Job 38:12, 18-20
12 Have you commanded the morning since your days began,
and caused the dawn to know its place,
. . .
18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?
Declare, if you know all this.
19 Where is the way to the dwelling of light,
and where is the place of darkness,
20 that you may take it to its territory
and that you may discern the paths to its home?
"God here asks Job whether he knows where light and darkness are stored, implying that these two substances are discrete entities in and of themselves. When one is spread out in the heavens, the other is sitting in its appointed spot awaiting its turn."
— Dr Rabbi Zev Farber: see at Genesis 1:14-19
The poetry of this passage reflects the cosmological beliefs of its time, which were based on observation of night and day, earth and sky. For this very reason, it communicates just as strongly nowadays as poetry, even though we know very much more about the causes of the same observable terrestrial and celestial phenomena. —Bruce (talk)
