He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.
Parallel translations
- WEB He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he has made may know it.
- BSB He seals up the hand of every man, so that all men may know His work.
- NKJV He seals the hand of every man, That all men may know His work.
- NASB “He seals the hand of every person, So that all people may know His work.
- NLT Then everyone stops working so they can watch his power.
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 seals up everyone's hand in winter so all may know His work. He halts human labor so people will recognize His power.
Overview
Elihu observes that wintry weather can stop human activity, sealing up people's hands from work, so that all may acknowledge God's doing. Nature's seasons are designed to turn human attention to the Maker. The verse teaches that even interruptions to our plans serve God's purpose of revealing Himself, calling us to recognize His hand in all of life and to trust His providence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 111:2The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
- Ps 109:27That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.
- Eccl 8:17Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek it out, yet he shall not find it; yea farther; though a wise man think to know it, yet shall he not be able to find it.
- Job 36:24Remember that thou magnify his work, which men behold.
- Job 9:7Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.
- Job 5:12He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise.
- Isa 5:12And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands.
- Ps 64:9And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
- Ps 92:4For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
- Ps 46:8Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
- Job 12:14Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again: he shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening.
- Isa 26:11LORD, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.
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 37:7 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
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