Job 38:19

Brenton's Septuagint

And in what kind of a land does the light dwell? and of what kind is the place of darkness?

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Where is the road to the home of light?Do you know where darkness lives,

Hebrew Names Version
"What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is the place of it,

King James Version
Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

English Standard Version
"Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness,

New Century Version
"What is the path to light's home, and where does darkness live?

New English Translation
"In what direction does light reside, and darkness, where is its place,

Amplified Bible
"Where is the way where light dwells? And as for darkness, where is its place,

New American Standard Bible
"Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,

World English Bible
"What is the way to the dwelling of light? As for darkness, where is the place of it,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Where is the way where light dwelleth? and where is the place of darkenesse,

Legacy Standard Bible
"Where is the way to where the light dwells?And darkness, where is its place,

Berean Standard Bible
Where is the way to the home of light? Do you know where darkness resides,

Contemporary English Version
Where is the home of light, and where does darkness live?

Complete Jewish Bible
"Which way leads to where light has its home? and darkness, where does it dwell?

Darby Translation
Where is the way to where light dwelleth? and the darkness, where is its place,

Easy-to-Read Version
"Where does light come from? Where does darkness come from?

George Lamsa Translation
Where is the dwelling place of light, and where is the place of darkness?

Good News Translation
Do you know where the light comes from or what the source of darkness is?

Lexham English Bible
"Where then is the way where the light dwells? And where then is its place,

Literal Translation
Where is this, the way light dwells; and where is the place of darkness,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
the shewe me where light dwelleth, and where darcknes is:

American Standard Version
Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

Bible in Basic English
Which is the way to the resting-place of the light, and where is the store-house of the dark;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and as for darkness, where is the place thereof;

King James Version (1611)
Where is the way where light dwelleth? And as for darknesse, where is the place thereof?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then shewe me the way where light dwelleth, & where is the place of darkenesse?

English Revised Version
Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and as for darkness, where is the place thereof;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
in what weie the liyt dwellith, and which is the place of derknesse;

Update Bible Version
Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

Webster's Bible Translation
Where [is] the way [where] light dwelleth? and [as for] darkness, where [is] its place,

New King James Version
"Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,

New Living Translation
"Where does light come from, and where does darkness go?

New Life Bible
"Where does the light come from? And where is the place of darkness,

New Revised Standard
"Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Where then is the way, the light shall abide? And, the darkness, where then is its place?

Douay-Rheims Bible
Where is the way where light dwelleth, and where is the place of darkness?

Revised Standard Version
"Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness,

Young's Literal Translation
Where [is] this -- the way light dwelleth? And darkness, where [is] this -- its place?

THE MESSAGE
"Do you know where Light comes from and where Darkness lives So you can take them by the hand and lead them home when they get lost? Why, of course you know that. You've known them all your life, grown up in the same neighborhood with them!

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,

Contextual Overview

¹² Or did I order the morning light in thy time; and did the morning star then first see his appointed place; ¹³ to lay hold of the extremities of the earth, to cast out the ungodly out of it? ¹⁴ Or didst thou take clay of the ground, and form a living creature, and set it with the power of speech upon the earth? ¹⁵ And hast thou removed light from the ungodly, and crushed the arm of the proud? ¹⁶ Or hast thou gone to the source of the sea, and walked in the tracks of the deep? ¹⁷ And do the gates of death open to thee for fear; and did the porters of hell quake when they saw thee? ¹⁸ And hast thou been instructed in the breadth of the whole earth under heaven? tell me now, what is the extent of it? ¹⁹ And in what kind of a land does the light dwell? and of what kind is the place of darkness? ²⁰ If thou couldest bring me to their utmost boundaries, and if also thou knowest their paths; ²¹ I know then that thou wert born at that time, and the number of thy years is great.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the way: Job 38:12, Job 38:13, Genesis 1:3, Genesis 1:4, Genesis 1:14-18, Deuteronomy 4:19, Isaiah 45:7, John 1:9, John 8:12

darkness: Psalms 18:11, Psalms 104:20, Psalms 105:28, Jeremiah 13:16, Ezekiel 32:8, Amos 4:13, Matthew 27:45

Reciprocal: Job 9:7 - sealeth Job 28:7 - a path

Cross-References

Genesis 38:14
And having taken off the garments of her widowhood from her, she put on a veil, and ornamented her face, and sat by the gates of Ænan, which is in the way to Thamna, for she saw that Selom was grown; but he gave her not to him for a wife.

2 Samuel 14:2
And Joab sent to Thecoe, and took thence a cunning woman, and said to her, Mourn, I pray thee, and put on mourning apparel, and anoint thee not with oil, and thou shalt be as a woman mourning for one that is dead thus for many days.

2 Samuel 14:5
And the king said to her, What is the matter with thee?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Where [is] the way [where] light dwelleth?.... Or the way to the place where it dwells, and what that is;

and [as for] darkness, where [is] the place thereof? where these were placed when they were first separated at the creation? where light goes and dwells, when it departs from us at sun setting? and where the darkness betakes itself, and makes its abode at sun rising? What is the chamber of the sun, and the tabernacle of it? from whence it sets out, and whither it returns? And though these questions may be answered by geographers and astronomers in their way; yet they seem to respect chiefly the disposal of light and darkness, in such a manner as to cause the revolution of them, and the inequality of days and nights in different seasons and climates; and which is not in the power of men to effect, but depends on the sovereign will of God.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Where is the way where light dwelleth? - Or, rather, where is the way or path to the place where light dwells? Light is conceived of as coming from a great distance, and as having a place which might be regarded as its home. It comes in the morning, and is withdrawn at evening, and it seems as if it came from some far distant dwelling-place in the morning to illuminate the world, and then retired to its home in the evening, and thus gave place for darkness to visit the earth. The idea is this, “Dost thou know, when the light withdraws from the world, to what place it betakes itself as its home? Canst thou follow it to its distant abodes, and tell where they are? And when the shadows of night come forth, and take its place, canst thou tell whence they come; and when they withdraw again in the morning, canst thou follow them, and tell where they are congregated together to abide?” The thought is highly poetic, and is not to be taken literally. The meaning is, that God only could know what was the great fountain of light, and where that was; and the question substantially may be asked of man with as much force and propriety now as in the time of Job. Who knows what is the great fountain of light to the universe? Who knows what light is? Who can explain the causes of its rapid flight from world to world? Who can tell what supplies it, and prevents it from being exhausted? Who but God, after all the discoveries of science, can fully understand this?

And as for darkness, where is the place thereof? - Darkness here is personified. It is represented as having a place of abode as coming forth to take the place of light when that is withdrawn, and again as retiring to its dwelling when the light reappears.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 38:19. Where light dwelleth — What is the source of light? Yea, what is light itself? It is not in the sun, for light was before the sun; but what is light? It is no doubt a substance; but of what kind? and of what are its particles? As to darkness, what is IT? Is it philosophical to say, it is the mere privation of light? I shall think philosophy has made some advances to general accuracy and perfection when it proves to us what cold is, and what darkness is, leaving mere privations out of the question.