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At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place.

At this also my heart trembleth — At this? At what? at the thunder, whereof he had spoken before, and more meant to speak; and which he heard at that instant (as it may seem by the next verse), and therefore no wonder that his heart trembled, and was moved out of its place by an extraordinary palpitation, or, as the Tigurines have it, luxation. Thunder is so terrible, that it hath forced from the greatest atheist an acknowledgment of a deity. Suetonius telleth us of Caligula (that monster, who dared his Jove to a duel), that if it thundered and lightened but a little, he would hoodwink himself; but if much, he would creep under a bed, and be ready to run into a mouse hole, as we say. Augustus Caesar also was so afraid of thunder and lightning, that always and everywhere he carried about him the skin of a sea calf, which those heathens fondly held to be a preservative in such cases, and if at any time there arose a great storm he ran into a dark vault. The Romans held it unlawful to keep court, Iove tonante, fulgurante, in a time of thunder and lightning, as Cicero telleth us (De Divin. l. 2). And Isidore deriveth tonitru a terrendo, thunder from its terror; and others from its tone, or rushing, crashing noise, frightening all creatures. At the voice of thy thunder they are afraid, Psalms 104:7 , which one, not unfitly, calls David’s medicine.

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Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound [that] goeth out of his mouth.

Hear attentively the noise of his voice — Coniunctam commotione vocem eius, the great thunder crack that now is; that angry noise, as the word signifieth. Hear in hearing; you cannot but hear it with the ears of your bodies, hear it also with the ears of your minds; tremble and sin not; contrary to the course of most men, who sin and tremble not, drowning the noise of their consciences, as the old Italians did the thunder, by ringing their greatest bells, discharging their Roaring Megs, a huge piece of ordnance. … But what saith Elihu here to his hearers? Audite, audite, audite etiam atque etiam, contremiscetis et vos, vos testes adhibeo, as Mercer paraphraseth it out of Kimchi: Hear ye, hear ye, hear ye again and again, and then ye also will tremble. I take you to witness; whether ye consider his greater thunder claps ringing and roaring in your ears, see Psalms 29:4 ; Psalms 87:7 , or the lesser rumblings, called here Murmur vel mussitationem, vel habitum, citra quem sermo non profertur; the sound, or breath, that goeth out of his mouth. All is ascribed to God; though naturalists tell us, and truly, that there are second causes of thunder and lightning (Aristot. Pliny); wherein, nevertheless, we must not stick, but give God the glory of his majesty, as David teacheth, Psalms 29:1-3 , and as blind heathens did, when they called their Iove Altitonantem, the high thunderer. The best philosophy in this point is to hear God Almighty by his thunder speaking to us from heaven as if he were present; and to see him in his lightnings, as if he cast his eyes upon us to see what we had been doing. His eyes are as a flaming fire, Revelation 1:14 , and the school of nature teacheth, that the fiery eye seeth extra mittendo, by sending out a ray.

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

He directeth it under the whole heaven — Heb. He maketh it to go right forward, meaning the thunder, the vehement noise or sound whereof (not altogether unlike that of cloth violently torn, or of air thrust out of bellows, or of a chestnut burst in the fire, but far louder) is brought through the air to our ears with such a mighty force, that it drowns all noises, clappings, clatterings, roarings even of many waters; making the earth to shake again, and all things tremble, non secus quam siquis currum onustum per plateam lapidibus stratum ducat (Lavat.). And this dreadful noise is by God directed to this or that place under the heavens, at his pleasure. The word rendered directeth signifieth also beholdeth; whence some interpret this text of God’s seeing all things under heaven. But the former sense is better.

And his lightning unto the ends of the earth — God commands the lightning to cleave the clouds, and to scatter its flames through the world. Lightning is the brightness of a shining flame, running through the whole air in a moment, rising of a small and thin exhalation kindled in a cloud. See Psalms 18:13 . The natural end and effect of thunder and lightning is to clear the air, by wasting poisonous vapours. The supernatural is, to show God’s excellent majesty and might, which the mightiest must acknowledge, Psalms 29:1-2 ; to be his officers about him to make room for him, Psalms 97:1 ; Psalms 97:4 , to execute his wrath upon his enemies, Exodus 9:23 ; Exodus 9:27 Psalms 77:18-19 1 Samuel 2:10 Isaiah 29:6 , and his mercy toward his people for the humbling of them, 1 Samuel 12:18-20 , …, raising them again to an assured confidence, Psalms 29:11 , … But that God can shoot these arrows of his so far, Matthew 24:27 Psalms 77:18 ; Psalms 97:3-4 , and here; yea, and that at the same time when it rains, when one would think that the one should quench the other, Psalms 135:7 ; this is a just wonder, and Jeremiah urgeth it twice as such, Jeremiah 10:13 ; Jeremiah 51:16 .

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After it a voice roareth: he thundereth with the voice of his excellency; and he will not stay them when his voice is heard.

After it a voice roareth — After it, that is, after the lightning, it thundereth; indeed, before, or at least together with it; but the lightning is seen before the thunder is heard, because the sense of hearing is slower than the sense of seeing, thus fire is first seen in a gun ere the report is heard; the axe of the wood cutter is up for a second blow ere we hear the first, if any way distant, Segnius irritant animos demissa per aures (Horat.). And besides, as R. Levi well observeth here, that the sight of the lightning may come from heaven to us, there needeth no time; because our eyes reach up thither in an instant; but that a sound may come there hence to us (in regard to the distance, and because the air must be beaten and many times impressed as into so many circles) there must be some space of time; neither can it be done so suddenly.

He thundereth with the voice of his excellency — Or, of his height, or of his pride. Proud persons think themselves high, and use to speak big swollen words of vanity, bubbles of words, as St Peter calls them. If they be crossed never so little, verbis bacchantur, et cum quodam vocis impetu loquuntur, oh the tragedies, the blusters, the terrible thunderous cracks of fierce and furious language that follow thereupon. Some have been threatened to death, as Cornelius Gallus was by Augustus Caesar; and Sir Christopher Hatton, Lord Chancellor, by Queen Elizabeth. How much more should men quake and even expire before the thunder of the Most High, or wriggle as worms do into their holes, the corners of the earth!

And he will not stay them when his voice is heard — Them, that is, new flashes of lightning; or rain and hail, which usually break out either while it thundereth, or presently after, in a most vehement and impetuous manner.

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God thundereth marvellously with his voice; great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend.

God thundereth marvellousIy with his voice — Or, God thundereth out marvellous things with his voice. Marvellous indeed, if we consider the effects of thunder, lightning, and lightnig bolts, which differ from lightning in form only, and not in matter; and for the effects thereof naturalists tell us strange things; as that by them the money hath been melted without hurting the purse; the sword hath been broken within the scabbard, the wine hath been exhausted within the barrel, the bones broke within the flesh, … How various and marvellous the nature, generation, matter, form, effects of the thunder and thunderbolt are, not only Seneca, Pliny, and other meteorologists testify, but daily experience sealeth to the truth of it.

Great things doth he, which we cannot comprehend — As being above the reach of our shallow capacity; or, which we will not know; so the Hebrew hath it; such is our oscitance, or obstinace, that we will not take knowledge of God’s works of wonder, though they do even run into our senses. This he construeth for a high contempt; as a skilful artificer would do when he hath set forth a curious piece to public view, and none will take notice of it. God seemeth to have made the meteors in such great variety, that therein he might show his own skill, and their imperfection.

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For he saith to the snow, Be thou [on] the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength.

For he saith to the snow, Be thou on the earth — He commandeth it, and it is done; for together with his word there goeth forth a power. Dixisse Dei, est fecisse. Psalms 147:1-20 , God giveth snow like wool. Many wonders there are in snow; as that it should be made in the lowest part of the air, and not above where it is coldest; that it should snow upon the earth, but never upon the sea, as Pliny saith; that snow should lie continually, not only upon the Alps, but upon Mount Aetna, where fire flames out; that no snow falleth in Egypt; but in Tartary, a hot country, sometimes it snoweth in the heat of summer; that it serves for a cover to preserve the earth’s heat, though itself be cold; that being white, it should sometimes bring forth red worms, …

Likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of his strength — Not a drop of rain, whether it come leisurely or hastily, but falleth by a divine decree, Job 28:26 , See Trapp on " Job 28:26 " The Chaldee paraphrast understandeth here the summer and winter rains. God showeth his strength in a thing so weak and diffluent of itself, that thereby he may overturn and break in pieces the proudest of men’s spirits; for whom also, if they repent not, he hath a more terrible rain, Psalms 11:6 , overflowing with fire and brimstone, Ezekiel 38:22

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He sealeth up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work.

He sealeth up the hand of every man — i.e. He, by his great showers, sendeth men home for shelter, glad to intermit their work till better weather. See Exodus 9:19 . The Hebrews call rain Sagrir, Proverbs 27:15 , from shutting up; because it keeps men at home, from travelling or working abroad. Chiromancy palmistry finds here no footing, whatever some have doted; as if God had set certain signs and notes in men’s hands of what should hereafter befall them, and this text is alleged for proof; but absurdly (Vide Joan de Indeg.).

That all men may know his work — i.e. That they may take notice of God’s handiwork in ordering the seasons; and have time to think on their domestic affairs.

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Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places.

Then the beasts go into dens — In rainy and snowy weather, the very wild beasts (as lively and lusty as they are, whence also they have their name in the original) are glad to take harbour, and there to hold them till the storm be over.

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