Noahic Flood

[Job 26:5] Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.
[Dead things are formed - This verse, as it stands in our version, seems to convey no meaning; or things without life, for such things are formed everywhere in the earth, and under the earth, as well as under the waters. Rather, The souls of the dead (Rephaim) tremble. Not only does G-d's power exist, as Bildad says (25:2), in high places (heaven), but reaches to the region of the dead. Rephaim here, and in Prov. 21:16 and Isa 14:9, is from a Hebrew root, meaning to be weak, hence deceased; in Gen. 14:5 it is applied to the Canaanite giants; perhaps in scorn, to express their weakness, in spite of their gigantic size, as compared with Jehovah. He would there have rendered the congregation of the giants, in allusion to the drowning of the sinners of the old world. And is there any thing in which the majesty of G-d appears more dreadful than in the eternal ruin of the ungodly and the groans of the inhabitants of the land of darkness? Those that will not with angels fear and worship shall for ever with devils fear and tremble; and G-d therein will be glorified.
From under the waters - Thus the place of the dead will be represented as under the waters (Ps. 18:4, 5); and the waters as under the earth (Ps. 24:2). The inhabitants of the places under the waters are those in Gehenna, the lower of the two parts into which Sheol, according to the Jews, is divided; they answer to destruction, that is, the place of the wicked, as "Rephaim" to "Hell" (Sheol). Sheol comes from a Hebrew root-"ask," because it is greedy (Prov. 27:20).
Inhabitants thereof - So the sense is, that G-d's dominion is over all men, yea, even the dead, and the worst of them, who though they would not own G-d, nor His providence, while they lived, yet now are forced to acknowledge and feel that power which they despised, and bitterly mourn under the sad effects of it in their infernal habitations.
How does truth triumph, and how brightly does it shine, when there appears no other strife between the contenders than which shall speak most highly and honorably of G-d and be most copious in showing forth His praise! It were well if all disputes might end thus, in glorifying G-d as L-rd of all, and our L-rd, with one mind and one mouth (Romans 15:6); for to that we have all attained, in that we are all agreed.]
[6] Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
[Hell is naked - There is no covering to Abaddon-the place of the destroyer, where destruction reigns, and where those dwell who is eternally separated from G-d. The ancients thought that hell or Tartarus was a vast space in the centre, or at the very bottom of the earth.
No covering – from G-d’s eyes. We may understand the grave, and those who are buried in it, that they are under the eye of G-d, though laid out of our sight, which may strengthen our belief of the resurrection of the dead. G-d knows where to find, and whence to fetch, all the scattered atoms of the consumed body.]
[7] He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
[He stretcheth out - He stretched out the heavens like a curtain (Ps. 104:2); and He still continues to keep them stretched out, and will do so till the general conflagration, when they shall be rolled together as a scroll, Rev. 6:14.
North - thus Job was saying that the north-pointing axis of the earth extended indefinitely beyond the boundaries of the earth’s surface, pointing to the polar star and orienting both the geography of the earth and the corresponding star scope of the astral heavens. The northern hemisphere or vault of heaven is included; often compared to a stretched-out canopy (Ps 104:2). Of the south the inhabitants of Idumea knew nothing; nor could they have any notion of inhabitants in that hemisphere.
Hang the earth upon nothing - suspended in the formless
Empty place - is the same word translated ‘without form’ in Gen. 1:2, referring to the formless condition of the original matter of the earth (dust of the earth) when G-d first called into existence the space/time/mass universe. The empty space is not really empty being occupied by interstellar dust and a variety of particles and radiations. But it is without form just as the primeval earth had been before the Spirit of G-d moved over it, giving it form by activating the energy of gravitation and energizing it with His own light, void of space without support, the earth is rigidly maintained in its orbit by a mysterious force we call gravity, but which could just as rationally be called nothing - or the will of G-d. What is hung upon nothing may serve us to set our feet on, and bear the weight of our bodies, but it will never serve us to set our hearts on, nor bear the weight of our souls.]
[8] He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
[He bindeth - Drives the aqueous particles together, which were raised by evaporation, so that, being condensed, they form clouds which float in the atmosphere, till, meeting with strong currents of wind, or by the agency of the electric fluid, they are farther condensed; and then, becoming too heavy to be sustained in the air, fall down in the form of rain, when, in this poetic language, the cloud is rent under them.
In His thick clouds - as if they were tied closely in a bag, till there is occasion to use them; and, notwithstanding the vast weight of water so raised and laid up, yet the cloud is not rent under them, for then they would burst and pour out as a spout; but they do, as it were, distil through the cloud, and so come drop by drop, in mercy to the earth, in small rain, or great rain, as He pleases.
[9] He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.
[He holdeth back the face of His throne - Though all these are most elegant effects of an omniscient and almighty power, yet the great Agent is not personally discoverable; He dwelleth in light unapproachable, and in mercy hides Himself from the view of His creatures. G-d will have us to live by faith, not by sense; for this is agreeable to a state of trial. It will not be a fair trial if the face of G-d's throne were visible now as it will be in the great day.
Spreadeth His cloud - Rather, He encompasses or closet. G-d makes the clouds a veil to screen the glory not only of His person, but even of the exterior of His throne from profane eyes. His agency is everywhere, yet He Himself is invisible (Ps. 18:11; 104:3).]
[10] He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
[This passage reflects G-d’s promise that ‘day and night shall not cease’ and ‘neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth’ from Gen. 8:22; 9:11.
Compassed - means to be made round referring to the shape of the earth, especially to its sea level, the basic datum for earth’s geometry. The same word is used in Proverbs 8:27 and Isaiah 40:22 with the same connotation.
Bounds - We see too the care which Providence takes of the poor sinful inhabitants of the earth, who, though loathsome to His justice and lying at His mercy, are thus preserved from being overwhelmed, as they were once by the waters of a flood, and will continue to be so, because they are reserved unto fire.]
[11] The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
[11-14 suggests the unparalleled magnitude of the flood and its dual physical triggering phenomenon.
Pillars - Though obviously figurative language, it is very realistic. There were no literal pillars holding up the heavens any more than there were literal windows in heaven. Poetically for the mountains which seem to bear up the sky (Ps. 104:32). Nevertheless, when the torrents of water began to pour down for the first time in history from ‘the waters which were above the firmament’ (Gen. 1:7), it must have seemed that mighty supports restraining the floodgates of the heavenly reservoir had suddenly trembled and given way.
The Noahic flood marked a great discontinuity, both in the course of human history and in the normal operation of the natural processes that G-d had established supernaturally in the beginning. The rates of most geological processes (such as erosion, sedimentation, tectonics, and volcanism) were vastly accelerated during the year of the flood.
His reproof - (Ps 104:7). The thunder, reverberating from cliff to cliff (Hab 3:10; Nahum 1:5).]
[13] By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
[By His Spirit - The author of the constellations and of individual stars is the Father. By His Spirit, the eternal Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters, the breath of His mouth (Ps. 33:6), He has garnished the heavens, not only made them, but beautified them, has curiously bespangled them with stars by night and painted them with the light of the sun by day, G-d, having made man to look upward, as so many golden studs, beautify the canopy drawn over our heads, one may be led to admire the great Creator! If the visible heavens be so glorious, what are those that are out of sight!]
Garnished the heavens - the creation of animals, Gen. 1: 20-25.
[Crooked serpent – the dragon, satan. Pagan astronomy typified the flood trying to destroy the ark by the dragon constellation, about to devour the moon in its eclipsed crescent-shape like a boat 3:8. It is the same word that is used for leviathan (Isaiah 27:1), and probably may be meant of the crocodile, in which appears much of the power of the Creator; and why may not Job conclude with that inference, when G-d Himself does so? 41:1-34.]
[14] Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
[Part of – Job admires the depth of that which is undiscovered. This that we have said is but part of His ways, a small part. What we know of G-d is nothing in comparison with what is in G-d and what G-d is. After all the discoveries which G-d has made to us, and all the enquiries we have made after G-d, still we are much in the dark concerning Him, and must conclude, Lo, these are but parts of His ways.
His ways - the ends or extremities, the outlines, an indistinct sketch, of His eternal power and G-dhead, and how faint is the whisper that we hear of Him! The ways in which He walks and by which He makes Himself known to the children of men.
The thunder - the entire fulness, in antithesis to "whisper" (1 Cor. 13:9, 10, 12). Even the thunder of His power (that is, His powerful thunder), one of the lowest of His ways here in our own region, we cannot understand 37:4, 5. Much less can we understand the utmost force and extent of His power, the terrible efforts and operations of it, and particularly the power of His anger, Ps. 90:11.
His power - is reserved for a greater day of judgment yet to come. The Noahic flood marked a great discontinuity, both in the course of human history and in the normal operation of the natural processes that G-d had established supernaturally in the beginning. The rates of most geological process (such as erosion, and volcanism) were vastly accelerated during the year of the flood.
Who can understand - despairing to find the bottom, we must sit down at the brink, and adore the depth: O the depth of the wisdom and knowledge of G-d! It is but a little portion that we hear and know of G-d in our present state. He is infinite and incomprehensible; our understandings and capacities are weak and shallow, and the full discoveries of the Divine Glory are reserved for the future state. G-d is great, and we know Him not.