The Meaning of Job 37:10 Explained

Job 37:10

KJV: By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened.

YLT: From the breath of God is frost given, And the breadth of waters is straitened,

Darby: By the breath of God ice is given; and the breadth of the waters is straitened.

ASV: By the breath of God ice is given; And the breadth of the waters is straitened.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

By the breath  of God  frost  is given:  and the breadth  of the waters  is straitened. 

What does Job 37:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 37:1-24 - The Light In The Clouds
As Elihu spoke a thunder-storm was gathering, and much of the imagery of this chapter is suggested by that fact. The little group listened to the sound of God's voice in the thunder. Peal followed peal without cessation, Job 37:4. The lightly-falling snow and the drenching showers are alike His work, whether they restrain men from their labor in the fields or drive the beasts to their dens, Job 37:8. From the storm Elihu turns naturally to the winter, with its ice and snow, and the frost that binds up the flow of the streams, Job 37:10. All these perform God's bidding in the earth.
How little we know of atmospheric phenomena! Why the north and south winds blow, what is the real nature of the azure, and what the red and gold of the northern lights! We cannot find out the Almighty. He is great and glorious, and cannot be unjust. But let us be more eager to look for the bright light in the clouds. It is always there. A rainbow for every storm; an arbor for every difficult hill; a sure hiding-place in every tempest. Such is Jesus to all who love and trust Him. [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 37

1  God is to be feared because of his great works
15  His wisdom is unsearchable in them

What do the individual words in Job 37:10 mean?

By the breath of God is given ice and the broad waters are frozen
מִנִּשְׁמַת־ אֵ֥ל יִתֶּן־ קָ֑רַח וְרֹ֖חַב מַ֣יִם בְּמוּצָֽק

מִנִּשְׁמַת־  By  the  breath 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: נְשָׁמָה  
Sense: breath, spirit.
אֵ֥ל  of  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
יִתֶּן־  is  given 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
קָ֑רַח  ice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: קֶרַח  
Sense: frost, ice, ice crystal.
וְרֹ֖חַב  and  the  broad 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: רֹחַב  
Sense: breadth, width, expanse.
מַ֣יִם  waters 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מַיִם  
Sense: water, waters.
בְּמוּצָֽק  are  frozen 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מוּצָק  
Sense: constraint, distress.

What are the major concepts related to Job 37:10?

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