Job 38:37
New International Version
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

New Living Translation
Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven

English Standard Version
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,

Berean Standard Bible
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens

King James Bible
Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

New King James Version
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

New American Standard Bible
“Who can count the clouds by wisdom, And pour out the water jars of the heavens,

NASB 1995
“Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens,

NASB 1977
“Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens,

Legacy Standard Bible
Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens,

Amplified Bible
“Who can count the clouds by [earthly] wisdom, Or pour out the water jars of the heavens,

Christian Standard Bible
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of heaven

American Standard Version
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

Contemporary English Version
Can you count the clouds or pour out their water

English Revised Version
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Who is wise enough to count the clouds or pour out the water jars of heaven

Good News Translation
Who is wise enough to count the clouds and tilt them over to pour out the rain,

International Standard Version
Who has the wisdom to be able to count the clouds, or to empty the water jars of heaven,

Majority Standard Bible
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens

NET Bible
Who by wisdom can count the clouds, and who can tip over the water jars of heaven,

New Heart English Bible
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of the sky,

Webster's Bible Translation
Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

World English Bible
Who can count the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the containers of the sky,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Who numbers the clouds by wisdom? And the bottles of the heavens, "" Who causes to lie down,

Young's Literal Translation
Who doth number the clouds by wisdom? And the bottles of the heavens, Who doth cause to lie down,

Smith's Literal Translation
Who shall number the clouds in wisdom? and who shall cause the bottles of heaven to lie down?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who can declare the order of the heavens, or who can make the harmony of heaven to sleep?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Who can describe the rules of the heavens, or who can put to rest the harmony of heaven?

New American Bible
Who counts the clouds with wisdom? Who tilts the water jars of heaven

New Revised Standard Version
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who has numbered the clouds by his wisdom? And who has raised the pillars of heaven?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Who numbered the clouds in his wisdom, and who established the pillars of Heaven?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And who is he that numbers the clouds in wisdom, and has bowed the heaven down to the earth?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Challenges Job
36Who has put wisdom in the heart or given understanding to the mind? 37Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Or who can tilt the water jars of the heavens 38when the dust hardens into a mass and the clods of earth stick together?…

Cross References
Psalm 147:4-5
He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name. / Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.

Isaiah 40:26
Lift up your eyes on high: Who created all these? He leads forth the starry host by number; He calls each one by name. Because of His great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

Jeremiah 10:13
When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Psalm 104:24
How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures.

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.

Isaiah 55:9
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Psalm 33:6-9
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth. / He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses. / Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. ...

Jeremiah 51:15-16
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. / When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Amos 4:13
For behold, He who forms the mountains, who creates the wind and reveals His thoughts to man, who turns the dawn to darkness and strides on the heights of the earth—the LORD, the God of Hosts, is His name.”

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.

Romans 11:33-36
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! / “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” / “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?” ...

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.

Hebrews 1:2-3
But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. / The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”

1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.


Treasury of Scripture

Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

number

Genesis 15:5
And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.

Psalm 147:4
He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.

or who

Genesis 8:1
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;

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.

stay.

Jump to Previous
Bottles Cause Clouds Count Earth Heaven Heavens Jars Lie Numbered Numbereth Pour Poureth Sky Tilt Tip Turned Water Wisdom
Jump to Next
Bottles Cause Clouds Count Earth Heaven Heavens Jars Lie Numbered Numbereth Pour Poureth Sky Tilt Tip Turned Water Wisdom
Job 38
1. God challenges Job to answer
4. God, by his mighty works, convinces Job of ignorance
31. and weakness














Who has the wisdom
The phrase "Who has the wisdom" challenges human understanding and intellect. In Hebrew, "wisdom" is often translated from the word "חָכְמָה" (chokmah), which implies not just knowledge but skillful living and deep understanding. This rhetorical question emphasizes the vast gap between divine and human wisdom. In the context of Job, God is reminding Job of the limitations of human wisdom compared to His infinite understanding. This serves as a humbling reminder that true wisdom comes from God alone, as echoed in Proverbs 2:6, "For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding."

to count the clouds?
The act of counting the clouds is a metaphor for comprehending the complexities of creation. The Hebrew word for "count" is "סָפַר" (safar), which means to number or recount. Clouds, in the ancient Near Eastern context, were seen as mysterious and beyond human control, representing the divine order of the universe. This phrase underscores the idea that only God, the Creator, has the authority and capability to understand and manage the intricacies of His creation. It invites believers to trust in God's sovereign control over the natural world.

Or who can tilt
The phrase "Or who can tilt" suggests the action of pouring or directing. The Hebrew root "שָׁפַךְ" (shaphak) means to pour out or spill. This imagery conveys the idea of God’s control over the elements, specifically water, which is essential for life. In the ancient world, water was a symbol of chaos and life, and the ability to control it was attributed to divine power. This phrase highlights God's authority over nature, reminding us of His providence and the order He brings to creation.

the water jars of the heavens?
"Water jars of the heavens" is a poetic expression for the clouds or the sky's reservoirs of rain. In Hebrew, "water jars" is "נְאֻדֵי" (ne'udei), which refers to containers or vessels. This imagery reflects the ancient understanding of the sky as a storehouse for rain, a concept found in other biblical passages like Genesis 7:11, where the "floodgates of the heavens" are opened. This phrase emphasizes God's role as the sustainer of life, who provides rain in its season, as seen in Deuteronomy 11:14. It serves as a reminder of God's provision and the blessings He bestows upon the earth, encouraging believers to rely on His faithful care.

(37) Who can stay the bottles of heaven?--This is understood in two opposite senses--of pouring out the bottles or of laying them up in store. It is not easy to decide which is most in accordance with the context, for the context also is somewhat uncertain, according as we interpret the solid mass of thick mud or of hard, dry soil. The survey of physical phenomena ends with this verse.

Verse 37. - Who can number the clouds in wisdom? i.e. Who is wise enough to number the clouds, and say how many they are? Or who can stay the bottles of heaven! rather, Who can pour out? (see the Revised Version). The "bottles," or "water-skins," of heaven are the dense clouds heavy with rain, which alternately hold the moisture like a reservoir, and pour it out upon the earth. God alone can determine when the rain shall fall.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Who
מִֽי־ (mî-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

has the wisdom
בְּחָכְמָ֑ה (bə·ḥā·ḵə·māh)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2451: Wisdom

to count
יְסַפֵּ֣ר (yə·sap·pêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

the clouds?
שְׁחָקִ֣ים (šə·ḥā·qîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7834: A powder, a thin vapor, the firmament

Or who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

can tilt
יַשְׁכִּֽיב׃ (yaš·kîḇ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7901: To lie down

the water jars
וְנִבְלֵ֥י (wə·niḇ·lê)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5035: A skin-bag for, liquids, a vase, a lyre

of the heavens
שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם (ma·yim)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky


Links
Job 38:37 NIV
Job 38:37 NLT
Job 38:37 ESV
Job 38:37 NASB
Job 38:37 KJV

Job 38:37 BibleApps.com
Job 38:37 Biblia Paralela
Job 38:37 Chinese Bible
Job 38:37 French Bible
Job 38:37 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Job 38:37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? (Jb)
Job 38:36
Top of Page
Top of Page