Job 37:15
Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?
Original Language Analysis
הֲ֭תֵדַע
Dost thou know
H3045
הֲ֭תֵדַע
Dost thou know
Strong's:
H3045
Word #:
1 of 7
to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including o
בְּשׂוּם
disposed
H7760
בְּשׂוּם
disposed
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
2 of 7
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם
H5921
עֲלֵיהֶ֑ם
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
4 of 7
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Historical Context
Lightning was deeply mysterious to ancient peoples, appearing instantaneous and unpredictable. Elihu uses human inability to predict or explain lightning as evidence of the Creator-creature distinction: God alone knows the 'when' and 'how' of natural phenomena because He actively causes them.
Questions for Reflection
- When have you demanded to know God's timing ('when He disposed them') only to realize the question itself revealed your pride?
- How does acknowledging your ignorance of natural processes cultivate appropriate humility before God?
- What is the relationship between God 'causing light to shine' from clouds and Christ as the Light shining in darkness (John 1:5)?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Dost thou know when God disposed them (hata-yada'ta be-sum 'eloah 'alayhem, הֲתַדַּע בְּשׂוּם אֱלוֹהַּ עֲלֵיהֶם)—Elihu's rhetorical question uses yada' (יָדַע, 'know') with the preposition be-sum (בְּשׂוּם, 'in the placing'), challenging Job's understanding of divine ordering. And caused the light of his cloud to shine (ve-hofi'a or 'anano, וְהוֹפִיעַ אוֹר עֲנָנוֹ)—the verb yafa' (יָפַע) means to shine forth or cause to appear; or (אוֹר) is light/lightning.
This prepares for God's own interrogation of Job starting in chapter 38: 'Where were you when I laid the earth's foundations?' Elihu asks if Job comprehends the timing of God's meteorological decisions—when clouds form, when lightning strikes. The question exposes human ignorance of divine logistics, yet God later makes Job's ignorance itself the curriculum for encountering divine majesty.