Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
Parallel translations
- WEB “Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
- BSB Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
- NKJV “Canyou search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limits of the Almighty?
- NASB ¶“Can you discover the depths of God? Can you discover the limits of the Almighty?
- NLT “Can you solve the mysteries of God? Can you discover everything about the Almighty?
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Zophar asks if Job can fathom the depths of God or probe the limits of the Almighty. The question rightly affirms God's incomprehensible greatness.
Overview
Here Zophar speaks genuine truth: no one can fully search out God or measure His infinite being. The point, sound in itself, is wielded to silence Job rather than comfort him. Scripture affirms God's unsearchable depths, while the gospel reveals that this incomprehensible God has made Himself known in Christ (Romans 11:33; John 1:18).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Rom 11:33O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
- Eccl 3:11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.
- Ps 145:3Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
- Eph 3:8Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
- Job 5:9Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
- Job 37:23Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
- Ps 77:19Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
- Isa 40:28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
- 1 Cor 2:16For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
- Job 26:14Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
- 1 Cor 2:10But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
- Matt 11:27All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 11:7 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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