill

Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

Hast thou with him spread out the sky - Wert thou with him when he made the expanse; fitted the weight to the winds; proportioned the aqueous to the terrene surface of the globe; the solar attraction to the quantum of vapours necessary; to be stored up in the clouds, in order to be occasionally deposited in fertilizing showers upon the earth? and then dost thou know how gravity and elasticity should be such essential properties of atmospheric air, that without them and their due proportions, we should neither have animal nor vegetable life? Strong - as a molten looking-glass? - Like a molten mirror. The whole concave of heaven, in a clear day or brilliant night, being like a mass of polished metal, reflecting or transmitting innumerable images.

Job 37:18

Elihu Proclaims God’s Majesty

¹⁷You whose clothes get hot when the land lies hushed under the south wind, ¹⁸can you, like Him, spread out the skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze?