Albert Barnes Commentary


Albert Barnes Commentary
"The waters hide themselves [and become] like stone, And the face of the deep is frozen." — Job 38:30 (ASV)
The waters are hid as with a stone - The solid ice is laid as a stone upon them, wholly concealing them from view.
And the face of the deep is frozen - Margin, “taken.” The idea is, they seem to take hold of one another (יתלכדוּ yitlâkadû); they hold together, or cohere. The formation of ice is thus appealed to as a proof of the wisdom of God, and as a thing which Job could not explain. No man could produce this effect; nor could Job explain how it was done.