Albert Barnes Commentary Job 38:2

"Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge?" — Job 38:2 (ASV)

Who is this? – This refers undoubtedly to Job, for he is specified in the previous verse. Some have understood it as referring to Elihu (see Schultens), but the connection evidently demands that it should be understood as referring to Job. The object was to reprove him for the presumptuous manner in which he had spoken of God and His government. It was important, before God manifested His approval of Job, that He should first declare His view of what Job had said and show him how improper it was to use such language.

That darkeneth counsel – This means making the subject darker. Instead of explaining the reason for God’s dealings and vindicating God from the objections alleged against Him and His government, the only tendency of what Job had said had been to make His government appear dark, severe, and unjust in the view of his friends. It might have been expected of Job, being a friend of God, that all he said would have tended to inspire confidence in God, and to explain and vindicate the divine dealings; but God had seen much that was the very reverse. Even the true friends of God, in dark times of trial, may say many things that will tend to make people doubt the wisdom and goodness of His government and to prejudice the minds of the wicked against Him.

By words without knowledge – These are words that did not contain a true explanation of the difficulty. They conveyed no light about His dealings; they did not tend to satisfy the mind or to make the subject clearer than it was before. There is much of this kind of speaking in the world: much that is written, and much that falls from the lips in debate, in preaching, and in conversation, that explains nothing and even leaves the subject more perplexed than it was before. We see from this verse that God does not and cannot approve of such words. If God’s friends speak, they should vindicate His government; they should at least express their conviction that He is right; they should aim to explain His doings and to show to the world that they are reasonable. If they cannot do this, they should adore in silence.

The Savior never spoke of God in such a way as to leave any doubt that His ways could be vindicated, never so as to leave the impression that He was harsh or severe in His administration, or so as to lend the least countenance to a spirit of murmuring and complaining.