1“At this also my heart trembles,
         And leaps from its place.

2“Listen closely to the thunder of His voice,
         And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.

3“Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
         And His lightning to the ends of the earth.

4“After it, a voice roars;
         He thunders with His majestic voice,
         And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.

5“God thunders with His voice wondrously,
         Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.

6“For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
         And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’

7“He seals the hand of every man,
         That all men may know His work.

8“Then the beast goes into its lair
         And remains in its den.

9“Out of the south comes the storm,
         And out of the north the cold.

10“From the breath of God ice is made,
         And the expanse of the waters is frozen.

11“Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;
         He disperses the cloud of His lightning.

12“It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
         That it may do whatever He commands it
         On the face of the inhabited earth.

13“Whether for correction, or for His world,
         Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.

14“Listen to this, O Job,
         Stand and consider the wonders of God.

15“Do you know how God establishes them,
         And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?

16“Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
         The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,

17You whose garments are hot,
         When the land is still because of the south wind?

18“Can you, with Him, spread out the skies,
         Strong as a molten mirror?

19“Teach us what we shall say to Him;
         We cannot arrange our case because of darkness.

20“Shall it be told Him that I would speak?
         Or should a man say that he would be swallowed up?

21“Now men do not see the light which is bright in the skies;
         But the wind has passed and cleared them.

22“Out of the north comes golden splendor;
         Around God is awesome majesty.

23“The Almighty—we cannot find Him;
         He is exalted in power
         And He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.

24“Therefore men fear Him;
         He does not regard any who are wise of heart.”

Parallel Verses

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"At this also my heart trembles, And leaps from its place.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
"My heart pounds because of this and jumps out of its place.

King James Bible
At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place.

Douay-Rheims Bible
At this my heart trembleth, and is moved out of its place.

Darby Bible Translation
Aye, my heart trembleth at this also, and leapeth up out of its place:

English Revised Version
At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of its place.

Webster's Bible Translation
At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of its place.

World English Bible
"Yes, at this my heart trembles, and is moved out of its place.

Young's Literal Translation
Also, at this my heart trembleth, And it moveth from its place.

Cross References

Deuteronomy 33:22 Of Dan he said, "Dan is a lion's whelp, That leaps forth from Bashan."

Job 36:33 "Its noise declares His presence; The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.

Job 37:2 "Listen closely to the thunder of His voice, And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.

Commentary

Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary

Chapter 37

Elihu here goes on to extol the wonderful power of God in the meteors and all the changes of the weather: if, in those changes, we submit to the will of God, take the weather as it is and make the best of it, why should we not do so in other changes of our condition? Here he observes the hand of God, I. In the thunder and lightning (v. 1-5). II. In the frost and snow, the rains and wind (v. 6-13). III. He applies it to Job, and challenges him to solve the phenomena of these works of nature, that confessing his ignorance in them, he might own himself an incompetent judge in the proceedings of divine Providence, (v. 14-22). And then, IV. Concludes with his principle, which he undertook to make out, That God is great and greatly to be feared (v. 23, 24).

Verses 1-5

Thunder and lightning, which usually go together, are sensible indications of the glory and majesty, the power and terror, of Almighty God, one to the ear and the other to the eye; in these God leaves not himself without witness of his greatness, as, in the rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, he leaves not himself without witness of his goodness (Acts 14:17), even to the most stupid and unthinking. Though there are natural causes and useful effects of them, which the philosophers undertake to account for, yet they seem chiefly designed by the Creator to startle and awaken the slumbering world of mankind to the consideration of a God above them. The eye and the ear are the two learning senses; and therefore, though such a circumstance is possible, they say it was never known in fact that any one was born both blind and deaf. By the word of God divine instructions are conveyed to the mind through the ear, by his works through the eye; but, because those ordinary sights and sounds do not duly affect men, God is pleased sometimes to astonish men by the eye with his lightnings and by the ear with his thunder. It is very probable that at this time, when Elihu was speaking, it thundered and lightened, for he speaks of the phenomena as present; and, God being about to speak (ch. 38:1), these were, as afterwards on Mount Sinai, the proper prefaces to command attention and awe. Observe here, 1. How Elihu was himself affected, and desired to affect Job, with the appearance of God's glory in the thunder and lightning (v. 1, 2): "For my part," says Elihu, "my heart trembles at it; though I have often heard it, often seen it, yet it is still terrible to me, and makes every joint of me tremble, and my heart beat as if it would move out of its place." Thunder and lightning have been dreadful to the wicked: the emperor Caligula would run into a corner, or under a bed, for fear of them. Those who are very much astonished, we say, are thunder-struck. Even good people think thunder and lightning very awful; and that which makes them the more terrible is the hurt often done by lightning, many having been killed by it. Sodom and Gomorrah were laid in ruins by it. It is a sensible indication of what God could do to this sinful world, and what he will do, at last, by the fire to which it is reserved. Our hearts, like Elihu's should tremble at it for fear of God's judgments, Ps. 119:120. He also calls upon Job to attend to it (v. 2): Hear attentively the noise of his voice. Perhaps as yet it thundered at a distance, and could not be heard without listening: or rather, Though the thunder will be heard, and whatever we are doing we cannot help attending to it, yet, to apprehend and understand the instructions God thereby gives us, we have need to hear with great attention and application of mind. Thunder is called the voice of the Lord (Ps. 29:3, etc.), because by it God speaks to the children of men to fear before him, and it should put us in mind of that mighty word by which the world was at first made, which is called thunder. Ps. 104:7, At the voice of thy thunder they hasted away, namely, the waters, when God said, Let them be gathered into one place. Those that are themselves affected with God's greatness should labour to affect others. 2. How he describes them. (1.) Their original, not their second causes, but the first. God directs the thunder, and the lightning is his, v. 3. Their production and motion are not from chance, but from the counsel of God and under the direction and dominion of his providence, though to us they seem accidental and ungovernable. (2.) Their extent. The claps of thunder roll under the whole heaven, and are heard far and near; so are the lightnings darted to the ends of the earth; they come out of the one part under heaven and shine to the other, Lu. 17:24. Though the same lightning and thunder do not reach to all places, yet they reach to very distant places in a moment, and there is no place but, some time or other, has these alarms from heaven. (3.) Their order. The lightning is first directed, and after it a voice roars, v. 4. The flash of fire, and the noise it makes in a watery cloud, are really at the same time; but, because the motion of light is much quicker than that of sound, we see the lightning some time before we hear the thunder, as we see the firing of a great gun at a distance before we hear the report of it. The thunder is here called the voice of God's excellency, because by it he proclaims his transcendent power and greatness. He sends forth his voice and that a mighty voice, Ps. 68:33. (4.) Their violence. He will not stay them, that is, he does not need to check them, or hold them back, lest they should grow unruly and out of his power to restrain them, but lets them take their course, says to them, Go, and they go-Come, and they come-Do this, and they do it. He will not stay the rains and showers that usually follow upon the thunder (which he had spoken of, ch. 36:27, 29), so some, but will pour them out upon the earth when his voice is heard. Thunder-showers are sweeping rains, and for them he makes the lightnings, Ps. 135:7. (5.) The inference he draws from all this, v. 5. Does God thunder thus marvellously with his voice? We must then conclude that his other works are great, and such as we cannot comprehend. From this one instance we may argue to all, that, in the dispensations of his providence, there is that which is too great, too strong, for us to oppose or strive against, and too high, too deep, for us to arraign or quarrel with.

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Alphabetical: also and At from heart its leaps my place pounds this trembles

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Whether by Reason of this Subtlety a Glorified Body is Able to be in the Same Place with Another Body not Glorified?
Objection 1: It would seem that by reason of this subtlety a body is able to be in the same place with another body not glorified. For according to Phil. 3:21, "He will reform the body of our lowness made like to the body of His glory." Now the body of Christ was able to be in the same place with another body, as appears from the fact that after His Resurrection He went in to His disciples, the doors being shut (Jn. 20:19, 26). Therefore also the glorified bodies by reason of their subtlety will …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether those to whom Christ's Birth was Made Known were Suitably Chosen?
Objection 1: It would seem that those to whom Christ's birth was made known were not suitably chosen. For our Lord (Mat. 10:5) commanded His disciples, "Go ye not into the way of the Gentiles," so that He might be made known to the Jews before the Gentiles. Therefore it seems that much less should Christ's birth have been at once revealed to the Gentiles who "came from the east," as stated Mat. 2:1. Objection 2: Further, the revelation of Divine truth should be made especially to the friends of God, …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Justice of God
The next attribute is God's justice. All God's attributes are identical, and are the same with his essence. Though he has several attributes whereby he is made known to us, yet he has but one essence. A cedar tree may have several branches, yet it is but one cedar. So there are several attributes of God whereby we conceive of him, but only one entire essence. Well, then, concerning God's justice. Deut 32:4. Just and right is he.' Job 37:23. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &C.
Concerning Salutations and Recreations, &c. [1273] Seeing the chief end of all religion is to redeem men from the spirit and vain conversation of this world and to lead into inward communion with God, before whom if we fear always we are accounted happy; therefore all the vain customs and habits thereof, both in word and deed, are to be rejected and forsaken by those who come to this fear; such as taking off the hat to a man, the bowings and cringings of the body, and such other salutations of that …
Robert Barclay—Theses Theologicae and An Apology for the True Christian Divinity

The Knowledge of God
'The Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.' I Sam 2:2. Glorious things are spoken of God; he transcends our thoughts, and the praises of angels. God's glory lies chiefly in his attributes, which are the several beams by which the divine nature shines forth. Among other of his orient excellencies, this is not the least, The Lord is a God of knowledge; or as the Hebrew word is, A God of knowledges.' Through the bright mirror of his own essence, he has a full idea and cognisance …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

A Treatise of the Fear of God;
SHOWING WHAT IT IS, AND HOW DISTINGUISHED FROM THAT WHICH IS NOT SO. ALSO, WHENCE IT COMES; WHO HAS IT; WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS; AND WHAT THE PRIVILEGES OF THOSE THAT HAVE IT IN THEIR HEARTS. London: Printed for N. Ponder, at the Peacock in the Poultry, over against the Stocks market: 1679. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom," and "a fountain of life"--the foundation on which all wisdom rests, as well as the source from whence it emanates. Upon a principle …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Job
The book of Job is one of the great masterpieces of the world's literature, if not indeed the greatest. The author was a man of superb literary genius, and of rich, daring, and original mind. The problem with which he deals is one of inexhaustible interest, and his treatment of it is everywhere characterized by a psychological insight, an intellectual courage, and a fertility and brilliance of resource which are nothing less than astonishing. Opinion has been divided as to how the book should be …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament