The Meaning of Job 37:3 Explained

Job 37:3

KJV: He directeth it under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.

YLT: Under the whole heavens He directeth it, And its light is over the skirts of the earth.

Darby: He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven, and his lightning unto the ends of the earth.

ASV: He sendeth it forth under the whole heaven, And his lightening unto the ends of the earth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He directeth  it  under the whole heaven,  and his lightning  unto the ends  of the earth. 

What does Job 37:3 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 37:3 mean?

Beneath the entire Sky He unleashes His lightning and sends it to the ends of the earth
תַּֽחַת־ כָּל־ הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם יִשְׁרֵ֑הוּ וְ֝אוֹר֗וֹ עַל־ כַּנְפ֥וֹת הָאָֽרֶץ

תַּֽחַת־  Beneath 
Parse: Preposition
Root: מִתְחָה 
Sense: the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas.
כָּל־  the  entire 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
הַשָּׁמַ֥יִם  Sky 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
יִשְׁרֵ֑הוּ  He  unleashes 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: יָשַׁר 
Sense: to be right, be straight, be level, be upright, be just, be lawful, be smooth.
וְ֝אוֹר֗וֹ  His  lightning 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, common singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֹור  
Sense: light.
עַל־  and  sends  it 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כַּנְפ֥וֹת  to  the  ends 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: כָּנָף  
Sense: wing, extremity, edge, winged, border, corner, shirt.
הָאָֽרֶץ  of  the  earth 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.