Job 37:16

“Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds? etc.] How those ponderous bodies, as some of them are very weighty, full of water, are poised, and hang in the air, without turning this way or the other, or falling on the earth; the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge; of God, who is a God of knowledge, of knowledges, (<090203>1 Samuel 2:3); who knows himself and all his works, all creatures and things whatever, (see <183604>Job 36:4); and this is another of his wondrous works, which none but he, whose knowledge is perfect, and is the author and giver of knowledge, can know, even the poising and balancing of the clouds in the air; we see they are balanced, but we know not how it…”

“Hebrew, "Hast thou understanding of the balancings," &c., how the clouds are poised in the air, so that their watery gravity does not bring them to the earth? The condensed moisture, descending by gravity, meets a warmer temperature, which dissipates it into vapor (the tendency of which is to ascend) and so counteracts the descending force. perfect in knowledge--God; not here in the sense that Elihu uses it of himself (Job 36:4). dost thou know--how, &c.”

“Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds? - That is, Dost thou know how the clouds are poised and suspended in the air? The difficulty to be explained was, that the clouds, so full of water, did not fail to the earth, but remained suspended in the atmosphere. They were poised and moved about by some unseen hand. Elihu asks what kept them there; what prevented their falling to the earth; what preserved the equilibrium so that they did not all roll together. The phenomena of the clouds would be among the first that would attract the attention of man, and in the early times of Job it is not to be supposed that the subject could be explained. Elihu assumes that they were held in the sky by…”

“Balancings - How God doth as it were weigh the clouds in balances, so that although they are full of water, yet they are kept up by the thin air. Job 37:17”

“the balancings: Job 26:8, Job 36:29; Psa 104:2, Psa 104:3; Isa 40:22; Jer 10:13 perfect: Job 36:4; Psa 104:24, Psa 147:5; Pro 3:19, Pro 3:20; Jer 10:12 Job 37:17”