Job 26:3 - Job: Who Can Understand God's Majesty?
Audio Bible
Context
Job: Who Can Understand God's Majesty?
…2“How you have helped the powerless and saved the arm that is feeble! 3How you have counseled the unwise and provided fully sound insight! 4To whom have you uttered these words? And whose spirit spoke through you?…
Cross References
Proverbs 8:14
Counsel and sound judgment are mine; I have insight and strength.Isaiah 40:13-14
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor? / Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding?Romans 11:33-34
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! / “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”1 Corinthians 2:16
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.James 1:5
Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.Isaiah 28:29
This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.Colossians 2:3
in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.Daniel 2:20-21
and declared: “Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and power belong to Him. / He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and establishes them. He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.Ephesians 1:17-18
that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him. / I ask that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glorious inheritance in the saints,Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.Jeremiah 10:12
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.1 Kings 4:29-30
And God gave Solomon wisdom, exceedingly deep insight, and understanding beyond measure, like the sand on the seashore. / Solomon’s wisdom was greater than that of all the men of the East, greater than all the wisdom of Egypt.Isaiah 11:2
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.1 Corinthians 1:24
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Treasury of Scripture
How have you counceled him that has no wisdom? and how have you plentifully declared the thing as it is?
counselled
Job 6:13
Is not my help in me? and is wisdom driven quite from me?
Job 12:3
But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: yea, who knoweth not such things as these?
Job 13:5
O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom.
plentifully
Job 33:3,33
My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly…
Job 38:2
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
Psalm 49:1-4
To the chief Musician, A Psalm for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all ye people; give ear, all ye inhabitants of the world: …
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Abundance Abundantly Advice Clear Counsel Counseled Counselled Declared Displayed Fully Great Helpful Insight Offered Plans Plentifully Provided Sound Teaching True. Unwise Wisdom WiseJob 26
1. Job, reproving the uncharitable spirit of Bildad5. acknowledges the power of God to be infinite and unsearchable
How you have counseled the unwise
This phrase is part of Job's response to Bildad, one of his friends who has been offering advice throughout the dialogue. The term "unwise" here can be seen as ironic, as Job is critiquing the quality of the counsel he has received. In the broader biblical context, wisdom is a central theme in the Book of Job, contrasting human understanding with divine wisdom. The irony in Job's statement may reflect the limitations of human wisdom compared to God's infinite understanding, as seen in Proverbs 3:5-6, which advises trusting in the Lord rather than one's own insight. The cultural context of the time placed high value on wisdom and counsel, often associated with age and experience, yet Job challenges this notion by highlighting the inadequacy of his friends' advice.
and provided fully sound insight!
The phrase "fully sound insight" is again used ironically by Job. He is questioning the depth and accuracy of the insights offered by his friends. In the historical context, the friends' advice is based on retributive justice, a common belief in ancient Near Eastern cultures that suffering is a direct result of personal sin. Job's experience and his challenge to this belief system foreshadow the New Testament revelation of grace and the suffering of the righteous, as seen in the life of Jesus Christ. Theologically, this phrase underscores the theme of human limitation in understanding divine purposes, a theme that is echoed in Isaiah 55:8-9, where God's thoughts and ways are described as higher than human thoughts and ways.
Persons / Places / Events
1. Job
The central figure in the Book of Job, a man of great faith and patience who endures immense suffering and questions the justice of God.
2. Bildad
One of Job's three friends who attempts to explain Job's suffering by suggesting it is a result of sin, offering traditional wisdom that Job challenges.
3. Uz
The land where Job lived, often associated with the region east of Israel, possibly in Edom or northern Arabia.
4. God
The ultimate source of wisdom and understanding, whose ways and thoughts are higher than human comprehension.
5. The Heavenly Court
The setting at the beginning of the Book of Job where God and Satan discuss Job's faithfulness.
Teaching Points
The Limitations of Human Wisdom
Human wisdom, while valuable, is limited and often fails to grasp the full scope of God's purposes and plans.
The Importance of Seeking Divine Insight
Believers are encouraged to seek wisdom from God, who provides insight that is fully sound and surpasses human understanding.
The Role of Counsel in Times of Suffering
When offering counsel to those who are suffering, it is crucial to rely on God's wisdom rather than solely on human reasoning or tradition.
Humility in Understanding
Recognize the need for humility in our understanding and acknowledge that God's wisdom is beyond our full comprehension.
The Value of True Wisdom
True wisdom is characterized by its alignment with God's truth and its ability to provide genuine insight and guidance.
Lists and Questions
Top 10 Lessons from Job 26When is it time to be silent or speak?What is the manifold wisdom of God?Job 26:7: Does the statement about the earth 'hanging on nothing' truly reflect advanced cosmological insight or is it simply poetic language?How do we reconcile Zophar's rigid cause-and-effect theology in Job 20 with other biblical passages (like Psalm 73) that acknowledge the prosperity of the wicked without immediate judgment?
(3) The thing as it is?--Rather, How hast thou plentifully declared sound knowledge?Verse 3. - How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? What counsel or advice is there in anything that thou hast said, by following which I might be benefited? Admitting my own want of wisdom, how hast thou bettered my case? And how hast thou plenteously declared the thing as it is? rather, How hast thou plenteously declared sound knowledge? What can there be said to have been in the way of sound knowledge, or good practical common sense (חוּשִׁיָה), in the discourse which thou hast addressed to me? - a discourse made up of truisms. Parallel Commentaries ... Hebrew you have counseled the unwise and provided fully sound insight! Links
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what
יָּ֭עַצְתָּ (yā·‘aṣ·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3289: To advise, to deliberate, resolve
לְלֹ֣א (lə·lō)
Preposition-l | Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no
הוֹדָֽעְתָּ׃ (hō·w·ḏā·‘ə·tā)
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know
לָרֹ֥ב (lā·rōḇ)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7230: Multitude, abundance, greatness
וְ֝תוּשִׁיָּ֗ה (wə·ṯū·šî·yāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8454: Support, ability, help, an undertaking, understanding
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