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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers Job 11:7–12. His three-level outline is real structure in the source text, so it is rendered as structure.
Zophar here speaks very good things concerning God and his greatness and glory, concerning man and his vanity and folly: these two compared together, and duly considered, will have a powerful influence upon our submission to all the dispensations of the divine Providence.
I.See here what God is, and let him be adored.
1.He is an incomprehensible Being, infinite and immense, whose nature and perfections our finite understandings cannot possibly form any adequate conceptions of, and whose counsels and actings we cannot therefore, without the greatest presumption, pass a judgment upon. We that are so little acquainted with the divine nature are incompetent judges of the divine providence; and, when we censure the dispensations of it, we talk of things that we do not understand. We cannot find out God; how dare we then find fault with him? Zophar here shows,
(1.)That God's nature infinitely exceeds the capacities of our understandings: "Canst thou find out God, find him out to perfection? No, What canst thou do? What canst thou know?" Job 11:7, Job 11:8. Thou, a poor, weak, short-sighted creature, a worm of the earth, that art but of yesterday? Thou, though ever so inquisitive after him, ever so desirous and industrious to find him out, yet darest thou attempt the search, or canst thou hope to speed in it? We may, by searching find God (Act 17:27), but we cannot find him out in any thing he is pleased to conceal; we may apprehend him, but we cannot comprehend him; we may know that he is, but cannot know what he is. The eye can see the ocean but not see over it. We may, by a humble, diligent, and believing search, find out something of God, but cannot find him out to perfection; we may know, but cannot know fully, what God is, nor find out his work from the beginning to the end, Ecc 3:11. Note, God is unsearchable. The ages of his eternity cannot be numbered, nor the spaces of his immensity measured; the depths of his wisdom cannot be fathomed, nor the reaches of his power bounded; the brightness of his glory can never be described, nor the treasures of his goodness reckoned up. This is a good reason why we should always speak of God with humility and caution and never prescribe to him nor quarrel with him, why we should be thankful for what he has revealed of himself and long to be where we shall see him as he is, Co1 13:9, Co1 13:10.
(2.)That it infinitely exceeds the limits of the whole creation: It is higher than heaven (so some read it), deeper than hell, the great abyss, longer than the earth, and broader than the sea, many parts of which are to this day undiscovered, and more were then. It is quite out of our reach to comprehend God's nature. Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, Psa 139:6. We cannot fathom God's designs, nor find out the reasons of his proceedings. His judgments are a great deep. Paul attributes such immeasurable dimensions to the divine love as Zophar here attributes to the divine wisdom, and yet recommends it to our acquaintance. Eph 3:18, Eph 3:19, That you may know the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, of the love of Christ.
2.God is a sovereign Lord (Job 11:10): If he cut off by death (margin, If he make a change, for death is a change; if he make a change in nations, in families, in the posture of our affairs), - if he shut up in prison, or in the net of affliction (Psa 66:11), - if he seize any creature as a hunter his prey, he will gather it (so bishop Patrick) and who shall force him to restore? or if he gather together, as tares for the fire, or if he gather to himself man's spirit and breath (Job 34:14), then who can hinder him? Who can either arrest the sentence or oppose the execution? Who can control his power or arraign his wisdom and justice? If he that made all out of nothing think fit to reduce all to nothing, or to their first chaos again, - if he that separated between light and darkness, dry land and sea, at first, please to gather them together again, - if he that made unmakes, who can turn him away, alter his mind or stay his hand, impede or impeach his proceedings?
3.God is a strict and just observer of the children of men (Job 11:11): He knows vain men. We know little of him, but he knows us perfectly: He sees wickedness also, not to approve it (Hab 1:13), but to animadvert upon it.
(1.)He observes vain men. Such all are (every man, at his best estate, is altogether vanity), and he considers it in his dealings with them. He knows what the projects and hopes of vain men are, and can blast and defeat them, the workings of their foolish fancies; he sits in heaven, and laughs at them. He takes knowledge of the vanity of men (that is, their little sins; so some) their vain thoughts and vain words, and unsteadiness in that which is good.
(2.)He observes bad men: He sees gross wickedness also, though committed ever so secretly and ever so artfully palliated and disguised. All the wickedness of the wicked is naked and open before the all-seeing eye of God: Will he not then consider it? Yes, certainly he will, and will reckon for it, though for a time he seem to keep silence.
II.See here what man is, and let him be humbled, Job 11:12.
God sees this concerning vain man that he would be wise, would be thought so, though he is born like a wild ass's colt, so sottish and foolish, unteachable and untameable. See what man is.
1.He is a vain creature - empty; so the word is. God made him full, but he emptied himself, impoverished himself, and now he is raca, a creature that has nothing in him.
2.He is a foolish creature, has become like the beasts that perish (Psa 49:20, Psa 73:22), an idiot, born like an ass, the most stupid animal, an ass's colt, not yet brought to any service. If ever he come to be good for any thing, it is owing to the grace of Christ, who once, in the day of his triumph, served himself by an ass's colt.
3.He is a wilful ungovernable creature. An ass's colt may be made good for something, but the wild ass's colt will never be reclaimed, nor regards the crying of the driver. See Job 39:5-7. Man thinks himself as much at liberty, and his own master, as the wild ass's colt does, that is used to the wilderness (Jer 2:24), eager to gratify his own appetites and passions.
4.Yet he is a proud creature and self-conceited. He would be wise, would he thought so, values himself upon the honour of wisdom, though he will not submit to the laws of wisdom. He would be wise, that is, he reaches after forbidden wisdom, and, like his first parents, aiming to be wise above what is written, loses the tree of life for the tree of knowledge. Now is such a creature as this fit to contend with God or call him to an account? Did we but better know God and ourselves, we should better know how to conduct ourselves towards God.
Historical interpretation
Two Centuries of Reception
2 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
These words mean, “Do you know what the Almighty will do at the end of his works?” I certainly grant that we have experience of things that are otherwise evident and manifest, but they only disclose to us the loftiness of heaven and all divine things.
13. What does he call ‘the footsteps of God,’ saving the lovingkindness of His visitation? by which same we are stimulated to advance forward to things above, when we are influenced by the inspiration of His Spirit, and being carried without the narrow compass of the flesh, by love we see and own the likeness of our Maker presented to our contemplation that we may follow it. For when the love of the spiritual Land kindles the heart, He as it were gives knowledge of a way to persons that follow it, and a sort of footstep of God as He goes is imprinted upon the heart laid under it, that the way of life may be kept by the same in right goings of the thoughts. For Him, Whom we do not as yet see, it only remains for us to trace out by the footsteps of His love, that at length the mind may find Him, to the reaching the likeness contemplation gives of Him, Whom now as it were, following Him in the rear, it searches out by holy desires. The Psalmist was well skilled to follow these footsteps of our Creator, when he said, My soul followeth hard after Thee. [Ps. 63, 8] Whom too he busied himself that he might find even to attaining the vision of His loftiness, when he said, My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before the face of God? [Ps. 42, 2] For then Almighty God is found out by clear conception, when the corruption of our mortality being once for all trodden under our feet, He is seen by us that are taken up into heaven in the brightness of His Divine Nature. But at this present time, the grace of the Spirit which is poured into our hearts lifts the soul from carnal aims, and elevates it into a contempt for transitory things, and the mind looks down upon all that it coveted below, and is kindled to objects of desire above, and by the force of her contemplation she is carried out of the flesh, while by the weight of her corruption she is still held fast in the flesh; she strives to obtain sight of the splendour of uncircumscribed Light, and has not power; for the soul, being burthened with infirmity, both never wins admittance, and yet loves when repelled. For our Creator already exhibits concerning Himself something whereby love may be excited, but He withdraws the appearance of His vision from those so loving. Therefore we all go on seeing only His footsteps, in that only in the tokens of His gifts we follow Him, Whom as yet we see not. Which same ‘footsteps’ cannot be comprehended, in that it is all unknown, when, where, and by what ways the gifts of His Spirit come, as ‘Truth’ bears record, saying, The wind bloweth where it listeth, and ye cannot tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. [John 3, 8] Now in the height of the rewarding the Almighty may be found out in the appearance [per speciem] afforded to contemplation, yet He can never be found out to perfection. For though sooner or later we see Him in His brightness, yet we do not perfectly behold His Essence. For the mind whether of Angels or men, whilst it gazes toward the uncircumscribed Light shrinks into little by this alone, viz. that it is a created being; and by its advancement indeed it is made to stretch above its own reach, yet not even when spread wide can it compass the splendours of Him, Who at once in transcending, in supporting, and in filling, encloses all things.
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Summary
Job 11:7, a rhetorical challenge from Zophar the Naamathite, powerfully asserts the profound incomprehensibility of God, questioning humanity's capacity to fully grasp the divine nature, wisdom, and ways through exhaustive intellectual inquiry or investigation. This verse serves as a foundational premise in Zophar's flawed argument, emphasizing the vast chasm between finite human understanding and the infinite perfection of the Almighty, thereby implicitly rebuking Job for presuming to question God's justice or to fully comprehend the divine rationale behind his suffering.
Context
Literary Context
Job 11:7 is embedded within Zophar's initial and most aggressive speech to Job, strategically placed after the contributions of Eliphaz (Job 4-5) and Bildad (Job 8). Zophar, characterized by his rigid dogmatism, immediately launches into a harsh critique, labeling Job as a "man of much talk" (Job 11:2) and asserting that Job's suffering is a direct consequence of unconfessed sin, implying that God is punishing Job less severely than his iniquity truly deserves (Job 11:6). In this context, Job 11:7 functions as a rhetorical cornerstone for Zophar's argument: if God is utterly beyond human comprehension, then Job's persistent attempts to justify himself or to question divine justice are not merely futile but presumptuous and even blasphemous. Zophar presents God as an inscrutable and omnipotent judge whose actions are beyond human reproach, thus attempting to silence any human appeal to understanding or innocence.
Historical & Cultural Context
The ancient Near East was largely dominated by a "retribution theology," a deeply ingrained worldview that directly correlated suffering with sin and prosperity with divine favor. This cultural framework profoundly shaped the arguments of Job's friends against him. Zophar's assertion of God's incomprehensibility, while a theological truth in itself, is here weaponized within this prevailing framework. He invokes the concept of divine mystery not to comfort Job or to foster constructive humility, but to shut down Job's pleas for an explanation and to reinforce the friends' unwavering belief that Job must be guilty. The cultural expectation was that a righteous person would not endure such profound suffering; therefore, Job's immense pain demanded an explanation rooted in his moral failing. Zophar's statement about God's unsearchability, consequently, serves to justify God's actions (as perfectly just, even if inscrutable) and to condemn Job's perceived rebellion against divine wisdom.
Key Themes
This verse powerfully introduces or reinforces several pivotal themes prevalent throughout the Book of Job and broader biblical theology. Primarily, it highlights God's Incomprehensibility, asserting that the divine nature, boundless wisdom, and ultimate purposes are infinitely beyond the full grasp of human intellect. This theme underscores the profound mystery inherent in the divine, a truth echoed elsewhere in Scripture, such as in Isaiah 55:8-9. Secondly, it speaks to the Limits of Human Knowledge and Wisdom, implicitly calling for profound humility before the Creator. Zophar employs this concept to caution against presuming to understand or judge God's actions completely, a point that Job himself eventually acknowledges with deep humility in Job 42:3. Lastly, the mention of "the Almighty" (Hebrew: Shadday) emphasizes God's Absolute Power and Perfection, suggesting that His judgments are beyond human critique and are always perfectly just, even when their rationale remains hidden from human sight. This aspect of God's character is central to the book's profound exploration of divine sovereignty and human suffering, ultimately culminating in God's own majestic revelation from the whirlwind in Job 38.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This noun, derived from the verb meaning "to search out," refers to an act of deep investigation, exploration, or diligent inquiry. It implies a persistent effort to penetrate, uncover, or fathom something. In the context of Job 11:7, it signifies the human attempt to intellectually probe the depths of God's being, wisdom, or purposes. Zophar's rhetorical question suggests that no amount of human intellectual effort, however diligent or exhaustive, can fully uncover or comprehend the infinite nature of God. It points to the futility of trying to exhaustively "find out" the divine.
This is a profound and ancient name for God, frequently translated as "God Almighty" or "the All-Sufficient One." It is rooted in a concept of overwhelming power and might, emphasizing God's supreme omnipotence, self-sufficiency, and His ability to both provide for and judge His creation. When used in conjunction with the idea of "finding out," it underscores that the one being sought is not merely powerful but universally sovereign, boundless, and beyond any human limitation or measure. It highlights God's unassailable authority and infinite capacity.
This word denotes the ultimate end, full extent, completion, or exhaustive knowledge. It implies reaching the absolute limit of understanding or knowledge about something, leaving nothing more to be discovered or known. Zophar's use of taklîyth powerfully reinforces the idea that God's being, wisdom, and actions cannot be exhaustively known or fully comprehended by humans; there is no "end" or boundary to His nature that human intellect can reach or fully grasp.
Verse Breakdown
"Canst thou by searching find out God?"
This is the initial rhetorical question, immediately establishing the theme of human limitation in the face of divine transcendence. The implied answer is a resounding "No." It challenges the very premise that human intellectual effort, investigative prowess, or diligent inquiry can fully grasp the infinite, transcendent God. It suggests that God's nature is not a puzzle to be solved or a secret to be uncovered by human ingenuity, but an inexhaustible and ultimately unfathomable mystery.
"canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?"
This second rhetorical question serves as a powerful parallel intensification of the first. By introducing "the Almighty" (Shadday) and the concept of "perfection" (taklîyth), Zophar emphasizes God's boundless power, absolute sovereignty, and complete, unquantifiable nature. It reiterates that not only is God beyond casual inquiry, but He is also beyond exhaustive comprehension. No human can attain a complete, final, or perfect understanding of His infinite being, His intricate ways, or His righteous judgments.
Literary Devices
Job 11:7 masterfully employs several literary devices to convey its profound theological assertion regarding divine incomprehensibility. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, which is not designed to elicit an answer but to make a forceful statement by implying an obvious negative response ("No, you cannot!"). This device effectively underscores the futility and presumption of human attempts to fully comprehend the infinite God. The verse also utilizes Parallelism, specifically synonymous parallelism, where the second line ("canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?") reiterates and intensifies the meaning of the first line ("Canst thou by searching find out God?"). This repetition strengthens the central message of divine incomprehensibility and the limits of human understanding. Furthermore, there is an implied Anthropomorphism in the concept of "finding out God," as it applies human investigative actions to the divine, only to highlight the ultimate inadequacy and impossibility of such actions when directed towards an infinite, transcendent being. The verse also functions as a form of Apophatic Theology, emphasizing what God is not (fully knowable by human search to perfection) to convey His transcendent and mysterious nature.
Theological and Thematic Connections
Job 11:7, while spoken by Zophar with a flawed and accusatory application, articulates a profound and enduring theological truth about God's transcendence and the inherent limits of human understanding. It establishes that God's being, wisdom, and ways are infinitely beyond exhaustive human comprehension, a concept foundational to understanding divine incomprehensibility. This truth serves to cultivate essential humility and deep reverence in the face of divine mystery, reminding humanity that our finite minds cannot fully grasp the infinite God. While we are indeed called to seek God diligently and to grow in our knowledge of Him personally, this verse issues a crucial caution against any presumption of exhaustive knowledge or the ability to fully rationalize every single one of His actions or purposes. It points to a God whose thoughts are immeasurably higher than our thoughts, and whose ways are far beyond our finding out, thereby demanding trust in His sovereign goodness and perfect justice even when His methods remain inscrutable to our limited perception.
Reflection and Application
Job 11:7 serves as a powerful and timeless call to humility, awe, and profound reverence before the Creator. In an age that often prioritizes intellectual mastery, exhaustive knowledge, and the ability to explain everything, this verse stands as a stark reminder that God is not an equation to be solved, a problem to be fully contained within human reason, or a concept to be exhaustively cataloged. While we are profoundly encouraged to diligently seek God, to immerse ourselves in His revealed Word, and to grow in our personal relationship with Him, this verse establishes a crucial and liberating boundary: we will never fully comprehend the infinite depths of His being, His boundless wisdom, or His ultimate purposes. This truth should not lead to despair, intellectual laziness, or a cessation of theological inquiry, but rather to a profound sense of wonder, worship, and unwavering trust. When faced with life's inexplicable sufferings, the mystery of unanswered prayers, or confusing providences, this verse encourages us to rest in the unsearchable wisdom and perfect justice of the Almighty, rather than demanding full understanding or succumbing to the temptation to judge God. Our limited, temporal perspective can never fully grasp the intricate tapestry of His eternal plan, fostering a posture of faith that trusts God's inherent goodness and perfect timing, even when His ways remain veiled to our sight.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Is Zophar's statement in Job 11:7 entirely true, even if his application to Job was flawed?
Yes, the core theological truth expressed in Job 11:7—that God is ultimately beyond exhaustive human comprehension—is profoundly affirmed throughout Scripture, even though Zophar's application of this truth to accuse Job of hidden sin was incorrect and pastorally insensitive. The Book of Job itself, particularly God's majestic speeches from the whirlwind (see Job 38-41), powerfully demonstrates God's vast and intricate wisdom and omnipotent power, which far exceed Job's (or any human's) ability to fully comprehend, question, or challenge. Other biblical passages such as Isaiah 55:8-9 and Romans 11:33 explicitly state that God's judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out. Therefore, while Zophar's pastoral approach and his specific conclusions regarding Job's suffering were deeply flawed, his statement about God's fundamental incomprehensibility is a profound and enduring theological truth.
If God is unsearchable, how can we truly know Him or have a genuine relationship with Him?
The unsearchability of God, as highlighted in Job 11:7, refers to His infinite, exhaustive knowledge and boundless being, not to His knowability in a personal, relational sense. While we cannot "find out" God "unto perfection" (i.e., fully comprehend His infinite essence or every minute detail of His eternal plan), God has graciously chosen to reveal Himself to humanity in ways that are true, sufficient, and transformative for relationship. We come to know God personally through His self-revelation in creation (Psalm 19:1-4), in His inspired written Word (the Bible), and most perfectly and fully in the person of Jesus Christ (as articulated in John 1:18). Our knowledge of God is therefore not exhaustive, meaning we will never fully grasp His infinity, but it is true, sufficient for salvation and sanctification, and enables a genuine, dynamic relationship of faith, trust, and worship.
Does this verse discourage seeking God or pursuing theological understanding?
Absolutely not. Job 11:7 does not discourage seeking God but rather refines and properly frames the nature of our seeking. It serves as a crucial caution against the presumption that finite human intellect can exhaustively comprehend the infinite divine. Instead, it encourages a posture of profound humility, reverence, and awe in our pursuit of God. We are, in fact, commanded to seek Him with all our heart (Deuteronomy 4:29), and He promises that those who seek Him diligently will find Him (Jeremiah 29:13). The verse simply reminds us that even in our deepest spiritual and theological pursuits, there will always remain an infinite depth to God that transcends our finite understanding, fostering a spirit of worshipful awe rather than intellectual arrogance or frustration.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
While Job 11:7 powerfully highlights God's unsearchable nature from the perspective of human limitation and finite capacity, the New Testament profoundly reveals how this seemingly unapproachable God has made Himself intimately knowable and accessible through the person of Jesus Christ. The "Almighty unto perfection" who cannot be "found out by searching" has, in the incarnation of His Son, become the God who is "Emmanuel—God with us" (Matthew 1:23). Prior to Christ, "No one has ever seen God" (John 1:18), but the "only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known." Jesus Himself declared, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him" (John 14:6-7). In Christ, "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3), meaning that the very wisdom and knowledge of God that Zophar declared unsearchable are now made accessible and revealed in the person of the Son. He is the "radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature" (Hebrews 1:3), making the invisible God visible and the incomprehensible God comprehensible in His redemptive purposes. Thus, while we cannot exhaustively search out God's infinite being, we can intimately know Him through the revelation of His Son, who perfectly embodies and communicates the Father's nature and will, inviting us into a relationship with the Unsearchable One.