Глава 37

End of Elihu's speech. 1–13. Description of thunderstorms and other physical phenomena. 14–24. Conclusion. Job 37:1–5. Continuation of the description of thunder and lightning. Based on the 2nd and subsequent verses, they guess that Elihu is describing a thunderstorm that broke out at the very time when he finished his speech. Job 37:1. And because of this my heart trembled and was moved from its place. A thunderstorm with accompanying thunder and lightning is a harbinger of the upcoming appearance of God (Exodus 19.9, 16–17), and it evokes a feeling of fear in Elihu, as in other Old Testament people (Isaiah 6.5; Eze 2.1; Dan 10.7–8). Job 37:2. Listen, listen to His voice and the thunder that comes from His mouth. The voice of God, according to the view of the ancient eastern peoples, is thunder (Ps. 28), and Elihu invites his interlocutors to listen carefully to it. Job 37:3. It reverberates under the whole sky, and its brilliance reaches to the ends of the earth. The sounds of thunder fill the entire airspace, and the brilliance of lightning reaches the boundaries of the earth. Job 37:4. A voice thunders behind him; He thunders with the voice of His majesty and does not stop it when His voice is heard. Lightning is followed by thunder, and “it (the shine) does not stop when His voice is heard,” that is, thunder is followed again by lightning, etc. The peals of thunder and the appearance of lightning constantly alternate. Job 37:5. God thunders marvelously with His voice, doing great things that are incomprehensible to us. A final remark about the thunderstorm, indicating its amazing character (“wonderful”, cf. Ps 64.6, 138.14; Dan 8.24), the greatness of God (cf. Ps 28) and serving as a transition to a description of other equally wonderful phenomena. Job 37:6. For to the snow He says: Be on the earth; equally small rain and great rain are in His power. Job 37:7. He sets a seal on every man's hand, so that all people may know His work. Job 37:8. Then the beast goes to shelter and remains in its lairs. These include the fall of snow and heavy rain during the harsh period of the year, between autumn and spring, with corresponding consequences for people and animals: the cessation of the activities of farmers and nomads (in this sense the Hebrew verb “hatam” is used - “to set a seal” in Job 9.7; Rev. 20.2-3) and the removal of animals shivering from the cold into dens (Ps. 103.20–22 ). Job 37:9. From the south comes a storm, from the north comes a cold. Winter is a time of strong storms and cold. The first are brought by the winds blowing "gacheder" - from the inner part of the south (Job 9.9), to the south of the desert, which is why the land of Hadrach Zech 9.1 is called in the Talmud "the land of the south", - from the south (Is 21.1; Zech 9.14) or southeast (Hos 13.15), the second comes from "mmmesarim", - from the north. Job 37:10. The breath of God causes ice to form and the surface of the water contracts. Under the influence of cold winds (“from the breath of God”; cf. Exodus 15.10), ice appears, and the surface of the water becomes dense (“shrinks”) and hardens. Job 37:11. He also fills the clouds with moisture, and the clouds shed His light, Job 37:12. and they are directed according to His intentions, to fulfill what He commands them on the face of the inhabited earth. Job 37:13. He commands them to go either for punishment, or for favor, or for mercy. A new description of clouds and rain, perhaps caused by the approach of a thunderstorm. In Art. 13 instead of the synodal “or for good pleasure” there should be: “or for His land”: rain is sent by God to increase the fertility of the earth. Job 37:14. Take heed of this, Job; stand and understand the wonderful works of God. Job 37:15. Do you know how God disposes of them and commands the light to shine from His cloud? Job 37:16. Do you understand the balance of the clouds, the wonderful work of the Most Perfect in knowledge? Job 37:17. How do your clothes get hot when He calms the earth from the south? Job 37:18. Have you spread out the heavens with Him, solid as a cast mirror? Instead of arguing with God, being at enmity against Him, Job must draw a corresponding conclusion about his suffering from the wonderful, incomprehensible to him, works of God. And indeed, if he cannot tell how the clouds move in the air, how his clothes are heated by the combined action of the sun and the southern wind, how the heavens are arranged, similar in brilliance to mirrors made of shiny copper, then how can he argue with God about the disaster that has befallen him? Job 37:19. Teach us what to say to Him? We cannot figure out anything in this darkness. Elihu himself and other people cannot say anything about them due to the limitations of their minds. On the other hand, even if they could do this, where is the guarantee that what is said will reach the ears of the Lord and will be taken into account by Him (cf. Job 9.33). And, finally, won’t an attempt to enter into reasoning with God lead to destruction, and this consideration, in turn, doesn’t cause the thought of submission: “but does man want to be destroyed?” (literal reading of the second half of the verse). Job 37:21. Now there is no bright light visible in the clouds, but the wind will rush by and clear them. The correct reading of this verse is: “and now His light cannot be looked upon when it shines brightly in the heavens after the wind has passed and cleared them.” If a person cannot stand sunlight, will he not be blinded when trying to penetrate the secrets of divine wisdom? One of the considerations in favor of the idea of ​​​​the need to surrender oneself into the hands of the Lord. Job 37:22. Bright weather comes from the north, and around God there is terrible splendor. Instead of “bright weather,” the literal translation from Hebrew should read: “gold comes from the north.” People know the deposit of gold; it is mined in the north (Herodotus, III, 116; Pliny, VI, 11, 33). But as for the wisdom of God, divine definitions about man, the knowledge of which is more valuable than the possession of gold (Job 28.12–16), they are inaccessible to mortals - “there is terrible splendor around God.” Job 37:23. Almighty! we do not comprehend Him. He is great in power, judgment and fullness of justice. He doesn't oppress anyone. Although the Lord's definitions are incomprehensible, they are certainly fair. Thus, Job is forced to entrust his fate to God, to humbly submit to His will. Job 37:24. Therefore let men revere Him, and let all who are wise in heart tremble before Him! And not only Job, but all people, even the wise, must bow before the inscrutable ways of God. “God does not look upon any of the wise” (second half of the verse), their wisdom cannot turn away His determinations. You might be interested in: