Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault of heaven.’
Parallel translations
- WEB Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn’t see. He walks on the vault of the sky.’
- KJV Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
- NKJV Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.’
- NASB ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see; And He walks on the vault of heaven.’
- NLT For thick clouds swirl about him, and he cannot see us. He is way up there, walking on the vault of heaven.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Eliphaz continues the false quotation, saying Job thinks thick clouds hide him from God who merely strolls across the sky. He paints Job as believing God is uninvolved.
Overview
Eliphaz attributes to Job the deist-like notion that God walks the heavens detached from earthly matters, unable to see through the clouds. This is a slander, for Job longs precisely for God to examine him. The verse warns against misrepresenting another's words; Eliphaz condemns a position Job never held, a violation of the ninth commandment's spirit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 97:2Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
- Ps 139:11–12If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light become night around me”—
- Ps 33:14From His dwelling place He gazes on all who inhabit the earth.
- Job 34:22There is no darkness or deep shadow where the workers of iniquity can hide.
- Luke 12:2–3There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, and nothing hidden that will not be made known.
- Job 26:9He covers the face of the full moon, spreading over it His cloud.
- Jer 23:24“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
- Ps 139:1–2For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 22:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.