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Read the Bible

Douay-Rheims Bible

Job 9:8

Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and walketh upon the waves of the sea

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Astronomy;   God;   Heaven;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Stars;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Providence of God;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Curtain;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Miracles;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Chaos;   I Am;   Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Walk (2);  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - High Place;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He alone stretches out the heavensand treads on the waves of the sea.
Hebrew Names Version
Who alone stretches out the heavens, Treads on the waves of the sea;
King James Version
Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
English Standard Version
who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea;
New Century Version
He alone stretches out the skies and walks on the waves of the sea.
New English Translation
he alone spreads out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea;
Amplified Bible
Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea;
New American Standard Bible
Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea;
World English Bible
Who alone stretches out the heavens, Treads on the waves of the sea;
Geneva Bible (1587)
Hee himselfe alone spreadeth out the heauens, and walketh vpon the height of the sea.
Legacy Standard Bible
Who alone stretches out the heavens,And tramples down the waves of the sea;
Berean Standard Bible
He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea.
Contemporary English Version
God alone stretched out the sky, stepped on the sea,
Complete Jewish Bible
He alone spreads out the sky and walks on the waves in the sea.
Darby Translation
Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the high waves of the sea;
Easy-to-Read Version
He alone made the skies, and he walks on the ocean waves.
George Lamsa Translation
He alone stretched out the heavens, and treads upon the mighty waves of the sea.
Good News Translation
No one helped God spread out the heavens or trample the sea monster's back.
Lexham English Bible
He is the one who alone stretches out the heavens and who tramples on the waves of the sea.
Literal Translation
stretching out the heavens by Himself, and walking on the waves of the sea;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He himself alone spredeth out ye heauens, and goeth vpon the wawes of the see.
American Standard Version
That alone stretcheth out the heavens, And treadeth upon the waves of the sea;
Bible in Basic English
By whose hand the heavens were stretched out, and who is walking on the waves of the sea:
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Who alone stretcheth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
King James Version (1611)
Which alone spreadeth out the heauens, and treadeth vpon the waues of the Sea.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He hym selfe alone spreadeth out the heauens, and goeth vpon the waues of the sea.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Who alone has stretched out the heavens, and walks on the sea as on firm ground.
English Revised Version
Which alone stretcheth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Which aloone stretchith forth heuenes, and goith on the wawis of the see.
Update Bible Version
That alone stretches out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;
Webster's Bible Translation
Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
New King James Version
He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;
New Living Translation
He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.
New Life Bible
He alone spreads out the heavens and walks upon the waves of the sea.
New Revised Standard
who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the Sea;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Who spreadeth out fire heavens, by himself alone! and marcheth along, on the heights of the sea;
Revised Standard Version
who alone stretched out the heavens, and trampled the waves of the sea;
Young's Literal Translation
Stretching out the heavens by Himself, And treading on the heights of the sea,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Who alone stretches out the heavens And tramples down the waves of the sea;

Contextual Overview

1 And Job answered, and said: 2 Indeed I know it is so, and that man cannot be justified, compared with God. 3 If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one for a thousand. 4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath resisted him, and hath had peace? 5 Who hath removed mountains, and they whom he overthrew in his wrath, knew it not. 6 Who shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble. 7 Who commandeth the sun, and it riseth not: and shutteth up the stars, as it were, under a seal: 8 Who alone spreadeth out the heavens, and walketh upon the waves of the sea 9 Who maketh Arcturus, and Orion, and Hyades, and the inner parts of the south. 10 Who doth things great and incomprehensible, and wonderful, of which there is no number.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Which: Job 37:18, Genesis 1:6, Genesis 1:7, Psalms 33:6, Psalms 104:2, Psalms 104:3, Isaiah 40:22, Isaiah 42:5, Isaiah 44:24, Jeremiah 10:11, Zechariah 12:1

treadeth: Job 38:11, Psalms 93:3, Psalms 93:4, Matthew 14:25-30, John 6:19

waves: Heb. heights

Reciprocal: Job 26:7 - General Isaiah 51:13 - that hath Jeremiah 10:12 - stretched Jeremiah 51:15 - and hath Mark 6:48 - he cometh Mark 6:49 - they saw

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Which alone spreadeth out the heavens,.... The expanse, or what we commonly translate "firmament"; but has its name in the Hebrew language from its being expanded, spread, and stretched out, over the earth and all around it; and seems chiefly to design the ether or atmosphere, which is a fine thin matter and substance spread around us, and which is sometimes spread with clouds; this is said to be stretched out like a curtain and a tent to dwell in, tents being made of curtains spread out, Isaiah 40:21; and the allusion may be to a military tent, the pavilion of a general of an army, as Pineda observes, from whence Jehovah plays his artillery upon his enemies, thunder, lightning, hailstones, and coals of fire; see Psalms 18:11; this respects not so much the first creation, or spreading of the air or the heavens, as the continuance thereof; God continues to spread them, or to keep them spread, that they may not be rolled up as a scroll; or folded up as a garment, as they will be, Hebrews 1:12; and this he does alone, without the help of any creature, angels or men; any piece of tapestry or carpet, that is large, is not easily spread alone; but what power must the vast expanse of the heavens require, to be spread alone and continued so? nothing less than infinite; see Isaiah 44:24; some render it, "which boweth the heavens" c, as the same word is rendered in

Psalms 18:9; which he does when he fills them with clouds, so that they seem to hang low, and to be inclined towards the earth:

and treadeth upon the waves of the sea d; which he did at the first creation, when the waters that covered the face of the earth were, by his order, collected into one place, and there shut up, and restrained from overflowing the earth; and which restraint, as it is an act of power over them, is designed by treading upon them, and a continued act may be the rather meant here; see Genesis 1:8; and when the waves of it are lifted up as high as they sometimes are, by strong and stormy winds, the Lord on high is mightier than they, he treads upon them and represses them; he rules their raging, stills their noise, and makes them smooth, calm, and quiet, Psalms 65:7; this none but God can do: the Egyptian hieroglyphic of doing a thing impossible was a man's walking upon water e; the Heathens chose not to describe even their god of the sea, Neptune, by walking on it, as being too great for him, but by swimming f; of Christ's walking upon the sea, see Matthew 14:25; it may be rendered, "the high places of the sea": the waves of it, when mounted to a great height by the wind; so Mr. Broughton, "the high waves of the sea", see

Psalms 107:25; there is a copy, as the lesser Massorah observes, which reads, "upon the high places of the cloud" g, see Isaiah 14:14; and Gersom interprets these high places, of the heavens, and of God's giving rain from thence.

c נטה שמים "inclinat coelum", Piscator. d על במתי ים "super excelsa maris", Pagninus, Montanus, c. "summitates maris", Tigurine version "celsos vertices maris", Schultens. e Orus Apollo, apud Bolduc. f Cicero de Natura Deorum, l. 2. g "Legitur et" עב "pro" ים i.e. "super excelsas nubes", Vatablus.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Which alone spreadeth out the heavens - As an expanse, or a curtain; see the notes at Isaiah 40:22.

And treadeth upon the waves of the sea - Margin, “Heights.” So it is in the Hebrew. It means the “high waves;” that is, he walks upon the waves of the ocean when lifted up by a storm. This is spoken of here as a proof of the greatness of God; and the meaning of all is, that he is seen in the storm, in the heaving ocean, when the heavens are black with tempest, and when the earth is convulsed. It may be added here, that the Lord Jesus walked amidst the howling winds on the lake, and thus gave evidence that he was God; Matthew 14:25. “The Egyptian hieroglyphic for what was not possible to be done, was a man walking on the water.” Burder. Dr. Good, and some others, render this, “on the mountains.” But the more correct rendering is given in the common version. The Hebrew word rendered “waves” (במה bâmâh) indeed properly means a height, a lofty place, a mountain; but the comparison of waves with a mountain, is common in all languages. So we speak of waves “mountain-high,” or as high as mountains. So Virgil, Aeneid i. 105,

Insequitur cumulo praeruptus aquae mons.

Similar to this, is the expression occurring in Homer, κύματα ἶσα ὄρεσσιν kumata isa oressin; and so Apollonius, i. 521 - ἅλὸς ἄκρον chalos akron. The Septuagint renders it, “who walketh upon the sea as upon a pavement.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 9:8. And treadeth upon the waves — This is a very majestic image. God not only walks upon the waters, but when the sea runs mountains high, he steps from billow to billow in his almighty and essential majesty. There is a similar sentiment in David, Psalms 29:10: "The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever." But both are far outdone by the Psalmist, Psalms 18:9-15, and especially in these words, Psalms 18:10, He did fly on the wings of the wind. Job is great, but in every respect David is greater.


 
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