Job 13:1
Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.
Original Language Analysis
כֹּ֭ל
H3605
כֹּ֭ל
Strong's:
H3605
Word #:
2 of 8
properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)
רָאֲתָ֣ה
hath seen
H7200
רָאֲתָ֣ה
hath seen
Strong's:
H7200
Word #:
3 of 8
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
עֵינִ֑י
Lo mine eye
H5869
עֵינִ֑י
Lo mine eye
Strong's:
H5869
Word #:
4 of 8
an eye (literally or figuratively); by analogy, a fountain (as the eye of the landscape)
שָֽׁמְעָ֥ה
hath heard
H8085
שָֽׁמְעָ֥ה
hath heard
Strong's:
H8085
Word #:
5 of 8
to hear intelligently (often with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively, to tell, etc.)
אָ֝זְנִ֗י
all this mine ear
H241
אָ֝זְנִ֗י
all this mine ear
Strong's:
H241
Word #:
6 of 8
broadness. i.e., (concrete) the ear (from its form in man)
Historical Context
Wisdom literature valued both received tradition and personal observation. Job here asserts he possesses both, challenging the friends' monopoly on wisdom based solely on tradition.
Questions for Reflection
- How do we integrate personal experience with revealed truth without elevating experience above Scripture?
- What role does observation of reality play in testing theological formulations?
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Analysis & Commentary
'Lo, mine eye hath seen all this, mine ear hath heard and understood it.' Job claims firsthand empirical knowledge: his 'eye' (עַיִן, ayin) has 'seen' (רָאֲתָה, ra'atah) and his 'ear' (אֹזֶן, ozen) has 'heard' (שָׁמְעָה, shamah) and 'understood' (בִּינָה, binah). He isn't speculating but reporting observations confirmed by experience. This appeals to both sense perception and rational reflection. Job's epistemology balances observation, reason, and revelation. The friends operate solely from tradition; Job engages reality. The Reformed tradition values both general revelation (observed in creation) and special revelation (Scripture), refusing to divorce theology from lived experience.