Job 38:2
New International Version
“Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?

New Living Translation
“Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words?

English Standard Version
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Berean Standard Bible
“Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge?

King James Bible
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

New King James Version
“Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

New American Standard Bible
“Who is this who darkens the divine plan By words without knowledge?

NASB 1995
“Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

NASB 1977
“Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

Legacy Standard Bible
“Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

Amplified Bible
“Who is this that darkens counsel [questioning my authority and wisdom] By words without knowledge?

Christian Standard Bible
Who is this who obscures my counsel with ignorant words?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words?

American Standard Version
Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge?

Contemporary English Version
Why do you talk so much when you know so little?

English Revised Version
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Who is this that belittles my advice with words that do not show any knowledge [about it]?

Good News Translation
Who are you to question my wisdom with your ignorant, empty words?

International Standard Version
"Who is this who keeps darkening my counsel without knowing what he's talking about?

Majority Standard Bible
?Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge?

NET Bible
"Who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge?

New Heart English Bible
"Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

Webster's Bible Translation
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

World English Bible
“Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“Who [is] this—darkening counsel, "" By words without knowledge?

Young's Literal Translation
Who is this -- darkening counsel, By words without knowledge?

Smith's Literal Translation
Who this darkening counsel in words without knowledge?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who is this that wrappeth up sentences in unskillful words?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Who is this that wraps sentences in unskilled words?

New American Bible
Who is this who darkens counsel with words of ignorance?

New Revised Standard Version
“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who is this that gives counsel by words without knowledge?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
“Who is this who devises doctrine in words without knowledge?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who is this that darkeneth counsel By words without knowledge?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Who is this that hides counsel from me, and confines words in his heart, and thinks to conceal them from me?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Challenges Job
1Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2“Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge? 3Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.…

Cross References
Job 42:3
You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.

Job 34:35
‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words lack insight.’

Job 35:16
So Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge.”

Job 40:2
“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who argues with God give an answer.”

Job 40:8
Would you really annul My justice? Would you condemn Me to justify yourself?

Isaiah 40:14
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?

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

Proverbs 30:2-4
Surely I am the most ignorant of men, and I lack the understanding of a man. / I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. / Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!

Ecclesiastes 5:2
Do not be quick to speak, and do not be hasty in your heart to utter a word before God. For God is in heaven and you are on earth. So let your words be few.

Jeremiah 49:7
Concerning Edom, this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Is there no longer wisdom in Teman? Has counsel perished from the prudent? Has their wisdom decayed?

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 1:20
Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?

1 Corinthians 3:19-20
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” / And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

1 Timothy 1:7
They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they are saying or that which they so confidently assert.

James 3:13
Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.


Treasury of Scripture

Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

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 23:4,5
I would order my cause before him, and fill my mouth with arguments…

Job 24:25
And if it be not so now, who will make me a liar, and make my speech nothing worth?

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Counsel Dark Makes Purpose Words
Job 38
1. God challenges Job to answer
4. God, by his mighty works, convinces Job of ignorance
31. and weakness














Who is this
This phrase initiates a divine interrogation, emphasizing God's authority and omniscience. In the Hebrew text, the word "this" (זֶה, zeh) is used to point out someone specific, in this case, Job. The question is rhetorical, highlighting the audacity of a human questioning the divine. It sets the stage for God’s response, underscoring the vast chasm between human understanding and divine wisdom.

who obscures
The Hebrew root for "obscures" is "חָשַׁךְ" (chashak), meaning to darken or make unclear. This word choice suggests that Job's attempts to understand or explain God's ways have clouded rather than clarified the truth. It implies that human reasoning, when not aligned with divine revelation, can lead to confusion and misunderstanding.

My counsel
The term "counsel" (עֵצָה, etzah) refers to God's divine plan and wisdom. In the biblical context, it often denotes God's purposeful and sovereign will. This phrase reminds readers that God's plans are beyond human comprehension and are executed with perfect wisdom and justice. It is a call to trust in God's ultimate plan, even when it is not fully understood.

by words
The Hebrew word for "words" is "מִלִּין" (millin), which can refer to speech or discourse. This highlights the power and impact of spoken language. In this context, it suggests that Job's speeches, though eloquent, lack the depth and insight necessary to grasp divine mysteries. It serves as a caution against relying solely on human rhetoric when grappling with spiritual truths.

without knowledge
The phrase "without knowledge" (בְּלִי דַּעַת, beli da'at) underscores the limitations of human understanding. "Da'at" refers to knowledge or perception, often associated with experiential or relational understanding. This critique of Job's discourse points to the inadequacy of human wisdom when it is not informed by divine revelation. It serves as a humbling reminder of the need for humility and reverence before God's infinite wisdom.

(2) Who is this?--The question may be answered by Job's own words (Job 14:1). It is a man as so described, a dying and enfeebled man, like Job himself, not even a man in his best estate, but one so persecuted and exhausted as Job: one, therefore, altogether unequal to the task he has undertaken.

That darkeneth counsel.--That is, probably, my counsel, which was the matter under debate. The words, however, are often used proverbially in a general sense. Such discussions, carried on, as they cannot but be, in entire ignorance by blind mortals, must to God's omniscience seem thus, and cannot be otherwise than the darkening of counsel by words without knowledge.

Verse 2. - Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? It is very noticeable that God entirely ignores the reasonings of Elihu, and addresses himself, in the first instance, wholly to Job, with whom he begins by remonstrating. Job has not been without fault. He has spoken many "words without knowledge" or with insufficient knowledge, and has thus trenched on irreverence, and given the enemies of God occasion to blaspheme. Moreover, he has "darkened counsel." Instead of making the ways of God clear to his friends and companions, he has east doubts upon God's moral government (Job 21:7-26), upon his mercy and loving-kindness (Job 16:7-14), almost upon his justice (Job 19:7; Job 31:1-35). He is thus open to censure, and receives censure, and owns himself "vile" (Job 40:4), before peace and reconciliation can be established.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
“Who
מִ֤י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

is this
זֶ֨ה ׀ (zeh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

who obscures
מַחְשִׁ֖יךְ (maḥ·šîḵ)
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 2821: To be dark, to darken

My counsel
עֵצָ֥ה (‘ê·ṣāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 6098: Advice, plan, prudence

by words
בְמִלִּ֗ין (ḇə·mil·lîn)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 4405: A word, a discourse, a topic

without
בְּֽלִי־ (bə·lî-)
Adverb
Strong's 1097: Failure, nothing, destruction, without, not yet, because not, as long as

knowledge?
דָֽעַת׃ (ḏā·‘aṯ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1847: Knowledge


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OT Poetry: Job 38:2 Who is this who darkens counsel (Jb)
Job 38:1
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