John Gill Commentary Job 37:10

"By the breath of God ice is given; And the breadth of the waters is straitened." — Job 37:10 (ASV)

By the breath of God frost is given
By the word of God, as the Targum; at his command it is, at his word it comes, and at his word it goes, (Psalms 147:15–18); or by his will, as Ben Gersom interprets it, when it is his pleasure it should be, it appears; it may be understood of a freezing wind from the Lord, for a wind is sometimes expressed by the breath of his nostrils, (Psalms 18:15); and as the word "God" added to things increases the signification of them, as mountains of God are strong mountains; so the breath of God may signify a strong wind, as Sephorno notes, the north wind ^F17.

and the breadth of the waters is straitened;
By the frost they are reduced and brought into a narrower compass; or made hard, as Mr. Broughton renders it; so hard as to walk upon, to draw carriages on, and lay weights and burdens very great upon; or become compact or bound together, like metal melted, poured out, and consolidated; though some think it refers to the thawing of ice by the south winds ^F18, when the waters return to their former breadth; which is done by the breath or commandment of God, as appears from the place before quoted from the psalmist, (Psalms 18:15); for it may be rendered, "and the breadth of the waters is pouring out", so the Targum, when thawed; or through the pouring down of rain, so the Syriac and Arabic versions, "he sends forth plenty of water".

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FOOTNOTES:

• F17: "Induroque nives" Ovid.
• F18: "----cum vere reverso Bistoniae tepuere nives" Statii Theb. l. 2.