Job 38:2 Meaning and Explanation
“Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →God's first words to Job are a question that exposes how human speech can obscure rather than clarify the divine purpose.
What Does Job 38:2 Mean?
The LORD opens not with comfort but with a searching question. Job and his friends have spoken many words about God's governance of the world, and much of it has clouded rather than illumined the truth. God asks who has darkened his counsel, his wise design, with words spoken in ignorance.
This is not cruelty but correction. There is a kind of speech that, however sincere, dims our sight of God because it presumes to understand what only he fully knows. The first step toward wisdom is to feel the smallness of our knowledge before the vastness of his. Job will soon learn that reverent silence can say more than confident argument.
Job 38:2 in the Original Language
etsah (עֵצָה), 'counsel' -- God's wise purpose or design in governing all things.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 38:2
What does Job 38:2 mean?
God's first words to Job are a question that exposes how human speech can obscure rather than clarify the divine purpose.