Job 38:14

It is turned as clay [to] the seal,.... As the clay receives a different form by the impress of the seal upon it, so the earth appears in a different manner by the spring of morning light upon it; in

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 does.

It, to wit, the earth, mentioned in the next foregoing verse. Is turned; is transformed and changed in its shape and appearance. To the seal, or, by the seal, which makes a beautiful or valuable impression upon that clay, which in itself hath no form, nor worth, nor comeliness in it. So the earth, which in the darkness of the night lies like a confused heap, without either form or beauty, when the light ariseth and shineth upon it, appears in excellent order and great glory. They; either, 1. The inhabitants of the earth, and particularly the wicked, mentioned both in the foregoing and following verses. Or, 2. More generally, the men and things of the earth, whether natural, as living creatures, herbs, and trees, &c.; or artificial, as houses or other buildings. Stand, i. e. present themselves to our view, for which that posture of standing is most convenient. Or, consist, or abide, or are constituted. As a garment; wherewith the earth is in a manner clothed and adorned as with a garment; as the blessed God himself is said to cover himself with light as with a garment, .

Job 38:14 It is turned as clay [to] the seal; and they stand as a garment.Ver. 14. It is turned as clay to the seal] That is, the earth, now discerned, by reason of the air enlightened. The sense is this, Like as clay in the lump, that hath no figure stamped upon it, is changed by a seal impressed, and receiveth the figure of the seal upon itself (Piscator); so the earth, which by night was without form by reason of darkness, when once the sun is up, is figured as it were; that is, it shows the several figures stamped upon it. And they stand as a garment] All the several fruits, flowers, and various workmanship of God in her produced creatures that grow thereupon, appear as a stately garment or ornament on a man, Matthew 6:28-29, the sunbeams shining upon it as lace (Abbot).

(14) As clay to the seal.—In the darkness every object is without form and void, just as clay or wax, which has no distinctness of shape till the seal is applied, and then the impression is clear and manifest. So with the coming of the daylight after darkness. We should rather render, It is changed as clay under the seal, and all things stand forth as in their proper raiment.

Verse 14. It is turned as clay to the seal] The earth, like soft clay, is capable of modifying itself in endless ways, and assuming infinite forms. As a proof of this, see the astonishing variety of plants, flowers, and fruits, and the infinitely diversified hues, odours, tastes, consistency, and properties, of its vegetable productions. There seems to be an allusion here to the sealing of clay, which I believe has been, and is now, frequent in the East. Six of those Eastern seals for sealing clay, made of brass, the figures and characters all in relief, the interstices being entirely perforated and cut out, so that the upper side of the seal is the same as the lower, now lie before me. They seem to have been used for stamping pottery, as some of the fine clay still appears in the interstices. And they stand as a garment.] The earth receiving these impressions from the solar light and heat, plants and flowers spring up, and decorate its surface as the most beautiful stamped garment does the person of the most sumptuously dressed female. Mr. Good translates the whole verse thus: - "Canst thou cause them to bend round as clay to the mould, so that they are made to sit like a garment?" He supposes that reference is here made to the rays of light; but take his own words: "The image, as it appears to me, is taken directly from the art of pottery, an image of very frequent recurrence in Scripture; and in the present instance admirably forcible in painting the ductility with which the new light of the morning bends round like clay to the mould, and accompanies the earth in every part of its shape so as to fit it, as we are expressly told in the ensuing metaphor, like a garment, as the clay fits the mould itself." Mr. Good supposes that a mould in which the pottery is formed, not a seal by which it is impressed, is referred to here. In this sense I do not see the metaphor consistent, nor the allusion happy. It is well known that the rays of light never bend. They may be reflected at particular angles, but they never go out of a straight course. A gun might as well be expected to shoot round a corner, as a ray of light to go out of a straight line, or to follow the sinuous or angular windings of a tube, canal, or adit. But if we take in the sun as he advances in his diurnal voyage, or rather the earth, as it turns round its axis from west to east, the metaphor of Mr. Good will be correct enough; but we must leave out bending and ductility, as every part of the earth's surface will be at least successively invested with the light.

14. Another charming figure. Under the light of morn the earth, which was formless in the darkness, takes shape like the clay under the seal. It is changed as clay under the seal, And they stand forth as a garment. In the first clause the words are lit. as seal-clay. All things with clear-cut impression and vivid colouring stand forth under the light, and together form a various, many-coloured garment, in which the earth is robed.

It is turned as clay to the seal - A great variety of interpretations has been given to this passage. Schultens enumerates no less than twenty, and of course it is not easy to determine the meaning.

14. It is turned as clay to the seal — It is changed like signet-clay.