“Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?”
Elihu asks 'Do you know the balance of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?' invoking divine perfection in knowledge as an explanation for phenomena humans do not fully understand. This verse appeals to divine omniscience as a ground for accepting what humans cannot fully comprehend. If God is perfect in knowledge, Elihu suggests, then divine action, even if mysterious to humans, is certainly wise and good. Yet the verse also raises questions: does assertion of divine omniscience resolve doubts about divine justice, or merely assert that divine knowledge is comprehensive while leaving the question of divine justice unaddressed? The verse demonstrates how appeals to divine omniscience can function to silence questions rather than answer them.
Church Fathers on Job 37:16
Dost thou know the mighty paths of the clouds, and their perfect knowledge? These clouds have most subtle paths, namely, the ways of holy preaching. For narrow is the gate, which leadeth unto life. They confine then those by paths, who do not depart from the track of their purpose by wandering through the wide desires of the world. For the strict censure of holy living is not a broad way, but a path, in which each preacher is studiously confined: because he is carefully…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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