Job 38:21

Job 38:21 Meaning and Explanation

Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

King James Version (KJV)

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With gentle irony God asks whether Job knows these things because he was alive at creation and has lived so very long.

What Does Job 38:21 Mean?

God's question carries a touch of irony. Surely Job must know all these secrets, since he was already born when the world was made and his years are so very many. The point is the opposite: Job is a creature of a brief life, present for none of the founding wonders.

The reminder of our short span is meant to humble, but also to comfort. We are not the ancient and the everlasting; God is. Our knowledge is bounded by the few days we are given, while his stretches across all time. To rest in the wisdom of the One who was there before the beginning is the relief of every soul too small to carry its own questions.

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What does Job 38:21 mean?

With gentle irony God asks whether Job knows these things because he was alive at creation and has lived so very long.

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