Job 38:4 BSB — MannaFest

Job 38:4

Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.

KJV

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

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Commentary

3 voices

Gregory the Dialogist

Morals on the Book of Job, Book XXVIII (604)

Where wast thou when I was laying the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if thou hast understanding. ALLEGORICAL INTERPRETATION Behold all things are put together in historical narration, as if concerning the origin of the world. But something is immediately subjoined, which seems to be said of the creation, not of the world, but of the Church. For it is said; Or who hath laid the corner stone thereof? For by this, which was not done at the beginning of the world, it is shewn that that former expression was not used of the creation of the world.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763)

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?.... The earth has foundations, and such firm ones that it cannot be moved; but what are they, since it is hung in the air on nothing! No other than the power and will of God, who laid these foundations, and the Son of God, who has created and upholds all things by the word of his power, Heb 1:3. Where was Job then?

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The first man was not, much less were we. It is the honour of Christ that he was present when this was done ( Prov. viii. 1, 2 ); but we are of yesterday and know nothing.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

8 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
אֵיפֹ֣ה	'ei.Foh	where?	H375 →
הָ֭יִיתָ	Ha.yi.ta	were you	H1961 →
בְּיָסְדִי־	be.ya.se.di-	when founded I	H3245 →
אָ֑רֶץ	'A.retz	[the] earth	H776 →
הַ֝גֵּ֗ד	ha.Ged	tell	H5046 →
אִם־	'im-	if	H518 →
יָדַ֥עְתָּ	ya.Da'.ta	you know	H3045 →
בִינָֽה׃	vi.Nah	understanding	H998 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk6

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
leads to
- John 1:1–3
  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
- Hebrews 11:3
  By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
- Isaiah 45:18
  For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be…
- Revelation 4:11
  “Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”
- Hebrews 1:10
  And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
Through
Hebrews 1:10
And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
leads to
- Psalms 102:25–27
  In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Featured studies on this passage

On Job 38:4

Ezra's Questions God Answers

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On Job 38:4

The Question of Suffering — Job 1–42

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Walks through Job 38

Mazzaroth

Twelve constellation groupings; one biblical word (Job 38:32). Bullinger and Seiss read them as a gospel-arc; modern critics trace their figures to Albumazar, not Adam. The objections below are presented at full strength, and the founder's own slot on the page is his to fill.

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The Star of Bethlehem — Edward Burne-Jones

Walks through Job 38

The Stars

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About Job

Job Hears of His Misfortunes — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Job: the study guide →Read chapter 38 →The featured study →

Creation
God answers Job's suffering by pointing to His unwitnessed work at the foundations of the earth

Continue: Job 38 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Job

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Job