Bible Strands
Job 38:14
The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its hills stand out like the folds of a garment.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — God speaks to Job from the whirlwind, responding to Job’s earlier demands for an explanation by describing how dawn transforms the earth. The words — The Hebrew חוֹתָם (cho.Tam) means "a seal," and לְבוּשׁ (le.Vush) translates literally as "clothing" or "garment." The thread — This garment metaphor appears in Psalms 104:2 when God wraps Himself in light and in Psalms 104:6 when the waters cover the earth like a robe. Why it lands — The text states that God alone molds the earth and withholds light from the wicked, requiring the reader to acknowledge divine sovereignty over creation and judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.
Cross-references
- Psalms 104:6 You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains.
- Psalms 104:2 He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,