Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle 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.
- BSB Thick clouds veil Him so He does not see us as He traverses the vault 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 are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
- Ps 139:11–12If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me; the light around me will be night”;
- Ps 33:14From the place of his habitation he looks out on all the inhabitants of the earth,
- Job 34:22There is no darkness, nor thick gloom, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
- Luke 12:2–3But there is nothing covered up, that will not be revealed, nor hidden, that will not be known.
- Job 26:9He encloses the face of his throne, and spreads his cloud on it.
- Jer 23:24Can anyone hide himself in secret places so that I can’t see him?” says Yahweh. “Don’t I fill heaven and earth?” says Yahweh.
- Ps 139:1–2For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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.