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Job 38 is the 38th chapter of the Book of Job in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.[1][2] The book is anonymous; most scholars believe it was written around 6th century BCE.[3][4] This chapter records God's "response"[5] to the allegations put forward by Job in earlier chapters.
| Job 38 | |
|---|---|
 The whole Book of Job in the Leningrad Codex (1008 C.E.) from an old fascimile edition. | |
| Book | Book of Job |
| Hebrew Bible part | Ketuvim |
| Order in the Hebrew part | 3 |
| Category | Sifrei Emet |
| Christian Bible part | Old Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 18 |
The original text is written in Hebrew language. This chapter is divided into 41 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter in Hebrew are of the Masoretic Text, which includes the Aleppo Codex (10th century), and Codex Leningradensis (1008).[6]
There is also a translation into Koine Greek known as the Septuagint, made in the last few centuries BC; some extant ancient manuscripts of this version include Codex Vaticanus (B; B; 4th century), Codex Sinaiticus (S; BHK: S; 4th century), and Codex Alexandrinus (A; A; 5th century).[7]
The structure of the book is as follows:[8]
Within this structure, chapter 38 forms part of the "Verdicts" section with the following outline:[9][10]
God's speeches in chapters 38–41 can be split in two parts, both starting with almost identical phrases and having a similar structure:[11]
| First speech | Second speech |
|---|---|
| A. Introductory formula (38:1) | A1. Introductory formula (40:6) |
B. Thematic challenge (38:2–3)
|
B1. Thematic challenge (40:7–14)
|
C, Particularization of theme
|
C1, Particularization of theme
|
| D. Brief Challenge to Answer (40:1–2) |
The revelation of the Lord to Job is the culmination of the book of Job, that the Lord speaks directly to Job and displays his sovereign power and glory. Job has lived through the suffering—without cursing God, holding his integrity, and nowhere regretted it – but he was unaware of the real reason for his suffering, so God intervenes to resolve the spiritual issues that surfaced.[12] Job was not punished for sin and Job’s suffering had not cut him off from God, now Job sees the end the point that he cannot have the knowledge to make the assessments he made, so it is wiser to bow in submission and adoration of God than to try to judge him.[12]
The first speech focuses on God's design and control of the world (verse 2; in contrast to Job's limited knowledge), whereas the second speech raises the issue of God's justice (verse 8; in contrast to Job seeking to justify himself).[13]
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Verse 1 reintroduces God as YHWH, who speaks out of the whirlwind (different word from Job 37:9).[13] The speech of God starts by asking the question "who?" but it is not meant for Job to identify himself, but rather to explain why Job takes the current stance toward God (verse 2), so despite being considered right, Job's understanding is too limited to see God's purposes.[14]
After posing the challenge to Job (38:1-3), God's speech covers the surpassing mysteries of earth and sky beyond Job’s understanding (4-38), and the mysteries of animal and bird life that surpassed Job's understanding (38:39-39:30).[12] The key point here, as introduced by the "who" questions (verses 5–6), is to show how limited Job's knowledge to understand the whole situation.[18] The use of lighthearted (almost comical) illustrations softens God's questioning of Job, that it is not intended to be a strong rebuke to Job, but to open Job's "eyes".[18]
Crenshaw notes that the narrator uses the image of a midwife assisting (in this verse) at the birth of the seas, and (in the following verses) in "clothing" them with clouds and darkness.[20]
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