Job 38:9 — Word Study
WLCבְּשׂוּמִ֣י עָנָ֣ן לְבֻשׁ֑וֹ וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗ל חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃
BSAwhen I madesûwm the cloudsʻânân [its robe, a covering] its garmentlᵉbûwsh [clothing, wrapper] and thick darknessʻărâphel [a swaddling band, deep gloom] its blanketchăthullâh△ [swaddling band, wrapping]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּשׂוּמִ֣י | when made I | Preposition, verb qal infinitive construct common, suffix |
| עָנָ֣ן | cloud[s] | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| לְבֻשׁ֑וֹ | clothing its | Noun common masculine singular construct, suffix |
| וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗ל | and thick darkness | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃ | swaddling-band its | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket, |
| KJV | When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, |
| ASV | When I made clouds the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it, |
| YLT | In My making a cloud its clothing, And thick darkness its swaddling band, |
| WEB | when I made clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness, |
| BBE | When I made the cloud its robe, and put thick clouds as bands round it, |
Translations agree here in their rendering of God's creative act.
The main clause introduces God's action, followed by two phrases describing the objects created.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
1 of 5 occurs nowhere else in the Old Testament — a word chosen on purpose.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Job 38:9
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — God's Response to Jobgenerated
Job 38:9 is part of God's answer to Job, where He emphasizes His sovereignty and creative power. God uses vivid imagery to illustrate how He formed the world, specifically mentioning clouds and darkness as garments for the sea. This passage is a reminder of God's authority over creation and His intricate design in nature.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 1:2 | Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 1 reference, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — שׂוּם, be.su.Migenerated
The Hebrew word שׂוּם (sum) is a verb meaning to put, place, or set. It suggests an action of establishing or creating something, as seen in various contexts throughout the Bible, including God's acts of creation.
In this verse, it indicates God's intentional act of making clouds and darkness, portraying them as garments for the sea. The use of the infinitive construct shows that this action is foundational to the creation narrative.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb שׂוּמִ֣י governs the entire verse, with two noun phrases acting as objects: עָנָ֣ן and עֲרָפֶ֗ל. The structure emphasizes God's creative authority by presenting His actions in a poetic manner.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the actions of God, with the clouds and darkness described as garments for the sea, reflecting the beauty and intricacy of His creation.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates עָנָן as νέφος, meaning 'cloud', which aligns with the Hebrew meaning and emphasizes the divine presence. This choice reflects the translators' understanding of clouds as manifestations of God's glory.
The term עֲרָפֶל is rendered differently, indicating a potential interpretative shift in how darkness is perceived in the Greek tradition.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Job 38:9 describes how God made clouds to cover the sea and thick darkness as a blanket. This imagery shows God's creative power and care in the formation of the world.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
God uses the imagery of clouds to illustrate His creative power and presence, suggesting that just as clothing covers, clouds envelop the sea.
The metaphor of darkness as a blanket emphasizes the depth and heaviness of gloom, illustrating the mysterious aspects of God's creation.
This verse highlights God's authority over creation, showing that He controls the elements and their functions in the natural world.
We learn about the intentionality and care with which God created the world, reminding us of His power and presence in nature.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do I see God's creative power reflected in the world around me?
- What does it mean to me that God uses imagery of clothing to describe His creation?
- In what ways can I appreciate the beauty of nature as a reflection of God's handiwork?
- How can I apply the understanding of God's sovereignty in my life today?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers interpreted this verse to discuss God's creation and His relationship with the world, as seen in the writings of Gregory the Dialogist.
When I was making a cloud the garment thereof, and was covering it with darkness as with swaddling clothes. ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION The raging sea is covered with a 'cloud,' because the cruelty of persecutors is covered with the veil of…Early Church Fathers on Job 38 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Job 38:9 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleWhen I made the cloud the garment thereof,.... For this newborn babe, the sea; and thick darkness a swaddling band for it; which was the case of the sea when it burst out of the bowels of the earth
Read John Gill on Job 38 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryWhen I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, No JFB commentary on this verse.
Read Robert Jamieson on Job 38 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWhen I covered it with vapours and clouds which arise out of the sea. and by God’ s appointment hover above it, and cover it like a garment. Thick darkness, i. e. black and dark clouds, called darkness by a usual metonymy of the adjunct. So the same thing is repeated in other words, after the manner. Having compared the sea to a new-born infant, he continues in the same metaphor, and makes the clouds as swaddling-bands to keep the sea within its bounds; though indeed neither clouds, nor air, nor sands and shores can bound the sea, but it is God alone who doth it in and with these things.
Read Matthew Poole on Job 38 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsJob 38:9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,Ver. 9. When I made the cloud the garment thereof] When I clothed this new born child with a cloud, Elegans allegoria (Jun.); commanding the vapours which environ it to serve it for garments. Clouds are begotten of the waters, of the sea especially, and appear daily upon it. And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it] This thick darkness is well interpreted to be those fogs and mists which arise upon the sea, and are between the clouds and the sea; as the swaddling bands between the upper garment and the child. Interim significat, saith Mercer here. Meanwhile here is signified, that God can as…
Read John Trapp on Job 38 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 9. When I make the cloud the garment] Alluding to the cloth in which the new-born infant is first received. The cloud was the same to the newly raised vapour, as the above recipient to the new-born child. And thick darkness a swaddlingband for it] Here is also an allusion to the first dressings of the new-born child: it is swathed in order to support the body, too tender to bear even careful handling without some medium between the hand of the nurse and the flesh of the child. "The image," says Mr. Good, "is exquisitely maintained: the new-born ocean is represented as issuing from the womb of chaos; and its dress is that of the new-born infant." There is here an allusion also to the…
Read AdamClarke on Job 38 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges9. thick darkness] Or, and the thick cloud.
Read Cambridge on Job 38 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleWhen I made the cloud the garment thereof - Referring to the garment in which the new-born infant is wrapped up. This image is one of great beauty.
Read Albert Barnes on Job 38 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible9. Thick darkness a swaddling band — The mighty sea, as it broke forth from unseen depths, was but an infant in the hands of God, with the cloud for garment, and the thick darkness its swaddling cloth.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Job 38 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket,
when I made clouds its garment, and wrapped it in thick darkness,
when I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its blanket,
when I made the storm clouds its garment, and thick darkness its swaddling band,
Tyndale line
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
When I made clouds the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling-band for it,
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
When I made a cloud its garment, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,
When I made the cloudes as a couering thereof, and darkenesse as the swadeling bands thereof:
Strictly literal
When I made the cloud its garment, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it;
In My making a cloud its clothing, And thick darkness its swaddling band,
In My making a cloud its clothing, || And thick darkness its swaddling band,
When I made the clouds its garment, and thick fog its swaddling-cloth,
when I made clouds its clothing, and thick darkness its swaddling bands?
From the Latin
When I made a cloud the garment thereof, and wrapped it in a mist as in swaddling bands?
Simplified
Who clothed it with clouds, and wrapped it in a blanket of deep darkness?
When I made the cloud its robe, and put thick clouds as bands round it,
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree on the wording of this verse, with four out of five words matching. The Septuagint's word order differs, but it retains the core imagery of clouds and darkness as garments.
בְּשׂוּמִ֣י עָנָ֣ן לְבֻשׁ֑וֹ וַ֝עֲרָפֶ֗ל חֲתֻלָּתֽוֹ׃
4 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Job 38:9
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
The Hebrew word שׂוּם (sum) is a verb meaning to put, place, or set, with a wide range of applications including appointing, establishing, and making. It can also refer to laying something upon or directing it. There is a related noun שׂוּמָה (sumah), which may denote a token of unluckiness. The entries do not present any significant disagreement.
שׂוּם, שִׂים 582 vb. put, place, set
Qal
put, set, in a place
put something upon
put, lay, set
put, c. בֵּין
set, direct
set, ordain, in a place
set, establish a law, statute
set, found a nation
set, appoint (as ruler, official)
set, constitute, make
set, determine, fix, bounds
set, station, at a post
put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars
set up altars
= plant, wheat
set, fix (countenance)
make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into
make, constitute
work, bring to pass
appoint, give
set, fix (countenance)
Hiph. I will make him for a sign
Hoph. there was set before him
base
שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl;—2 S 13:32
ref
H7760a שׂוּם, שִׂים put, place, set .. . put, set, in a place
. put something upon
. put, lay, set
. put, c. בֵּין
. set, direct
. . set, ordain, in a place
. set, establish a law, statute
. set, found a nation
. set, appoint (as ruler, official)
. set, constitute, make
. set, determine, fix, bounds
. . set, station, at a post
. put in position, sacred bread, sword, staves, bars
. set up altars
. = plant, wheat
. set, fix (countenance)
. . make a thing, or pers. (acc.), for, transform into
. make, constitute
. work, bring to pass
. appoint, give
. set, fix (countenance)
. I will make him for a sign
. there was set before him
H7760b שׂוּמָה perhaps n. f. token of unluckiness, scowl
7760 suwm soom
or siym {seem}; a primitive root; to put (used in a great
variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially,
and elliptically):--X any wise, appoint, bring, call (a
name), care, cast in, change, charge, commit, consider,
convey, determine, + disguise, dispose, do, get, give, heap
up, hold, impute, lay (down, up), leave, look, make (out),
mark, + name, X on, ordain, order, + paint, place, preserve,
purpose, put (on), + regard, rehearse, reward, (cause to) set
(on, up), shew, + stedfastly, take, X tell, + tread down,
((over-))turn, X wholly, work.
שׂוּם (sum) — to set: make.
: make/establish
1) to put, place, set, appoint, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on
1a2) to set, direct, direct toward
1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)
1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix
1a4) to set, station, put, set in place, plant, fix
1a5) to make, make for, transform into, constitute, fashion, work, bring to pass, appoint, give
1b) (Hiphil) to set or make for a sign
1c) (Hophal) to be set
שׂוּמָה (su.mah) — fate.
token of unluckiness, scowl
שׂוּם (sum) — to set: put.
: put/give
1) to put, place, set, appoint, make
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, set, lay, put or lay upon, lay (violent) hands on
1a2) to set, direct, direct toward
1a2a) to extend (compassion) (fig)
1a3) to set, ordain, establish, found, appoint, constitute, make, determine, fix
Prep | V-Qal-Inf-a | Suff — Preposition · verb qal infinitive construct common · suffixHR/Vqcc/Sp1bs
עָנָן (anan) means 'cloud' and can refer to a cloud-mass or a theophanic cloud, which is a divine manifestation. It is derived from the root word עָנָה (anah). The term is used in contexts related to weather and divine presence.
עָנָן 87 n.m. cloud-mass, cloud
cloud-mass
cloud of incense
base
H6051 עָנָן cloud-mass, cloud
6051 `anan aw-nawn'
from 6049; a cloud (as covering the sky), i.e. the nimbus or
thunder-cloud:--cloud(-y).
see HEBREW for 06049
עָנָן (a.nan) — cloud.
1) cloud, cloudy, cloud-mass
1a) cloud-mass (of theophanic cloud)
1b) cloud
Aramaic equivalent: a.nan (עֲנָן "cloud" H6050)
N-ms — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
לְבוּשׁ (lebush) refers to clothing or garments in a literal or figurative sense, and can also imply a euphemism for a wife. It encompasses terms like apparel and raiment. The word is derived from a root meaning related to clothing, and its Aramaic equivalent is noted as well.
לְבוּשׁ, לְבֻשׁ n.m. garment, clothing, raiment
base
H3830 לְבוּשׁ, לְבֻשׁ garment, clothing, raiment
3830 lbuwsh leb-oosh'
or lbush {leb-oosh'}; from 3847; a garment (literally or
figuratively); by implication (euphem.) a wife:--apparel,
clothed with, clothing, garment, raiment, vestment, vesture.
see HEBREW for 03847
לְבוּשׁ (le.vush) — clothing.
clothing, garment, apparel, raiment
Aramaic equivalent: le.vush (לְבוּשׁ "garment" H3831)
N-ms | Suff — Noun common masculine singular construct · suffixHNcmsc/Sp3ms
עֲרָפֶל (araphel) refers to a cloud, specifically a heavy or dark cloud. It conveys a sense of gloom or thick darkness, as noted in various lexicons. The word is built from a root associated with darkness, and it emphasizes the heaviness of the cloud.
עֲרָפֶל n.m. cloud, heavy cloud
base
H6205 עֲרָפֶל cloud, heavy cloud
6205 `araphel ar-aw-fel'
probably from 6201; gloom (as of a lowering sky):--(gross,
thick) dark (cloud, -ness).
see HEBREW for 06201
עֲרָפֶל (a.ra.phel) — cloud.
cloud, heavy or dark cloud, darkness, gross darkness, thick darkness
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
Darkness
The plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21) is described as darkness “which may be felt.” It covered “all the land of Egypt,” so that “they saw not one another.” It did not extend to the land of Goshen (ver. 23).
When Jesus hung upon the cross (Matt. 27:45; Luke 23:44), from the “sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”
is spoken of as encompassing the actual presence of God, as that out of which he speaks, --the envelope, as it were, of divine glory. (Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12) The plague of darkness in Egypt was miraculous. The darkness "over all the land," (Matthew 27:45) attending the crucifixion has been attributed to an eclipse, but was undoubtedly miraculous, as no eclipse of the sun could have taken place at that time, the moon being at the full at the time of the passover. Darkness is also, as in the expression "land of darkness," used for the state of the dead, (Job 10:21,22) and frequently, figuratively, for ignorance and unbelief, as the privation of spiritual light. (
The absence of natural light, Ge 1:2, and hence figuratively a state of misery and adversity, Job 18:6 Ps 107:10 Isa 8:22 9:1; also the absence of the sun and stars, and hence the fall of chief men and national convulsions, Isa 13:10 Ac 2:20. "Works of darkness," are the impure mysteries practiced in heathen worship, Eph 5:11. "Outer darkness" illustrates the gloom of those on whom the gates of heaven are closed, Mt 8:12. The darkness in Egypt,
חֲתֻלָּה (chathullah) refers to a swaddling band or cloth, derived from a related term. It specifically denotes a type of cloth used for swaddling, with its only occurrence in the Old Testament found in Job 38:9.
[חֲתֻלָּה] n.f. swaddling-band—only Jb 38:9
ref
H2854 חֲתֻלָּה
2854 chathullah khath-ool-law'
from 2853; a swathing cloth (figuratively):--swaddling band.
see HEBREW for 02853
חֲתֻלָּה (cha.tul.lah) — swaddling.
swaddling-band, navel-band
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp3ms