Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse isn't just describing a clear, blue sky; it's comparing it to a polished metal mirror, emphasizing its unblemished, reflective quality. This imagery highlights God's perfect craftsmanship, where the heavens themselves reveal His glory and wisdom in a flawless, unmarred way.
Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Elihu is challenging Job's understanding and questioning of God, pointing to the awesome power and mystery of God's creation. He's just described thunder and lightning, and now he pivots to the vast, firm expanse of the sky, asking if Job could have assisted God in its creation, marveling at its strength and smooth, polished appearance like a metal mirror.
Elihu's question to Job isn't just about the sky; it's about who's in charge. Imagine the sheer power needed to stretch out the heavens!
Elihu challenges Job by asking if he was present or assisted God in creating the vast expanse of the sky. The repeated question, 'Hast thou with him...', emphasizes God's singular, unassisted power in creation. No one else was there, no one advised Him. This wasn't a collaborative effort; it was God's divine decree and magnificent power at work, stretching out the heavens like a canopy.
This highlights God's absolute sovereignty and creative might. He doesn't need help; He is the source of all power and wisdom. Our role is to stand in awe of what He has done.
The ancient world saw the sky not as empty space, but as a solid, polished dome. What does this incredible 'mirror' reveal?
Elihu compares the sky to a 'molten looking glass' that is 'strong.' In ancient times, mirrors weren't made of glass but of polished metal, like bronze or steel. Imagine a huge, perfectly smoothed piece of metal, reflecting the heavens above.
This description emphasizes two key aspects of the sky:
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Understand the original words
shaḥaq · Hebrew Noun
The expanse above the earth, often depicted in Hebrew cosmology as a firmament or canopy stretched out by God. It reflects the majesty, power, and vastness of God's creative activity.
This passage also describes God alone stretching out the heavens, emphasizing His singular power and vastness, mirroring the sentiment in Job 37:18 that humans couldn't have assisted in such a creation.
Isaiah 40:22This verse presents God 'stretching out the heavens like a canopy' and spreading them like a tent to dwell in, directly aligning with the imagery of Job 37:18's 'spread out the skies' and reinforcing the vast, majestic scope of God's creative work.
Psalm 19:1This psalm declares that 'The heavens declare the glory of God,' connecting the physical reality of the sky, as described in Job 37:18, to its divine purpose as a testament to God's magnificent creation and attributes.
Exodus 38:8This passage mentions the bronze mirrors used by the women serving at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, providing a tangible link to the ancient understanding of 'molten looking glasses' as polished metal surfaces, which helps illuminate the metaphor used in Job 37:18.
wesleyJob 37:18: "Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?"
37:18 With him - Wast thou his assistant in spreading out the sky like a canopy over the earth? Strong - Which though it be very thin and transparent, yet is also firm and compact and steadfast. Looking glass - Made of brass and steel, as the manner then was. Smooth and polished, without the least flaw. In this, as in a glass, we may behold the glory of God and the wisdom of his handy - work.
clarkeJob 37:18: "Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?"
Hast thou with him spread out the sky - Wert thou with him when he made the expanse; fitted the weight to the winds; proportioned the aqueous to the terrene surface of the globe; the solar attraction to the quantum of vapours necessary; to be stored up in the clouds, in order to be occasionally deposited in fertilizing showers upon the earth? and then dost thou know how gravity and elasticity sho…
The verse isn't just describing a clear, blue sky; it's comparing it to a polished metal mirror, emphasizing its unblemished, reflective quality. This imagery highlights God's perfect craftsmanship, where the heavens themselves reveal His glory and wisdom in a flawless, unmarred way.
Elihu is challenging Job's understanding and questioning of God, pointing to the awesome power and mystery of God's creation. He's just described thunder and lightning, and now he pivots to the vast, firm expanse of the sky, asking if Job could have assisted God in its creation, marveling at its strength and smooth, polished appearance like a metal mirror.
Elihu is challenging Job's understanding and questioning of God, pointing to the awesome power and mystery of God's creation. He's just described thunder and lightning, and now he pivots to the vast, firm expanse of the sky, asking if Job could have assisted God in its creation, marveling at its strength and smooth, polished appearance like a metal mirror.
"Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?" — The verse isn't just describing a clear, blue sky; it's comparing it to a polished metal mirror, emphasizing its unblemished, reflective quality. This imagery highlights God's perfect craftsmanship,…
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Last reviewed October 2026