'Then Hashem answered Job out of the whirlwind.' No indictment is read and no verdict given; instead, creation itself: 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?' — 'When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?' Sea and dawn, snow-treasuries and rain on land where no man is: 'Thus far shall you come, but no further; And here shall your proud waves be stayed'.
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Then Hashem answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:
verse value 1699
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "from" (מִ֥ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·answered·Hashem" (וַיַּעַן־יְהֹוָ֣ה, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "the·whirlwind" (הַסְּעָרָ֗ה). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "Job" (root איוב, 56x in Job); "from" (root מן, 33x in Job).
Rashi
from the tempest Heb. מן הסערה. Count your hairs and I will give you as many answers. From the tempest with which you reproached Me (above 9:17), “He Who would crush me with a tempest,” I will answer you, as you will hear at the end of the chapter (verse 25), “Who has separated a place for the hair?” a shaft for every hair. Another explanation: With a tempest He afflicted him, and with a tempest He healed him, as is explained in Sifrei(?).
Ibn Ezra
'Then Hashem answered Job out of the whirlwind' — he explains 'out of the whirlwind' to mean that most of the wonders just recounted occurred through the storm of the heavens; or, that He spoke to him from within the storm.
Ralbag
Explanation of the words of this response — 'Then Hashem answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said.'
Metzudat David
'Out of the whirlwind' — for He revealed Himself to him in a stormy wind.
Malbim
Introduction to the Nineteenth Speech — Hashem's Answer from the Whirlwind After all this debate, which had been conducted by way of reason and argument, Hashem revealed Himself to Job out of the whirlwind, and commanded that he gird his loins and recover his strength, and that his afflictions be removed from him, and that he debate with Him. In this revelation of Hashem Himself the whole debate was already brought to its conclusion, for through this He made known: • A] That Hashem watches over human beings individually — since He inclined His ear to everything Job had said, and came to rebuke him and teach him understanding. This testifies to individual providence over every step a man takes, and it refutes Job's view that Hashem does not watch over [the world]; • B] From this it is also clear that the human soul is a daughter of God and not subject to mortality — alive and abounding in activity — for it is only in this way that it is conceivable for Hashem to speak with a person: inasmuch as his soul is a part of Him. And when it sheds the garment of the body, it beholds a vision of God, since it is a part of His own Being, blessed be He. And with this, all the doubts Job had entertained regarding the survival of the soul and the reward of the World to Come were dispelled, once he saw in his own lifetime how the soul sheds the body at a time of vision and cleaving to God, and how it delights in spiritual pleasure from the sights of His holiness. With this He had already answered him on all the questions he had asked about the sufferings of the righteous, since he now saw that the essence of a person is the soul — which separates from the body and cleaves to God, to behold the pleasure of Hashem and to hear His voice from within the fire — and this is the essential reward hoped for by the righteous after the body is spent, at the time the spirit returns to God who gave it. And along with this He spoke with him at length about this particular point, making known how His individual providence extends over all His works — both over the creation of existence in general and over every creature in particular — that He watches over all its needs, providing it with food and shelter, and watches over the survival of its species, both in the matter of its birth and in the sustenance of its young; and how much more must this providence extend to man, the choicest of the creatures. And after He had explained all this to him, He went on to address him a second time, answering his second question, which he had asked about the prosperity of the wicked — why Hashem does not destroy the wicked, who resemble beasts of prey that ravage civilization. He answered that the very same question could be asked about His having created, among the animals, weak creatures alongside strong ones that prey upon the weak; and by Job's reasoning, He should have created only weak, powerless crawling things. But that would not accord with the greatness of the Creator, for it is precisely His greatness that He creates fearsome and terrifying creatures — and yet, through His providence, He has so arranged things that they endure, by making [mankind] naturally disposed toward civil order and implanting in it the power to do justice and equity, as Elihu already explained in chapter 35. Then Job admitted that he had not spoken with understanding throughout his whole debate, but he revealed that his heart had not, in truth, followed the words of his mouth during the entire debate — that in his heart, he had believed all along in providence and in the survival of the soul, and that his whole argument had only been an attempt to find a path to this by way of speculation and reason; it was merely a process of searching. As the master of the prophets [Moses] said (Exodus 33:18), 'Show me, I pray You, Your glory' — he too had first investigated this matter by way of reason, and had occupied himself with composing the book of Job, which contains his investigations and reflections on these particulars. And when he saw that it was impossible to arrive at an answer by way of reason, he asked that Hashem Himself make known to him the glory of His judgments and His governance, just as He showed Job — that He teach him and tell him — and then he was comforted, dust and ashes though he was.
Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?
verse value 1253
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "without·knowledge" (בְּֽלִי־דָֽעַת, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "darkening" (מַחְשִׁ֖יךְ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·words" (root מלה, 34x in Job); "who?" (root מי, 32x in Job); "darkening" (root חשך, 25x in Job). Full calculation: מִ֤י [who?] (50) + זֶ֨ה [this] (12) + מַחְשִׁ֖יךְ [darkening] (378) + עֵצָ֥ה [counsel] (165) + בְמִלִּ֗ין [in·words] (132) + בְּֽלִי־דָֽעַת [without·knowledge] (516) = 1253.
Rashi
who gives dark counsel Dark and foolish counsel. Another explanation: Who is this who gives dark counsel...without knowledge? Said the Holy One, blessed be He: Who is this who darkens counsel, frustrates words, i.e., with a multiplicity of words; for I wrote: “and that man was sincere and upright,” at the beginning of the Book, in order that My name should rest on Him, but he came and darkened and frustrated what I counseled with his many words. Whereupon Job replies to Him (below 42:3): “Who is this Who hides counsel?” Had I known Your counsel, I would not have spoken so much. Then the Holy One blessed be He, answers him, “Neither did Abraham know; yet he passed ten” [tests]. So I found.
Ibn Ezra
'Who is this who darkens' — the sense is that you wanted to darken my counsel, meaning to hide and conceal it; and elsewhere it says, 'who is this who hides counsel' (Job 42:3). 'Counsel by words' — that you spoke without knowledge.
Metzudat David
'Who is this who darkens' — who is this whose heart emboldened him to darken and dismiss as foolish the counsel that I devised concerning the governance of the world? 'By words, etc.' — words claiming that everything comes about through the celestial order, and on account of this he disparages His governance.
Malbim
'Who is this' — I have already explained in the introduction that in the very fact that Hashem revealed Himself to him, he had already found an answer to his whole debate — both regarding providence and regarding the reward of souls, as above. And Hashem answered him 'out of the whirlwind': for by means of this very whirlwind, which had toppled the house upon his children and destroyed his household, He is now, through that same means, watching over him to restore him to his dwelling — just as our Sages said, and this is like their teaching that the Holy One, blessed be He, heals with the very thing with which He strikes. And He said to him: how do you darken the counsel of Hashem, in a governance by whose light light is seen — how do you darken it by saying that the world is given over to chance through words without knowledge?
Gird up now your loins like a man; For I will demand of you, and declare you to Me.
verse value 1161
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "like·man" (כְגֶ֣בֶר, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·declare·to·Me" (וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·I·will·ask·you" (וְ֝אֶשְׁאָלְךָ֗). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·declare·to·Me" (root ידע, 73x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·loins', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: אֱזׇר־נָ֣א [gird·now] (259) + כְגֶ֣בֶר [like·man] (225) + חֲלָצֶ֑יךָ [your·loins] (158) + וְ֝אֶשְׁאָלְךָ֗ [and·I·will·ask·you] (358) + וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי [and·declare·to·Me] (161) = 1161.
Rashi
Now gird your loins like a man He intimated to him that he should arouse himself from his illness and his sufferings.
Metzudat David
'Gird up now, etc.' — this is an expression of strength and readiness, for one who is girded at the loins is prepared for action. 'And I will demand of you' — I will ask you about matters, and you will give Me your answer about them, whether it is so or not.
Metzudat Zion
Gird (ezor) - [Meaning] bind [with a belt]. Like a man (kegever) - Meaning, like a mighty man. Your loins (chalatzecha) - [Meaning] your waist.
Malbim
'Gird up now your loins like a man' — since Job had asked, 'let Him take His rod away from me' (Job 9:34), that during the debate the afflictions should cease from him, Hashem told him to gird his loins, which had been afflicted by the boils, and to stand like a strong man, for the boils and the weakness had departed from him; and now: 'I will demand of you, and declare you to Me.'
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have the understanding.
verse value 1502
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "declare" (הַ֝גֵּ֗ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·my·founding·of·earth" (בְּיׇסְדִי־אָ֑רֶץ, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "where?" (אֵיפֹ֣ה), "you·were" (הָ֭יִיתָ), "in·my·founding·of·earth" (בְּיׇסְדִי־אָ֑רֶץ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "if·you·know" (root ידע, 73x in Job); "you·were" (root היה, 50x in Job); "understanding" (root בין, 33x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·my·founding·of·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵיפֹ֣ה [where?] (96) + הָ֭יִיתָ [you·were] (425) + בְּיׇסְדִי־אָ֑רֶץ [in·my·founding·of·earth] (377) + הַ֝גֵּ֗ד [declare] (12) + אִם־יָדַ֥עְתָּ [if·you·know] (525) + בִינָֽה [understanding] (67) = 1502.
Rashi
Where Heb. אֵי פֹה, lit. where here.
Metzudat David
'Where were you' — as if to say: how did your heart dare venture to inquire into My governance? Where were you at the time I founded the earth? Did you see it having supports, to know upon what it stands? As if to say: could you not intelligently perceive that it hangs upon My word alone — as though you had been present at the time of creation, and had seen that this is so? 'Declare' — say whether it has supports, and upon what it depends, if you have the understanding to grasp the truth of the matter.
Metzudat Zion
Where (eifoh) - [A contraction of] "ayeh poh" (where here).
Malbim
'Where' — He began to make clear to him the goodness of His providence and governance, starting from the beginning of creation, and He prefaced this by telling him that if he wishes to grasp Hashem's governance and wisdom by proceeding from the earlier to the later, he must necessarily know the beginning of creation, in order to understand the foundations of the world and how it came to be — how He made everything out of the void, with power and wisdom that know no limit. 'I will ask you: where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?' And then I will ask you: 'declare, if you have the understanding.'
Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line upon it?
verse value 1335
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "if" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "its·measures" (מְ֭מַדֶּיהָ, 5 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "who?·determined" (מִי־שָׂ֣ם), "its·measures" (מְ֭מַדֶּיהָ), "you·know" (תֵדָ֑ע). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·it" (root על, 90x in Job); "if" (root כי, 75x in Job); "you·know" (root ידע, 73x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·know', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִי־שָׂ֣ם [who?·determined] (390) + מְ֭מַדֶּיהָ [its·measures] (99) + כִּ֣י [if] (30) + תֵדָ֑ע [you·know] (474) + א֤וֹ [or] (7) + מִֽי־נָטָ֖ה [who?·stretched] (114) + עָלֶ֣יהָ [upon·it] (115) + קָּֽו [line] (106) = 1335.
Rashi
its measures Heb. מְמַדֶיהָ [like] מִדוֹתֶיהָ.
Ibn Ezra
'Its measures' — its boundaries. Rabbi Judah the grammarian, of blessed memory, explained the word as from the root “to measure” [madad]. It is also possible that it hints at the measure of its boundaries. 'The line' — it is the circuit of the circle of the earth.
Ralbag
'Who determined its measures' [mi sam memadeha] — who decreed and arranged the measure of the earth to be as it is? Now 'memadeha' [its measures] is a noun, formed on the pattern of 'metzarei' (as in 'metzarei she'ol' [the straits of Sheol], Psalms 116:3); its root is 'measure' [m-d-d], and the intent is: its measurements and the extent of its boundaries. 'Or who stretched the line upon it' [o mi natah aleha kav] — meaning: to build it and fashion it anew in the form it now has. He says this because it is the practice of builders to stretch a line over their building.
Metzudat David
'Who determined' — this refers back to 'Declare' in the previous verse, meaning: Declare, who set the measurements of the earth, in its length and breadth, as it is now. 'If you know' — if you know that anyone other than Me set them; as if to say: do you suppose it was done by the constellations of the heavens? 'Or who stretched, etc.' — to measure its length and breadth; and he draws on a parable from the way of a builder, and this is a repetition of the same idea in different words.
Metzudat Zion
Line (kav) - The measuring cord.
Malbim
'Who determined its measures, if you know?' — He pictures the original construction, at the time the globe of the earth was built, laying the earth upon its foundations like a house under construction: first the place where the house is to stand is measured out. 'Who determined its measures' — who commissioned the craftsmen who measured out the place where the globe of the earth would stand among the other spheres that exist, and how far it would be from each of them? And afterward a line is stretched over the house itself, to make the building straight in length, breadth, and height — 'or who stretched the line upon it?' Surely Hashem did this Himself. Now, the measuring is attributed to other craftsmen, and only the commissioning of the measurers is attributed to Hashem; but the stretching of the line is attributed to Him directly. For the measuring of how far each thing is from every star comes about through the general force of attraction that all the spheres exert on one another, all of them drawing the earth toward themselves until it remains suspended among them in its place, as is known from the science of astronomy. But the construction of the earth itself was done by Hashem Himself.
Upon what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its corner-stone,
verse value 1167
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "or" (א֥וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "its·foundations" (אֲדָנֶ֣יהָ, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "its·foundations" (אֲדָנֶ֣יהָ), "were·fastened" (הׇטְבָּ֑עוּ), "who?·laid" (מִי־יָ֝רָ֗ה). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·what" (root מה, 23x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'were·fastened', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: עַל־מָ֭ה [upon·what] (145) + אֲדָנֶ֣יהָ [its·foundations] (70) + הׇטְבָּ֑עוּ [were·fastened] (92) + א֥וֹ [or] (7) + מִי־יָ֝רָ֗ה [who?·laid] (265) + אֶ֣בֶן [stone·of] (53) + פִּנָּתָֽהּ [its·corner] (535) = 1167.
Rashi
laid its cornerstone in the middle of the sea, whence the entire world was founded. Where were you?
Ibn Ezra
'Its foundations' — they are the mountains. 'Its corner-stone' — it is the point.
Ralbag
'Its foundations' [adaneha] — meaning: its pillars.
Metzudat David
'Upon what' — declare upon what the sockets of the earth's pillars were sunk; as if to say: does it not lack both pillars and sockets, having nothing for it to sink into, since air surrounds it? 'Or who laid [the corner-stone]' — who cast the first stone, set at the corner of the foundation; and he draws on a parable from the way of a builder, whose practice is to begin the building of the foundation from the corner. And the intent is the central point — the midpoint of the terrestrial globe — which holds the whole globe in place, so that it does not draw near to any one side; for every part of an element longs for its own natural place.
Metzudat Zion
Its foundations (adaneha) - These are the things on which the pillars stand, as in "the sockets of the court (adnei hechatzer)" (Exodus 38). Fastened (hutba'u) - From the term "tevi'ah" (sinking), meaning fixed into a depth. Laid (yarah) - [Meaning] cast, as in "He cast [it] into the sea (yarah vayam)" (Exodus 15). Corner-stone (pinatah) - From the term "pinah" (corner) and "zavit" (angle).
Malbim
'Upon what were its foundations fastened?' — He pictures the earth as a tent or tabernacle, whose planks are fastened into sockets; so too the earth stands upon nothing. 'Upon what were they fastened?' — surely upon Hashem's desire and will. 'Or who laid its cornerstone' — He pictures a rock and foundation-stone at the center of the earth, drawing everything around it toward the center; and who put this stone there?
When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
verse value 1134
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִֽים) = 86, equal to Elohim. Verse gematria: 1134 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "morning" (בֹ֑קֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·singing·together" (בְּרׇן־יַ֭חַד, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 302: morning, and·they·shouted. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "in·singing·together" (בְּרׇן־יַ֭חַד), "and·they·shouted" (וַ֝יָּרִ֗יעוּ), "all·sons·of" (כׇּל־בְּנֵ֥י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "all·sons·of" (root כל, 31x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'morning', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: בְּרׇן־יַ֭חַד [in·singing·together] (274) + כּ֣וֹכְבֵי [stars·of] (58) + בֹ֑קֶר [morning] (302) + וַ֝יָּרִ֗יעוּ [and·they·shouted] (302) + כׇּל־בְּנֵ֥י [all·sons·of] (112) + אֱלֹהִֽים [God] (86) = 1134.
Rashi
When...sing together from the beginning the stars of light.
Ibn Ezra
'Sang together' — because they revolve around the poles of the earth. 'The morning stars' — they are the seven “ministers” [meshartim, i.e. the seven planets], called stars of light. 'And the sons of God' — they are the supernal spheres, and their motion is their song and their shout.
Ralbag
'Sang together' [beron yachad] — related to the sense of 'rinah' [song, jubilation].
Metzudat David
'When ... sang together' — this refers back to 'Where were you,' stated at the beginning of this passage, meaning: where were you when all the morning stars — that is, the constellations of the heavens — sang together, and all the sons of God — that is, the angels who move them — shouted for joy to Me? As if to say: could you not intelligently grasp this, as though you had been there and had seen that they all submit to Me, and the yoke of fear of Me is upon them? Why then would you say, 'why are times not hidden from the Almighty' (Job 24:1)?
Metzudat Zion
Sang (beron) - From the term "rinah" (joyous song). Morning stars (kochvei voker) - This is like "stars of light," for "morning" and "light" are one and the same; and the intent is the planets that shine most brightly; and so, "praise Him, all you stars of light" (Psalms 148:3). Shouted for joy (vayari'u) - From the term "teru'ah" (a shout). The sons of God (benei Elohim) - They are the angels; and so, "and the sons of God came" (above, 1).
Malbim
'When the morning stars sang together' — it is the way of kings that when they lay the cornerstone to found the foundation of a royal temple, they station singers and musicians to play and to sound a great shout of acclaim. On this model Scripture pictures that when He cast the cornerstone of the earth, all the morning stars sang and all the sons of God shouted for joy. This is a poetic image of the force of attraction that all the stars have toward one another and toward the globe of the earth — for the proportions of the ‘strings’ of this force of attraction, and their ratios, correspond to the ratios of the tones in the science of music. This shows the rational order, relation, and harmony that exist between the earth and the other spheres — all of which testifies to abundant wisdom and providence.
Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it broke forth, and issued out of the womb;
verse value 1050
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 1050 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "sea" (יָ֑ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "with·doors" (בִּדְלָתַ֣יִם, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "with·doors" (בִּדְלָתַ֣יִם), "in·its·bursting-forth" (בְּ֝גִיח֗וֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "it·went·out" (root יצא, 28x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיָּ֣סֶךְ [and·he·shut] (96) + בִּדְלָתַ֣יִם [with·doors] (486) + יָ֑ם [sea] (50) + בְּ֝גִיח֗וֹ [in·its·bursting-forth] (29) + מֵרֶ֥חֶם [from·womb] (288) + יֵצֵֽא [it·went·out] (101) = 1050.
Rashi
the sea with doors The sand, which is its boundary. when it broke forth Heb. בגיחו, when it broke forth from the deep, like (Ps. 22:10), “that You drew me (גחי) forth from the womb”; drew me forth.
Ibn Ezra
'And shut up' [vayasekh] — like “behold, I will hedge” (Hosea 2:8); the sense is “closed.” 'When it broke forth' [begicho] — when it went out, like “bursting forth from its place”; as though it had emerged from a womb.
Ralbag
'Shut up' [vayasech] — meaning: he stopped up and closed. 'When it broke forth, and issued out of the womb' [begicho merechem yetze] — meaning: when it went out from the womb, at its birth.
Metzudat David
'Or who shut up' — so too, who made a barrier facing the sea, like a fortified wall built with doors, through which none can enter when they are shut? And of the sand it is said that it is a boundary for the sea, so that it may not cross it. 'When it broke forth' — because its waters continually issue forth from the womb, that is, the depths of the abyss, and increase at every moment; and lest it flood the world, a boundary therefore became necessary for it. And who made this boundary for it? Surely it is not within the power of the celestial order to change anything from its nature.
Metzudat Zion
Shut up (vayasech) - An expression of a partition and a fence, as in "has not God hedged him in (vayasech Eloah ba'ado)" (above, 3). When it broke forth (begicho) - An expression of gushing forth, as in "when the Jordan rushes (yagiach Yarden)" (below, 56).
Malbim
'Or who shut up' — after telling how He founded the globe of the earth, Scripture now tells how He arranged it to be fit for habitation. For the earth was at first entirely covered with water, and the verse pictures the emergence of the dry land, its coming forth from the belly of the sea, as a child coming forth from its mother’s womb. I have already explained, in my commentary on the account of Creation, that after the earth was ‘unformed and void’ (Genesis 1:2) with water surrounding it, vapors began to rise from the water toward the firmament — which is the sphere of the breathable air, the place where storms form — for the element water was at that time intermingled on one side with the element earth, and on the other side with the element air, as it is written, ‘and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the water’ (Genesis 1:2); through this the vapors began to rise, and through this the air was separated from the vaporous water and the dry land began to appear somewhat. The order was: ‘let there be light’ (Genesis 1:3); ‘let there be a firmament in the midst of the water’ (Genesis 1:6) — this being said of the boundary of the sphere of the breathable air — and afterward, ‘let the waters be gathered together’ (Genesis 1:9), as I explained at length. So too they are set out in Psalms 104: ‘Who covers Yourself with light as with a garment, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, who lays the beams of Your upper chambers in the waters’ (Psalms 104:2–3), as is stated there. And after the dry land had appeared somewhat, through the rising of the vapors — a rising for which Hashem set a fixed law in the air of respiration (as I explained above, ch. 26: ‘He binds up the waters in His thick clouds… He has traced a boundary line upon the face of the deep’) — He then set a boundary for the sea, so that it would not again flood the dry land, as it is written, ‘a bound that they may not pass’ (Psalms 104:9). This is why it says, ‘and God called the dry land Earth’ (Genesis 1:10), and this is why it says here, ‘who shut up the sea with doors, when it broke forth and issued out of the womb’ — the time when this child, who had begun to emerge from the womb, came forth from the belly, that being the time the dry land began to emerge from the water.
When I made the cloud its garment, And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
verse value 2096
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 22 letters. The shortest word is "cloud" (עָנָ֣ן, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·my·placing" (בְּשׂוּמִ֣י, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "in·my·placing" (בְּשׂוּמִ֣י), "its·garment" (לְבֻשׁ֑וֹ), "and·thick·darkness" (וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗ל). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "in·my·placing" (root שים, 38x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'its·garment', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּשׂוּמִ֣י [in·my·placing] (358) + עָנָ֣ן [cloud] (170) + לְבֻשׁ֑וֹ [its·garment] (338) + וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗ל [and·thick·darkness] (386) + חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ [its·swaddling-band] (844) = 2096.
Rashi
When I made the cloud around the ocean, which encompasses the world, and clouds encompass it like raiment. its wrapping Heb. חתלתו, its wrapping, like (Ezek. 16:4), “nor were you swaddled (והחתל לא חתלת).”
Ibn Ezra
'Its swaddlingband' [chatulato] — a garment; and similarly, “you were not swaddled” (Ezekiel 16:4) — meaning, you were not wrapped round in cloth.
Ralbag
'And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it' [va'arafel chatulato] — and a cloud is its garment; the sense is doubled [restating the previous clause], and it is related to the sense of 'vehachtel lo chuttalt' [Ezekiel 16:4, 'you were not swaddled'].
Metzudat David
'When I made' — where were you when I made the cloud a garment for the sea, and thick darkness its swaddling-band? Meaning, it is as though I covered it in cloud and thick darkness, so that it would not dare go out beyond its boundary. As if to say: could you not intelligently know that I am the One who does all these things, as though you had been there?
Metzudat Zion
A swaddlingband (chatulato) - An expression of wrapping and swathing, as in "you were not swaddled at all (hachtel lo chuttalt)" (Ezekiel 16:4).
Malbim
'When I made' — it was like a child who is wrapped in swaddling bands and clothed, as it is written, ‘you were not swaddled at all’ (Ezekiel 16:4). The cloud and the thick darkness that then formed, from the abundance of vapors that rose from the water, were the swaddling bands and the garment with which I swaddled this child coming forth from the womb.
And prescribed for it My decree, And set bars and doors,
verse value 1810
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "My·statute" (חֻקִּ֑י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·doors" (וּדְלָתָֽיִם, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·I·broke" (וָאֶשְׁבֹּ֣ר), "and·I·set" (וָ֝אָשִׂ֗ים), "bar" (בְּרִ֣יחַ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "over·it" (root על, 90x in Job); "and·I·set" (root שים, 38x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'My·statute', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וָאֶשְׁבֹּ֣ר [and·I·broke] (509) + עָלָ֣יו [over·it] (116) + חֻקִּ֑י [My·statute] (118) + וָ֝אָשִׂ֗ים [and·I·set] (357) + בְּרִ֣יחַ [bar] (220) + וּדְלָתָֽיִם [and·doors] (490) = 1810.
Rashi
and broke I made breaks in it [the sea] all around to keep it back within them, and they are its boundary, which it shall not pass, as in (Joshua 7:5), “and they pursued them until the quarries (השברים)” which are the ditches around the city.
Ibn Ezra
'And prescribed for it My decree' [lit. 'and I broke'] — [I broke] its power, by My decree.
Ralbag
'And prescribed for it My decree' [va'eshbor alav chuki] — meaning: and I decreed My decree upon it.
Metzudat David
'And prescribed [My decree]' — I decreed a law upon it, as though I had made breaches and trenches all around it, and as though I had set a bar and closed doors, the way one does when fortifying a walled city.
Metzudat Zion
Prescribed (va'eshbor) - An expression of raising up; for [the decree is fixed] by the lifting of something like a bar made to shut the doors with.
Malbim
'And prescribed for it My decree' — when the sea (which is the mother giving birth to the dry land and bringing it forth from within herself) came to the birthstool to bring forth her offspring, the thing that brought her to the birthstool and delivered her was My decree — the decree Hashem set in nature, that vapors should rise into the air of respiration (as it is written, ‘He has traced a boundary line upon the face of the deep’), and through this the air was separated from the water. So too, most of the waters rose and remained suspended in the air — these are the ‘upper waters,’ suspended in the air by the word of the King. And also, ‘set bars and doors’ — He also set a bolt for the waters of the sea, closing it in firmly so that it could not break through its boundary.
And said: ‘Thus far shall you come, but no further; And here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
verse value 2334
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·here·it·shall·set" (וּפֹא־יָ֝שִׁ֗ית, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "unto·here" (עַד־פֹּ֣ה), "you·shall·add" (תֹסִ֑יף), "and·here·it·shall·set" (וּפֹא־יָ֝שִׁ֗ית). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 142x in Job); "and·I·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "you·shall·come" (root בוא, 51x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·add', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וָאֹמַ֗ר [and·I·said] (247) + עַד־פֹּ֣ה [unto·here] (159) + תָ֭בוֹא [you·shall·come] (409) + וְלֹ֣א [and·not] (37) + תֹסִ֑יף [you·shall·add] (550) + וּפֹא־יָ֝שִׁ֗ית [and·here·it·shall·set] (807) + בִּגְא֥וֹן [in·pride·of] (62) + גַּלֶּֽיךָ [your·waves] (63) = 2334.
Ibn Ezra
'Here shall your proud waves be stayed' — meaning: your strength shall be permitted to reach only until here.
Ralbag
'And here shall your proud waves be stayed' [ufo yashit big'on galecha] — meaning: whoever produces the waves — that is, the wind — sets them to this measure of pride. It is as though it said that the height of the waves has a fixed measure which it reaches and beyond which it is not increased; therefore the waves do not rise higher at one time than at another through any increase in the measure of the sea. The waves themselves are likewise bounded by their measure, so that they do not pass beyond the limit that Hashem has set for them, and by this the existence of that portion of the earth which lies exposed is preserved, so that the waters of the sea do not come up over it. It is also possible that the intent is: 'and at this place shall [the wind] set the pride and height of your waves,' so that the wave does not pass beyond that place, but breaks and returns to its former state as it moves near the shore of the sea — and by this too the existence of that exposed portion of the earth is preserved. It is also possible that the letter bet in 'big'on' is extra, meaning that the wind sets the pride of the waves in motion only up to a limited place which they do not pass, as stated above.
Metzudat David
'And said' — I decreed concerning it, up to the place of the sand, which serves as its bar and doors: thus far shall you come, and no further shall you go out; and in its own place it may raise its waves in surging pride, but not beyond.
Metzudat Zion
Thus far (ad poh) - [Meaning] until here. Proud (vega'on) - From the term "ga'avah" (pride); for when the waves rise, they appear as though they are exalting themselves, since they climb up high and let out a great sound.
Malbim
'And said' — this explains what the bolt was: it was the word of Hashem and His charge, what I commanded concerning it, saying, ‘thus far shall you come and no further,’ as it is written, ‘who have placed the sand for a bound to the sea, a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass’ (Jeremiah 5:22). ‘And here shall be set’ — that is to say, even so, I also left open a possibility of taking vengeance on the wicked, for a time I would need the sea to pass its boundary, as in the generation of Enosh and the like; for this too I set it a limit. So it says, ‘here shall be set, against the pride of your waves’ — that when your waves grow proud and pass the first boundary to flood the wicked, they will not pass the second boundary, which I fixed for them by providence, as to how far they may surge and pass — in such a way that I have established the settled habitation of the earth by My providence, and also left open the possibility of taking vengeance on the wicked.
Have you commanded the morning since your days began, And caused the dayspring to know its place;
verse value 3113
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "morning" (בֹּ֑קֶר, 3 letters) and the longest is "have·from·your·days" (הֲֽ֭מִיָּמֶיךָ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "have·from·your·days" (הֲֽ֭מִיָּמֶיךָ), "you·commanded" (צִוִּ֣יתָ), "the·dawn" (הַשַּׁ֣חַר). The root ידע appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·caused·to·know" (root ידע, 73x in Job); "have·from·your·days" (root יום, 59x in Job); "its·place" (root מקום, 21x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'morning', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words.
Rashi
In [all] your days From the day you were born.
Ibn Ezra
'Since your days began' — since the day you were created, have you commanded the morning to come to life, and made the dawn know its place? 'And could you take hold of the ends of the earth' — the correct view is that this speaks of the dawn: that it takes hold of the ends of the earth, so that the wicked die and perish every day, in the sense of “let sinners cease from the earth” (Psalms 104:35) — even though the righteous, too, may die; for “Hashem's kindness is upon those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children's children” (Psalms 103:17).
Ralbag
'Have you commanded the morning...and caused the dayspring to know its place' [yadata hashachar mekomo] — have you made known the place of the dawn, which is the place from which the sun rises? He says this because the sun does not always rise from the same place, but its place of rising shifts — for example, toward the south, meaning it draws steadily nearer to it as it moves from the head of Cancer to the head of Capricorn, and from the head of Capricorn back to the head of Cancer. In this way the four seasons come about, and through them benefits accrue for bringing the lower creatures into being and preserving their existence for whatever time is possible, as will be explained in the natural sciences. He mentions the sun in particular, among the other heavenly bodies, because its action is more evident in these creatures around us.
Metzudat David
'Have you [since your days]' — have you, since your own days began, commanded the sun, which casts its rays to light up the morning before it is itself revealed over the face of the earth? Have you ever commanded it to keep going and never rest? As if to say: does it not move by itself at every moment, never resting and never pausing? And had it not been submitting to Me, to fulfill My decree, it would surely be entitled to rest at some time or other. 'Have you known' — do you know, of the sun that brings the dawn, where its place is, where it resides? As if to say: does it not lack any place of rest at all? And this is a repetition of the same idea in different words.
Metzudat Zion
The dayspring (hashachar) - It is like "boker" (morning).
Malbim
'Have you commanded' — after explaining how He founded the earth and the dry land, He now explains the matter of light. I have already explained in my commentary on Genesis that during the first three days, before light was set into the heavenly lights, the original light surrounded the globe for twelve hours each day, all the way around, so that there was light all around the globe; and after twelve hours it withdrew from all around the globe and there was night for twelve hours. And I explained there that the descent and withdrawal of the light did not happen all at once — for if it had, there could be no ‘evening and morning’ (which indicates the beginning of the light’s setting and the beginning of its rising), only day and night; rather, the light descended and withdrew by degrees, in such a way that there was ‘evening and morning.’ And there was a difference between the first three days and the time after the heavenly lights were set, with regard to dawn — for dawn is the moment the sun rises from beneath the horizon onto the horizon, and this did not exist until the fourth day. It was then that the first dawn came about, at the time the sun began to circle the earth, rising in that first moment from the place where it was set toward another place. Yet dawn had no fixed place on the globe except at that moment, for from then on dawn continually circles the globe, changing its place every moment, so that it is impossible to designate for it a fixed place. This is why it says, ‘have you commanded the morning’ — that is the first morning, which came about on the first day; ‘this second [question]: have you known dawn, its place’ — that is the dawn that rose on the fourth day, at the moment the sun was set in place, for then it had a distinctive, fixed place unlike any other — which had not been so before it, nor would be so after it.
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?
verse value 1997
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "to·take·hold" (לֶ֭אֱחֹז, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·ends·of" (בְּכַנְפ֣וֹת, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·take·hold" (לֶ֭אֱחֹז), "in·ends·of" (בְּכַנְפ֣וֹת), "and·be·shaken·out" (וְיִנָּעֲר֖וּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·earth" (root ארץ, 48x in Job); "wicked" (root רשע, 36x in Job); "from·it" (root מן, 33x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לֶ֭אֱחֹז [to·take·hold] (46) + בְּכַנְפ֣וֹת [in·ends·of] (558) + הָאָ֑רֶץ [the·earth] (296) + וְיִנָּעֲר֖וּ [and·be·shaken·out] (342) + רְשָׁעִ֣ים [wicked] (620) + מִמֶּֽנָּה [from·it] (135) = 1997.
Rashi
To grasp the corners of the earth Moreover, in all your days, did you command [anyone] to grasp the corners of the earth like a man who grasps the corners of a garment and shakes it? So am I destined to grasp it [the earth] by its corners and shake the wicked [out of it]. Likewise, Scripture states (Isa. 31:3): “and the Lord shall turn His hand, and the helper shall stumble,” like a person who, holding something in his hand, drops it by inclining his hand.
Ralbag
'Be shaken out' [vayina'aru] — meaning: and be removed. 'And flee' [veyivrechu] — meaning: to hide themselves.
Metzudat David
'That it might take hold' — this is an elliptical verse, as though it said: have I not commanded [the dawn] to take hold of the ends of the earth, to shake them out, so that the wicked would be shaken out of it, while the righteous remained in it? And this speaks of the Flood, in which everyone perished and only Noah remained — and is this not providence?
Metzudat Zion
Be shaken out (venin'aru) - An expression of falling from a thing that is shaken with great force, as in "even so I shook out my lap (chotznei na'arti)" (Nehemiah 5:13).
Malbim
'That it might take hold' — from then on, He fixed it as a law that dawn should always take hold of the ends of the earth, for at every single moment dawn changes its place and always takes hold at the edge of the globe. And its taking hold of the edge of the earth is, in the metaphor, like one who takes hold of the corner of a garment and shakes the dust and dirt out of it — so are the wicked shaken out from it: wherever dawn shines, the wicked flee, night-marauders who tunnel through houses in the dark, and hide themselves away in their holes.
It is changed as clay under the seal; And they stand as a garment.
verse value 2555
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "like" (כְּמ֣וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·stand" (וְ֝יִֽתְיַצְּב֗וּ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "it·is·changed" (תִּ֭תְהַפֵּךְ), "like·clay" (כְּחֹ֣מֶר), "and·they·stand" (וְ֝יִֽתְיַצְּב֗וּ). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seal', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: תִּ֭תְהַפֵּךְ [it·is·changed] (905) + כְּחֹ֣מֶר [like·clay] (268) + חוֹתָ֑ם [seal] (454) + וְ֝יִֽתְיַצְּב֗וּ [and·they·stand] (524) + כְּמ֣וֹ [like] (66) + לְבֽוּשׁ [a·garment] (338) = 2555.
Rashi
changes in formation. The seal...like clay The cast of man’s countenance [changes] when he dies, and at the resurrection of the dead they will live again, and they will stand up in their clothing.
Ibn Ezra
'It is changed' [tithapech] — the earth changes into various shapes, like clay under a seal. 'And they stand' — human beings, like a garment upon it [the earth]; every day it changes them, and in the end their light is withheld from the wicked.
Ralbag
'It is changed as clay under the seal' [tithapech kachomer chotam] — meaning: just as clay or mud in which a seal is made is readily disposed to receive that seal, so too the sun's action changes, so that varying effects follow from it according to the change in its position.
Metzudat David
'It is changed' — from all this you shall know: although the stamped image of a person's form is changed at the time of his death, becoming like clay and like the mire of the streets, nevertheless they will stand up again at the resurrection and be as they were before — like a garment that is folded up and then unfolded and spread out again, and behold, it is as it was before. This comes to answer his [Job's] words in which he denied the resurrection of the dead, thinking that everything comes about through the arrangement of the constellations and according to nature, and that resurrection of the dead is impossible in terms of nature. Therefore God said to him: since indeed I do watch over [the world], one need no longer marvel at the resurrection of the dead.
Metzudat Zion
Seal (chotam) - [Meaning] a shape/imprint, as in "a seal of perfection (chotam tochnit)" (Ezekiel 28).
Malbim
‘It is changed as clay under the seal’ — through the illumination of light upon the earth, various forms are engraved upon it: heat and light bring forth every plant and every flower, beautify the face of the earth, and dry up its moisture, until the earth becomes like clay under a seal — that is, dry — and forms are engraved upon it, with the Creator’s name stamped upon the work of His hands. ‘And they stand as a garment’ — for the earth clothes and wraps itself in its produce, as it is written, “The pastures are clothed with flocks, the valleys also are covered over with corn” (Psalms 65:14). All this comes about through the action of light, wherever it takes hold at the ends of the earth; the earth also wraps itself in a robe of purple, of perfect beauty — whereas darkness is naked, stripped of all form, with no garment to cover the gloom.
But from the wicked their light is withheld, And the high arm is broken.
verse value 2519
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "high" (רָ֝מָ֗ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·wicked" (מֵרְשָׁעִ֣ים, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·is·withheld" (וְיִמָּנַ֣ע), "from·wicked" (מֵרְשָׁעִ֣ים), "their·light" (אוֹרָ֑ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "from·wicked" (root רשע, 36x in Job); "their·light" (root אור, 30x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'their·light', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: וְיִמָּנַ֣ע [and·is·withheld] (176) + מֵרְשָׁעִ֣ים [from·wicked] (660) + אוֹרָ֑ם [their·light] (247) + וּזְר֥וֹעַ [and·arm] (289) + רָ֝מָ֗ה [high] (245) + תִּשָּׁבֵֽר [is·broken] (902) = 2519.
Rashi
And...shall be withheld then from the wicked their light, and the high arm shall be broken.
Metzudat David
'But from the wicked' — and then, although there will be prosperity for the righteous, the wicked will not be able to overpower them, for the light of their own prosperity will be withheld from them; and then the raised arm of those with strong arms will be broken. And with this he seems to answer Job's complaint concerning reward and punishment, as if to say: then each one will receive according to his own deeds.
Metzudat Zion
High (ramah) - [Meaning] high and lifted up.
Malbim
‘But from the wicked their light is withheld’ — in the very creation of light, Hashem also left open the possibility of punishing the wicked, in that through it He withholds their light from them. This is so whether by nature — for the very light that shines is darkness to the wicked, as stated above, in chapter 24, “for the morning is to all of them as the shadow of death” (Job 24:17), meaning that when morning comes they recognize their deeds, and then “the high arm is broken,” for judgment is executed upon them — or by providential darkness, which is sometimes needed to requite the wicked, as with the darkness of Egypt: in that He made light in such a way that it can be removed, with darkness coming in its place, as it is written, “I form light and create darkness” (Isaiah 45:7), as explained there. Then light is withheld from the wicked, and “the high arm is broken” through providence.
Have you entered into the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in the recesses of the deep?
verse value 2241
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "have·you·entered" (הֲ֭בָאתָ, 4 letters) and the longest is "unto·springs·of·sea" (עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָ֑ם, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "unto·springs·of·sea" (עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָ֑ם), "and·in·search·of" (וּבְחֵ֥קֶר), "have·you·walked" (הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "have·you·entered" (root בוא, 51x in Job); "have·you·walked" (root הלך, 29x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·springs·of·sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲ֭בָאתָ [have·you·entered] (408) + עַד־נִבְכֵי־יָ֑ם [unto·springs·of·sea] (206) + וּבְחֵ֥קֶר [and·in·search·of] (316) + תְּ֝ה֗וֹם [deep] (451) + הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ [have·you·walked] (860) = 2241.
Rashi
the locks of the sea Heb. נבכי, like (Ex. 14:3), “They are trapped (נבכים) in the land.”
Ibn Ezra
'The springs of the sea' [nivkhei] — like the waves of the sea that rush along; and similarly, “He binds the streams that they trickle not” (Job 28:11).
Ralbag
'The springs of the sea' [nivchei yam] — meaning: the depths of the sea.
Metzudat David
'Have you entered' — as if to say: how does your heart dare to ponder complaints against Me? Have you found so much wisdom? Have you gained understanding as far as the springs of the sea, to know what is in it? And have you walked about in your contemplation through the investigations of the deep?
Metzudat Zion
The recesses (nivchei) - [Meaning] the depth of the sea, as in "from the depths (mibechi) of the rivers" (above, 28).
Malbim
‘Have you entered’ — after speaking of the creation of the earth, the formation of dry land, and light, Scripture now begins to speak of the sea and the deep. “Have you entered into the springs of the sea,” to which the waters were gathered, “and walked in the recesses of the deep” — for the earth stands upon the depths, and the depth of the sea, its bewildering places, as well as the depths themselves, are hidden from the eye of the investigator. Here too a twofold providence is seen: one, for the preservation of the earth and the dry land, since it was there that the waters were gathered so that they should not return to cover the earth; the other, for punishing the wicked — which is what he goes on to say next.
Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the gates of the shadow of death?
verse value 2928
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְ֭ךָ, 2 letters) and the longest is "gates·of·death" (שַׁעֲרֵי־מָ֑וֶת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "have·been·revealed" (הֲנִגְל֣וּ), "gates·of·death" (שַׁעֲרֵי־מָ֑וֶת), "and·gates·of" (וְשַׁעֲרֵ֖י). The root שער appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "have·you·seen" (root ראה, 52x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gates·of·death', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲנִגְל֣וּ [have·been·revealed] (94) + לְ֭ךָ [to·you] (50) + שַׁעֲרֵי־מָ֑וֶת [gates·of·death] (1026) + וְשַׁעֲרֵ֖י [and·gates·of] (586) + צַלְמָ֣וֶת [shadow·of·death] (566) + תִּרְאֶֽה [have·you·seen] (606) = 2928.
Rashi
the gates of death This is Gehinnom.
Metzudat David
'Have ... been revealed' — Have the gates of death been revealed to you, that you should conclude that the dead will not live again, as it says, "As the cloud is consumed and vanishes, so he who goes down to the grave does not come up" (Job 7:9)? 'And the gates of,' etc. — the matter is repeated in other words.
Metzudat Zion
The gates of death and the gates of the shadow of death (sha'arei mavet vesha'arei tzalmavet) - Said in reference to the grave; and the matter is doubled, in different wording.
Malbim
‘Have they been revealed to you’ — for sometimes Hashem punishes by means of the springs of the sea, and sometimes by means of the depth of the deep: when the waters surge in the depths of the seas, or in the vast depths of the abyss, or when oily, sulfurous vapors gather in the depth of the deep, or a fire burns there, or waters pass over deposits of lime primed to burst into flame — earthquakes and tremors arise from these, “the earth is clean dissolved” (Isaiah 24:19), and cities and countries are destroyed. For there lie “the gates of death” and “the gates of the shadow of death” — to punish the wicked.
Have you surveyed to the breadths of the earth? Declare, if you know it all.
verse value 2084
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "declare" (הַ֝גֵּ֗ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "unto·breadths·of·earth" (עַד־רַחֲבֵי־אָ֑רֶץ, 9 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "have·you·surveyed" (הִ֭תְבֹּנַנְתָּ), "unto·breadths·of·earth" (עַד־רַחֲבֵי־אָ֑רֶץ). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "if·you·know" (root ידע, 73x in Job); "have·you·surveyed" (root בין, 33x in Job); "all·of·it" (root כל, 31x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'unto·breadths·of·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: הִ֭תְבֹּנַנְתָּ [have·you·surveyed] (907) + עַד־רַחֲבֵי־אָ֑רֶץ [unto·breadths·of·earth] (585) + הַ֝גֵּ֗ד [declare] (12) + אִם־יָדַ֥עְתָּ [if·you·know] (525) + כֻלָּֽהּ [all·of·it] (55) = 2084.
Ibn Ezra
'To the breadths of the earth' — that is, the great, inhabited land. But the correct interpretation is that it means: do you know how vast the breadths of the earth are?
Ralbag
'The breadths of the earth' [rachvei aretz] — the breadth of the earth is its distance from the equator, which is the place where night and day are forever equal; therefore the earth has two breadths — one from the equator to the limit of the north, and the other from the equator to the limit of the south.
Metzudat David
'Have you surveyed' — do you understand the things that happen even to the far ends of the breadth of the earth? And if you say that you know it all, declare it, if you know. As if to say: have you not failed to know what happens on the earth — and how then can you probe to understand My governance of the world?
Malbim
‘Have you surveyed to the breadths of the earth’ — after speaking of what was done on the first three days of creation — light, sea, dry land, and firmament — Scripture now begins to speak of what was done on the fourth day, when the luminaries were suspended, for it was then that the order of days and years was established. Now the day and its course were fixed immediately with the first light, as it is written, “and there was evening and there was morning” (Genesis 1:5); but the fixing of the year was not instituted until the fourth day, through the sun’s inclining, in its yearly course (which travels from west to east), from the line of the equator to more than twenty-three degrees to the north, and likewise to the south. Through this a change occurs in the length of light and darkness across the breadth of the earth — that is, in the countries situated away from the equator toward higher latitude, to the north and to the south. For the countries lying along the equator, along the length of the earth from east to west, always have day and night equal to one another, with a single fixed boundary between light and darkness, each governing for twelve hours. But those inclined toward the earth’s latitude — when the sun begins to move in its course toward the north side of the equator, the days grow longer and the nights shorter in the northern countries, and the reverse in the southern countries — until it reaches the sign of Cancer, at which point the days are longest in the north, and those dwelling at the North Pole then have continuous day for six months, and continuous night for those dwelling at the South Pole; and when the sun reaches the sign of Capricorn, the matter is reversed. This comes about through providence and wondrous wisdom, for through it spring, summer, autumn, and winter come into being; for had the sun always traveled along the line of the equator, there would be perpetual scorching heat there, and perpetual cold at the poles. This is the meaning of “Have you surveyed to the breadths of the earth? Declare, if you know it all” — that is, all the changes that occur across the breadth of the earth.
Where is the way to the dwelling of light, And as for darkness, where is its place;
verse value 1382
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "where?·this" (אֵי־זֶ֣ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "it·dwells·light" (יִשְׁכׇּן־א֑וֹר, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 23: where?·this, where?·this. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "it·dwells·light" (יִשְׁכׇּן־א֑וֹר), "and·darkness" (וְ֝חֹ֗שֶׁךְ). The root איזה appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·way" (root דרך, 35x in Job); "and·darkness" (root חשך, 25x in Job); "its·place" (root מקום, 21x in Job). First appearance of the root איזה ("where?·this") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'it·dwells·light', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵי־זֶ֣ה [where?·this] (23) + הַ֭דֶּרֶךְ [the·way] (229) + יִשְׁכׇּן־א֑וֹר [it·dwells·light] (587) + וְ֝חֹ֗שֶׁךְ [and·darkness] (334) + אֵי־זֶ֥ה [where?·this] (23) + מְקֹמֽוֹ [its·place] (186) = 1382.
Metzudat David
'Where is' — this refers back to the word "surveyed" stated in the preceding verse, meaning: do you understand where the way is to the place where light dwells, and where the place of darkness is?
Metzudat Zion
Where (ei zeh) - [A form of] "anah zeh" (to where is this).
Malbim
‘Where is the way to the dwelling of light’ — that is, light always dwells in one place, and darkness on the side opposite it: when the sun is in the sign of Cancer, light dwells in the north and darkness in the south; and when the sun is in the sign of Capricorn, it is the reverse. On this there are two ways of looking at it:
That you should take it to its bound, And that you should know the paths to its house?
verse value 2456
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 31 letters. The shortest word is "that" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·its·border" (אֶל־גְּבוּל֑וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·its·border" (אֶל־גְּבוּל֑וֹ), "and·that·you·discern" (וְכִי־תָ֝בִ֗ין), "paths·of" (נְתִיב֥וֹת). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root כי, 75x in Job); "and·that·you·discern" (root בין, 33x in Job); "its·house" (root בית, 26x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·its·border', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּ֣י [that] (30) + תִ֭קָּחֶנּוּ [you·take·it] (564) + אֶל־גְּבוּל֑וֹ [to·its·border] (78) + וְכִי־תָ֝בִ֗ין [and·that·you·discern] (498) + נְתִיב֥וֹת [paths·of] (868) + בֵּיתֽוֹ [its·house] (418) = 2456.
Ibn Ezra
'That you should take it' — to lead it to its bound; it speaks of the light [mentioned above].
Metzudat David
'That you should take it' — that you should be able to take the light and bring it to the border of darkness, to light up there. 'The paths to its house' — the house of darkness, [meaning] to bring the light there. This is a manner of hyperbole and figurative speech, meaning: how little you know, that your heart should dare to ponder complaints against Me!
Malbim
‘That you should take it to its bound’ — that there is one place which is the boundary of light and darkness, where each dwells fixedly for six months: this is at the north and south poles, where it is always six months of day and six months of night. ‘And that you should know the paths to its house’ — that is, in the places lying between the equator and the poles, where the length of the days and nights grows longer and shorter with each passing day; light and darkness each have their own particular paths, for each day, each of them travels along a path determined by the sun’s inclination from the equator toward the line of the zodiac signs.
You know it, for you were then born, And the number of your days is great!
verse value 1680
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "you·know" (יָ֭דַעְתָּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·number·of" (וּמִסְפַּ֖ר, 5 letters). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·know" (root ידע, 73x in Job); "your·days" (root יום, 59x in Job); "many" (root רב, 23x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·were·born', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: יָ֭דַעְתָּ [you·know] (484) + כִּי־אָ֣ז [for·then] (38) + תִּוָּלֵ֑ד [you·were·born] (440) + וּמִסְפַּ֖ר [and·number·of] (386) + יָמֶ֣יךָ [your·days] (80) + רַבִּֽים [many] (252) = 1680.
Rashi
You knew all this. for then you were born when I created (them).
Ibn Ezra
'You know it, for you were then born' — [understand this ironically:] before you were even born, you already knew the number of the days of your life.
Metzudat David
'You know it' — did you know, before you were born, that you would be born at the time you were born? And now, do you know whether the number of your days is great?
Malbim
‘You know it’ — after mentioning the fixing of the order of the years at the time the luminaries were suspended, He says: were you there at that time, when the order of the years was arranged, so that you knew then that you would be born — that you were destined to be born in such-and-such a year from creation, and that the number of your days would be many, that you would live many years, for example, two hundred and ten years? He speaks figuratively, as if to say: had one been present then, when the years of the generations were allotted, and it was determined for every created being when he would be born into the world and how many years he would live, he would have known all of this.
Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, Or have you seen the treasuries of the hail,
verse value 2990
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. Verse gematria: 2990 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "snow" (שָׁ֑לֶג, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·treasuries·of" (אֶל־אֹצְר֣וֹת, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·treasuries·of" (אֶל־אֹצְר֣וֹת), "snow" (שָׁ֑לֶג), "and·treasuries·of" (וְאוֹצְר֖וֹת). The root אוצר appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "you·see" (root ראה, 52x in Job); "have·you·entered" (root בוא, 51x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'snow', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲ֭בָאתָ [have·you·entered] (408) + אֶל־אֹצְר֣וֹת [to·treasuries·of] (728) + שָׁ֑לֶג [snow] (333) + וְאוֹצְר֖וֹת [and·treasuries·of] (709) + בָּרָ֣ד [hail] (206) + תִּרְאֶֽה [you·see] (606) = 2990.
Metzudat David
'Have you entered' — have you come, in your contemplation, into the storehouses of snow? And do you see, with your mind, the storehouses of hail, to know what they are made of?
Malbim
'Have you entered' — after finishing his account of creation in general, He now begins to speak of particulars. 'Have you entered the treasuries of the snow' — for there are a great many high mountains whose peaks are permanently covered with snow the whole year round (glaciers), as in the lands of Tyrol, Switzerland, Savoy, and Piedmont; and in Savoy there are snow-mountains more than three parasangs long, half a parasang wide, and from twenty to a hundred parasangs thick. There are also glacier-treasuries beneath the earth, in great caverns; and likewise in Iceland and Greenland there are treasuries of snow, ice, and frost — and this is the meaning of 'have you entered the treasuries of the snow.' And high in the atmosphere there are found treasuries of hail, in regions of frost that are not visible to human beings at all — and this is the meaning of 'or have you seen the treasuries of the hail.'
Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, Against the day of battle and war?
verse value 2546
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 26 letters. Notable word values: "to·day·of" (לְי֥וֹם) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "battle" (קְ֝רָ֗ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·I·have·reserved" (אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׂ֥כְתִּי, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "that·I·have·reserved" (אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׂ֥כְתִּי), "to·time·of·trouble" (לְעֶת־צָ֑ר), "battle" (קְ֝רָ֗ב). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·day·of" (root יום, 59x in Job); "that·I·have·reserved" (root חשך, 25x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·time·of·trouble', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֲשֶׁר־חָשַׂ֥כְתִּי [that·I·have·reserved] (1239) + לְעֶת־צָ֑ר [to·time·of·trouble] (790) + לְי֥וֹם [to·day·of] (86) + קְ֝רָ֗ב [battle] (302) + וּמִלְחָמָֽה [and·war] (129) = 2546.
Rashi
That I saved I withheld. for a time of trouble For the five kings in Gibeon. for a day of battle The war of Gog and Magog.
Ibn Ezra
'Against the day of battle' — like “he cast down great stones” (Joshua 10:11), and the hail that fell in Egypt. Rav Saadia Gaon explained “where the light dwells” (Job 38:19) as referring to a place on earth that has daylight the whole time except for one day; or the opposite, a place where the daylight lasts half the year. Even though his facts are correct, they have nothing to do with the subject of these verses. And he explained “by what way is the light parted” (Job 38:24) in the same way. Some say that this “light” is rain.
Ralbag
'Which I have reserved against the time of trouble' [chasachti le'et tzar] — meaning: I withheld them for Myself and stored them away, to be used at a time of distress, that is, to bring evil upon whoever deserves it.
Metzudat David
'Which I have reserved' — which I withheld from falling in Egypt, as it says, "and the hail ceased, etc., it was not poured out upon the earth" (Exodus 9:33); and it remained suspended in the air, kept ready for a time of distress, to distress the five kings of the Emorites, as it says, "and Hashem cast down great stones from heaven upon them" (Joshua 10:11); and for the day of battle and war of Gog, as it says, "and I will contend, etc., and hailstones, etc." (Ezekiel 38:22) — so our Sages, of blessed memory, said.
Metzudat Zion
Battle (krav) - This too is an expression of war, as in "who trains my hands for battle (lakrav)" (Psalms 144).
Malbim
'Which I have reserved' — corresponding to the treasuries of snow, He says that He has reserved them for the time of distress. He pictures these mountains as fortresses from which He rises in might and wages war against His enemies; for from these places hills of snow and ice roll down, driven by winds and by other causes, destroying cities and villages and killing many people and animals. And corresponding to the treasuries of hail, He says, 'which I have reserved for the day of battle and war,' picturing them as arrows in Hashem's hand, which He shoots and hurls at His enemies — like the hailstones at the descent of Beth-horon. It is well known that hail sometimes causes great devastation, as with the hail that fell in the year 5548 (1787/8), which destroyed a great deal. All this demonstrates His providence: that besides snow and hail being useful — cooling and tempering the air — He has also prepared through them judgments for scoffers and punishments for the wicked.
By what way is the light parted, Or the east wind scattered upon the earth?
verse value 1342
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "light" (א֑וֹר, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·earth" (עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ, 6 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "it·scatters" (יָפֵ֖ץ). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·earth" (root ארץ, 48x in Job); "the·way" (root דרך, 35x in Job); "light" (root אור, 30x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'light', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֵי־זֶ֣ה [where?·this] (23) + הַ֭דֶּרֶךְ [the·way] (229) + יֵחָ֣לֶק [it·is·divided] (148) + א֑וֹר [light] (207) + יָפֵ֖ץ [it·scatters] (180) + קָדִ֣ים [east] (154) + עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ [upon·earth] (401) = 1342.
Rashi
is the light parted The irradiation of the sun, which diverges this way and that way like the horns of a hind. the eastern one The sun of the east.
Ibn Ezra
'The east wind' [kadim] — that is, the wind of the east.
Ralbag
'By what way is the light parted' [eizeh derech yechalek or] — the intent is: by what way does the sun divide [its course], so that on its daily motion it travels one path on one day and a different path on another day, thereby scattering the place of its rising over the earth, as is clear to anyone who has studied a little astronomy. It is also possible that the intent concerns the light of the vaporous exhalation from which flames are readily kindled, with 'kadim' meaning the east wind — and this is the more correct reading, for according to the first explanation there would be a needless repetition here, since this matter was already mentioned in its place, as Job said, 'Have you commanded the morning...' [Job 38:12], etc.
Metzudat David
'By what way' — meaning, do you know by which path the light of the sun divides to descend into the world along a crooked route, so that its heat does not melt that hail; and by which path the east wind, the fiercest of the winds, scatters itself over the earth without knocking the hail down to the ground, so that it remains suspended in place? As if to say: and if you have no share in understanding, how can you grasp My governance of the world?
Metzudat Zion
Scattered (yafetz) - [Meaning] disperses, as in "and the people scattered (vayafetz ha'am)" (Exodus 5).
Malbim
'By what way' — now He explains to him how He arranged everything by weight and measure, and according to the capacity of man. Behold, He ordained that the sun should not rise upon the earth all at once; rather, when the sun is still eighteen degrees below the horizon, morning begins, and the light shines forth little by little, until broad daylight — and this is by a wondrous providence, so that it should not blind the eyes, and also so that a greater portion of the earth is thereby illuminated. It especially benefits the people of the north, where night continues for several days running, and they have light through the glow of twilight. And this is the meaning of 'by what way is the light parted, that the east wind is scattered upon the earth' — the light that the east wind spreads, which rises over the land in the morning: by what means are the light and the east wind divided and dispersed before the rising of the sun? It is known that the reason light appears before the sun rises is that the sun's rays are refracted within the air and the vapors surrounding the earth. And on this too there are many open questions — whether light is a fluid substance, or whether it spreads through the air and is set in motion by the movement of the luminous body — on all of which the sages are divided, the matter remaining hidden and obscure.
Who has cleft a channel for the waterflood, Or a way for the lightning of the thunder;
verse value 1915
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·flood" (לַשֶּׁ֣טֶף, 4 letters) and the longest is "who?·has·cleft" (מִֽי־פִלַּ֣ג, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "who?·has·cleft" (מִֽי־פִלַּ֣ג), "to·the·flood" (לַשֶּׁ֣טֶף), "channel" (תְּעָלָ֑ה). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·way" (root דרך, 35x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'channel', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־פִלַּ֣ג [who?·has·cleft] (163) + לַשֶּׁ֣טֶף [to·the·flood] (419) + תְּעָלָ֑ה [channel] (505) + וְ֝דֶ֗רֶךְ [and·way] (230) + לַחֲזִ֥יז [to·thunderbolt·of] (62) + קֹלֽוֹת [thunders] (536) = 1915.
Rashi
Who has separated a place for the hair Heb. לטשף. In Arabia, a hair is called שִׁיטְפָא. To every hair on the head I have given תְעָלָה, a separate shaft from which to draw sap. If two would draw from the same shaft, a person’s eyesight would fail. These have not been changed by Me, how then should I change אִיוֹב, Job, for אוֹיֵב, enemy? And this is the meaning of מן הסערה, from the hair. Another explanation: לַשֶטֶף a streaming raindrop. I set apart for each drop a hole in the clouds, for if they were to come down [together] from one opening, they would soften the earth and turn it into a mire. and a way for the cloud of the thunderclaps who parted? Every thunderclap has its own path, and if two of them would go along one path, the creatures would not be able to bear the sound.
Ibn Ezra
'A channel for the waterflood' — as though there were a channel for the flood; the sense is like “peleg” [a stream], as in “the stream of God is full of water” (Psalms 65:10). 'For the lightning of the thunder' [chaziz kolot] — [chaziz means] strength and might, as in “Hashem makes the lightning-flashes” (Zechariah 10:1); [kolot, “voices,”] means mighty thunderclaps.
Ralbag
'Who has cleft a channel for the waterflood' [mi falag lashetef te'alah], etc. — who has divided out a place for the flow of water to fall into, calling that place a 'te'alah' [channel], which is a dug-out trench. The intent is: who has ordered the rain in such a way that it rains in this place and not in another, so that the plants may thereby be brought to completion, the rain falling at one time in one place and at another time in another place? For if the rain always fell entirely in one place, no plant would come to fullness — not in that place, because of the excess of moisture, and not elsewhere, because of the dryness; and this is self-evident. And who set an ordinance and custom for lightning and for thunders? The phrase 'lachaziz kolot' [for the lightning of the thunder] may be understood as though it said 'for the lightning and for the thunders'; or the intent may be: who set a path for the lightning, from which the thunders come about, so that it descends down to the earth, contrary to its natural motion?
Metzudat David
'Who has cleft' — who has cut a channel for the flood of waters, so that it might flow along it to whichever place I command it to go; and who has cleft a path for the cloud and the sounds of thunder, to the place to which it goes?
Metzudat Zion
Cleft (paleg) - An expression of division, as in "the earth was divided (niflegah ha'aretz)" (Genesis 10). Waterflood (lashetef) - [Meaning] the rushing of the waters, as in "and His breath is as an overflowing stream (kenachal shotef)" (Isaiah 30:28). A channel (te'alah) - [Meaning] a trench, as in "and he made a trench (vaya'as te'alah)" (I Kings 18). The lightning (lachaziz) - Thus is the storm-cloud called, as in "Hashem makes storm-clouds (chazizim)" (Zechariah 10:1). Thunder (kolot) - Like "vekolot" (and thunders) [i.e., the same word].
Malbim
'Who has cleft' — so too He arranged everything by measure and weight regarding the element of water. For the vapor that rises from the earth — it would have been reasonable for it to come down in a flood, sweeping everything away at once; and likewise the thunder and lightning confined within it, from the element of fire, would, once released, burst forth all at once and destroy the world. But Hashem cleft a channel for the flood of waters, so that the rain comes down drop by drop, each one through its own special conduit; and likewise for 'the lightning of the thunder' He cleft a path, so that it goes forth apportioned, by measure and weight.
To cause it to rain on a land where no man is, On the wilderness, in which there is no man;
verse value 1357
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בּֽוֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·cause·to·rain" (לְ֭הַמְטִיר, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·cause·to·rain" (לְ֭הַמְטִיר), "upon·land" (עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ), "not·man" (לֹא־אָדָ֥ם). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wilderness" (root דבר, 58x in Job); "upon·land" (root ארץ, 48x in Job); "not·man" (root איש, 39x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·man', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְ֭הַמְטִיר [to·cause·to·rain] (294) + עַל־אֶ֣רֶץ [upon·land] (391) + לֹא־אִ֑ישׁ [not·man] (342) + מִ֝דְבָּ֗ר [wilderness] (246) + לֹא־אָדָ֥ם [not·man] (76) + בּֽוֹ [in·it] (8) = 1357.
Metzudat David
'To cause it to rain' — to bring rain down on a parched, dry land where no man dwells, and on a desolate wilderness where there is no person, because of its great dryness. This repeats the same idea in other words.
Malbim
'To cause it to rain' — so too He arranged the descent of rain, so that rain does not always fall in the place from which the vapor that formed it rose. For most vapor rises from inhabited regions, where there are plants and living creatures that give off vapor, or from bodies of water; but Hashem arranged for rain to fall even in the wilderness. This is either for punishment — as is said [in tractate] Rosh Hashanah, that if rains were decreed on Rosh Hashanah but the people did not merit them, He brings them down upon the deserts instead — and this is the meaning of 'to cause it to rain on a land where no man is'; or it is for good — in order to...
To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, And to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
verse value 1700
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1700 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "desolate" (שֹׁ֭אָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·sprout" (וּ֝לְהַצְמִ֗יחַ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·satisfy" (לְהַשְׂבִּ֣יעַ), "and·to·sprout" (וּ֝לְהַצְמִ֗יחַ), "bud·of" (מֹ֣צָא). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·waste', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: לְהַשְׂבִּ֣יעַ [to·satisfy] (417) + שֹׁ֭אָה [desolate] (306) + וּמְשֹׁאָ֑ה [and·waste] (352) + וּ֝לְהַצְמִ֗יחַ [and·to·sprout] (189) + מֹ֣צָא [bud·of] (131) + דֶֽשֶׁא [grass] (305) = 1700.
Rashi
darkness A land that is dark because of hunger.
Ralbag
'The desolate and waste ground' [sho'ah umeshoah] — meaning: wilderness and ruined places.
Metzudat David
'To satisfy the desolate' — to satisfy, by means of the rain, a land of darkness and desolation, and to cause grass to sprout and grow within it.
Metzudat Zion
Desolate and waste ground (sho'ah umshoah) - [Meaning] darkness and desolation; and so, "last night, wasteness and desolation" (above, 30).
Malbim
'To satisfy the desolate and waste ground' — [continuing the thought] in order that He turns the wilderness into a pool of water, settles the hungry there, and they establish a city to dwell in.
Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?
verse value 792
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. Verse gematria: 792 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "father" (אָ֑ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "is·there·to·the·rain" (הֲיֵשׁ־לַמָּטָ֥ר, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "is·there·to·the·rain" (הֲיֵשׁ־לַמָּטָ֥ר), "who?·has·begotten" (מִי־ה֝וֹלִ֗יד), "drops·of·dew" (אֶגְלֵי־טָֽל). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'father', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲיֵשׁ־לַמָּטָ֥ר [is·there·to·the·rain] (594) + אָ֑ב [father] (3) + א֥וֹ [or] (7) + מִי־ה֝וֹלִ֗יד [who?·has·begotten] (105) + אֶגְלֵי־טָֽל [drops·of·dew] (83) = 792.
Rashi
waves of dew Heb. אגלי, waves of גלי, dew, and the “aleph” is superfluous, as in (above 13: 17), “and to my speech (ואחותי) in your ears.” The “aleph” is superfluous at the beginning of the word because it is a noun, and similarly (Ezek. 21:20), “the scream of (אבחת) the sword,” like נבוח, barking, the scream of the sword. Another explanation: is like אַגְנֵי, basins of dew. A type of basins, divisions in which the dew is deposited. The “lammed” is interchangeable with a “nun,” and so in the Book of Ezra (Neh. 13:7), chamber (נִשְׁכָּה) like לִשְׁכָּה.
Ibn Ezra
'Drops of dew' [eglei tal] — some say this means fine rain without clouds. It is also possible that the alef is a superfluous letter [added to the root].
Ralbag
'The drops of dew' [aglei tal] — meaning: droplets of dew.
Metzudat David
'Has ... a father' — does the rain have a father, and who has fathered the springs of dew, that commands them to come down to the earth?
Metzudat Zion
The drops (aglei) - An expression of a spring, as in "springs of water (gulot mayim)" (Joshua 15); and the alef is extra [i.e., a prosthetic prefix], like the alef in "and let my declaration (va'achavati) be in your ears" (above, 13).
Malbim
(28-29) 'Has the rain a father?' — He asks him further whether he knows the cause of these things: who is the father that begets the rain and that has begotten the drops of dew, and who is the mother that has given birth to the ice and the frost — for ice is the freezing of rain, and frost is the freezing of dew. Since to the father is attributed the pouring forth of the seed, and to the mother is attributed the congealing and hardening of the offspring — and so too heat is attributed to the father and cold to the mother, as the natural philosophers say — He therefore asks: who is the father of the rain and the dew, which are liquid and warm, and who is the mother of the frost and the ice, which are frozen and cold?
Out of whose womb came the ice? And the hoar-frost of heaven, who has gendered it?
verse value 1361
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֭י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·womb" (מִבֶּ֣טֶן, 4 letters). Words sharing gematria 101: from·womb, came. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "the·ice" (הַקָּ֑רַח), "and·hoar-frost·of" (וּכְפֹ֥ר), "has·gendered·it" (יְלָדֽוֹ). The root מי appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who?" (root מי, 32x in Job); "came" (root יצא, 28x in Job); "heaven" (root שמים, 23x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·ice', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִבֶּ֣טֶן [from·womb] (101) + מִ֭י [who?] (50) + יָצָ֣א [came] (101) + הַקָּ֑רַח [the·ice] (313) + וּכְפֹ֥ר [and·hoar-frost·of] (306) + שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם [heaven] (390) + מִ֣י [who?] (50) + יְלָדֽוֹ [has·gendered·it] (50) = 1361.
Rashi
and the frost glass or glassa in Old French.
Metzudat David
'Out of whose womb,' etc. — that is, who commands it to congeal into ice? 'Who has gendered it' — who commands it to come down to the earth.
Metzudat Zion
The ice (hakerach) - It is the crust that forms on the surface of the water, congealed by the cold; and so, "like the awesome ice/crystal (hakerach hanora)" (Ezekiel 1:22). And the hoar-frost (vechefor) - Which falls in the cold days at the time of dawn; and so, "He scatters frost like ashes (kefor ka'efer yefazer)" (Psalms 147:16).
The waters are congealed like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen.
verse value 1657
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "water" (מַ֣יִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "they·are·congealed" (יִתְחַבָּ֑אוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "like·the·stone" (כָּ֭אֶבֶן), "they·are·congealed" (יִתְחַבָּ֑אוּ), "and·face·of" (וּפְנֵ֥י). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·face·of" (root פנים, 68x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·are·congealed', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: כָּ֭אֶבֶן [like·the·stone] (73) + מַ֣יִם [water] (90) + יִתְחַבָּ֑אוּ [they·are·congealed] (427) + וּפְנֵ֥י [and·face·of] (146) + תְ֝ה֗וֹם [deep] (451) + יִתְלַכָּֽדוּ [is·frozen] (470) = 1657.
Rashi
Like a stone...hides because of the ice that congeals in drops upon their faces. and the face of the deep is caught and held together by it.
Ibn Ezra
'Like stone' — the waters hide themselves until they harden like stone; the sense is that they can no longer be recognized as water. 'And the face of the deep is frozen' — this restates, in parallel, that the waters of the deep congeal, until they bind fast together. Some say the sense is that [ice] clumps together upon the surface of the deep — and this is plausible.
Ralbag
'The waters are congealed' [yitchab'u] — meaning: they are hidden away, and the fluidity within them is sealed up, so that they become water only in potential, not in actuality.
Metzudat David
'Like stone' — through the ice, the waters become hidden and are not seen, like a stone that falls into water and is concealed from human sight. 'And the face of the deep' — the waters that lie above the deep become trapped by the ice and do not go forth, nor do they rise up in waves as before. As if to say: and who is it that does all these things — is it not I, Hashem? Why then do you not fear to ponder complaints against Me?
Metzudat Zion
Are congealed (yitchab'u) - From the term "machava'ah" (a hiding place) and "mistor" (concealment).
Malbim
'Like stone' — and what is the cause that makes water harden like stone? On this too there are differing opinions: some hold that there exists a substance that freezes and cools things; others hold that the essential nature of water is to be in a frozen state, and that heat alone melts it, so that when the heat departs, it returns to its natural state.
Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion?
verse value 3431
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 30 letters. The shortest word is "Pleiades" (כִּימָ֑ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "or·bands·of" (אֽוֹ־מֹשְׁכ֖וֹת, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "can·you·bind" (הַֽ֭תְקַשֵּׁר), "chains·of" (מַעֲדַנּ֣וֹת), "Pleiades" (כִּימָ֑ה). 6 unique roots are used. First appearance of the root קשר ("can·you·bind") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Pleiades', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַֽ֭תְקַשֵּׁר [can·you·bind] (1005) + מַעֲדַנּ֣וֹת [chains·of] (570) + כִּימָ֑ה [Pleiades] (75) + אֽוֹ־מֹשְׁכ֖וֹת [or·bands·of] (773) + כְּסִ֣יל [Orion] (120) + תְּפַתֵּֽחַ [will·you·loose] (888) = 3431.
Rashi
the chains of the Pleiades [Tie] the chains of the Pleiades so that all its cold should not go forth and destroy the world with cold. or loose the straps of Orion to bring out its heat, to mitigate the cold of the Pleiades.
Ibn Ezra
'Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades' [Kimah] — these are stars in the northern region, while Orion [Kesil] is in the southern region. Kimah binds the fruits — that is what “the chains” [ma'adanot] means — while Kesil does the opposite. The sense is: did you command these stars to bind and to loose? The ancients said that Kimah is seven small stars, at the end of the constellation of Aries, of which only six are visible. But the correct view, in my opinion, is that it is a single star — a great star called “the left eye of the Bull.” And Kesil is a great star — the “heart” of the constellation of Scorpio. For when these two rise together in the east, the phenomena mentioned [above] appear; and they stand opposite one another in sign, in degree, and in portion.
Ralbag
'The chains' [ma'adanot] — a term for a type of delight that comes about through Kimah [the Pleiades], that is, when the sun is present there; for then the warmth of that season loosens the trees, and they yield their fruit. Now Kimah is a single constellation within the sign of Aries. 'Or loose the bands of Orion' [umoshchot kesil] — that which restrains it and draws it. Kesil [Orion] is one of the southern constellations, and when the sun is in the sign in which Kesil is found, the trees are prevented from putting forth their strength, on account of the great cold. 'Mazzarot' [mazarot] — it is a single constellation among the southern constellations, and I think it was visible in the land where Job lived only for a short time. 'The Bear' [Ayish] — it is one of the northern constellations, and it is never hidden at all in the climate we are in. 'Guide them' [tanchem] — meaning: [that] you lead them.
Metzudat David
'Can you bind' — can you bind the bonds of the constellation Kimah (Pleiades), so that it does not release all its cold to lay the world waste? Or can you loosen the bonds of the straps of the constellation Kesil (Orion), to bring forth its heat, to temper the cold of the constellation Kimah?
Metzudat Zion
The chains (ma'adanot) - An expression of bonds, as in "and Agag came to him in chains (ma'adanot)" (I Samuel 15); and in the words of our Sages, "one who unties the ends of the bands (rashei ma'adanim)" (Keilim 20).
Malbim
'Can you bind' — the ancients attributed cold and heat to forces flowing from the stars: that there is a group of stars called the Pleiades, found in the north, from which cold and frost issue; and there is a group of stars called Orion, from which heat issues. On this basis He asks: did you command the bonds of the Pleiades, that they should bind the water into ice — are you the one who brings this about? Or can you loosen the reins of Orion, releasing the bonds of the ice, as Orion does when it draws forth heat, melting and dissolving the ice?
Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? Or can you guide the Bear with her sons?
verse value 2688
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "in·its·season" (בְּעִתּ֑וֹ, 4 letters) and the longest is "with·her·sons" (עַל־בָּנֶ֥יהָ, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "can·you·lead·forth" (הֲתֹצִ֣יא), "Mazzaroth" (מַזָּר֣וֹת), "and·Bear" (וְ֝עַ֗יִשׁ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "can·you·lead·forth" (root יצא, 28x in Job); "with·her·sons" (root בן, 26x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·its·season', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲתֹצִ֣יא [can·you·lead·forth] (506) + מַזָּר֣וֹת [Mazzaroth] (653) + בְּעִתּ֑וֹ [in·its·season] (478) + וְ֝עַ֗יִשׁ [and·Bear] (386) + עַל־בָּנֶ֥יהָ [with·her·sons] (167) + תַנְחֵֽם [can·you·guide·them] (498) = 2688.
Rashi
constellations All the other constellations. and...Ayish The largest star in the Pleiades, to which many stars are attached. He took two stars from it to open the windows of the Deluge, and they were placed in the constellation of Aries and the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to restore them to her. Tanchuma.
Ibn Ezra
'Mazzaroth' — they are stars. Some say that the resh stands in place of a lamed [i.e., that “mazarot” is a variant of “mazalot,” constellations], citing as a parallel the phrase “and he knew her widows” (Ezekiel 19:7) — but this is farfetched. 'The Bear' [ayish] — I have already mentioned it (see Job 9:9).
Metzudat David
'Can you lead forth' — can you bring forth the constellations, each in its season, so that its appointed time does not pass? And can you guide the constellation Ayish (the Bear) together with her sons — that is, the cluster of small stars accompanying it, which never separate from one another?
Metzudat Zion
The Mazzaroth (mazarot) - Like "mazzalot" (constellations), with a resh in place of a lamed; and so, "and cold out of the mezarim [north]" (above, 36). With her sons (al baneha) - [Meaning] with her sons and alongside them; and so, "and the men came with the women (al hanashim)" (Exodus 35:22). Guide (tanchem) - [Meaning] lead them, as in "and God did not lead them (velo nacham Elohim)" (Exodus 13).
Malbim
'Can you lead forth' — He adds: even if you yourself are not the force that acts in heat and cold, in melting and freezing, but rather the Mazzaroth bring this about — then He asks whether at least you act through them, to the point that you bring forth the Mazzaroth, each in its own season, and guide the Bear, which is a cluster of stars together with her sons.
Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish its dominion in the earth?
verse value 3032
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 28 letters. The shortest word is "ordinances·of" (חֻקּ֣וֹת, 4 letters) and the longest is "if·you·will·put" (אִם־תָּשִׂ֖ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "ordinances·of" (חֻקּ֣וֹת), "if·you·will·put" (אִם־תָּשִׂ֖ים), "its·dominion" (מִשְׁטָר֣וֹ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "do·you·know" (root ידע, 73x in Job); "in·the·earth" (root ארץ, 48x in Job); "if·you·will·put" (root שים, 38x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'heavens', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲ֭יָדַעְתָּ [do·you·know] (489) + חֻקּ֣וֹת [ordinances·of] (514) + שָׁמָ֑יִם [heavens] (390) + אִם־תָּשִׂ֖ים [if·you·will·put] (791) + מִשְׁטָר֣וֹ [its·dominion] (555) + בָאָֽרֶץ [in·the·earth] (293) = 3032.
Rashi
his dominion The dominion of the constellations appointed to bring upon the earth cold and heat, summer and winter.
Ibn Ezra
'Do you know the ordinances of the heavens' — that I set in place; and this is what the Psalmist said: “He has made a decree which shall not be transgressed” (Psalms 148:6). 'Its dominion' [mishtaro] — refers back to “the heavens,” for they have governance over the earth; the word is related to “shotrim” [officers, rulers].
Ralbag
'Its dominion' [mishtaro] — related to the sense of 'shoter' [officer] and ruler; the intent is: can you establish the dominion of the heavens on the earth?
Metzudat David
'Do you know' — do you know the decrees of the host of heaven, by which they govern the earth? Can you establish the dominion of each one over the earth — who shall rule over what: who for the sword, who for famine, who for peace, and so on?
Metzudat Zion
Its dominion (mishtaro) - From the term "shoter" (an officer), and it denotes a measure of dominion.
Malbim
'Do you know' — or at least, do you know the ordinances of the heavens, and the workings of the stars and constellations, and their power? And do you know whether you set its dominion in the earth at the time of creation — that you prepared them and gave them the power to govern the earth?
Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That abundance of waters may cover you?
verse value 2359
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 24 letters. The shortest word is "to·the·cloud" (לָעָ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·abundance·of·water" (וְֽשִׁפְעַת־מַ֥יִם, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "can·you·lift·up" (הֲתָרִ֣ים), "your·voice" (קוֹלֶ֑ךָ). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·voice', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: הֲתָרִ֣ים [can·you·lift·up] (655) + לָעָ֣ב [to·the·cloud] (102) + קוֹלֶ֑ךָ [your·voice] (156) + וְֽשִׁפְעַת־מַ֥יִם [and·abundance·of·water] (946) + תְּכַסֶּֽךָּ [may·cover·you] (500) = 2359.
Rashi
Can you lift up your voice to the cloud to command it to tie up with the darkness of water so that an abundance of water cover you? That is the darkening of clouds, like (above 22:11), “or darkness so that you do not see.” [or] will an abundance of water from Heaven cover you by your commands.
Ibn Ezra
'Abundance of waters' [shif'at mayim] — meaning “many,” as in “a multitude of camels” [shif'at gemalim] (Isaiah 60:6).
Metzudat David
'Can you lift up' — can you raise your voice to the cloud to bring down rain, so that it will listen to you and an abundance of rainwater will cover you?
Metzudat Zion
Abundance (veshif'at) - An expression of plenty, as in "the abundance of camels (shif'at gemalim)" (Isaiah 60).
Malbim
'Can you lift up' — or at least, if you have no command over the beings on high, do you at least have the power to act upon the cloud, which is near the earth and can hear your voice — so that when you raise your voice to it, it will heed your words and pour its waters upon you, until an abundance of water covers you?
Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go, And say to you: ‘Here we are’?
verse value 1591
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֣, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·may·say" (וְיֹאמְר֖וּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "can·you·send·forth" (הַֽתְשַׁלַּ֣ח), "lightnings" (בְּרָקִ֣ים), "here·we·are" (הִנֵּֽנוּ). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·may·say" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "and·they·may·go" (root הלך, 29x in Job); "can·you·send·forth" (root שלח, 22x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·may·go', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הַֽתְשַׁלַּ֣ח [can·you·send·forth] (743) + בְּרָקִ֣ים [lightnings] (352) + וְיֵלֵ֑כוּ [and·they·may·go] (72) + וְיֹאמְר֖וּ [and·they·may·say] (263) + לְךָ֣ [to·you] (50) + הִנֵּֽנוּ [here·we·are] (111) = 1591.
Rashi
and say to you in the place where they were sent, ‘Here we are; we have performed our errand,’ because they need not return to their place to reply to their Sender, for the Shechinah is everywhere.
Metzudat David
'Can you send forth' — can you send forth lightning bolts that will go and then return and say, "Here we are; we will do as you say"?
Malbim
'Can you send forth' — or can you at least send forth the lightnings found in the cloud, so that they go? Or at least, if they do not go, will they say to you, 'Here we are'? For in truth, they will not answer you at all.
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts? Or who has given understanding to the mind?
verse value 2238
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "or" (א֤וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·inward·parts" (בַּטֻּח֣וֹת, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "who?·has·put" (מִי־שָׁ֭ת), "in·the·inward·parts" (בַּטֻּח֣וֹת), "who?·has·given" (מִֽי־נָתַ֖ן). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who?·has·given" (root נתן, 33x in Job); "understanding" (root בין, 33x in Job); "wisdom" (root חכם, 21x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'wisdom', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִי־שָׁ֭ת [who?·has·put] (750) + בַּטֻּח֣וֹת [in·the·inward·parts] (425) + חׇכְמָ֑ה [wisdom] (73) + א֤וֹ [or] (7) + מִֽי־נָתַ֖ן [who?·has·given] (550) + לַשֶּׂ֣כְוִי [to·the·mind] (366) + בִינָֽה [understanding] (67) = 2238.
Rashi
in the inward parts These are the reins. the rooster Heb. לשכוי. This is the rooster in the language of the Sages (Rosh Hashanah 26a). And some say: This is the heart, which looks (שוכה), watches, and considers the coming events.
Ibn Ezra
'The inward parts' [tuchot] — most commentators say these are the kidneys. But the correct view, in my opinion, is that they are the inward organs [hakerev], as in the verse “behold, You desire truth in the inward parts” (Psalms 51:8) — proven by the end of that same verse, which says, “and in the hidden part You shall teach me wisdom”; for the matter is stated twice, as is the poetic custom. 'To the mind' [sechvi] — it is the heart, as in “the imaginations [maskiyot] of the heart overflow” (Psalms 73:7); the sense is “engraved images,” as in “a figured stone” [even maskit] (Leviticus 26:1). The “images” are thoughts, and those who understand the secret of the spirit will agree with this.
Ralbag
'The inward parts' [tuchot] — related to the sense of 'ki tach mero'ot eineihem' [Isaiah 44:18, 'their eyes are besmeared, that they cannot see']; the intent is: hearts that are sealed and closed up. 'The mind' [sechvi] — this is a term related to the sense of observation and outlook; the Targum renders 'vayashkef' [and he looked out] as 've'istakei' — and it refers to the hylic (potential) intellect.
Metzudat David
'Who has put' — who has placed wisdom in the kidneys, or who has given understanding to the heart?
Metzudat Zion
The inward parts (batuchot) - [Meaning] the kidneys; and they are so called because they are coated and covered over with fat, from the term "and he shall plaster (vetach) the house" (Leviticus 14:42). The mind (leschvi) - The heart is so called because it looks ahead and perceives what is to come; and the Targum renders "the field of Zophim [watchers]" (Numbers 23:14) as "chakal sekhuta" [Aramaic: field of the lookout]; and so it says, "the imaginings of the heart (maskiyot levav) overflow" (Psalms 73:7).
Malbim
'Who has put' — having finished setting out the order of the particulars of creation, He now rouses him to consider two worlds in which He joined heaven with earth, that is, the spiritual with the physical. This is a wondrous thing, hidden from the eye of every inquirer: how these two things, so distant from one another, become bound together. There is one instance of this in the small world, which is man, and one in the great world, where He likewise joined heaven with earth. Concerning the small world He says, 'who has put wisdom in the inward parts' — how did He place wisdom, a spiritual, heavenly thing, in a plastering of mud and earth? That is, heavenly wisdom is set within a material body and becomes encased all around in matter. And 'who has given understanding to the mind' — the word rendered 'mind' here is sekhvi, meaning the heart, which watches and beholds hidden things — giving it insight to understand what is concealed. Who joined the spiritual and the physical, the intellect and the dust, together?
Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,
verse value 1813
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "who?·can·number" (מִֽי־יְסַפֵּ֣ר, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "who?·can·number" (מִֽי־יְסַפֵּ֣ר), "and·bottles·of" (וְנִבְלֵ֥י), "can·pour·out" (יַשְׁכִּֽיב). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who?" (root מי, 32x in Job); "heaven" (root שמים, 23x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·wisdom', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: מִֽי־יְסַפֵּ֣ר [who?·can·number] (400) + שְׁחָקִ֣ים [clouds] (458) + בְּחׇכְמָ֑ה [in·wisdom] (75) + וְנִבְלֵ֥י [and·bottles·of] (98) + שָׁ֝מַ֗יִם [heaven] (390) + מִ֣י [who?] (50) + יַשְׁכִּֽיב [can·pour·out] (342) = 1813.
Rashi
charges Heb. יספר, will speak and charge with their mission. the bottles Made like bottles in which the rains are collected, as in (I Sam. 1:24), “and an earthenware jug (ונבל) of wine.”
Ibn Ezra
'Who can number' [mi yesaper] — its meaning is “from sapphire” [mi'sapir], that is, who made them like sapphire, as in the phrase “like a molten mirror” (Job 37:18). Some say the word is from “sefer” [scroll]; others say it is from “mispar” [number]; and others say it simply means “who can number the skies by his wisdom.” 'And the bottles of heaven' — they are the clouds, because they are full of water. 'Can pour out' [yashkiv, lit. “lay down”] — like “bring down”; and similarly, “the layer of dew” [shikhvat hatal] (Exodus 16:14).
Ralbag
'Who can number' [mi yesaper] — related to the sense of counting and number, as in 'asaper kol atzmotai' [Psalms 22:18, 'I may count all my bones']. 'The bottles of heaven' [nivlei shamayim] — these are the earthly rains that fall from above to below.
Metzudat David
'Who can number' — who is it that makes the heavens bright as sapphire, clear of clouds, and who is it that lays down and spreads out beneath the skies the flasks of heaven — that is, the clouds?
Metzudat Zion
Number (yesapper) - From the term "sapir" (sapphire), which is the name of a very bright precious stone; meaning, He makes them [the clouds] as radiant as sapphire. The bottles (venivlei) - [Meaning] wineskins, as in "and their bottles shall be dashed in pieces (venivleihem yenapetzu)" (Jeremiah 48); and it is said of the clouds by figurative usage.
Malbim
'Who can number' — so too in the great world: behold, Hashem arranged the multitude of orbiting spheres in their circuits by means of the attractive force that every body and sphere exerts upon its neighbor, with the earth as the center within the circuit, following the astronomy of the ancients. Scientists have already shown that if strings were stretched from one star to another, the ratio of the attractive force that one exerts upon the other would correspond to the ratio of harp strings with regard to sound — that a string twice the length of another has a sound-force in the ratio of a cube, and so it always is; and so too with the action of the attractive force. And concerning this it says, 'who can number the clouds by wisdom' — and 'the bottles of heaven' are the harps and lyres that sing the supernal, heavenly music: who lays them down and arranges them, so that they lie and are set opposite one another in this ratio? And concerning the center, he says:
When the dust runs into a mass, And the clods cleave fast together?
verse value 1591
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 23 letters. The shortest word is "dust" (עָ֭פָר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·clods" (וּרְגָבִ֥ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "when·pouring·of" (בְּצֶ֣קֶת), "to·the·mass" (לַמּוּצָ֑ק), "and·clods" (וּרְגָבִ֥ים). 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "dust" (root עפר, 24x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·mass', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 2 words. Full calculation: בְּצֶ֣קֶת [when·pouring·of] (592) + עָ֭פָר [dust] (350) + לַמּוּצָ֑ק [to·the·mass] (266) + וּרְגָבִ֥ים [and·clods] (261) + יְדֻבָּֽקוּ [cleave·together] (122) = 1591.
Rashi
When the dust was poured On the day that I poured the dust. into a mass for the foundation of the world, into its midst. and the clods cleaved together around it on all sides, until its length and width were filled.
Ibn Ezra
'Into a mass' [lamutzak] — it is the point. 'And the clods cleave fast together' — these are clods of earth [formed by] cracking from heat and rain.
Ralbag
'When the dust runs into a mass' [betzeket afar lamutzak], etc. — when the dust hardens until it becomes solid. 'And the clods' [uregavim] — these are clumps of earth; the intent is that the particles of earth cling together so that no empty space remains between them.
Metzudat David
'When ... runs into a mass' — this refers back to "who lays down," stated at the end of the preceding verse, meaning: who is it that lays down and spreads out the earth, at the time when the dust is poured out to become a single mass, and the clods cling to one another to become a single lump? As if to say: is it not I who do all these things, and no one else — why then do you not fear to ponder complaints against Me?
Metzudat Zion
Runs into a mass (betzeket) - From the term "yetzikah" (pouring) and "hatachah" (melting). The clods (regavim) - They are clumps of earth, as in "the clods of the valley (nachal)" (above, 21).
Malbim
'When the dust runs into a mass' — that He poured out dust to become the solid mass, the foundation and center for these harps; and to this center the clods cleave together, and all of them sound forth song around the center, as it is written, 'Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth... when the morning stars sang together' (Job 38:4, 7) — so that even in the great world there is a bond and a correspondence between heaven and earth, each calling to the other. And it has already been explained in the Guide for the Perplexed (Part One, ch. 72) that in the small world, the more important thing is surrounded and protected by the rest — the heart being in the middle of the body, protected by everything around it — and this is the meaning of 'who has put wisdom in the inward parts.' But in the great world, the more important thing is what surrounds: the 'bottles of heaven' are what play and revolve around the solid mass — the earth — which is in the middle.
Will you hunt the prey for the lioness? Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
verse value 2122
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 27 letters. The shortest word is "prey" (טָ֑רֶף, 3 letters) and the longest is "young·lions" (כְּפִירִ֣ים, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "will·you·hunt" (הֲתָצ֣וּד), "for·lioness" (לְלָבִ֣יא). 6 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'prey', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 3 words. Full calculation: הֲתָצ֣וּד [will·you·hunt] (505) + לְלָבִ֣יא [for·lioness] (73) + טָ֑רֶף [prey] (289) + וְחַיַּ֖ת [and·appetite·of] (424) + כְּפִירִ֣ים [young·lions] (360) + תְּמַלֵּֽא [will·you·fill] (471) = 2122.
Ibn Ezra
'Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions' [chayat kefirim] — for the “appetite” is its life-force, which is empty, i.e., hungry.
Ralbag
'Will you...satisfy the appetite of the young lions' [vechayat kefirim temale] — will you fill the appetite of the lions by providing them prey, for their appetite is empty when they lack prey?
Metzudat David
'Will you hunt' — will you hunt prey for the lioness? Will you fill the desire of the young lions, their vital, craving appetite?
Malbim
'Will you hunt' — he now begins to explain the specific providence that exists in the lower world over every kind of living creature (and how much more so is there providence over man, the most important of them all). He begins with the matter of providing prey and sustenance, considering both the mightiest of all creatures and the weakest of all. Behold, Hashem provides prey for the lioness to hunt: the lion, who devours flesh, has been given the instruments for his hunt, with which he catches his prey. It is the way of the old lion to go out after his prey, while the young lion cubs do not go out to hunt for themselves; and nevertheless, 'the appetite of the young lions is satisfied,' through what He has placed in their nature.
When they couch in their dens, And abide in the covert to lie in wait?
verse value 1612
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 27 letters. Verse gematria: 1612 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "they·abide" (יֵשְׁב֖וּ, 4 letters) and the longest is "in·the·dens" (בַמְּעוֹנ֑וֹת, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "when·they·couch" (כִּֽי־יָשֹׁ֥חוּ), "in·the·dens" (בַמְּעוֹנ֑וֹת), "in·the·covert" (בַסֻּכָּ֣ה). 5 unique roots are used. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·dens', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 3 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־יָשֹׁ֥חוּ [when·they·couch] (354) + בַמְּעוֹנ֑וֹת [in·the·dens] (574) + יֵשְׁב֖וּ [they·abide] (318) + בַסֻּכָּ֣ה [in·the·covert] (87) + לְמוֹ־אָֽרֶב [to·ambush] (279) = 1612.
Rashi
they crouch They stand crouching to lie in wait. to lie in wait so is the habit of those who lie in wait, to crouch and to stoop themselves so that they will not be recognized.
Ibn Ezra
'They couch' [yashochu] — from the root “yishach” [to crouch]; for such is the habit of the young lion; and similarly, “he crouches, he bows down” (Psalms 10:10).
Ralbag
'They couch' [yashochu] — meaning: they crouch low.
Metzudat David
'When they couch' — as if to say: is it not I who gave them the wisdom to find prey, that they crouch low in their dens so that the animals do not sense them and flee, and they sit in the thicket lying in wait for the animals, to seize their prey?
Metzudat Zion
They couch (yishochu) - They bend their bodies down, as in "mourning, I go bowed down (koder shachoti)" (Psalms 35). In their dens (bim'onot) - From the term "ma'on" (dwelling) and "madur" (habitation). To lie in wait (lemo arev) - [Meaning] to lie in ambush; and so, "[gapes] unto its mouth (lemo phi)" (below, 40).
Malbim
'When they couch in their dens' — that they sit crouched in their dens and in a shelter of tangled branches, lying in wait for the animals passing by there, to hunt them.
Who provides for the raven his prey, When his young ones cry to God, and wander for lack of food?
verse value 1695
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. The shortest word is "who?" (מִ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "for·lack·of·food" (לִבְלִי־אֹֽכֶל, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "his·prey" (צֵ֫יד֥וֹ), "when·his·young·ones" (כִּֽי־יְ֭לָדָו), "they·wander" (יִ֝תְע֗וּ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "God" (root אל, 86x in Job); "who?" (root מי, 32x in Job); "for·lack·of·food" (root בלי, 22x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·cry·out', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: מִ֤י [who?] (50) + יָכִ֥ין [provides] (90) + לָעֹרֵ֗ב [for·the·raven] (302) + צֵ֫יד֥וֹ [his·prey] (110) + כִּֽי־יְ֭לָדָו [when·his·young·ones] (80) + אֶל־אֵ֣ל [God] (62) + יְשַׁוֵּ֑עוּ [they·cry·out] (392) + יִ֝תְע֗וּ [they·wander] (486) + לִבְלִי־אֹֽכֶל [for·lack·of·food] (123) = 1695.
Rashi
they wander for lack of food for their own fathers hate them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, prepares gnats for them, which are created from their dung, and they enter their mouths.
Ralbag
'Cry' [yeshavu] — meaning: they cry out.
Metzudat David
'Who provides' — who is it that provides food for the raven, if not I? For the raven's young cry out to Hashem, wandering about, not knowing what to do, since they have no food — and it is I who provide for them. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said concerning this: the raven's young are white when hatched, and their father, seeing himself black while they are white, thinks they are the offspring of infidelity — that some other species came upon their mother — and so he despises them and refuses to feed them; and God provides for them gnats [that breed] from their own droppings, which enter into their mouths as food. As if to say: how then can you say that I do not watch over the lowly?
Metzudat Zion
His prey (tzeido) - An expression of food, as in "the bread of their provisions (lechem tzeidam)" (Joshua 9).
Malbim
'Who' — and the lowliest of all are the young ravens; yet Hashem prepares prey for the raven, even though its young wander about with nothing to eat, abandoned by their mother. Nevertheless, they cry to God, and He prepares their prey for them by means of gnats, as the Sages, of blessed memory, have said.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim