Job 38:5
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
Original Language Analysis
מִי
H4310
מִי
Strong's:
H4310
Word #:
1 of 10
who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix
שָׂ֣ם
Who hath laid
H7760
שָׂ֣ם
Who hath laid
Strong's:
H7760
Word #:
2 of 10
to put (used in a great variety of applications, literal, figurative, inferentially, and elliptically)
כִּ֣י
H3588
כִּ֣י
Strong's:
H3588
Word #:
4 of 10
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
תֵדָ֑ע
thereof if thou knowest
H3045
תֵדָ֑ע
thereof if thou knowest
Strong's:
H3045
Word #:
5 of 10
to know (properly, to ascertain by seeing); used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially (including o
א֤וֹ
H176
א֤וֹ
Strong's:
H176
Word #:
6 of 10
desire (and so probably in proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also if
מִֽי
H4310
מִֽי
Strong's:
H4310
Word #:
7 of 10
who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix
נָטָ֖ה
or who hath stretched
H5186
נָטָ֖ה
or who hath stretched
Strong's:
H5186
Word #:
8 of 10
to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great variety of application (as follows)
Cross References
Isaiah 40:12Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?Job 11:9The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.Isaiah 40:22It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:Isaiah 34:11But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.Psalms 19:4Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,Psalms 78:55He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.Job 28:25To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.Proverbs 8:29When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth:Proverbs 8:27When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:2 Corinthians 10:16To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern creation accounts lacked the mathematical precision suggested here. Genesis 1 similarly emphasizes ordered creation through divine decree. The surveying imagery would resonate with Job's original audience familiar with land measurement and building construction. God's questions assert that creation required infinite wisdom beyond any human architect or builder.
Questions for Reflection
- How does recognizing God's precise design of creation affect our trust in His governance of our lives?
- What areas of life tempt us to question God's wisdom rather than humbly acknowledge our limited understanding?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
God asks: "Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?" The Hebrew maddeyha (מַדֶּיהָ, "its measures") and qav (קָו, "line") use surveying language. God challenges Job with creation's precise design—dimensions, proportions, mathematical precision. This reveals divine wisdom in establishing natural laws and cosmic order. The rhetorical questions expose human ignorance about creation's foundations while affirming God's sovereign craftsmanship. The interrogative structure characterizes God's entire speech, reorienting Job from demanding answers to recognizing his creatureliness.