Job 38:1 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

JOB CHAPTER 38 The Lord answers Job, Job 38:1-3: declareth his works of creation; the foundation and the measures of the earth, Job 38:4-6; the stars; the sea, and its bounds, Job 38:7-11; the morning, and its light, Job 38:12-15; the depth of the sea; the gates and shadow of death; the breadth of the earth, Job 38:16-18; the place of light and darkness; the treasures of snow and hail for battle, Job 38:19-23; the east wind, springs, and rain for the earth, Job 38:24-30; the planets, ordinances of heaven, and their dominion on the earth; clouds and lightning, Job 38:31-35. Wisdom and understanding in the heart of man, and in his works more than we can understand: he feedeth the lion and the raven, Job 38:36-41. Answered Job, i.e. began to debate the matter with him, as Job had desired. Out of the whirlwind, i.e. out of a dark and thick cloud, from which he sent a terrible and tempestuous wind, as the harbinger of his presence. In this manner God appears and speaks to him, partly, because this was his usual method in those times, as we see, Exodus 19:18 Numbers 9:15,16; see also 1 Kings 19:11 Ezekiel 1:4; partly, to awaken Job and his friends to the more serious and reverent attention to his words; partly, to testify his displeasure, both against Job, and against his three friends; and partly, that all of them night be more deeply and thoroughly humbled and abused within themselves, and prepared the better to receive, and longer to retain, the instructions which God was about to give them.