Matthew Henry on Job 38:1-3

Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · Matthew Henry · CC0 1.0 Universal

Job had silenced, but had not convinced his friends. Elihu had silenced Job, but had not brought him to admit his guilt before God. It pleased the Lord to interpose. The Lord, in this discourse, humbles Job, and brings him to repent of his passionate expressions concerning God's providential dealings with him; and this he does, by calling upon Job to compare God's being from everlasting to everlasting, with his own time; God's knowledge of all things, with his own ignorance; and God's almighty power, with his own weakness.

Our darkening the counsels of God's wisdom with our folly, is a great provocation to God. Humble faith and sincere obedience see farthest and best into the will of the Lord.

More for Job 38:1-3

Continue with other commentaries and DiscipleDeck content connected to this verse, chapter, or topic.

Other commentaries

commentaryGod Answers Out of the Whirlwind. (b. c. 1520.)GOD ANSWERS OUT OF THE WHIRLWIND. (B. C. 1520.) Let us observe here, 1. Who speaks—The Lord, Jehovah, not a created angel, but the eternal Word himself, the second person in the blessed Trinity, for it is he by whom the…Matthew Henry commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Job 38:1-41CLOSE 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 into two parts by th…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Job 38:1-3Jehovah to Job: the first answer-the theophany. I. THE LORD'S APPEARANCE TO JOB. 1. The time of this appearance. At the close of Elihu's address. Not too soon, when neither had Elihu finished his expositions nor had Job…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Job 38:1Job 42:6 The discourses of Jehovah. At length, in answer to the repeated appeals of Job, the Almighty appears, not to crush and overwhelm, as fear had often suggested, but to reason with his servant; to appeal to his sp…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Job 38:1Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind. It is remarked, with reason, that the special mention of Job as the person answered "implies that another speaker had intervened" (Wordsworth); while the attachment of th…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Job 38:1A theophany. At length Job has his wish. He has been longing to meet with God and praying for God to reveal himself. The time has now come for God to hear his prayer and make his will known. This is far more important t…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Job 38:2Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? It is very noticeable that God entirely ignores the reasonings of Elihu, and addresses himself, in the first instance, wholly to Job, with whom he begins by…Joseph S. Exell and contributors commentaryThe Pulpit Commentary on Job 38:3Gird up now thy loins like a man. Job had desired to contend with God, to plead with him, and argue out his case (Job 9:32-35; Job 13:3, Job 13:18-22; Job 23:4-7; Job 31:35). God now offers to grant his request, and bid…Joseph S. Exell and contributors