Job 38:18
New International Version
Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.

New Living Translation
Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!

English Standard Version
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.

Berean Standard Bible
Have you surveyed the extent of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

King James Bible
Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

New King James Version
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

New American Standard Bible
“Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

NASB 1995
“Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

NASB 1977
“Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

Legacy Standard Bible
Have you carefully considered the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

Amplified Bible
“Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

Christian Standard Bible
Have you comprehended the extent of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Have you comprehended the extent of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

American Standard Version
Hast thou comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if thou knowest it all.

Contemporary English Version
And how large is the earth? Tell me, if you know!

English Revised Version
Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth? declare, if thou knowest it all.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Have you [even] considered how wide the earth is? Tell me, if you know all of this!

Good News Translation
Have you any idea how big the world is? Answer me if you know.

International Standard Version
Do you understand the breadth of the earth? Tell me, since you know it all!

Majority Standard Bible
Have you surveyed the extent of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

NET Bible
Have you considered the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know it all!

New Heart English Bible
Have you comprehended the earth in its breadth? Declare, if you know it all.

Webster's Bible Translation
Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

World English Bible
Have you comprehended the earth in its width? Declare, if you know it all.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You have understanding, "" Even to the broad places of earth! Declare—if you have known it all.

Young's Literal Translation
Thou hast understanding, Even unto the broad places of earth! Declare -- if thou hast known it all.

Smith's Literal Translation
Wilt thou consider even to the breadth of the earth? Announce if thou knewest all of it.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Hast thou considered the breadth of the earth? tell me, if thou knowest all things?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Have you considered the breadth of the earth? If you know all things, reveal them to me.

New American Bible
Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell me, if you know it all.

New Revised Standard Version
Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Have you seen the whole breadth of the earth? Declare to me if you know it all.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Have you seen all the breadth of the Earth? Show me if you know
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Hast thou surveyed unto the breadths of the earth? Declare, if thou knowest it all.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And hast thou been instructed in the breadth of the whole earth under heaven? tell me now, what is the extent of it?
Audio Bible



Context
God Challenges Job
17Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? 18Have you surveyed the extent of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. 19Where is the way to the home of light? Do you know where darkness resides,…

Cross References
Psalm 104:24-25
How many are Your works, O LORD! In wisdom You have made them all; the earth is full of Your creatures. / Here is the sea, vast and wide, teeming with creatures beyond number, living things both great and small.

Isaiah 40:12
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?

Proverbs 8:27-29
I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, / when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, / 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.

Jeremiah 31:37
This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.

Psalm 139:7-10
Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? / If I ascend to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. / If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle by the farthest sea, ...

Isaiah 45:18
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens—He is God; He formed the earth and fashioned it; He established it; He did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited: “I am the LORD, and there is no other.

Genesis 1:9-10
And God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered into one place, so that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. / God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Amos 9:6
He builds His upper rooms in the heavens and founds His vault upon the earth. He summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth. The LORD is His name.

Romans 11:33
O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!

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.

Hebrews 1:2-3
But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. / The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.

1 Corinthians 8:6
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we exist. And there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we exist.

Ephesians 3:9
and to illuminate for everyone the stewardship of this mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things.

John 1:3
Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”


Treasury of Scripture

Have you perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if you know it all.

Psalm 74:17
Thou hast set all the borders of the earth: thou hast made summer and winter.

Psalm 89:11,12
The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them…

Isaiah 40:28
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

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Breadth Broad Compassed Comprehended Declare Earth Expanse Limits Note Perceived Places Surveyed Understanding Understood Vast Wide
Job 38
1. God challenges Job to answer
4. God, by his mighty works, convinces Job of ignorance
31. and weakness














Have you surveyed
The phrase "Have you surveyed" invites us to consider the vastness and complexity of God's creation. The Hebrew root word here is "yada," which means to know or perceive. This word challenges Job, and by extension, us, to reflect on our limited understanding compared to God's omniscience. In a historical context, ancient civilizations had limited means to explore the earth, making this question even more profound. It underscores the divine wisdom and knowledge that surpasses human capability.

the extent of the earth?
The "extent of the earth" refers to the vastness and boundaries of the physical world. The Hebrew word "erets" is used for "earth," which can mean land, country, or the entire world. This phrase emphasizes the grandeur and complexity of creation. In the ancient Near Eastern context, the earth was often seen as a flat disc, yet God's question points to a deeper understanding of the earth's vastness that only He possesses. This serves as a reminder of God's sovereignty over all creation, encouraging believers to trust in His divine plan and wisdom.

Tell Me
"Tell Me" is a direct challenge from God to Job, highlighting the personal nature of God's interaction with humanity. The imperative form in Hebrew, "nagad," means to declare or make known. This command underscores the intimate relationship between God and man, where God invites dialogue but also reveals the limitations of human knowledge. It serves as a humbling reminder of our position before an all-knowing God, encouraging a posture of reverence and awe.

if you know all this
The phrase "if you know all this" is a rhetorical question that highlights human limitations. The Hebrew word "yada" is again used here, emphasizing knowledge or understanding. This question serves to remind Job, and us, of the vast difference between human and divine knowledge. It calls believers to acknowledge their dependence on God, who alone possesses complete understanding. This humility before God is a central theme in the book of Job, encouraging faith and trust in His perfect wisdom and timing.

(18) Perceived.--Or rather, perhaps, comprehended.

The breadth of the earth.--The earth being conceived of as a vast plain (comp. Job 38:13). Unscientific as all this language is, it is not a little remarkable that the majestic sublimity of it is not one whit affected thereby.

Verse 18. - Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? literally, the breadths; i.e. the dimensions generally. The exact dimensions are probably not even yet known. Job can scarcely have had any conception of them. To him the earth was probably a vast plain, extended, he knew not how far, in all directions. Declare if thou knowest it all (comp. vers. 4, 5, and 21).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Have you surveyed
הִ֭תְבֹּנַנְתָּ (hiṯ·bō·nan·tā)
Verb - Hitpael - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 995: To separate mentally, understand

the extent
רַחֲבֵי־ (ra·ḥă·ḇê-)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 7338: Breadth, broad expanse

of the earth?
אָ֑רֶץ (’ā·reṣ)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land

Tell [Me],
הַ֝גֵּ֗ד (hag·gêḏ)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5046: To be conspicuous

if
אִם־ (’im-)
Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

you know
יָדַ֥עְתָּ (yā·ḏa‘·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

all this.
כֻלָּֽהּ׃ (ḵul·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every


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OT Poetry: Job 38:18 Have you comprehended the earth in its (Jb)
Job 38:17
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