Job 38:10
New International Version
when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place,

New Living Translation
For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores.

English Standard Version
and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors,

Berean Standard Bible
when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors,

King James Bible
And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

New King James Version
When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;

New American Standard Bible
And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,

NASB 1995
And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,

NASB 1977
And I placed boundaries on it, And I set a bolt and doors,

Legacy Standard Bible
And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,

Amplified Bible
And marked for it My [appointed] boundary And set bars and doors [defining the shorelines],

Christian Standard Bible
when I determined its boundaries and put its bars and doors in place,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
when I determined its boundaries and put its bars and doors in place,

American Standard Version
And marked out for it my bound, And set bars and doors,

Contemporary English Version
Then I built a wall around it, locked the gates,

English Revised Version
And prescribed for it my decree, and set bars and doors,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
when I set a limit for it and put up bars and gates,

Good News Translation
I marked a boundary for the sea and kept it behind bolted gates.

International Standard Version
when I proscribed a boundary for it, set in place bars and doors for it;

Majority Standard Bible
when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors,

NET Bible
when I prescribed its limits, and set in place its bolts and doors,

New Heart English Bible
marked out for it my bound, set bars and doors,

Webster's Bible Translation
And broke up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

World English Bible
marked out for it my bound, set bars and doors,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And I measure My statute over it, "" And place bar and doors,

Young's Literal Translation
And I measure over it My statute, And place bar and doors,

Smith's Literal Translation
And I shall break upon it my law, and I shall set bars and doors;
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
I set my bounds around it, and made it bars and doors :

Catholic Public Domain Version
I encircled it with my limits, and I positioned its bars and doors.

New American Bible
When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door,

New Revised Standard Version
and prescribed bounds for it, and set bars and doors,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And prescribed limits for it, and set bars and doors,

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he made for her a covenant, and he made doors and lock bolts
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And prescribed for it My decree, And set bars and doors,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And I set bounds to it, surrounding it with bars and gates.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Challenges Job
9when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, 10when I fixed its boundaries and set in place its bars and doors, 11and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?…

Cross References
Genesis 1:9-10
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. / God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Psalm 104:9
You set a boundary they cannot cross, that they may never again cover the earth.

Proverbs 8:29
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.

Jeremiah 5:22
Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.

Psalm 33:7
He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses.

Isaiah 40:12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

Proverbs 30:4
Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!

Psalm 89:9
You rule the raging sea; when its waves mount up, You still them.

Psalm 148:6
He established them forever and ever; He issued a decree that will never pass away.

Isaiah 51:15
For I am the LORD your God who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name.

Jeremiah 31:35
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name:

Amos 5:8
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth—the LORD is His name—

Matthew 8:27
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”

Mark 4:39-41
Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the sea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. / “Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?” / Overwhelmed with fear, they asked one another, “Who is this, that even the wind and the sea obey Him?”

Luke 8:24-25
The disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters, and they subsided, and all was calm. / “Where is your faith?” He asked. Frightened and amazed, they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him!”


Treasury of Scripture

And broke up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

brake up for it my decreed place.

Job 26:10
He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

Genesis 1:9,10
And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so…

Genesis 9:15
And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Jump to Previous
Bar Bars Bolt Bound Boundaries Boundary Bounds Brake Broke Cut Decree Decreed Doors Fixed Limits Marked Measure Ordering Placed Prescribed Statute
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Bar Bars Bolt Bound Boundaries Boundary Bounds Brake Broke Cut Decree Decreed Doors Fixed Limits Marked Measure Ordering Placed Prescribed Statute
Job 38
1. God challenges Job to answer
4. God, by his mighty works, convinces Job of ignorance
31. and weakness














when I fixed its boundaries
In this phrase, the Hebrew word for "fixed" is "שׂוּם" (sum), which conveys the idea of establishing or appointing something with authority and purpose. This reflects God's sovereign power in creation, emphasizing His role as the ultimate architect of the universe. The "boundaries" refer to the limits set by God for the sea, as part of His orderly design. In the ancient Near Eastern context, the sea often symbolized chaos, and God's act of setting boundaries demonstrates His control over chaos, bringing order and stability to creation. This imagery reassures believers of God's omnipotence and His ability to bring order to the chaos in our lives.

and set in place its bars and doors
The phrase "set in place" translates the Hebrew "בָּקַע" (baqa), meaning to cleave or divide, which can also imply the act of securing or establishing something firmly. The "bars and doors" symbolize the containment and control of the sea, akin to a city gate that regulates entry and exit. In ancient times, gates were crucial for protection and security, and here they metaphorically represent God's protective measures over creation. This imagery underscores God's meticulous care and precision in His creation, ensuring that everything functions within His divine order. For believers, this serves as a reminder of God's protective nature and His ability to safeguard His creation, including humanity, within His divine plan.

(10) And brake up for it my decreed place.--Rather, And prescribed for it my decree: that is to say, determined the boundaries of its abode. When we bear in mind the vast forces and unstable nature of the sea, it seems a marvel that it acknowledges any limits, and is held in restraint by them.

Verse 10. - And brake up for it my decreed place; rather, as in the margin, and established my decree upon it; or, as in the Revised Version, and prescribed for it my decree. The decree itself is given in ver. 11. And set bars and doors (see above, ver. 8, where the imagery of "doors" has been already introduced). As Professor Lee observes, "The term דְּלָתַיִם contains a metaphor taken from the large folding-doors of a city, which are usually set up for the purpose of stepping the progress of an invading enemy, and are hence supplied with bolts and bars" ('Book of Job,' p. 490). Representations of such folding-doors are common in the Assyrian sculptures; and in one instance the doors themselves, or, to speak more exactly, their outer bronze easing, has been recovered (see a paper in the 'Transactions of the Society of Biblical Archaeology,' on the Bronze Gates discovered by Mr. Rassam at Balawat, vol. 7. pp. 85-115). These gates were twenty-two feet high and six feet broad each.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
when I fixed
וָאֶשְׁבֹּ֣ר (wā·’eš·bōr)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7665: To break, break in pieces

its boundaries
חֻקִּ֑י (ḥuq·qî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 2706: Something prescribed or owed, a statute

and set in place
וָֽ֝אָשִׂ֗ים (wā·’ā·śîm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

its bars
בְּרִ֣יחַ (bə·rî·aḥ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1280: A bolt

and doors,
וּדְלָתָֽיִם׃ (ū·ḏə·lā·ṯā·yim)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - fd
Strong's 1817: Something swinging, the valve of a, door


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OT Poetry: Job 38:10 Marked out for it my bound set (Jb)
Job 38:9
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