Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.
- BSB Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
- NKJV “Wherewere you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.
- NASB “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,
- NLT “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much.
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
God asks where Job was when the earth's foundations were laid. The obvious answer, nowhere, exposes the gulf between Creator and creature.
Overview
The LORD begins with creation itself, a work that long preceded Job. By asking Job to 'declare, if you have understanding,' God highlights human ignorance of the most basic realities. This opening question establishes the theme of the whole speech: God's unsearchable wisdom in making and governing the world.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 104:5Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever.
- Heb 1:10And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
- Prov 30:4Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a garment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son’s name, if thou canst tell?
- Heb 1:2Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
- Gen 1:1In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
- Ps 102:25Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
- Prov 8:22The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
- Prov 8:29–30When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 38:4 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.