to put (used in a great variety of applications · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
measures
מְ֭מַדֶּיהָMe.ma.dei.ha
H4461
a measure · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person feminine singular
knowest
תֵדָ֑עte.Da'
H3045
to know (properly · verb, qal imperfect, 2nd person masculine singular
stretched
נָטָ֖הna.Tah
H5186
to stretch or spread out · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
line
קָּֽוKav
H6957
a cord (as connecting) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
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
Isaiah 40:12 Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a meas…
Job 11:9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
Zechariah 2:1-2 I lifted up mine eyes again, and looked, and behold a man with a measuring line in his hand.
Job 28:25 To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.
Psalms 19:4 Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Psalms 78:55 He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.
Proverbs 8:27 When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:
Isaiah 34:11 But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 38:4-11
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance even concerning the earth and the sea. Though so near, though so bulky, yet he could give no account of their origination, much less of heaven above or hell beneath, which are at such a distance, or of the several parts of matter which are so minute, and then, least of all, of the divine counsels.
I. Concerning the founding of the earth. "If he have such a mighty insight, as he pretends to have, into the counsels of God, let him give some account of the earth he goes upon, which is given to the children of men."
1. Let him tell where he was when this lower world was made, and whether he was advising of assisting in that wonderful work…
measures--of its proportions. Image from an architect's plans of a building.
line--of measurement (Isa 28:17). The earth is formed on an all-wise plan.
Adam Clarke on Job 38:5
Who hath laid the measures thereof - Who hath adjusted its polar and equatorial distances from the center?
Who hath stretched the line - Who hath formed its zones and its great circles, and adjusted the whole of its magnitude and gravity to the orbit in which it was to move, as well as its distance from that great center about which it was to revolve? These questions show the difficulty of the subject; and that there was an unfathomable depth of counsel and design in the formation of the earth.
John Gill on Job 38:5
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest?.... Did God or a creature? The Lord, no doubt. He laid them out in his divine mind, and laid them forth by his divine power; who does all things by weight and measure. He fixed the dimensions of the earth, how long, how thick, and how broad it should be; he settled the borders and boundaries of it. This Job might know that the Lord did; but he laid them, and what they are that are laid, he knew not. Mathematicians pretend to give us the circumference and diameter of the earth; but in their accounts are not agreed, but widely differ; which shows they are at no certainty about them (e); and Job and the men of his age might be still less know…
The Church Fathers
"Do you know who made his measurements? Who distributed the spiritual gifts. "Grace has been given to each one of us, according to the measure of the gift of Jesus Christ. This is why it is said that in ascending to heaven he led a crowd of captives and poured out his gifts on men (1); For if the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing (2) be? According to the function proper to each member, the body takes its growth and develops in charity (3). "Or who has laid on it the cord? In order to make her share, separating her from those to whom it is said: "I did not ring you; " because. the Lord knows those who are his (5).
Who hath laid the measure of it, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION Lines of measures are stretched forth in the partition of lands, in order that fairness of dimension may be observed by their very extension. But the Lord, coming to the Church in the flesh, measured out the measures of the earth with lines, because He marked out the boundaries of the Church with the subtlety of His secret judgment. The secret measures or lines of this earth were being stretched out, when holy preachers were called by the agency of the Spirit to go into some parts of the world, but were kept from approaching other parts. For when Paul the Apostle was neglecting to preach in Macedonia, a man of Macedonia appeared to him in a vision, to say, Come over into Macedonia and help us. [Acts 16, 9] But on the other hand, as it is written, The Apostle essayed to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus suffered them not. [ibid. 7] When holy preachers then are called to Macedonia, and are kept from going into Asia, this line of secret measure is drawn on that side, and removed from this. It is extended there, that Macedonia may be brought within the limits of Holy Church. It is drawn in from hence, that Asia may be left without the bounds of the faith. For there were then some therein who were not to be gathered in: but, when they had been lost according to their desert, Asia has now been embraced within the measures of the Church, by the bounty of God. Within these measures then are all the Elect, without them are all the reprobate, even if they seem to be within the limit of faith. Whence it is written in the Apocalypse; The court which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not. [Rev. 11, 2] For what else does the court signify but the breadth of the present life? And they who are designated by the court are rightly without the temple: and they are therefore not to be measured, because narrow the gate that leadeth unto life; [Matt. 7, 14] and the breadth of the life of the wicked is not admitted to the measures and rules of the Elect. These spiritual lines were being stretched in hidden judgment, when to a certain person who said, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest, [Matt. 8, 19] it was replied by the voice of the same Master, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air nests, but the Son of Man hath not…
Dictionary and topics
Continents · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
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).
4 Where wast thou when I established the earth?
Say, if thou art capable of judging!
5 Who hath determined its measure, if thou knowest it,
Or who hath stretched the measuring line over it?
6 Upon what are the bases of its pillars sunk in,
Or who hath laid its corner-stone,
7 When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
The examination begins similarly to Job 15:7. In opposition to the censurer of God as such the friends were right, although only negatively, since their conduct was based on self-delusion, as though they were in possession of the key to the mystery of the divine government of the world. ידע בּינה signifies to understand how to judge, to posses…
questions my wisdom: God’s accusation sounds like a charge made by Eliphaz (15:2) and Elihu (34:35; 35:16) to which Job eventually admitted guilt (42:3).
