Original Word: מִפְלָשׂ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: miphlas
Pronunciation: mif-LAHS
Phonetic Spelling: (mif-lawce')
KJV: balancing
NASB: layers
Word Origin: [from an unused root meaning to balance]

1. a poising

balancing

From an unused root meaning to balance; a poising -- balancing.

Word Origin
from the same as peles
Definition
a swaying, poising
NASB Translation
layers (1).

[מִפְלָשׂ] noun [masculine] swaying, poising; — מִפְלְשֵׂיעָֿב Job 37:16; Bu (plausibly) מִפְרְשֵׂי, as Job 36:29.

Canonical Occurrence and Literary Setting

Strong’s Hebrew 4657 appears once, in Job 37:16, where Elihu challenges Job: “Do you understand how the clouds float, those wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?” (Berean Standard Bible). The term stands inside a stanza (Job 37:14–24) that draws attention to God’s majestic orchestration of weather. Elihu’s argument culminates in Job 38–41, where the LORD Himself interrogates Job. The solitary use of the word therefore heightens its force: Job is confronted with a natural phenomenon he can observe but cannot explain, exposing the limits of human wisdom and the boundless perfection of divine knowledge.

Hebrew Poetic Imagery

Job’s poetry regularly employs phenomena of sky and sea to portray the hidden order of creation (Job 26:7–14; 28:23–28). The word in Job 37:16 evokes clouds poised in delicate equilibrium—at once massive and yet suspended. In the ancient Near East, clouds were often pictured as waterskins or chariots of the gods. Scripture reorients that imagery: the heavens are subject not to competing deities but to the single sovereign Creator (Psalm 104:3; Nahum 1:3). The image of “balanced” or “floating” clouds conveys both stability and motion, suggesting a divinely regulated world in which apparent randomness is under meticulous control.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Omniscience: The phrase “Him who is perfect in knowledge” (Job 37:16) asserts that no aspect of creation escapes the Lord’s understanding. This anticipates the LORD’s declaration, “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” (Job 38:4).
2. Human Limitation: Job’s inability to explain cloud-balance parallels his inability to explain his own suffering, reinforcing the book’s central theme: human wisdom cannot always trace God’s ways (Job 28:12–23; Romans 11:33).
3. Worship and Awe: Contemplation of the skies leads to praise (Psalm 19:1), repentance (Job 42:6) and trust (Matthew 6:26–30). The stabilizing of the clouds stands as a visual doxology, inviting hearts to bow before the One who “sustains all things by His powerful word” (Hebrews 1:3).

Historical and Cultural Background

In the patriarchal period, meteorological processes were mysterious and often feared; droughts or storms could devastate agrarian societies. By spotlighting the balanced clouds, Elihu reframes meteorology as testimony to God’s providence rather than capricious fate. Later Jewish sages drew similar conclusions, linking rain cycles to covenant faithfulness (Deuteronomy 11:13–15) and prophetic blessing (Zechariah 10:1).

Intertextual Resonance

• Job 26:8 – “He wraps up the waters in His clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their own weight.”
• Proverbs 8:28 – “when He set the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep.”
• Isaiah 40:12 – “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand…?”

All three passages underscore measured proportion and divine engineering, complementing the single appearance of מִפְלָשׂ.

Application for Faith and Ministry

• Preaching: Use Job 37:16 to illustrate the doctrine of providence; the same God who holds vapor in poised suspension holds believers in secure grace (John 10:28).
• Pastoral Care: When congregants wrestle with unexplained suffering, point to Job’s experience: even unanswerable questions are enveloped in God’s wise governance.
• Discipleship and Worship: Encourage practices of contemplative observation—sunrise, cloud-formations, night sky—as springboards to Scripture reading and prayer (Psalm 8:3–4).

Summary

Though occurring only once, the word translated in Job 37:16 as the “floating” or “balancing” of clouds serves as a poetic fulcrum in Elihu’s discourse. It magnifies God’s perfect knowledge, exposes humanity’s finite understanding, and summons worship. The balanced clouds above Job’s head continue to speak, reminding every generation that the Creator who orders the skies also orders our days, inviting trust, humility, and steadfast praise.

מִפְלְשֵׂי־ מפלשי־ miflesei mip̄·lə·śê- mip̄ləśê-Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts