ESTUDIO DEL CAPÍTULO
Job 37: The Voice and Majesty of God in the Storm
Elihu describes God's thunder, lightning, snow, rain, and ice, urging Job to consider the wondrous works of God whom no one can find out.
Escritura
- 1.Por eso también se estremece mi corazón, Y salta de su lugar.Yea, at this my heart trembleth, And is moved out of its place.
- 2.Oíd atentamente el estrépito de su voz, Y el sonido que sale de su boca.Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice, And the sound that goeth out of his mouth.
- 3.Debajo de todos los cielos lo dirige, Y su luz hasta los fines de la tierra.He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven, And his lightning unto the ends of the earth.
- 4.Después de ella brama el sonido, Truena él con voz majestuosa; Y aunque sea oída su voz, no los detiene.After it a voice roareth; He thundereth with the voice of his majesty; And he restraineth not the lightnings when his voice is heard.
- 5.Truena Dios maravillosamente con su voz; El hace grandes cosas, que nosotros no entendemos.God thundereth marvellously with his voice; Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.
- 6.Porque a la nieve dice: Desciende a la tierra; También a la llovizna, y a los aguaceros torrenciales.For he saith to the snow, Fall thou on the earth; Likewise to the shower of rain, And to the showers of his mighty rain.
- 7.Así hace retirarse a todo hombre, Para que los hombres todos reconozcan su obra.He sealeth up the hand of every man, That all men whom he hath made may know it.
- 8.Las bestias entran en su escondrijo, Y se están en sus moradas.Then the beasts go into coverts, And remain in their dens.
- 9.Del sur viene el torbellino, Y el frío de los vientos del norte.Out of the chamber of the south cometh the storm, And cold out of the north.
- 10.Por el soplo de Dios se da el hielo, Y las anchas aguas se congelan.By the breath of God ice is given; And the breadth of the waters is straitened.
- 11.Regando también llega a disipar la densa nube, Y con su luz esparce la niebla.Yea, he ladeth the thick cloud with moisture; He spreadeth abroad the cloud of his lightning:
- 12.Asimismo por sus designios se revuelven las nubes en derredor, Para hacer sobre la faz del mundo, En la tierra, lo que él les mande.And it is turned round about by his guidance, That they may do whatsoever he commandeth them Upon the face of the habitable world,
- 13.Unas veces por azote, otras por causa de su tierra, Otras por misericordia las hará venir.Whether it be for correction, or for his land, Or for lovingkindness, that he cause it to come.
- 14.Escucha esto, Job; Detente, y considera las maravillas de Dios.Hearken unto this, O Job: Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
- 15.¿Sabes tú cómo Dios las pone en concierto, Y hace resplandecer la luz de su nube?Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them, And causeth the lightning of his cloud to shine?
- 16.¿Has conocido tú las diferencias de las nubes, Las maravillas del Perfecto en sabiduría?Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?
- 17.¿Por qué están calientes tus vestidos Cuando él sosiega la tierra con el viento del sur?How thy garments are warm, When the earth is still by reason of the south wind?
- 18.¿Extendiste tú con él los cielos, Firmes como un espejo fundido?Canst thou with him spread out the sky, Which is strong as a molten mirror?
- 19.Muéstranos qué le hemos de decir; Porque nosotros no podemos ordenar las ideas a causa de las tinieblas.Teach us what we shall say unto him; For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness.
- 20.¿Será preciso contarle cuando yo hablare? Por más que el hombre razone, quedará como abismado.Shall it be told him that I would speak? Or should a man wish that he were swallowed up?
- 21.Mas ahora ya no se puede mirar la luz esplendente en los cielos, Luego que pasa el viento y los limpia,And now men see not the light which is bright in the skies; But the wind passeth, and cleareth them.
- 22.Viniendo de la parte del norte la dorada claridad. En Dios hay una majestad terrible.Out of the north cometh golden splendor: God hath upon him terrible majesty.
- 23.El es Todopoderoso, al cual no alcanzamos, grande en poder; Y en juicio y en multitud de justicia no afligirá.Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: He is excellent in power; And in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict.
- 24.Lo temerán por tanto los hombres; El no estima a ninguno que cree en su propio corazón ser sabio.Men do therefore fear him: He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.
Qué significa este pasaje
Job 37 opens with Elihu's own body reacting to the thunder he has just described: his heart trembles and leaps from its place (v. 1). This physical response serves as proof that even the speaker is not immune to the awe that God's voice inspires. The chapter then catalogues that voice as it goes forth under the whole heaven, sending lightning to the ends of the earth (v. 3). Thunder, lightning, snow, rain, ice, and the south wind's warmth are all presented as direct issuances of God's command (vv. 5–11).
The middle of the chapter makes a theological pivot: storms may come 'for correction, or for his land, or for lovingkindness' (v. 13). The same elements that terrify can discipline, bless the land, or demonstrate mercy. Elihu then turns to Job directly and demands that he 'stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God' (v. 14). A series of questions highlight what Job does not control—the balancing of clouds, the warming of garments, the spreading of the sky like a molten mirror (vv. 15–18).
The chapter closes by returning to the theme of human limitation. No one can arrange a speech before God because of darkness (v. 19), and 'touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out' (v. 23). Yet this unsearchable God is 'excellent in power' and will not pervert justice. The proper response, therefore, is fear: 'Men do therefore fear him' (v. 24). The verse's final clause, that God regards not those wise in their own sight, frames human self-sufficiency as the very thing the chapter warns against.
Contexto
Job 37 continues Elihu's speech that began in chapter 36. Within the provided material, Elihu's argument moves from God's afflictions being for discipline (36:9–12) into a direct description of how God commands the elements. He treats weather phenomena as instruments of divine speech, tying the sounds of thunder to 'the voice of his majesty' and the lightning to a word that 'goeth out of his mouth.'
The chapter's final questions about human inability to order speech before God set up Job's response in chapter 38, where God himself speaks 'out of the whirlwind.' The verses repeatedly contrast what humans cannot comprehend with what God freely accomplishes, and the closing statement that God 'regardeth not any that are wise of heart' implicitly rebukes Job's earlier insistence on his own integrity.
Palabras clave del original
- H6963 Glossed 'voice' (qôl), this common Hebrew word appears repeatedly in Job 37 to describe the thunder as God's speech. The same word is used for human voice in v. 20, reinforcing the parallelism between the divine word in the storm and the human word in answer to it.
- H2729 The verb ḥārad, glossed 'trembles,' describes Elihu's heart in v. 1. The root carries the sense of shuddering terror; the very person explaining God's greatness is shown shaking before it.
- H1899 Hegeh, glossed 'rumbling,' names the sound 'that goeth out of his mouth' (v. 2). The word suggests a low, murmuring noise—the kind of rolling thunder that seems to speak rather than crash.
Versículos relacionados
- Job 5:9 Echoes Job 37:5 ('great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend'). Both verses insist that God's deeds surpass human comprehension, framing wonder rather than investigation as the right response.
- Romans 11:33 Pairs naturally with Job 37:23 ('we cannot find him out'). Both texts use the language of unsearchability for God's judgments and ways, showing the same theological conviction expressed across very different genres.
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Resonates with Job 37's repeated question 'Dost thou know…?' Both passages underline that God has set a limit to what humans can discover about his works, while still placing the impulse to search within them.
Preguntas frecuentes
Who is speaking in Job 37 and to whom?
Elihu is speaking to Job. The chapter is part of Elihu's speech that began in chapter 36, in which he addresses Job directly and urges him to consider God's wondrous works.
What is the main point of Job 37?
The chapter presents weather phenomena as acts of God's speech and command, then argues that because humans cannot comprehend or order their words before such a God, the fitting response is reverent fear rather than self-justification.
How does Job 37 connect to the next chapter?
Job 37 closes by stressing that humans cannot arrange their speech before God (v. 19) and cannot find the Almighty out (v. 23). This sets up chapter 38, where God himself finally answers Job 'out of the whirlwind.'