The Lord speaks to Job out of a whirlwind, and challenges him to answer. He convinces him of ignorance and weakness, by an enumeration of some of his mighty works.
Before Christ 1645.
Job 38:1. Then the Lord answered Job, &c.— The Chaldee paraphrast, by the addition of a word, has given a very bold exposition of this text thus, Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind of grief; taking the word סערה seaarah rendered whirlwind, not in a literal, but a metaphorical sense. As if the meaning were only this: That amidst the tumult of Job's sorrows, God suggested to him the following thoughts, to bring him to a sense of his condition. But the generality of expositors agree to understand it of a sensible and miraculous interposition of the Deity, appearing in a cloud, the symbol of his presence, not to dispute, but absolutely to decide the controversy. It is, perhaps, of no great moment to inquire into the manner of the revelation: supposing the appearance and speech to have been nothing more than a prophetic vision; yet, if we allow that speech to be divine, its authority will be the same, whichever way we may suppose it to have been impressed on the mind of Job; whether by an immediate voice from the Deity, or in a prophetic trance. It is certain, that God, who formed our minds, can enlighten them to what degree he pleases; and whenever he inspired his prophets or holy men in an extraordinary way, with an intent of conveying through their hands some useful truths to mankind, there can be no doubt but that they in some way or other a certainty of the inspiration, and perhaps as clear a perception of the things suggested, as if they had been delivered to them by an audible and external voice. But whatever was the way of communicating, if it be possible to discover the divinity or inspiration of a writing by its own light, I think we cannot hesitate to pronounce this speech to be divine. The subject of it is, "God's omnipotence, as displayed in the works of creation." Many are the pens which have adorned this noble argument; philosophers, poets, and divines, have laid out all their eloquence upon it; and seemed raised above themselves whenever they have been led to touch upon this agreeable topic; but as the Holy Scriptures far surpass all human compositions in those sublime descriptions which they give us of the majesty of God, and of the wisdom and magnificence of his works; so, if we may be allowed to make the comparison, it will be difficult to find any thing in the sacred writings themselves that comes up to this speech. Who is this that darkeneth counsel, &c.?—It proceeds all along in this majestic strain; and every step that we advance, there is still presented to the imagination something new, and something great and wonderful. The descriptions scattered here and there are pictures drawn in such a lively manner, and withal so just, that they might instruct a Phidias or a Raphael. But what is most observable in this speech, as it gives a life and energy to the whole, is, the distribution of it for the most part into short questions, falling thick upon each other, and darting conviction, each like a flash of lightning, with a suddenness and force impossible to be resisted. Peters. See Longinus on the Sublime, sect. 18: de Interrog.