“At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Elihu isn't just saying he's scared; he's confessing a physical reaction so intense it feels like his heart is being ripped from its place. This isn't mild apprehension, but a profound, visceral response to glimpsing the sheer, awesome power of God, even in a storm.
“At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Elihu continues his impassioned speech, vividly describing a powerful thunderstorm that began at the end of the previous chapter. As he witnesses the thunder and lightning, his own heart reacts with a mixture of awe and fear, feeling as though it might leap from his chest. He uses this profound physical reaction to transition into further reflections on God's immense power and majesty displayed in nature, urging Job to consider it.
Elihu's heart isn't just scared by the storm; it's physically reacting to God's power. What does this intense physical response tell us about true worship?
Elihu describes his heart 'trembling' and 'leaping out of its place' as he witnesses the power of a thunderstorm. This isn't just fear; it's an overwhelming physical reaction to the immense majesty of God.
Awe, Not Just Alarm
While a violent storm might make anyone jump, Elihu's reaction goes deeper. The commentaries suggest this isn't mere fright, but a profound awe. His physical body is responding to the divine presence he senses in the thunder and lightning. This points to a vital truth: encountering God's power often elicits a visceral, physical response that is part of true worship. It’s an acknowledgment of His supreme authority that shakes us to our core.
Heart as the Core
Elihu's heart 'leaping out of its place' suggests a feeling of being overwhelmed, of the core of his being being profoundly stirred. This isn't a calm, intellectual assent; it's a full-body, full-soul recognition of God's might. This kind of response is a testament to how God's presence isn't confined to quiet reflection but can manifest in powerful, even startling ways that demand our whole being.
Elihu links his overwhelming reaction directly to a thunderstorm. What does this specific natural event reveal about God's power and His communication with us?
Elihu's intense reaction is triggered by observing a thunderstorm. The commentaries highlight that this storm is not just a random weather event but a dramatic manifestation of God's power.
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Divine Majesty on Display
As Elihu hears the thunder and likely sees lightning, his heart's physical reaction is a direct acknowledgment of the divine majesty present in the storm. This shows that natural phenomena are often intended by God to be signs of His power and authority. He uses creation, even its most dramatic displays, to speak to humanity.
God's Voice in Creation
The context suggests that Elihu is speaking just before God Himself speaks out of the whirlwind (Job 38:1). The storm, therefore, serves as a powerful prelude, a way God is announcing His imminent, direct communication. Elihu’s reaction underscores that when God reveals Himself through creation, it demands a profound, often physical, response of reverence and attention.
Understand the original words
leb · Hebrew Noun
The center of a person's inner life, including the mind, will, emotions, and moral conscience. In the Bible, it is the seat of decision-making and the focus of God's transformative work.
charad · Hebrew Verb
To move uncontrollably, shake, or quake, often in response to divine presence, judgment, or an overwhelming display of power. It signifies a profound emotional or physical reaction to the holiness or authority of God.
Elihu's powerful description of a thunderstorm isn't just meteorological; it's a theological statement. His visceral reaction highlights how the raw power of creation can shake us to our core, drawing us to recognize the Creator's overwhelming might, even before God's direct voice is heard.
c. 10th-8th century BC
Job's life and trials
Job, a righteous man, experiences immense suffering, losing his wealth, children, and health. This period of questioning and theological debate with his friends forms the backdrop of the book.
c. 10th-8th century BC
Elihu's speeches begin
Elihu, a younger man, interrupts the debate between Job and his friends, offering a new perspective on suffering and God's justice. His speeches span Job chapters 32-37.
c. 10th-8th century BC— this verse
Elihu describes a thunderstorm
Elihu begins to describe a powerful thunderstorm, emphasizing its awesome might and the way it reveals God's majesty and power.
c. 10th-8th century BC
God speaks from the whirlwind
Following Elihu's speeches, God Himself answers Job out of a powerful whirlwind, overwhelming Job with His sovereign power and wisdom.
c. 10th-8th century BC
Job's repentance and restoration
Job acknowledges his limited understanding and repents. God rebukes Job's friends and restores Job's fortunes, blessing him twofold.
This verse expresses a similar visceral reaction to God's power, describing the earth trembling before the Lord, mirroring Elihu's own heart leaping out of its place in awe.
Isaiah 6:1-5Isaiah's vision of God in the temple evokes a profound sense of dread and unworthiness ('Woe is me! For I am a man of unclean lips...'), much like Elihu's trembling heart signifies a deep reverence and fear in the face of divine majesty.
Exodus 19:16-18The description of Mount Sinai trembling and filled with smoke, fire, and thunder at God's descent provides a powerful Old Testament parallel to the storm Elihu is witnessing and responding to with a trembling heart.
Psalm 18:7-9This psalm poetically describes the earth shaking and mountains quaking when the Lord roars and shows His displeasure, creating a vivid image of the kind of powerful divine manifestation that would cause such a reaction in Elihu.
cambridgeJob 37:1: "At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place."
Job 37:1 . This verse reads, Yea, at this my heart trembleth, And leapeth up out of its place.
ellicottJob 37:1: "At this also my heart trembleth, and is moved out of his place."
XXXVII. (1) At this also my heart trembleth.—Elihu is discoursing of the same matter. He says, “Not only are the cattle terrified, but at this also my heart trembleth and is moved out of its place. Hark! listen to the sound of His voice.”
Elihu isn't just saying he's scared; he's confessing a physical reaction so intense it feels like his heart is being ripped from its place. This isn't mild apprehension, but a profound, visceral response to glimpsing the sheer, awesome power of God, even in a storm.
Elihu continues his impassioned speech, vividly describing a powerful thunderstorm that began at the end of the previous chapter. As he witnesses the thunder and lightning, his own heart reacts with a mixture of awe and fear, feeling as though it might leap from his chest. He uses this profound physical reaction to transition into further reflections on God's immense power and majesty displayed in nature, urging Job to consider it.
Elihu continues his impassioned speech, vividly describing a powerful thunderstorm that began at the end of the previous chapter. As he witnesses the thunder and lightning, his own heart reacts with a mixture of awe and fear, feeling as though it might leap from his chest. He uses this profound physical reaction to transition into further reflections on God's immense power and majesty displayed in nature, urging Job to consider it.
"“At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place." — Elihu isn't just saying he's scared; he's confessing a physical reaction so intense it feels like his heart is being ripped from its place. This isn't mild apprehension, but a profound, visceral re…
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Last reviewed October 2026