Job 15:9
What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?
Original Language Analysis
מַה
H4100
מַה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
1 of 8
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
נֵדָ֑ע
What knowest
H3045
נֵדָ֑ע
What knowest
Strong's:
H3045
Word #:
2 of 8
to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including o
וְלֹ֣א
H3808
וְלֹ֣א
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
3 of 8
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
נֵדָ֑ע
What knowest
H3045
נֵדָ֑ע
What knowest
Strong's:
H3045
Word #:
4 of 8
to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including o
תָּ֝בִ֗ין
not what understandest
H995
תָּ֝בִ֗ין
not what understandest
Strong's:
H995
Word #:
5 of 8
to separate mentally (or distinguish), i.e., (generally) understand
וְֽלֹא
H3808
וְֽלֹא
Strong's:
H3808
Word #:
6 of 8
not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
Historical Context
Wisdom tradition emphasized accumulated generational knowledge (see v. 18). Eliphaz appeals to collective wisdom against individual experience. The book of Job revolutionizes epistemology by validating experiential knowledge alongside traditional wisdom—even when they conflict.
Questions for Reflection
- When has theological training tempted you to dismiss the knowledge that comes from lived suffering?
- How do you hold systematic theology and experiential knowledge in proper tension?
- What unique knowledge do suffering people possess that the comfortable cannot access?
Analysis & Commentary
What knowest thou, that we know not? what understandest thou, which is not in us?—Eliphaz's rhetorical questions assert epistemological equality: Job knows nothing the friends don't know. The parallel structure—yada'ta (יָדַעְתָּ, 'you know') and tavin (תָּבִין, 'you understand')—emphasizes comprehensive knowledge. This dismisses Job's lived experience of undeserved suffering as epistemically worthless.
The devastating irony: Job knows something they don't—what it's like to suffer innocently while maintaining integrity. His experiential knowledge challenges their theoretical system. Eliphaz represents the arrogance of systematic theology that believes it has exhausted all relevant knowledge. The book demolishes this claim: Job's experience gives him knowledge the friends' tradition cannot supply.