the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Read the Bible
King James Version
Job 28:25
Bible Study Resources
Concordances:
- Nave'sDictionaries:
- BridgewayEncyclopedias:
- InternationalParallel Translations
He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall.
To make a weight for the wind; yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.
To make a weight for the wind: Yes, he metes out the waters by measure.
When God gave power to the wind and measured the water,
When he made the force of the wind and measured the waters with a gauge.
To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
He establishes the force of the wind; Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
"When He gave weight and pressure to the wind And allotted the waters by measure,
When he gave to the wind its weight and apportioned the waters by measure,
`Which God made weiyte to wyndis, and weiede watris in mesure.
When God fixed the weight of the wind and measured out the waters,
When God divided out the wind and the water,
To make a weight for the wind: Yea, he meteth out the waters by measure.
When he made a weight for the wind, measuring out the waters;
When he determined the force of the wind and parceled out water by measure,
In making a weight for the wind, and meting out the waters by measure,
God gave the wind its power. He decided how big to make the oceans.
When He maketh a weight for the wind, and meteth out the waters by measure.
To make the weight for the windes, and he weigheth the waters by measure.
He gave weight to the wind. He decided how much water would be in the sea.
When he gave to the wind its weight, and apportioned out the waters by measure;
To make the weight of the windes, and to weigh the waters by measure.
For he made a weight for the wind, and meted it out by the measure.
When God gave the wind its power And determined the size of the sea;
Making, for the wind, a weight, and, the waters, he proved by measure,
Who made a weight for the winds, and weighed the waters by measure.
When he gave to the wind its weight, and meted out the waters by measure;
When he wayed the windes and measured the waters:
all that he has made; the weight of the winds, the measures of the water.
When God fixed the weight of the windand distributed the water by measure,
He establishes the force of the wind; Yes, he measures out the waters by measure.
When he gave weight to the wind and he apportioned the waters by measure,
making a weight for the winds and measuring out the waters by measure.
To make for the wind a weight, And the waters He meted out in measure.
When he weyed the wyndes, & measured ye waters:
"When He imparted weight to the wind, And assessed the waters by measure,
To establish a weight for the wind, And apportion the waters by measure.
"When He imparted weight to the wind And meted out the waters by measure,
When He set weight to the windAnd meted out the waters by measure,
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
To make the weight: etc. God has given an atmosphere to the earth, which, possessing a certain degree of gravity perfectly suited to the necessities of all animals, vegetables, and fluids, should be the cause, in His hands, of preserving animal and vegetable life; for by it the blood circulates in the veins of animals, and the juices in the tubes of vegetables. Without this atmospheric pressure there could be no respiration; and the elasticity of the particles of air in animal and vegetable bodies, would rupture the vessels in which they are contained, and destroy both kinds of life. Psalms 135:7, Isaiah 40:12
he weigheth: He has exactly proportioned the aqueous surface of the earth to the terrene parts, for the purpose of evaporation, etc.
Reciprocal: Genesis 7:4 - For Job 11:9 - longer Job 38:5 - laid
Gill's Notes on the Bible
To make the weight for the wind,.... He indeed makes the wind itself, holds it in his fists, and brings it forth out of his treasures, and lets it go, or restrains it, at his pleasure; he gives it an inclination to this or that or the other point of the heavens, and a force to blow with, greater or lesser, as he pleases, either for the good and benefit of men, or for the punishment of them; he raises the stormy wind, which fulfils his word and his will; and he makes it subside and become a calm when he thinks fit; he can make it heavier or lighter, add to or take from its weight, so that it becomes more or less pressing on bodies it meets with; he can make a rough wind, and stay that in the day of his east wind; he can make the rain in some sense a weight to it; he can wet its wings with it, and bear it down and cause it to rest and be still; and he that knows from whence it comes, and whither it goes, though we do not, being wholly under his direction, must know the way and place of wisdom:
and he weigheth the waters by measure; or, "in a measure" k; in the hollow of his hand, where he poises them; see Isaiah 40:12; some, because there is a seeming impropriety in weighing by, or with a measure, render it "out of a measure" l Mr. Broughton translates the words, "and held the waters in a measure"; in his hand, as before, or in the sea; weight and measure being both applied to the waters, may denote the perfect and exact knowledge God has of them, and of his great and diligent concern in Providence about them, he ordering and disposing of them according to his will; and which is greatly the sense of the word used for weighing; and so the Targum paraphrases it,
"the waters he prepares (orders or disposes of) by measure.''
These waters, as they seem to be distinguished from rain in Job 28:26, may design the waters of the sea and rivers; with these the earth at first was covered, which being ordered off of it, and a place provided for them, they were gathered into it, and measured and bounded in it by shores and sand, that they might not overflow the earth; which is a wonderful instance of the providence of God, in weighing and measuring the waters; of which also there was a singular instance at the general deluge, when the windows of heaven were opened, and the fountains of the great deep broke up, which overflowed the whole earth, and the highest mountains in it; and after a time went off at the command of God, and the earth was dry as before: the tides, the ebbing and flowing of the sea, and the flux and reflux of rivers, from and to the same place, are surprising things, and wholly owing to the power and providence of God; the causes and reasons of which are unknown to us, but are well known to him, who weighs and measures the waters, which flow in a regular course; and who therefore must know the way and place of wisdom and understanding.
k במדה "in mensura", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Bolducius, Beza. l "Ex mensura", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
To make the weight for the winds - That is, to weigh the winds and to measure the waters - things that it would seem most difficult to do. The idea here seems to be, that God had made all things by measure and by rule. Even the winds - so fleeting and imponderable - he had adjusted and balanced in the most exact manner, as if he had “weighed” them when he made them. The air has “weight,” but it is not probable that this fact was known in the time of Job, or that he adverted to it here. It is rather the idea suggested above, that the God who had formed everything by exact rule. and who had power to govern the winds in the most exact manner, must be qualified to impart wisdom.
And he weigheth the waters - Compare the notes at Isaiah 40:12. The word rendered “weigheth” in this place (תכן tâkan) means either to “weigh,” or to “measure,” Isaiah 40:12. As the “measure” here is mentioned, it rather means probably to adjust, to apportion, than to weigh. The waters are dealt out by measure; the winds are weighed. The sense is, that though the waters of the ocean are so vast, yet God has adjusted them all with infinite skill, as if he had dealt them out by measure; and having done this, he is qualified to explain to man the reason of his doings.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Job 28:25. To make the weight for the winds — God has given an atmosphere to the earth, which, possessing a certain degree of gravity perfectly suited to the necessities of all animals, plants, vegetables, and fluids, is the cause in his hand of preserving animal and vegetative life through the creation; for by it the blood circulates in the veins of animals, and the juices in the tubes of vegetables. Without this pressure of the atmosphere, there could be no respiration; and the elasticity of the particles of air included in animal and vegetable bodies, without this superincumbent pressure, would rupture the vessels in which they are contained, and destroy both kinds of life. So exactly is this weight of the winds or atmospheric air proportioned to the necessities of the globe, that we find it in the mean neither too light to prevent the undue expansion of animal and vegetable tubes, nor too heavy to compress them so as to prevent due circulation. See at the end of the chapter. Job 28:28.
And he weigheth the waters by measure. — He has exactly proportioned the aqueous surface of the earth to the terrene parts, so that there shall be an adequate surface to produce, by evaporation, moisture sufficient to be treasured up in the atmosphere for the irrigation of the earth, so that it may produce grass for cattle, and corn for the service of man. It has been found, by a pretty exact calculation, that the aqueous surface of the globe is to the terrene parts as three to one; or, that three-fourths of the surface of the globe is water, and about one-fourth earth. And other experiments on evaporation, or the quantity of vapours which arise from a given space in a given time, show that it requires such a proportion of aqueous surface to afford moisture sufficient for the other proportion of dry land. Thus God has given the waters by measure, as he has given the due proportion of weight to the winds.
