Job 11:8

8 {It is higher than the heaven}; what can you do? [It is] deeper than Sheol; what can you know?

Job 11:8 Meaning and Commentary

Job 11:8

[It is] as high as heaven; what canst thou do?
&c.] Or, "is higher than the heavens" F9; either the wisdom of God and the secrets of it; the perfection of his wisdom, by which he has made the heavens; or evangelical wisdom, hid in his heart, and which the highest of creatures, the angels, come at the knowledge of only by revelation; and therefore, what can man do to find it out, unless God reveals it? or wisdom displayed in dark providences, which can never be accounted for until the judgments of God are made manifest: or else, "he [that is] God", as the Vulgate Latin version, is "higher than the heavens"; the heaven is his throne on which he sits, and therefore he must be higher than that; the heavens, and heaven of heavens, cannot contain him; he fills up the infinite space beyond them; how is it possible therefore to find him out, to comprehend him?

deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
meaning, neither the grave nor the place of the damned, for both which "Sheol" is sometimes used, but the centre or lowest part of the earth; there is a depth in God, in his essence, in his thoughts, in his wisdom, displayed in nature, providence, and grace, that is unfathomable; we can know nothing of it but what he is pleased to make known; see ( Psalms 92:5 ) ( Romans 11:33 ) ; the Targum of the verse is,

``in the height of heaven, what canst thou do? in the law, which is deeper than hell, what canst thou know?''


FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Mymv yhbg) "altior est altissimis coelis", Junius & Tremellius.

Job 11:8 In-Context

6 and [that] he would tell you [the] secrets of wisdom, for {insight has many sides}. And know that God {on your behalf} has forgotten {some of} your guilt.
7 "Can you find [out] the essence of God, or can you find [out] {the ultimate limits} of Shaddai?
8 {It is higher than the heaven}; what can you do? [It is] deeper than Sheol; what can you know?
9 Its measure [is] longer than [the] earth and broader than [the] sea.
10 "If he passes through and imprisons someone {and summons the assembly}, then who can hinder him?

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Literally "heights of heaven"
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.