He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
Parallel translations
- WEB He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not burst under them.
- BSB He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.
- NKJV He binds up the water in His thick clouds, Yet the clouds are not broken under it.
- NASB “He wraps up the waters in His clouds, And the cloud does not burst under them.
- NLT He wraps the rain in his thick clouds, and the clouds don’t burst with the weight.
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
God gathers the waters in thick clouds that do not burst. It matters because it shows His wise control over the forces of nature.
Overview
Job marvels that God binds vast quantities of water in clouds, yet the clouds do not tear under the weight. The ordinary wonder of rain reveals God's sustaining wisdom. Such providence over creation assures believers that the God who orders the skies also tenderly governs their lives.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Job 37:11–16Also by watering he wearieth the thick cloud: he scattereth his bright cloud:
- Prov 30:4Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
- Jer 10:13When he uttereth his voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens, and he causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings with rain, and bringeth forth the wind out of his treasures.
- Isa 5:6And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.
- Job 38:37Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
- Ps 135:7He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
- Job 38:9When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
- Ps 18:10–11And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.
- Job 36:29Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?
- Gen 1:6–7And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
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 26:8 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.