Don’t you know this from old time, since man was placed on earth,
Parallel translations
- KJV Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
- BSB Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth,
- NKJV “Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth,
- NASB “Do you know this from ancient times, From the establishment of mankind on earth,
- NLT “Don’t you realize that from the beginning of time, ever since people were first placed on the earth,
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 appeals to ancient, well-known wisdom: a truth as old as humanity itself. He grounds his argument in long-standing tradition.
Overview
Zophar opens his case by invoking timeless knowledge passed down since mankind was placed on earth, claiming it is obvious to all. He uses the weight of tradition to lend authority to his coming claim about the wicked. While appealing to inherited wisdom can be valuable, Zophar wrongly assumes the rule he cites applies neatly to Job, ignoring the mystery of righteous suffering.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Job 8:8–9“Please inquire of past generations. Find out about the learning of their fathers.
- Gen 9:1–3God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth.
- Job 32:7I said, ‘Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.’
- Ps 115:16The heavens are the heavens of Yahweh; but the earth has he given to the children of men.
- Gen 1:28God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
- Job 15:10With us are both the gray-headed and the very aged men, much elder than your father.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 20:4 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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