Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
Parallel translations
- WEB Oh the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out!
- KJV O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
- BSB O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
- NASB Oh, the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!
- NLT Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways!
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
Paul bursts into praise at the unfathomable depth of God's wisdom, knowledge, judgments, and ways.
Overview
Having traced God's plan for Jew and Gentile, Paul responds not with further argument but with worship. God's wisdom and knowledge are inexhaustible, and his judgments and ways are beyond human tracing out. This doxology models the right response to the mysteries of God's sovereign grace: humble, awe-filled adoration.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 26
- Job 5:9who does great things that can’t be fathomed, marvelous things without number;
- Job 11:7–9“Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
- Ps 92:5How great are your works, Yahweh! Your thoughts are very deep.
- Col 2:2–3that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and gaining all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ,
- Rom 2:4Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
- Job 37:23We can’t reach the Almighty. He is exalted in power. In justice and great righteousness, he will not oppress.
- Eph 3:10to the intent that now through the assembly the manifold wisdom of God might be made known to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places,
- Eph 1:7in whom we have our redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
- Eccl 3:11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their hearts, yet so that man can’t find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.
- Ps 36:6Your righteousness is like the mountains of God. Your judgments are like a great deep. Yahweh, you preserve man and animal.
- Rom 9:23and that he might make known the riches of his glory on vessels of mercy, which he prepared beforehand for glory,
- Job 26:14Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
- Eph 2:7that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus;
- Ps 77:19Your way was through the sea; your paths through the great waters. Your footsteps were not known.
- Col 1:27to whom God was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;
- Ps 40:5Many, Yahweh, my God, are the wonderful works which you have done, and your thoughts which are toward us. They can’t be declared back to you. If I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be counted.
- Ps 97:2Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
- Dan 4:35All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and no one can stop his hand, or ask him, What are you doing?
- Eph 3:16that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that you may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
- Job 9:10He does great things past finding out; yes, marvelous things without number.
- Eph 3:8To me, the very least of all saints, was this grace given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
- Ps 107:8–43Let them praise Yahweh for his loving kindness, for his wonderful deeds to the children of men!
- Eph 3:18may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and height and depth,
- Prov 25:3As the heavens for height, and the earth for depth, so the hearts of kings are unsearchable.
- Job 33:13Why do you strive against him, because he doesn’t give account of any of his matters?
- Job 37:19Teach us what we shall tell him, for we can’t make our case by reason of darkness.
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 11:33 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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