An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-eighth, thirty-ninth, fortieth, forty-first, and forty-second,…

Some Interpreters conceive, that at this verse the Lord enters discourse with, or begins to question Job concerning living creatures; and beginning here with man, the chiefest of visible living creatures, he proceeds to inferior living creatures, the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of the air, as followeth in the 39th Chapter: Yet the very next verse offers a great objection against this opinion; for there return is made to the former matter, the works of nature. Vers. 37. Who can number the clouds in w•s•om? or who can stay the bottles of heaven?

And therefore I rather conceive, that this 36th verse is to be joined with the two former already opened; as if here the Lord would convince man, that as he hath not power sufficient to command, ⟨p. 266⟩so not wisdom enough to dispose, either of the Rain or of the Lightnings; under which, by a Synecdoche, all other creatures may be comprehended. As if God had said, Whatever wisdom man hath, is of my putting into him; now I have not given him wisdom enough, nor taught him how to order and dispose the clouds and lightnings; and if I have not given him wisdom for these things, whence should he have it? So then, according to this way of interpretation, the 37th verse which followeth, gives a reason why man cannot attain to this privilege, the government of the clouds, the disposal of rain and lightnings, even because God hath not given him any such wisdom. All the wisdom which man hath, is the gift of God; but God hath not given man wisdom to order the clouds and lightnings, therefore he hath no such wisdom.

And therefore I rather conceive, that this 36th verse is to be joyned with the two former already opened; as if here the Lord would convince man, that as he hath not power sufficient to command, ⟨p. 266⟩so not wisdom enough to dispose, either of the Rain or of the Lightnings; under which, by a Synechdoche, all other creatures may be comprehended. As if God had said, Whatever wisdom man hath, is of my putting into him; now I have not given him wisdom enough, nor taught him how to order and dispose the clouds and lightnings; and if I have not given him wisdom for these things, whence should he have it? So then, according to this way of interpetation, the 37th verse which followeth, gives a reason why man cannot attain to this priviledge, the government of the clouds, the disposal of rain and lightnings, even because God hath not given him any such wisdom. All the wisdom which man hath, is the gift of God; but God hath not given man wisdom to order the clouds and lightnings, therefore he hath no such wisdom.