Job 42:2
“I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
After God's speeches from the whirlwind, Job responds with humility and repentance. This verse begins his final reply, confessing God's unlimited power and perfect knowledge.
What Does Job 42:2 Mean?
Job 42:2 is the turning point of Job's heart after God has spoken: "I know that thou canst do every thing." Having heard the Lord describe the wonders of creation, Job no longer demands an explanation for his suffering. Instead, he confesses two great truths about God. First, God can do everything -- His power has no limit, and no purpose of His can be stopped. Second, "no thought can be withholden from thee" -- nothing can be hidden from God, and no plan of His can be frustrated. Job has moved from arguing his case to resting in the One whose wisdom and power far exceed his own.
What makes this confession so moving is that it comes without Job ever receiving an answer to his "why." God did not explain the heavenly scene that set Job's trials in motion. Yet Job is satisfied -- not because his questions were answered, but because he has truly met God. His knowledge has deepened from secondhand belief to firsthand encounter, as the following verses make clear. This is the wisdom the whole book has been driving toward: peace is found less in understanding all of God's reasons and more in trusting God's character and ability. When we are convinced that God can do all things and that nothing escapes Him, we can release the burden of needing to comprehend everything ourselves.
In the Original Language
The phrase "no thought can be withholden" uses mezimmah, a purpose or plan, with the verb batsar, to be cut off or restrained -- meaning no purpose of God can be thwarted. "Do every thing" affirms God's unlimited ability.
Cross References
“Is any thing too hard for the LORD?”
- Genesis 18:14
“Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:”
- Jeremiah 32:17
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
- Matthew 19:26
Application
When answers do not come, follow Job in resting on what you do know -- that God can do all things and that no purpose of His can be thwarted -- and let that bring you peace.