Job 38:29 (KJV)

What does Job 38:29 mean?

Job 38:29 presents ice and frost as wonders whose origin Job cannot account for. God asks Job who brought them into being, using familiar signs of cold weather to press a question about how the natural world came to be.

God speaks to Job in a series of questions about the world. Here, the questions picture ice and frost as if they were children being born. After the rain and dew mentioned in verse 28, the verse turns to frozen forms of water.

The Hebrew behind Job 38:29

• “frost” — כְּפוֹר (kefor): The word means frost. The KJV’s “hoary” describes its white or gray appearance, like the color of aged hair.
• “gendered” — יָלַד (yalad): The word can mean to bear or bring forth a child. The older English “gendered” here means “brought into being,” continuing the birth image begun with “womb.”

Why Job 38:29 matters

• The questions ask about the source of ordinary things, not only extraordinary events. Ice and frost would have been recognizable, even if their formation was not fully understood.
• The paired questions make the birth image central to the verse. “Womb” and “gendered” give ice and frost a pictured origin, as though they had a parent.
• The questions leave Job in the position of being asked rather than giving an explanation. That fits God’s challenge in Job 38:3: “I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.”