Job 38:5
New International Version
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?

New Living Translation
Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?

English Standard Version
Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

Berean Standard Bible
Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?

King James Bible
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

New King James Version
Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

New American Standard Bible
Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the measuring line over it?

NASB 1995
Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?

NASB 1977
Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it?

Legacy Standard Bible
Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?

Amplified Bible
“Who determined the measurements [of the earth], if you know? Or who stretched the [measuring] line on it?

Christian Standard Bible
Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?

American Standard Version
Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it?

Contemporary English Version
Doubtless you know who decided its length and width.

English Revised Version
Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who stretched the line upon it?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Who determined its dimensions? Certainly, you know! Who stretched a measuring line over it?

Good News Translation
Who decided how large it would be? Who stretched the measuring line over it? Do you know all the answers?

International Standard Version
Who set its measurement? Am I to assume you know? Who stretched a boundary line over it?

Majority Standard Bible
Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?

NET Bible
Who set its measurements--if you know--or who stretched a measuring line across it?

New Heart English Bible
Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?

Webster's Bible Translation
Who hath laid the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

World English Bible
Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Who placed its measures—if you know? Or who has stretched out a line on it?

Young's Literal Translation
Who placed its measures -- if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched out upon it a line?

Smith's Literal Translation
Who set its measures, if thou shalt know? or who stretched the line upon it?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Who set its measurements, if you know, or who stretched a line over it?

New American Bible
Who determined its size? Surely you know? Who stretched out the measuring line for it?

New Revised Standard Version
Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Who has laid its measures, if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Who set down its measurements, if you know, and who has stretched a cord upon it?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
who set the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who stretched a line upon it?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Challenges Job
4Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it? 6On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,…

Cross References
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.

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?

Jeremiah 31:35-37
Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name: / “Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.” / 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 104:5
He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.

Psalm 33:6-9
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth. / He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses. / Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. ...

Genesis 1:1-10
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. / Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. / And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ...

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.

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,

Psalm 89:11
The heavens are Yours, and also the earth. The earth and its fullness You founded.

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

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.

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.

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.

Romans 11:33-36
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?” / “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?” ...

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

Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know? or who has stretched the line on it?

laid

Job 11:9
The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

Job 28:25
To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.

Proverbs 8:27
When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:

who hath stretched

Psalm 19:4
Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Psalm 78:55
He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.

Isaiah 34:11
But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.

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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














Who fixed its measurements?
This phrase invites us to consider the divine wisdom and authority of God as the Creator. The Hebrew word for "fixed" is "שׂוּם" (sum), which implies setting or establishing something with intention and precision. In the context of creation, it suggests that God has meticulously determined the dimensions of the earth, highlighting His omniscience and omnipotence. This rhetorical question challenges Job—and by extension, all humanity—to recognize the limits of human understanding compared to God's infinite knowledge. It serves as a reminder of the order and purpose inherent in creation, which is beyond human comprehension.

Surely you know!
This phrase is a divine challenge to Job, emphasizing the irony and futility of human presumption in understanding the mysteries of creation. The Hebrew word "יָדַע" (yada) means to know or perceive, often implying intimate or experiential knowledge. Here, God is pointing out Job's lack of such knowledge regarding the creation of the world. It underscores the theme of humility before God, encouraging believers to trust in God's wisdom and sovereignty, even when faced with life's inexplicable circumstances.

Or who stretched a measuring line across it?
The imagery of a "measuring line" evokes the precision and intentionality of a master builder. The Hebrew word "קָו" (qav) refers to a line used for measurement, symbolizing order and structure. In ancient times, builders used measuring lines to ensure accuracy in construction, reflecting the meticulous care God took in creating the universe. This phrase reinforces the concept of God as the ultimate architect, whose plans are perfect and whose purposes are unassailable. It invites believers to marvel at the complexity and beauty of creation, inspiring awe and reverence for the Creator who governs all things with wisdom and love.

Verse 5. - Who determined the measures thereof? Everything in creation is orderly, measured, predetermined, governed by law and will The actual weight of the planets is fixed by Divine wisdom, with a view to the stability and enduringness of the solar system (comp. Isaiah 40:12). If thou knowest; literally, for thou knowest - an anticipation of the lofty irony which comes out so remarkably in ver. 21. Or who hath stretched the line upon it? Human builders determine the dimensions of their constructions by means of a measuring-line (Ezekiel 40:3-49, etc.). The writer carries out his metaphor of a building by supposing a measuring-rod to have been used at the creation of the earth also. Some find a trace of the idea in Genesis 1:9, where they translate קָווּ הַמַּיִם, "Let the waters be marked out with a line."

Parallel Commentaries ...


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

fixed
שָׂ֣ם (śām)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

its measurements?
מְ֭מַדֶּיהָ (mə·mad·de·hā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4461: Measurement

Surely
כִּ֣י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you know!
תֵדָ֑ע (ṯê·ḏā‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3045: To know

Or
א֤וֹ (’ōw)
Conjunction
Strong's 176: Desire, if

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

stretched
נָטָ֖ה (nā·ṭāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5186: To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend

a measuring line
קָּֽו׃ (qāw)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6957: A cord, for, measuring, a rule, a rim, a musical string, accord

across it?
עָלֶ֣יהָ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against


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OT Poetry: Job 38:5 Who determined its measures if you know? (Jb)
Job 38:4
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