Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
Parallel translations
- WEB He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea.
- BSB He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea.
- NKJV He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea;
- NASB Who alone stretches out the heavens, And tramples down the waves of the sea;
- NLT He alone has spread out the heavens and marches on the waves of the sea.
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
Job says God alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the unrivaled Creator who masters the chaotic deep.
Overview
Job confesses that God by himself spread out the skies and walks upon the sea, an image of mastery over the chaotic waters. The motif of treading the sea reappears strikingly when Jesus walks on the water (Matthew 14:25), a quiet revelation of his divine identity. Job's praise unwittingly anticipates the One who shares God's power.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Isa 44:24Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
- Ps 104:2–3Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment: who stretchest out the heavens like a curtain:
- Isa 40:22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
- Job 37:18Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?
- Zech 12:1The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him.
- Ps 33:6By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.
- Jer 10:11Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens.
- Matt 14:25–30And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
- Job 38:16Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?
- John 6:19So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
- Job 38:11And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
- Isa 42:5Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched them out; he that spread forth the earth, and that which cometh out of it; he that giveth breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein:
- Ps 77:19Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
- 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.
- Ps 93:3–4The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
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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 9:8 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
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