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Commentary on Job 11 verses 7–12
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.
He means either, “Can you do anything similar?” or “You are a humble creature in the universe, and consequently you can do nothing; and you are as far from God as ‘heaven is removed from earth.’ ”
14. In that God is set forth as ‘higher than heaven,’ ‘deeper than hell,’ ‘longer than the earth,’ and ‘broader than the sea,’ this must be understood in a spiritual sense, inasmuch as it is impious to conceive any thing concerning Him after the proportions of body. Now He is ‘higher than heaven,’ in that He transcends all things by the Incomprehensibility of His spiritual Nature. He is ‘deeper than hell,’ in that in transcending He sustains beneath. He is ‘longer than the earth,’ in that He exceeds the measure of created being by the everlasting continuance of His Eternity. He is ‘broader than the sea,’ in that He so possesses the waves of temporal things in ruling them, that in confining He encompasses them beneath the every way prevailing presence of His Power. Though it is possible that by the designation of ‘Heaven’ the Angels may be denoted, and by the term ‘hell,’ the demons, while by the ‘earth’ the righteous, and by the ‘sea’ sinners are understood. Thus He is ‘higher than the heaven,’ in that the very Elect Spirits themselves do not perfectly penetrate the vision of His infinite loftiness? He is ‘deeper than hell,’ in that He judges and condemns the craft of evil spirits with far more searching exactness than they had ever thought, He is ‘longer than the earth,’ in that He surpasses our long-suffering by the patience of Divine long-suffering, which both bears with us in our sins, and welcomes us when we are turned from them to the rewards of His recompensing. He is ‘wider than the sea,’ in that he every where enters into the doings of sinners by the presence of His retributive power, so that even when He is not seen present by His appearance, He is felt present by His judgment.
15. Yet all the particulars may be referred to man alone, so that he is Himself ‘heaven,’ when now in desire he is attached to things above; himself ‘hell,’ when he lies grovelling in things below, confounded by the mists of his temptations; himself ‘earth,’ in that he is made to abound in good works through the fertility of a stedfast hope; himself ‘the sea,’ for that on some occasions he is shaken with alarm, and agitated by the breath of his feebleness. But God is ‘higher than heaven,’ in that we are subdued by the mightiness of His power, even when we are lifted above our own selves. He is ‘deeper than hell,’ in that He goes deeper in judging than the very human mind looks into its own self in the midst of temptations, He is ‘longer than the earth,’ in that those fruits of our life which He gives at the end, our very hope at the present time comprehends not at all. He is ‘wider than the sea,’ in that the human mind being tossed to and fro throws out many fancies concerning the things that are coming, but when it now begins to see the things that it had made estimate of, it owns itself to have been too stinted in its reckoning. Therefore He is made ‘higher than heaven,’ since our contemplation itself fails toward Him. Hence the Psalmist too had set his heart on high, yet he felt that he had not yet reached unto Him, saying, Thy knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is mighty, I cannot attain unto it. [Ps. 139, 6] He knew One deeper than hell, who when sifting his own heart, yet dreading His more searching judgment, said, For I know nothing by myself, yet am I not hereby justified: but He that judgeth me is the Lord. [1 Cor. 4, 4] He saw One ‘longer than the earth,’ when he was brought to reflect that the wishes of man’s heart were too little for him, saying, Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. [Eph. 3, 20] He had beheld One ‘broader than the sea,’ who considered whilst he feared that the human mind may never know the immeasurableness of His severity, however it may toss and fret in enquiring after it, saying, Who knoweth the power of Thine anger, and for fear can tell Thy wrath? [Ps. 90, 11] Whose Power the inimitable teacher rightly gives us the knowledge of, when he briefly says, That ye may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height. [Eph. 3, 18] For God has ‘breadth,’ in that He extends His love even to gathering in the very persecutors. He has ‘length,’ in that He leads us onwards by bearing with us in long-suffering to the country of life. He has ‘loftiness,’ in that He far transcends the understanding of the very beings themselves that have been admitted into the heavenly assemblage. He has ‘depth,’ in that upon the damned below He displays the visitation of His severity in an incomprehensible manner. And these same four attributes He exercises towards each one of us, that are placed in this life, in that by loving, He manifests His ‘breadth;’ by suffering, His ‘length;’ by surpassing not only our understanding, but even our very wishes, His ‘height;’ and His ‘depth,’ by judging with strictness the hidden and unlawful motions of the thoughts. Now His height and depth how unsearchable it is no man knows saving he, who has begun either by contemplation to be carried up on high, or in resisting the hidden motions of the heart to be troubled by the urgency of temptation. And hence the words are spoken to blessed Job, He is higher than heaven what canst thou do? deeper than hell, whence canst thou know? As if it were said to him in open contempt, ‘His depth and excellency when mayest thou ever discover, who are not taught either to be lifted up on high by virtue, or to deal severely with thyself in temptations.
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SUMMARY
Job 11:8 encapsulates Zophar the Naamathite's fervent attempt to assert God's immeasurable wisdom and power, contrasting it sharply with human limitations. As one of Job's three friends, Zophar dogmatically believes Job's suffering is a direct consequence of unconfessed sin. In this verse, he employs rhetorical questions and spatial metaphors to emphasize the infinite, unsearchable nature of God's attributes, arguing that any human attempt to comprehend or challenge divine justice is utterly futile and arrogant. While Zophar's general statements about God's transcendence are biblically true, his specific application to Job's situation is profoundly misguided, a misjudgment later rebuked by God Himself.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 11:8 is rich in literary devices that amplify Zophar's message of divine transcendence and human limitation. The most prominent is Merism, where "as high as heaven" and "deeper than hell" are used in conjunction to encompass the totality of existence, from the highest heavens to the lowest depths of the underworld. This device powerfully conveys the boundless, all-encompassing nature of God's wisdom and knowledge. The verse also employs Hyperbole, exaggerating the spatial dimensions to emphasize the infinite and unquantifiable nature of God's attributes. Furthermore, the two Rhetorical Questions, "what canst thou do?" and "what canst thou know?", are not meant to elicit answers but to forcefully assert the futility and inadequacy of human action and understanding when confronted with divine majesty. These questions function as a strong declaration of human powerlessness and intellectual limitation in the face of God's infinite wisdom.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 11:8, despite its flawed application by Zophar, articulates a profound theological truth about the infinite and unsearchable nature of God's wisdom and knowledge. This verse reminds humanity that God's ways are not our ways, and His thoughts are infinitely higher and deeper than our own. It calls us to a posture of humility and reverence, acknowledging that much of God's grand design and sovereign working will remain a mystery to our finite minds. This truth is not meant to discourage inquiry but to foster trust in a God whose wisdom far surpasses our comprehension, especially in times of inexplicable suffering or confusion. It encourages us to rest in His perfect character, even when His purposes are hidden from our view.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 11:8, though spoken by a flawed human instrument, serves as a timeless reminder of the vast, unsearchable depths of God's being. In a world that often demands immediate answers and complete understanding, this verse invites us to embrace a posture of humility and awe before the divine. It challenges our tendency to reduce God to our own intellectual categories or to demand explanations for every circumstance. Instead, it calls us to acknowledge that His wisdom transcends our comprehension, His plans are perfect even when mysterious, and His ways are beyond our ability to fully grasp. This profound truth should not lead to intellectual paralysis but to deeper trust and worship, recognizing that the God who is "as high as heaven" and "deeper than hell" is also the God who lovingly sustains all things. It encourages us to rest in His sovereignty, even when life's circumstances defy our understanding, knowing that His infinite wisdom is always working for His glory and our ultimate good.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Was Zophar's statement about God's wisdom accurate, even if his application to Job was flawed?
Answer: Yes, Zophar's general statements about God's infinite wisdom, knowledge, and power are biblically accurate and align with the broader revelation of God's character throughout Scripture. The Bible consistently portrays God as omniscient and omnipotent, with understanding far beyond human capacity. Passages like Psalm 147:5 affirm that "His understanding is unsearchable," and Isaiah 40:28 declares that "there is no searching of His understanding." The flaw in Zophar's argument, and that of Job's other friends, was not in their theological understanding of God's attributes, but in their rigid and misapplied retribution theology. They wrongly assumed that Job's intense suffering was a direct and proportional punishment for specific, unconfessed sin, thereby misjudging Job's righteousness and God's complex dealings with humanity. The Book of Job ultimately reveals that God's wisdom often operates in ways that defy human explanation or neat theological formulas, as seen in God's rebuke of the friends in Job 42:7.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Job 11:8, spoken by Zophar, highlights the unsearchable and incomprehensible wisdom of God, its ultimate fulfillment and revelation are found in the person of Jesus Christ. The New Testament declares that Christ Himself is "the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24) and that in Him "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:3). The vast, infinite wisdom of God, which Zophar proclaimed as utterly beyond human reach, is made accessible and knowable through the Incarnation. Jesus, being God made flesh, perfectly embodies and reveals this divine wisdom. He is the one who "has made [the Father] known" (John 1:18) and through whom we gain understanding of God's deepest purposes, including the mystery of salvation. Thus, while Job 11:8 points to the transcendence of God's wisdom, Christ is the bridge, the ultimate revelation through whom humanity can truly "know" and "do" in a way that honors the incomprehensible God, not by scaling heaven or plumbing hell, but by trusting in the One who descended from heaven and conquered death, making the Father's wisdom known.