Thomas Aquinas Commentary Job 9:8-10

"That alone stretcheth out the heavens, And treadeth upon the waves of the sea; That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; That doeth great things past finding out, Yea, marvellous things without number." — Job 9:8-10 (ASV)

After Job has shown the firm character of divine power, he now begins to show the depth of divine wisdom. However, he proceeds in the reverse order of the preceding section. Previously, he began by showing God’s power in human affairs and moved on to the heavenly bodies, whereas here he begins with the heavenly bodies and proceeds to human affairs.

He does this for a good reason. A maker’s wisdom is shown in the fact that he creates things that endure. Therefore, to show God’s wisdom, he begins with the creatures that are more stable, namely, those that manifest divine wisdom more clearly. In contrast, a person's strength is shown by their ability to change things from their original condition. This is why men are typically tested by lifting and throwing stones, by the size of the men they can pin to the ground, and by similar feats. For that reason, since he was demonstrating the force of God’s power, he began with those things in which this change is most apparent.

So, to show divine wisdom, he begins with the heavenly bodies. Note here that God’s wisdom is especially praiseworthy in three things:

1. In the fact that He can measure something immense with His understanding and wisdom. He takes up this theme, saying, He alone stretches out the heavens, for the expanse of the heavens expresses their great size. Thus, God alone is said to have stretched out the heavens, since He alone could give them such great size, measured by His wisdom.
2. In that He brings things that are variable and in uncertain flux into a specific order, making them subject to His guidance. To show this, he says, and treads upon the waves of the sea. The waves of the sea seem to be the most disordered things in themselves, since they are carried here and there by shifting winds. Yet God treads upon them, subjecting them to His governance.
3. Because He has established many things according to the reason of His wisdom, which appear marvelous to people who cannot investigate their nature. This is especially apparent in the position and arrangement of the stars, which have nevertheless been fixed wisely and reasonably by God.

He lists these marvels, beginning with the North Pole and moving to the South Pole. So he says, He made Arcturus. Arcturus is a constellation in the heavens called Ursa Maior. It has seven bright stars that never set for us but always circle the North Pole. Next comes, Orion, for Orion is a very clear constellation in the sky because of its size and the bright clarity of its stars, which are found in Taurus and Gemini. Next comes, The Pleiades, which are very clear stars located on what is called the breast of Taurus. The text continues with and the deep constellations of the South.

Here we should note that for those who live on the equator—if indeed people live there—both poles are visible, since their horizon intersects the equator at a right angle. Thus, the horizon must pass through each pole. So, as I have said, both poles are visible to those living on the equator. For those living north of the equator and moving toward the North Pole, the North Pole is elevated above the horizon, and the South Pole is hidden in proportion to their distance from the equator. Therefore, for us who live in the Northern Hemisphere, the South Pole is never visible. In the same way, the stars near it are hidden from us in direct proportion to how far we live from the equator. These are called the deep constellations of the South because they are hidden from us, as if concealed beneath the horizon.

Lest anyone believe that divine wisdom has manifested itself only in the things just explained, he next shows that God made many other similar things that we cannot count, saying, He makes great things, in which God’s wisdom appears praiseworthy for the uniformity of their great size. This corresponds to the text already cited: He alone stretches out the heavens (Job 9:8). He makes unfathomable things, because people cannot discover them due to their instability, and yet they are still ordained by divine governance. This corresponds to what he has already said: and treads upon the waves of the sea (Job 9:8). He makes marvelous things, whose natures people cannot comprehend, although they are made by God according to reason. This corresponds to what he already said: He made Arcturus, and so on (Job 9:9).

The fact that he adds, which cannot be numbered, must be applied to each attribute. While people cannot count God’s actions, God can count them, for He makes all things according to number, weight, and measure .