EGW → Biblical Foundation
Select an Ellen White book from the sidebar to see each passage mapped to the Bible verses it amplifies, cites, or echoes.
Scripture Index
Ellen White & Bible Cross-Reference
Job 38:1
"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,"
"“The Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind” ( Job 38:1 ), and revealed to His servant the might of His power. When Job caught a glimpse of his Creator, he abhorred himself and repented in dust and ashes. Then the Lord was able to bless him abundantly and to make his last years the best of his life. PK 164.2"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:1 in this passage.
Job 38:2
"Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?"
"And to a large degree theology, as studied and taught, is but a record of human speculation, serving only to darken “counsel by words without knowledge.” Job 38:2 . Too often the motive in accumulating these many books is not so much a desire to obtain food for mind and soul, as it is an ambition to become acquainted with philosophers and theologians, a desire to present Christianity to the people in learned terms and propositions. CT 380.3"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:2 in this passage.
"And, to a great degree, theology, as studied and taught, is but a record of human speculation, serving only to “darken counsel by words without knowledge.” Too often the motive in accumulating these many books is not so much a desire to obtain food for mind and soul, as it is an ambition to become acquainted with philosophers and theologians, a desire to present Christianity to the people in learned terms and propositions. MH 442.3"
EGW directly quotes the phrase "darken counsel by words without knowledge," making this a clear and explicit allusion to Job 38:2.
"“Annihilation was a cold and chilling thought, and accountability was sure destruction to all. The heavens were as brass over my head, and the earth as iron under my feet. Eternity—what was it? And death—why was it? The more I reasoned, the further I was from demonstration. The more I thought, the more scattered were my conclusions. I tried to stop thinking, but my thoughts would not be controlled. I was truly wretched, but did not understand the cause. I murmured and complained, but knew not of whom. I knew that there was a wrong, but knew not how or where to find the right. I mourned, but without hope.” GC 318.2"
Both passages describe a state of confusion and lack of understanding. Miller's inability to find answers and his scattered conclusions parallel the idea of darkening counsel with words without knowledge.
Job 38:4
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."
"“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? ... Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it brake forth; ... When I made the cloud the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling band for it, And prescribed for it My decree, And set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Ed 159.2"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:4.
Job 38:4-27
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment. And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken. Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all. Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof, That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof? Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great? Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?"
"“Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, Or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? Or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?” Job 38:4-27 , R.V.; 38:31, 32. Ed 160.2"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:4-27 in this passage.
Job 38:7
"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
"Above the new-created earth, as it lay, fair and unblemished, under the smile of God, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . So human hearts, in sympathy with heaven, have responded to God's goodness in notes of praise. Many of the events of human history have been linked with song. Ed 161.5"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:7.
"Then joy, inexpressible joy, filled heaven. The glory and blessedness of a world redeemed, outmeasured even the anguish and sacrifice of the Prince of life. Through the celestial courts echoed the first strains of that song which was to ring out above the hills of Bethlehem—“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” Luke 2:14 . With a deeper gladness now than in the rapture of the new creation, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . PP 65.3"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:7.
"Chapter 44—The Observance of the Sabbath Great blessings are enfolded in the observance of the Sabbath, and God desires that the Sabbath day shall be to us a day of joy. There was joy at the institution of the Sabbath. God looked with satisfaction upon the work of His hands. All things that He had made He pronounced “very good.” Genesis 1:31 . Heaven and earth were filled with rejoicing. “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . Though sin has entered the world to mar His perfect work, God still gives to us the Sabbath as a witness that One omnipotent, infinite in goodness and mercy, created all things. Our heavenly Father desires through the observance of the Sabbath to preserve among men a knowledge of Himself. He desires that the Sabbath shall direct our minds to Him as the true and living God, and that through knowing Him we may have life and peace. 6T 349"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:7.
"Before the creation of man, angels were in existence; for when the foundations of the earth were laid, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . After the fall of man, angels were sent to guard the tree of life, and this before a human being had died. Angels are in nature superior to men, for the psalmist says that man was made “a little lower than the angels.” Psalm 8:5 . GC 511.2"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:7 in this passage.
"Chapter 29—The Sabbath The Sabbath was hallowed at the creation. As ordained for man, it had its origin when “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . Peace brooded over the world; for earth was in harmony with heaven. “God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good;” and He rested in the joy of His completed work. Genesis 1:31 . DA 281"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:7 in this passage.
"It is the Creator of men, the Giver of the law, who declares that it is not His purpose to set aside its precepts. Everything in nature, from the mote in the sunbeam to the worlds on high, is under law. And upon obedience to these laws the order and harmony of the natural world depend. So there are great principles of righteousness to control the life of all intelligent beings, and upon conformity to these principles the well-being of the universe depends. Before this earth was called into being, God's law existed. Angels are governed by its principles, and in order for earth to be in harmony with heaven, man also must obey the divine statutes. To man in Eden Christ made known the precepts of the law “when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . The mission of Christ on earth was not to destroy the law, but by His grace to bring man back to obedience to its precepts. MB 48.1"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:7 in this passage.
In the beginning the Father and the Son had rested upon the Sabbath after Their work of creation. When “the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” ( Genesis 2:1 ), the Creator and all heavenly beings rejoiced in contemplation of the glorious scene. “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . Now Jesus rested from the work of redemption; and though there was grief among those who loved Him on earth, yet there was joy in heaven. Glorious to the eyes of heavenly beings was the promise of the future. A restored creation, a redeemed race, that having conquered sin could never fall,—this, the result to flow from Christ's completed work, God and angels saw. With this scene the day upon which Jesus rested is forever linked. For “His work is perfect;” and “whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever.” Deuteronomy 32:4 ; Ecclesiastes 3:14 . When there shall be a “restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all …
Ellen White directly references Job 38:7 in this passage.
"The creation was now complete. “The heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” “And God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good.” Eden bloomed on earth. Adam and Eve had free access to the tree of life. No taint of sin or shadow of death marred the fair creation. “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Job 38:7 . PP 47.1"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:7 in this passage.
As it came from the Creator's hand, not only the Garden of Eden but the whole earth was exceedingly beautiful. No taint of sin, or shadow of death, marred the fair creation. God's glory “covered the heavens, and the earth was full of His praise.” “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.” Habakkuk 3:3 ; Job 38:7 . Thus was the earth a fit emblem of Him who is “abundant in goodness and truth” ( Exodus 34:6 ); a fit study for those who were made in His image. The Garden of Eden was a representation of what God desired the whole earth to become, and it was His purpose that, as the human family increased in numbers, they should establish other homes and schools like the one He had given. Thus in course of time the whole earth might be occupied with homes and schools where the words and the works of God should be studied, and where the students should thus be fitted more and more fully to reflect, throughout endless ages, the light of the knowledge of His gl…
Ellen White directly references Job 38:7 in this passage.
"When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy, the Sabbath was given to the world, that man might ever remember that in six days God created the world. He rested upon the seventh day, blessing it as the day of His rest, and gave it to the beings He had created, that they might remember Him as the true and living God. By His mighty power, notwithstanding the opposition of Pharaoh, God delivered His people from Egypt, that they might keep the law which had been given in Eden. He brought them to Sinai to hear the proclamation of this law. 8T 197.3"
The EGW passage directly quotes and alludes to Job 38:7, referencing the 'morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy.' This is a clear and direct allusion.
"The nations of the saved will know no other law than the law of heaven. All will be a happy, united family, clothed with the garments of praise and thanksgiving. Over the scene the morning stars will sing together, and the sons of God will shout for joy, while God and Christ will unite in proclaiming. “There shall be no more sin, neither shall there be any more death.” PK 732.2"
The EGW passage directly echoes the imagery of the morning stars singing and the sons of God shouting for joy, clearly alluding to Job 38:7.
Job 38:8-11
"Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?"
"“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? ... Or who shut up the sea with doors, When it brake forth; ... When I made the cloud the garment thereof, And thick darkness a swaddling band for it, And prescribed for it My decree, And set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; And here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Ed 159.2"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:8-11.
"“Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a garment: The waters stood above the mountains. At Thy rebuke they fled; At the voice of Thy thunder they hasted away. They go up by the mountains; they go down by the valleys Unto the place which Thou hast founded for them. Thou hast set a bound that they may not pass over; That they turn not again to cover the earth.” Psalm 104:5-9 . PK 134.2"
Both passages describe God's control over the sea and the limits He placed on it. While EGW is quoting Psalm 104, the thematic overlap with Job 38:8-11 is significant and relevant.
Job 38:11
"And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?"
It is no light matter to sin against God, to set the perverse will of man in opposition to the will of his Maker. It is for the best interest of men, even in this world, to obey God's commandments. And it is surely for their eternal interest to submit to God, and be at peace with Him. The beasts of the field obey their Creator's law in the instinct which governs them. He speaks to the proud ocean, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further” ( Job 38:11 ); and the waters are prompt to obey His word. The planets are marshaled in perfect order, obeying the laws which God has established. Of all the creatures that God has made upon the earth, man alone is rebellious. Yet he possesses reasoning powers to understand the claims of the divine law and a conscience to feel the guilt of transgression and the peace and joy of obedience. God made him a free moral agent, to obey or disobey. The reward of everlasting life—an eternal weight of glory—is promised to those who do God's will, while the thr…
Ellen White directly references Job 38:11 in this passage.
"The world before the Flood reasoned that for centuries the laws of nature had been fixed. The recurring seasons had come in their order. Heretofore rain had never fallen; the earth had been watered by a mist or dew. The rivers had never yet passed their boundaries, but had borne their waters safely to the sea. Fixed decrees had kept the waters from overflowing their banks. But these reasoners did not recognize the hand of Him who had stayed the waters, saying, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” Job 38:11 . PP 96.3"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:11 in this passage.
"All earthly powers are under the control of the Infinite One. To the mightiest ruler, to the most cruel oppressor, He says, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further.” Job 38:11 . God's power is constantly exercised to counteract the agencies of evil; He is ever at work among men, not for their destruction, but for their correction and preservation. PP 694.1"
Ellen White directly references Job 38:11 in this passage.
"The hearers could not but understand Christ's words. Clearly they were a repetition of the claim He had made in the presence of the Sanhedrin many months before, when He declared Himself the Son of God. As the rulers then tried to compass His death, so now they sought to take Him; but they were prevented by an unseen power, which put a limit to their rage, saying to them, Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther. DA 457.4"
The EGW passage directly alludes to Job 38:11, using the same phrase 'Thus far shalt thou go, and no farther' to describe a limit placed on the rage of Christ's enemies. This is more than a thematic parallel; it's a direct borrowing of language.
"breaking forth of the waters, brought vividly to his mind the terrors of that awful outpouring of God's wrath. In the voice of many waters—deep calling unto deep—the prophet heard the voice of the Creator. The sea, lashed to fury by the merciless winds, represented to him the wrath of an offended God. The mighty waves, in their terrible commotion, restrained within limits appointed by an invisible hand, spoke of the control of an infinite Power. And in contrast he realized the weakness and folly of mortals, who, though but worms of the dust, glory in their supposed wisdom and strength, and set their hearts against the Ruler of the universe, as if God were altogether such a one as themselves. By the rocks he was reminded of Christ, the Rock of his strength, in whose shelter he could hide without fear. From the exiled apostle on rocky Patmos there went up the most ardent longing of soul after God, the most fervent prayers. AA 572.1"
Both passages discuss the power of God over the sea. EGW describes the sea as representing God's wrath and the waves being restrained by an invisible hand, while Job 38:11 directly quotes God commanding the sea to stop at a certain point.
Job 38:12
"Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;"
"“Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, And caused the dayspring to know its place? ... Ed 159.3"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:12.
Job 38:16
"Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?"
"“Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? Or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? Or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all. Ed 159.4"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:16, making it a clear explicit allusion.
Job 38:19
"Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,"
"“Where is the way to the dwelling of light, And as for darkness, where is the place thereof? ... Ed 159.5"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:19, making it a clear explicit allusion.
Job 38:23
"Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?"
"reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?” Job 38:22, 23 . PP 509.3"
EGW directly quotes Job 38:23.