What you know, I also know;
In this phrase, Job asserts his understanding and knowledge, emphasizing that he is not lacking in wisdom compared to his friends. This reflects the broader context of the Book of Job, where Job's friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, have been offering their interpretations of Job's suffering, often suggesting that it is due to sin. Job's statement here is a rebuttal to their claims, indicating that he is aware of the same theological and moral principles they are discussing. This can be connected to the wisdom literature tradition in the Old Testament, where knowledge and understanding are highly valued (Proverbs 1:7). Job's assertion also highlights the theme of human wisdom versus divine wisdom, a central theme in the book.

I am not inferior to you.
Job's declaration of equality with his friends underscores his frustration with their condescending attitudes. In the cultural and historical context of the Ancient Near East, social status and wisdom were often linked, and Job's friends may have assumed a position of superiority due to their perceived understanding of God's ways. Job's insistence on his own dignity and understanding challenges this assumption. This phrase can be seen as a precursor to the New Testament teaching on the equality of all believers before God (Galatians 3:28). Additionally, Job's defense of his integrity and wisdom foreshadows the ultimate vindication he receives from God at the end of the book, where God rebukes Job's friends and affirms Job's righteousness (Job 42:7-9).

1. Job
A man described as blameless and upright, who feared God and shunned evil. He is the central figure in the Book of Job, known for his immense suffering and unwavering faith.

2. Job's Friends
Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar are the three friends who come to comfort Job but end up arguing with him, suggesting that his suffering is due to sin.

3. Uz
The land where Job lived, often associated with the region east of Israel, possibly in Edom or northern Arabia.

4. God
The sovereign Creator who allows Job's faith to be tested by Satan, yet ultimately restores him.

5. Satan
The adversary who challenges Job's integrity, suggesting that his faith is only due to his prosperity.Humility in Knowledge
Job acknowledges that he is not inferior in understanding to his friends, reminding us that true wisdom comes from God, not human comparison.

The Limits of Human Wisdom
Job's statement challenges us to recognize the limitations of human wisdom and the need to seek God's perspective in our trials.

Integrity in Suffering
Job maintains his integrity despite his friends' accusations, teaching us to hold fast to our faith and character even when misunderstood.

The Value of Discernment
Job's discernment in recognizing the inadequacy of his friends' advice encourages us to seek discernment in our own lives, especially when facing trials.

Confidence in God's Justice
Job's confidence in his understanding points to a deeper trust in God's justice and righteousness, encouraging us to trust in God's ultimate plan.XIII.

(2) I am not inferior unto you.--I fall not short of you. But it is this very sense of the inscrutableness of God's dealings that makes him long to come face to face with God, and to reason with Him on the first principles of His action. As it is manifestly the traditionally orthodox position that his friends assume, it is refreshing to find that there may be some truth spoken for God by what is not so reckoned, and that more ultimate truth may exist in honest doubt than is sometimes found in the profession of a loosely-held creed. So the Laureate:

"There lives more truth in honest doubt,

Believe me, than in half the creeds."

Verse 2. - What ye know, the same do I know also. Job's friends have claimed to instruct him and set him right, on the ground of their age and experience (Job 4:8; Job 5:27; Job 8:8-10), He protests that, in the matters on which they have lectured him, they have no advantage over himself - he knows all that they know - in truth, the knowledge is open to all (see Job 12:3). I am not inferior unto you. An exact repetition of the second clause of Job 12:3.

Parallel Commentaries ...


What you know,
כְּֽ֭דַעְתְּכֶם (kə·ḏa‘·tə·ḵem)
Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 1847: Knowledge

I
אָ֑נִי (’ā·nî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 589: I

also
גַם־ (ḡam-)
Conjunction
Strong's 1571: Assemblage, also, even, yea, though, both, and

know;
יָדַ֣עְתִּי (yā·ḏa‘·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 3045: To know

I
אָנֹכִ֣י (’ā·nō·ḵî)
Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

am not
לֹא־ (lō-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

inferior
נֹפֵ֖ל (nō·p̄êl)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 5307: To fall, lie

to you.
מִכֶּֽם׃ (mik·kem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's 4480: A part of, from, out of


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OT Poetry: Job 13:2 What you know I know also (Jb)