Job 26
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1Then Job answered, 2“How have you helped him who is without power! How have you saved the arm that has no strength! 3How have you counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge! 4To whom have you uttered words? Whose spirit came out of you? 5“The departed spirits tremble, those beneath the waters and all that live in them. 6Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. 7He stretches out the north over empty space, and hangs the earth on nothing. 8He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not burst under them. 9He encloses the face of his throne, and spreads his cloud on it. 10He has described a boundary on the surface of the waters, and to the confines of light and darkness. 11The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his rebuke. 12He stirs up the sea with his power, and by his understanding he strikes through Rahab. 13By his Spirit the heavens are garnished. His hand has pierced the swift serpent. 14Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
World English Bible (public domain)
“"Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?"”
Job 26:14
Summary
In Job 26, Job responds to his friends, particularly addressing Bildad's brief speech. Job begins sarcastically, questioning how much help his friends have provided. He then shifts to extolling God's power and majesty in creation. Job acknowledges God's sovereignty and the boundary He sets over the waters, and he marvels at His creation of the heavens and earth. He describes the mysterious ways knowledge is hidden from humans and acknowledges that God's power is beyond human comprehension. The chapter underscores the insignificance of human understanding compared to divine authority and wisdom, suggesting that these wonders are but the "outskirts" of God's ways, indicating that God's actual power is far greater than it appears.
Key Themes
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