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JPS Old Testament
Job 38:37
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Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky,
Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can pour water from the jars of the sky
Who by wisdom can count the clouds, and who can tip over the water jars of heaven,
"Who can count the clouds by [earthly] wisdom, Or pour out the water jars of the heavens,
"Who can count the clouds by wisdom, And pour out the water jars of the heavens,
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky,
Who can nomber cloudes by wisedome? or who can cause to cease the bottels of heaue,
Who can count the clouds by wisdom,Or tip the water jars of the heavens,
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens
Can you count the clouds or pour out their water
Who, by wisdom, can number the clouds? Who can tilt the water-skins of heaven,
Who numbereth the clouds with wisdom? or who poureth out the bottles of the heavens,
Who is wise enough to count the clouds and tip them over to pour out their rain?
Who has numbered the clouds by his wisdom? And who has raised the pillars of heaven?
Who is wise enough to count the clouds and tilt them over to pour out the rain,
Who can number the clouds with wisdom? Or who can tilt heaven's jars,
Who can by wisdom number the clouds or who can lay down the jars of the heavens,
who nombreth the cloudes in wisdome? who stilleth ye vehement waters of the heaue?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
By whose wisdom are the clouds numbered, or the water-skins of the heavens turned to the earth,
Who can number the cloudes in wisedome? Or who can stay the bottles of heauen,
Who numbreth the cloudes in wysdome? who stilleth the vehement waters of the heauen?
And who is he that numbers the clouds in wisdom, and has bowed the heaven down to the earth?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
Who schal telle out the resoun of heuenes, and who schal make acordyng of heuene to sleep?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can push over the water jars of the heavens,
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
Who can count the thin clouds, in wisdom? And, the bottles of the heavens, who can empty out;
Who can declare the order of the heavens, or who can make the harmony of heaven to sleep?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
Who doth number the clouds by wisdom? And the bottles of the heavens, Who doth cause to lie down,
"Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
number: Genesis 15:5, Psalms 147:4
or who: Genesis 8:1, Genesis 9:15
stay: Heb. cause to lie down
Reciprocal: Genesis 8:2 - the rain Job 26:8 - bindeth up Job 36:29 - the spreadings Job 37:13 - whether Psalms 104:13 - watereth Jeremiah 5:24 - that giveth
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Who can number the clouds in wisdom?.... Or has such wisdom as to be able to count them when the heavens are full of them; hence they are used to denote a great multitude, Isaiah 55:8; or "declare" them t, set forth and explain the nature of them, their matter, motion, and use; none can do this perfectly or completely. Aben Ezra interprets it, who can make them as sapphire? in which he is followed by Mr. Broughton and others u; the sapphire is a precious stone, very clear and lucid, of a sky colour. And then the sense is, who can make a clear and serene sky, when it is cloudy? None but the Lord; see Job 37:11;
or who can stay the bottles of heaven? or "barrels", as Mr. Broughton; the clouds in which the rain is bottled or barrelled up; and when it is the pleasure of God to pour them out, who can stay, stop, or restrain them? or who can "cause [them] to lie down" w? that is, on the earth; to descend or "distil" on it, as the same translator. Who can do this, when it is the will of God to withhold them? To stop or unstop, those bottles, to restrain rain, or pour it forth, is entirely at his dispose, and not man's; see Job 38:34.
t יספר "enarrabit", V. L. "vel explicabit", Mercerus, Schmidt. u Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Vid. Ravii Orthograph. Ebr. p. 22. w ישכיב "cubare faciet", Drusius, Schmidt "quiescere", Montanus; "descendere", Pagninus, so Aben Ezra; "effundit humi", Schultens.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Who can number the clouds? - The word here rendered “clouds” (שׁחקים shachaqiym) is applied to the clouds as made up of “small particles” - as if they were composed of fine dust, and hence, the word number is applied to them, not as meaning that the clouds themselves were innumerable, but that no one could estimate the number of particles which enter into their formation.
In wisdom - By his wisdom. Who has sufficient intelligence to do it?
Or who can stay the bottles of heaven? - Margin, as in Hebrew “cause to lie down.” The clouds are here compared with bottles, as if they held the water in the same manner; compare the notes at Job 26:8. The word rendered “stay” in the text, and in the margin “cause to lie down,” is rendered by Umbreit, “pour out,” from an Arabic signification of the word. Gesenius supposes that the meaning to “pour out” is derived from the idea of “causing to lie down,” from the fact that a bottle or vessel was made to lie down or was inclined to one side when its contents were poured out. This explanation seems probable, though there is no other place in the Hebrew where the word is used in this signification. The sense of pouring out agrees well with the connection.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 38:37. Who can number the clouds — Perhaps the word ספר saphar, which is commonly rendered to number, may here mean, as in Arabic, to irradiate, as Mr. Good contends; and may refer to those celestial and inimitable tinges which we sometimes behold in the sky.
Bottles of heaven — The clouds: it is an allusion to the girbahs, or bottles made of skin, in which they are accustomed to carry their water from wells and tanks.
