Job 11:6
New International Version
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know this: God has even forgotten some of your sin.

New Living Translation
If only he would tell you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom is not a simple matter. Listen! God is doubtless punishing you far less than you deserve!

English Standard Version
and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.

Berean Standard Bible
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.

King James Bible
And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

New King James Version
That He would show you the secrets of wisdom! For they would double your prudence. Know therefore that God exacts from you Less than your iniquity deserves.

New American Standard Bible
And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets part of your guilt.

NASB 1995
And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

NASB 1977
And show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

Legacy Standard Bible
And tell you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know then that God forgets a part of your iniquity.

Amplified Bible
And [that He would] show you the secrets of wisdom! For sound wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God forgets a part of your wickedness and guilt.

Christian Standard Bible
He would show you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your iniquity.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He would show you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God has chosen to overlook some of your sin.

American Standard Version
And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

Contemporary English Version
and let you know that wisdom has many different sides. You would then discover that God has punished you less than you deserve.

English Revised Version
And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that iris manifold in effectual working! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He would tell you the secrets of wisdom, because [true] wisdom is twice [as great as your wisdom], and you would know that God forgets your sin.

Good News Translation
He would tell you there are many sides to wisdom; there are things too deep for human knowledge. God is punishing you less than you deserve.

International Standard Version
and disclose his wise secrets? After all, there's so much more to understanding. So be aware that God will exact from you less than your sin deserves."

Majority Standard Bible
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.

NET Bible
and reveal to you the secrets of wisdom--for true wisdom has two sides--so that you would know that God has forgiven some of your sins.

New Heart English Bible
that he would show you the secrets of wisdom. For true wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves.

Webster's Bible Translation
And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thy iniquity deserveth.

World English Bible
that he would show you the secrets of wisdom! For true wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And declares to you secrets of wisdom, for counsel has foldings. And know that God forgets of your iniquity for you.

Young's Literal Translation
And declare to thee secrets of wisdom, For counsel hath foldings. And know thou that God forgetteth for thee, Some of thine iniquity.

Smith's Literal Translation
And he shall announce to thee hidden things of wisdom, for they are the double for understanding. And know thou that God will set to thee from thine iniquity.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
That he might shew thee the secrets of wisdom, and that his law is manifold, and thou mightest understand that he exacteth much less of thee, than thy iniquity deserveth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
so that he might reveal to you the secrets of wisdom, and how intricate his law is, and that you would understand how much less he requires of you than your iniquity deserves.

New American Bible
And tell you the secrets of wisdom, for good sense has two sides; So you might learn that God overlooks some of your sinfulness.

New Revised Standard Version
and that he would tell you the secrets of wisdom! For wisdom is many-sided. Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And that he would show you the secrets of wisdom, for wisdom has inner chambers; then you would know that God would forgive your sins.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he was showing you the secrets of wisdom, because there are inner chambers to wisdom, and you have known that God has forgiven you your sins
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And that He would tell thee the secrets of wisdom, That sound wisdom is manifold! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Then shall he declare to thee the power of wisdom; for it shall be double of that which is with thee: and then shalt thou know, that a just recompence of thy sins has come to thee from the Lord.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Zophar Rebukes Job
5But if only God would speak and open His lips against you, 6and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves. 7Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?…

Cross References
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; / in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

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.

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 2:10-11
But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. / For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

Psalm 139:6
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

Ecclesiastes 3:11
He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.

Psalm 92:5
How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!

1 Corinthians 13:9-12
For we know in part and we prophesy in part, / but when the perfect comes, the partial passes away. / When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. ...

Psalm 40:5
Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders You have done, and the plans You have for us—none can compare to You—if I proclaim and declare them, they are more than I can count.

Ephesians 3:18-19
will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth / of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Psalm 147:5
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.

Romans 8:28
And we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose.

Isaiah 40:28
Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.

Colossians 2:2-3
that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ, / in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Psalm 145:3
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.


Treasury of Scripture

And that he would show you the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves.

shew thee

Job 15:8,11
Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? …

Job 28:28
And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.

Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

God exacteth

Ezra 9:13
And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespass, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this;

Psalm 103:10
He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

Psalm 106:43-46
Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity…

Jump to Previous
Clear Deserves Deserveth Double Exacteth Exacts Forgets Forgotten Guilt Iniquity Less Manifold Part Purpose Realised Secrets Shew Show Sides Sin Sound True. Understanding Wisdom Wonders
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Clear Deserves Deserveth Double Exacteth Exacts Forgets Forgotten Guilt Iniquity Less Manifold Part Purpose Realised Secrets Shew Show Sides Sin Sound True. Understanding Wisdom Wonders
Job 11
1. Zophar reproves Job for justifying himself
5. God's wisdom is unsearchable
13. The assured blessing of repentance














and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom
The phrase "disclose to you the secrets of wisdom" suggests a revelation of divine knowledge that is beyond human understanding. In Hebrew, the word for "secrets" (סוֹד, sod) often implies intimate counsel or confidential plans. This indicates that true wisdom is not merely intellectual but is deeply spiritual and relational, requiring a connection with God. Historically, wisdom literature in the Bible, such as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, emphasizes that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord (Proverbs 9:10). This phrase encourages believers to seek God's wisdom, which is often hidden from the proud but revealed to the humble and faithful.

for true wisdom has two sides
The concept that "true wisdom has two sides" can be understood as the multifaceted nature of divine wisdom. The Hebrew word for "sides" (תּוּשִׁיָּה, tushiyyah) can also mean sound wisdom or resourcefulness. This suggests that God's wisdom is comprehensive and balanced, encompassing both justice and mercy, knowledge and understanding. In the broader scriptural context, this duality reflects the complexity of God's character and His creation, where seemingly contradictory elements work together harmoniously. For believers, this serves as a reminder to trust in God's perfect wisdom, even when circumstances seem perplexing.

Know then that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves
This phrase underscores the theme of divine mercy. The Hebrew root for "exact" (דָּרַשׁ, darash) implies a demand or requirement, yet the context here highlights God's leniency. Theologically, this reflects the concept of grace, where God, in His mercy, does not punish us to the full extent of our sins. Historically, this understanding is foundational in Christian doctrine, where the sacrificial atonement of Christ is seen as the ultimate expression of God's mercy, sparing humanity from the deserved consequences of sin. For believers, this is a call to gratitude and humility, recognizing that God's grace is a gift that should lead to repentance and a transformed life.

(6) They are double to that which is!--This translation conveys no sense, and is not a translation; see the last Note.

Verse 6. - And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom! In God are "all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hid away" (ἀπόκρυφοι Colossians 2:3). Zophar wishes that he would reveal to Job this wisdom, or a portion of it, as, in that case, all his pride and self-confidence would be confounded and fall away. That they are double to that which is! This phrase is very obscure. Some translate, "For he (i.e. God) is twice as wise as thou;" others, "That it (i.e. wisdom) is manifold in effectual working;" others, again, "That they (i.e. the treasures of wisdom) are double (or manifold) in substance." Perhaps this last rendering is to be preferred. The treasures of wisdom that are hid away in God have many depths, secret and unexplored; they "lie, as it were, fold over fold, in unexpected complexities, defying the shallow and unscrutinizing gaze" (Professor Stanley Leathes). If they were revealed to Job, they would astonish, confound, silence, him. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth. "Be sure," i.e., "that God, so far from inflicting on thee a more severe punishment than thou deservest, in reality excuses much of thy guilt, and punishes thee less than is thy due." This is Zophar's conclusion from his general knowledge of God's dealings with man (comp. Ezra 9:13).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
and disclose
וְיַגֶּד־ (wə·yag·geḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive imperfect Jussive - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

to you
לְךָ֨ ׀ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

the secrets
תַּֽעֲלֻמ֣וֹת (ta·‘ă·lu·mō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural construct
Strong's 8587: A hidden thing, secret

of wisdom,
חָכְמָה֮ (ḥāḵ·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2451: Wisdom

for
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

true wisdom
לְֽת֫וּשִׁיָּ֥ה (lə·ṯū·šî·yāh)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8454: Support, ability, help, an undertaking, understanding

has two sides.
כִפְלַ֪יִם (ḵip̄·la·yim)
Noun - md
Strong's 3718: A duplicate

Know
וְדַ֡ע (wə·ḏa‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

then that
כִּֽי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

God
אֱ֝ל֗וֹהַ (’ĕ·lō·w·ha)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 433: God -- a deity, the Deity

exacts
יַשֶּׁ֥ה (yaš·šeh)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5382: To forget, to neglect, to remit, remove

from you
לְךָ֥ (lə·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's Hebrew

[less] than your iniquity [deserves].
מֵעֲוֺנֶֽךָ׃ (mê·‘ă·wō·ne·ḵā)
Preposition-m | Noun - common singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 5771: Iniquity, guilt, punishment for iniquity


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OT Poetry: Job 11:6 That he would show you the secrets (Jb)
Job 11:5
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