Job 37:18
New International Version
can you join him in spreading out the skies, hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

New Living Translation
he makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror. Can you do that?

English Standard Version
Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?

Berean Standard Bible
can you, like Him, spread out the skies, as strong as a mirror of bronze?

King James Bible
Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?

New King James Version
With Him, have you spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror?

New American Standard Bible
“Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, Strong as a cast metal mirror?

NASB 1995
“Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, Strong as a molten mirror?

NASB 1977
“Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, Strong as a molten mirror?

Legacy Standard Bible
Can you, with Him, spread out the skies, Strong as a molten mirror?

Amplified Bible
“Can you, with Him, spread out the sky, Strong as a molten mirror?

Christian Standard Bible
can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
can you help God spread out the skies as hard as a cast metal mirror?

American Standard Version
Canst thou with him spread out the sky, Which is strong as a molten mirror?

Contemporary English Version
God can hammer out the clouds in spite of the oppressive heat, but can you?

English Revised Version
Canst thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong as a molten mirror?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Can you stretch out the skies with him and make them as firm as a mirror made of metal?

Good News Translation
Can you help God stretch out the sky and make it as hard as polished metal?

International Standard Version
Can you spread out the skies like he does; can you cast them as one might a mirror?

Majority Standard Bible
can you, like Him, spread out the skies, as strong as a mirror of bronze?

NET Bible
will you, with him, spread out the clouds, solid as a mirror of molten metal?

New Heart English Bible
Can you, with him, spread out the sky, which is strong as a cast metal mirror?

Webster's Bible Translation
Hast thou with him spread out the sky which is strong, and as a molten looking-glass?

World English Bible
Can you, with him, spread out the sky, which is strong as a cast metal mirror?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You have made an expanse with Him "" For the clouds—strong as a hard mirror!

Young's Literal Translation
Thou hast made an expanse with Him For the clouds -- strong as a hard mirror!

Smith's Literal Translation
Wilt thou spread out with him to the clouds, strong as the sight of a melted mass?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou perhaps hast made the heavens with him, which are most strong, as if they were of molten brass.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Perhaps you have made the heavens with him, which are very solid, as if they had been cast from brass.

New American Bible
Can you with him spread out the firmament of the skies, hard as a molten mirror?

New Revised Standard Version
Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a molten mirror?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Were you with him when he spread out the great sky, helping him hold it up?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Will you spread out the mighty sky with him to uphold together?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Canst thou with Him spread out the sky, Which is strong as a molten mirror?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Wilt thou establish with him foundations for the ancient heavens? they are strong as a molten mirror.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elihu Proclaims God's Majesty
17You whose clothes get hot when the land lies hushed under the south wind, 18can you, like Him, spread out the skies to reflect the heat like a mirror of bronze? 19Teach us what we should say to Him; we cannot draw up our case when our faces are in darkness.…

Cross References
Isaiah 40:22
He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth; its dwellers are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in.

Psalm 104:2
He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,

Genesis 1:6-8
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” / So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. / God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Isaiah 44:24
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,

Jeremiah 10:12
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

Proverbs 8:27-29
I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, / when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, / when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

Psalm 19:1
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

Isaiah 42:5
This is what God the LORD says—He who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it and life to those who walk in it:

Psalm 136:5-6
By His insight He made the heavens. His loving devotion endures forever. / He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever.

Isaiah 45:12
It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

Jeremiah 51:15
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.

Amos 9:6
He builds His upper rooms in the heavens and founds His vault upon the earth. He summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth. The LORD is His name.

Psalm 148:4
Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies.

Isaiah 48:13
Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.

Colossians 1:16-17
For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.


Treasury of Scripture

Have you with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?

spread

Job 9:8,9
Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea…

Genesis 1:6-8
And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters…

Psalm 104:2
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:

as

Exodus 38:8
And he made the laver of brass, and the foot of it of brass, of the lookingglasses of the women assembling, which assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation.

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Bronze Cast Clouds Expanse Firm Glass Hard Join Metal Mirror Molten Polished Skies Sky Smooth Spread Spreading Strong
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Bronze Cast Clouds Expanse Firm Glass Hard Join Metal Mirror Molten Polished Skies Sky Smooth Spread Spreading Strong
Job 37
1. God is to be feared because of his great works
15. His wisdom is unsearchable in them














Can you, like Him
This phrase challenges human beings to consider their limitations in comparison to God's omnipotence. The Hebrew word for "like Him" (כָּמֹהוּ, kamohu) emphasizes the uniqueness and incomparability of God. In the context of Job, this rhetorical question serves to remind Job and his friends of God's supreme power and wisdom, which are beyond human understanding. It invites believers to reflect on the majesty of God, who alone can perform acts that are beyond human capability.

spread out the skies
The imagery of "spreading out the skies" evokes the creation narrative where God stretches out the heavens. The Hebrew verb used here, רָקַע (raqa), means to spread out or to expand, similar to how a craftsman might hammer out metal. This metaphor highlights God's role as the Creator, who has the power to establish the vast expanse of the heavens. It serves as a reminder of the order and beauty of creation, which reflects God's glory and sovereignty.

to reflect the heat
This phrase suggests the function of the skies in regulating the earth's climate. The Hebrew word for "heat" (חֹמֶם, chomem) can also imply warmth or the sun's influence. In ancient times, people understood the skies as a protective barrier that moderated the sun's intensity. This reflects the divine wisdom in creation, where God has designed the natural world with precision and care, ensuring that it sustains life.

like a mirror of bronze
The comparison to "a mirror of bronze" uses a familiar object from the ancient world to illustrate the reflective quality of the skies. Bronze mirrors were known for their polished surfaces, which could reflect light and images. The Hebrew word for "bronze" (נְחֹשֶׁת, nechoshet) signifies strength and durability. This metaphor underscores the idea that the heavens are not only vast and expansive but also serve a purpose in reflecting God's light and glory. It invites believers to see the natural world as a testament to God's creative power and to recognize His hand in the intricate design of the universe.

(18) Spread out the sky.--Some understand this of the action of the sun in dispersing the clouds; but it seems more probable that it refers to God. "Hast thou spread out with Him the magnificent dome of heaven?" The words used, however, imply the clouds rather than the cloudless sky which resembles a burnished mirror; so that it is not improbable that the sun may be the subject here and in the following verses.

Verse 18. - Hast thou with him spread out the sky? Didst thou assist in the spreading out of the sky, that great and magnificent work of the Creator, transcending almost all others (see the comment on Job 9:8)? Or did not God effect this work alone, without even a counsellor (Isaiah 40:13, 14), so that thou hadst no part in it? Which is strong, and as a molten looking-glass. The sky is "strong" or "firm;" i.e. enduring or permanent, though not really hard like a mirror. Elihu, however, seems to have regarded it, like many of the ancients, as a solid mass, resembling a concave mirror of metal. The translation, "looking-glass," is wrong, both here and in Exodus 38:8, since glass was not used for mirrors until the period of the early Roman empire. The earlier mirrors were of polished metal (see Smith's 'Dict. of Antiquities,' vol. 3. pp. 1052, 1212).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
can you, like Him,
עִ֭מּוֹ (‘im·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5973: With, equally with

spread out
תַּרְקִ֣יעַ (tar·qî·a‘)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7554: To pound the earth, to expand, to overlay

the skies
לִשְׁחָקִ֑ים (liš·ḥā·qîm)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7834: A powder, a thin vapor, the firmament

to reflect the heat
חֲ֝זָקִ֗ים (ḥă·zā·qîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2389: Strong, stout, mighty

like a mirror
כִּרְאִ֥י (kir·’î)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7209: A mirror

of bronze?
מוּצָֽק׃ (mū·ṣāq)
Verb - Hofal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3332: To pour out, to melt, cast as metal, to place firmly, to stiffen, grow hard


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OT Poetry: Job 37:18 Can you with him spread out (Jb)
Job 37:17
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