Job 38:31

Canst thou? God turns the attention of Job from the created wonders of earth to the splendors of the heavens. Pointing to several brilliant, familiar constellations, God inquires whether Job thinks himself able to guide them in their courses across the sky.

Pleiades. Heb. kimah, perhaps a designation for the Pleiades, from the Arabic root kum, meaning “group,” or “herd.” In Amos 5:8 kimah is translated “seven stars” and is again mentioned together with Orion, an adjacent constellation in the winter sky. From the most ancient times men have regarded the Pleiades, a brilliant star cluster in the constellation Taurus (the Bull), the most beautiful and fascinating display in the sky. Tennyson described them as a swarm of fireflies caught in a silver braid. Even through small telescopes the scintillating beauty of this cluster strikes the observer with the same sense of awe and wonder that comes over one who gazes into the vast depths of the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River.

The word translated “sweet influences,” Heb. ma‘adannoth, seems to mean “bonds,” or “fetters.” The RSV translation, “chains,” would thus render the thought of the original more closely. Perhaps ma‘adannoth refers to the forces of gravity that hold the individual members of the cluster together in their flight through space. It is known that these stars compose a closely associated physical group and pursue parallel courses. Some have suggested that ma‘adannoth refers to the conspicuous nebulosity in which the Pleiades are immersed. This nebulous material, illuminated by the stars immersed in it as if it were gas in a neon tube, is clearly visible even with a low-powered telescope, and on a photographic plate makes the Pleiades an object of beauty unequaled in the heavens. However, appealing as this explanation is, it should be remembered that Job could not see the nebulosity. It is therefore more probable that God would direct Job’s attention to something he could see, and that ma‘adannoth refers to the “chains” of gravity that hold the members of this exquisite cluster together in their journey through space.

Orion. This identification is considered certain. But what is meant by the “bands,” or “cords,” of Orion is not clear. Some have suggested that the word translated “bands” designates the three stars popularly known as the “belt” of Orion. Though apparently close together in the sky, these stars are not members of a cluster like the Pleiades. Actually, they are traveling in different directions at great velocity. This suggestion would be in harmony with the obvious contrast of the text between the “binding” of the Pleiades and the “loosing” of Orion.