“Hear attentively the noise of his voice, and the sound that goeth out of his mouth.”
My Notes
What Does Job 37:2 Mean?
Elihu commands attention to something most people try to avoid: the sound of God's voice in thunder. "Hear attentively the noise of his voice" — literally "hear in hearing," an emphatic doubling that means listen with everything you have. Don't just hear — listen. The sound coming out of God's mouth demands a quality of attention most experiences don't.
The "noise" (rogez) of God's voice carries the sense of trembling, agitation, turbulence. This isn't a gentle whisper — it's thunder, earthquake, storm. God's voice in creation is overwhelming, and Elihu says that's exactly the point. When God speaks through natural phenomena, the appropriate response is awe, not analysis.
This verse transitions from Elihu's theological arguments to something more experiential: stop debating and listen. The storm that's been approaching throughout Elihu's speech is about to arrive, and God Himself will speak from it (chapter 38). Elihu is preparing Job and the friends for the theophany — the direct appearance of God.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Are you a good listener — with other people and with God? What gets in the way?
- 2.When has God gotten your attention through something loud and impossible to ignore?
- 3.What does 'hearing attentively' — hearing in hearing — look like practically for you?
- 4.Is God saying something right now that you've been too busy arguing to hear?
Devotional
"Hear attentively." Stop talking. Stop arguing. Stop defending, accusing, explaining, and theologizing. Just listen. Something is coming that requires your full attention.
Elihu has been talking for several chapters, and his final instruction isn't another argument — it's a command to pay attention. He can feel the storm approaching. He knows something bigger than any human speech is about to happen. And his best preparation for it is the simplest: hear. Really hear.
Most of us are terrible listeners. We're planning our response while the other person is still talking. We're formulating our defense while the accusation is still being spoken. We bring our agenda to every conversation, including our conversations with God. Elihu says: drop the agenda. The sound coming out of God's mouth is worth hearing without interference.
The storm is God's preferred medium in this story. Not a scroll, not a dream, not a still small voice — thunder. Sometimes God's communication is loud, overwhelming, and impossible to ignore. Sometimes He shakes the ground to get your attention. If the quiet whisper hasn't worked, maybe the thunder will.
Is there something God has been saying that you've been too busy to hear? What would 'hearing attentively' look like for you today?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Hear attentively the noise of his voice,.... Of the voice of God in the clouds; and of thunder, which is his voice, Job…
Hear attentively - Margin, as in Hebrew “hear in hearing;” that is, bear with attention. It has been supposed by many,…
Hear attentively - "Hear with hearing." The words seem to intimate that there was actually at that time a violent storm…
Thunder and lightning, which usually go together, are sensible indications of the glory and majesty, the power and…
the sound that goeth Or, the muttering. The thunder is the voice of God, going forth out of His mouth.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture