properly · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular absolute
plenty
וְרֹבve.rov-
H7230
abundance (in any respect) · conjunction + noun, common masculine singular construct
justice
צְ֝דָקָ֗הtze.da.Kah
H6666
rightness (abstractly) · noun, common feminine singular absolute
afflict
יְעַנֶּֽהye.'a.Neh
H6031
to depress literally or figuratively · verb, piel imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
1 Timothy 6:16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and p…
Job 36:5 Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.
Psalms 99:4 The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
Lamentations 3:32-33 But though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies.
Job 9:4 He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?
Job 11:7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
Psalms 30:5 For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 37:21–end
Elihu here concludes his discourse with some short but great sayings concerning the glory of God, as that which he was himself impressed, and desired to impress others, with a holy awe of. He speaks concisely, and in haste, because, it should seem, he perceived that God was about to take the work into his own hands. 1. He observes that God who has said that he will dwell in the thick darkness and make that his pavilion (Ch2 6:1, Psa 18:11) is in that awful chariot advancing towards them, as if he were preparing his throne for judgment, surrounded with clouds and darkness, Psa 97:2, Psa 97:9. He saw the cloud, with a whirlwind in the bosom of it, coming out of the south; but now it hung so th…
afflict--oppressively, so as to "pervert judgment" as Job implied (see on Job 8:3); but see on Job 37:21, end of note. The reading, "He answereth not," that is, gives no account of His dealings, is like a transcriber's correction, from Job 33:13, Margin.
Adam Clarke on Job 37:23
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out - This is a very abrupt exclamation, and highly descriptive of the state of mind in which Elihu was at this time; full of solemnity, wonder, and astonishment, at his own contemplation of this "great First Cause, least understood." The Almighty! we cannot find him out.
Excellent in power and in judgment - We must not pretend to comprehend his being, the mode of his existence, the wisdom of his counsels, nor the mysteries of his conduct.
He will not afflict - לא יענה la yeanneh, he will not Answer. He will give account of none of his matters to us. We cannot comprehend his motives, nor the ends he has in view.
John Gill on Job 37:23
Touching the Almighty,.... Or with respect to God, who is almighty; with whom nothing is impossible; who can do and does do all things he pleases, and more than we can ask or think; and who is all sufficient, as this word is by some rendered; has enough of every thing in himself and of himself to make him happy; and needs not any of his creatures, nor anything they can do or give him, but has a sufficiency for himself and them;
we cannot find him out; found he may be in his works, and especially in his Son, the express image of his person; in whom he makes himself known as the God of grace: but he is not to be found out to perfection; neither by the light of nature, which is very dim, and b…
The Church Fathers
"And no other man could equal his power:" he alone did not commit sin, and never was falsehood on his lips (6); for God alone is truth and every man is a liar (7). So the God made man was victorious, even when he was judged. "Since his judgments are righteous, do you think he will not answer the prayer? Let man not add sins to sins by despairing of his salvation, as if he were condemned helplessly, because God is just and can not let him go unpunished. He is righteous in his judgments, but without allowing the one who implores his forgiveness to answer; the more rigorous is his justice, the more generous he is in forgiving; for it would not be justice to confound humble repentance with pride that refuses to humble itself and to do penance.
We cannot worthily find Him out. He is great in power, and judgment, and justice, and cannot be spoken of. Even if we can now find Him out, yet not worthily. For whatever we perceive in Him, is of faith, and not of sight. But yet he adds that which he considers he has found, saying; He is great in power, and judgment, and justice, and cannot be spoken of. For He is great in power, because He overcomes the powerful adversary, and taking from his house the vessels of dishonour, changes them into vessels of mercy. [Matt. 12, 29] Great in judgment; because, though He here brings down His Elect by adversity, yet He raises them at last in the glory of eternal prosperity. Great in justice: for though He here bears long with the reprobate, yet He at last condemns them for ever. But it is well subjoined; And cannot be spoken of. For if He cannot worthily be thought of, how much less can He be spoken of? But we speak of Him far better, in a measure, if we hold our peace with admiration through fear of thinking upon Him.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
God · Is declared to be: Unsearchable — Is declared to be: Unsearchable
Ignorance · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Justice Of God, The · Declared to be: Plenteous — Declared to be: Plenteous
Religion · NATURAL — NATURAL
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
21 Although one seeth now the sunlight
That is bright in the ethereal heights:
A wind passeth by and cleareth them up.
22 Gold is brought from the north, -
Above Eloah is terrible majesty.
23 The Almighty, whom we cannot find out,
The excellent in strength,
And right and justice He perverteth not.
24 Therefore men regard Him with reverence,
He hath no regard for all the wise of heart.
He who censures God's actions, and murmurs against God, injures himself - how, on the contrary, would a patiently submissive waiting on Him be rewarded! This is the connection of thought, by which this final strophe is attached to what precedes. If we have drawn the correct conclusion from Job 37:1, that Elihu…
cannot imagine the power of the Almighty: Cp. 11:7; 26:14; Rom 11:33; 1 Tim 6:16. • he is just and righteous: Cp. Job 9:4, 19; 12:13; Pss 62:11; 66:3; 93:1; 99:4.
Rashi on Job 37:23
We have not found the Almighty great in power to arouse His judgments upon the creatures with the greatness of His power, but with clemency. He makes atonements for the creatures with small things, according to their ability: a handful of [fine flour from] a meal offering, a half shekel, turtle doves and young pigeons, cattle and flocks; and He did not burden them to seek a wild ox or an antelope.
and with judgment Sufferings.
He does not afflict the creatures excessively. Likewise, He does nor afflict them to [force them into] becoming overly righteous to an impossible extent, but each man according to his ability.
