Job 38:6
New International Version
On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—

New Living Translation
What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone

English Standard Version
On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,

Berean Standard Bible
On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,

King James Bible
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

New King James Version
To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

New American Standard Bible
“On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,

NASB 1995
“On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,

NASB 1977
“On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,

Legacy Standard Bible
On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone,

Amplified Bible
“On what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

Christian Standard Bible
What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What supports its foundations? Or who laid its cornerstone

American Standard Version
Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof,

Contemporary English Version
What supports the foundation? Who placed the cornerstone,

English Revised Version
Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
On what were its footings sunk? Who laid its cornerstone

Good News Translation
What holds up the pillars that support the earth? Who laid the cornerstone of the world?

International Standard Version
On what were its bases set? Who laid its corner stone

Majority Standard Bible
On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,

NET Bible
On what were its bases set, or who laid its cornerstone--

New Heart English Bible
Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

Webster's Bible Translation
Upon what are the foundations of it fastened? or who laid its corner stone;

World English Bible
What were its foundations fastened on? Or who laid its cornerstone,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
On what have its sockets been sunk? Or who has cast its cornerstone—

Young's Literal Translation
On what have its sockets been sunk? Or who hath cast its corner-stone?

Smith's Literal Translation
Upon what were its bases impressed? or who placed its corner-stone?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Upon what are its bases grounded? or who laid the corner stone thereof,

Catholic Public Domain Version
Upon what have its bases been grounded, and who set forth its cornerstone,

New American Bible
Into what were its pedestals sunk, and who laid its cornerstone,

New Revised Standard Version
On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Upon what are its limits resting? Or who laid the cornerstone thereof?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
On what have its ends stood, or who laid the stone in its corner?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof,

Brenton Septuagint Translation
On what are its rings fastened? and who is he that laid the corner-stone upon it?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Challenges Job
5Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? 6 On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone, 7while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?…

Cross References
Proverbs 8:29
when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.

Psalm 104:5
He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.

Isaiah 40:21
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood since the foundation of the earth?

Hebrews 1:10
And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Isaiah 48:13
Surely My own hand founded the earth, and My right hand spread out the heavens; when I summon them, they stand up together.

Psalm 102:25
In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.

Zechariah 12:1
This is the burden of the word of the LORD concerning Israel. Thus declares the LORD, who stretches out the heavens and lays the foundation of the earth, who forms the spirit of man within him:

Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Colossians 1:16-17
For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.

Isaiah 45:12
It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

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.

John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Psalm 24:2
For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.

Isaiah 44:24
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,

2 Peter 3:5
But they deliberately overlook the fact that long ago by God’s word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water,


Treasury of Scripture

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

Whereupon

Job 26:7
He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.

1 Samuel 2:8
He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

Psalm 24:2
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.

foundations.

Exodus 26:18-25
And thou shalt make the boards for the tabernacle, twenty boards on the south side southward…

fastened.

Psalm 118:22
The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

Psalm 144:12
That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:

Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

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














On what
This phrase initiates a profound inquiry into the origins and stability of the earth. In the Hebrew text, the word "mah" (מָה) is used, which translates to "what" or "upon what." This question challenges human understanding and invites contemplation of the divine wisdom and power involved in creation. It emphasizes the limitations of human knowledge compared to God's omniscience.

were its foundations set
The term "foundations" in Hebrew is "mosedot" (מוֹסְדוֹת), which refers to the base or support of a structure. In ancient Near Eastern cosmology, the earth was often depicted as having physical foundations. This imagery conveys the idea of stability and order, suggesting that the earth is not a product of chaos but of intentional design. The phrase "set" implies a deliberate act by a Creator, reinforcing the belief in God's sovereign control over the universe.

or who laid
The word "laid" comes from the Hebrew "yarah" (יָרָה), meaning to throw, cast, or lay down. This action verb suggests intentionality and precision, akin to an architect carefully placing the cornerstone of a building. The rhetorical question "who" points directly to God as the master builder, highlighting His role as the ultimate source of all creation.

its cornerstone
In ancient construction, the cornerstone was the principal stone, often the largest and most stable, upon which the rest of the structure depended. The Hebrew word "pinnah" (פִּנָּה) is used here, symbolizing strength and permanence. Biblically, the cornerstone is a metaphor for Christ (as seen in Psalm 118:22 and 1 Peter 2:6), representing the foundation of faith and the church. In the context of Job, it underscores God's foundational role in the universe, inviting believers to trust in His unshakeable nature.

Verse 6. - Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? These details follow naturally upon the adoption of the particular metaphor of a house or building. They are not to be pressed. The object is to impress on Job his utter ignorance of God's ways in creation. Or who laid the corner-stone thereof? Who gave the last finishing touch to the work (see Psalm 118:22; Zechariah 4:7)? Canst thou tell? If not, why enter into controversy with the Creator?

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
On what
מָ֭ה (māh)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

were its foundations
אֲדָנֶ֣יהָ (’ă·ḏā·ne·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 134: A base, pedestal

laid,
הָטְבָּ֑עוּ (hā·ṭə·bā·‘ū)
Verb - Hofal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 2883: To sink, sink down

or
א֥וֹ (’ōw)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

who
מִֽי־ (mî-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

set
יָ֝רָ֗ה (yā·rāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3384: To flow as water, to lay, throw, to point out, to teach

its core {in place}—
אֶ֣בֶן (’e·ḇen)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 68: A stone


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OT Poetry: Job 38:6 Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who (Jb)
Job 38:5
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