Job 42:4
New International Version
“You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.’

New Living Translation
You said, ‘Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.’

English Standard Version
‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’

Berean Standard Bible
You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak. I will question you, and you shall inform Me.’

King James Bible
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

New King James Version
Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

New American Standard Bible
‘Please listen, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’

NASB 1995
‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.’

NASB 1977
‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask Thee, and do Thou instruct me.’

Legacy Standard Bible
‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You make me know.’

Amplified Bible
‘Hear, please, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct [and answer] me.’

Christian Standard Bible
You said, “Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform me.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You said, “Listen now, and I will speak. When I question you, you will inform Me.”

American Standard Version
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

Contemporary English Version
You told me to listen and answer your questions.

English Revised Version
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"[You said,] 'Listen now, and I will speak. I will ask you, and you will teach me.'

Good News Translation
You told me to listen while you spoke and to try to answer your questions.

International Standard Version
Listen now, and I will speak for myself; I'll interrogate you and then inform me.

Majority Standard Bible
You said, ?Listen now, and I will speak. I will question you, and you shall inform Me.?

NET Bible
You said, 'Pay attention, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'

New Heart English Bible
You said, 'Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will ask of thee, and declare thou to me.

World English Bible
You said, ‘Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Please hear, and I speak; [You said], I ask you, and you cause Me to know.

Young's Literal Translation
'Hear, I pray thee, and I -- I do speak, I ask thee, and cause thou me to know.'

Smith's Literal Translation
Hear, now, and I will speak: I will ask thee and make thou known to me.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Hear, and I will speak : I will ask thee, and do thou tell me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Listen, and I will speak. I will question you, and you may answer me.

New American Bible
“Listen, and I will speak; I will question you, and you tell me the answers.”

New Revised Standard Version
‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you declare to me.’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Hear me, I pray thee, and I will speak; I will ask thee, and declare thou to me;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Hear me and I shall speak. I shall ask; you teach me
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Hear, I beseech Thee, and I will speak; I will demand of Thee, and declare Thou unto me.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But hear me, O Lord, that I also may speak: and I will ask thee, and do thou teach me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Submits Himself to the LORD
3You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. 4You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak. I will question you, and you shall inform Me.’ 5My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.…

Cross References
Job 38:3
Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.

Job 40:7
“Now brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together,” says the LORD. “Though your sins are like scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are as red as crimson, they will become like wool.

Isaiah 41:21
“Present your case,” says the LORD. “Submit your arguments,” says the King of Jacob.

Isaiah 43:26
Remind Me, let us argue the matter together. State your case, so that you may be vindicated.

Isaiah 50:4
The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.

Jeremiah 1:9
Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.

Jeremiah 15:19
Therefore this is what the LORD says: “If you return, I will restore you; you will stand in My presence. And if you speak words that are noble instead of worthless, you will be My spokesman. It is they who must turn to you, but you must not turn to them.

Psalm 25:4-5
Show me Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. / Guide me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; all day long I wait for You.

Psalm 119:27
Make clear to me the way of Your precepts; then I will meditate on Your wonders.

Psalm 119:33-34
Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep them to the end. / Give me understanding that I may obey Your law, and follow it with all my heart.

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

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.

Matthew 7:7-8
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. / For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.


Treasury of Scripture

Hear, I beseech you, and I will speak: I will demand of you, and declare you to me.

Hear

Genesis 18:27,30-32
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: …

I will

Job 38:3
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.

Job 40:7
Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

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Answers Beseech Cause Declare Demand Ear Hear Inform Instruct Mind Question Questions Speak
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Answers Beseech Cause Declare Demand Ear Hear Inform Instruct Mind Question Questions Speak
Job 42
1. Job submits himself unto God
7. God, preferring Job's cause, makes his friends submit themselves, and accepts him
10. He magnifies and blesses Job
16. Job's age and death














You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall inform Me.'
You said
This phrase indicates a direct address to God, acknowledging His authority and the initiation of divine communication. In the Hebrew text, the verb "אמר" (amar) is used, which is a common term for speaking or saying. This highlights the personal and relational aspect of God's interaction with Job. It underscores the importance of listening to God's words, as they are not just commands but a dialogue that invites response and reflection.

Listen now
The Hebrew word for "listen" is "שְׁמַע" (shema), which carries a deeper meaning than just hearing. It implies obedience and understanding. In the context of Job, it is a call to pay attention to God's wisdom and to be receptive to His teaching. This is reminiscent of the Shema in Deuteronomy 6:4, which is a central declaration of faith in Judaism, emphasizing the importance of listening to and obeying God.

and I will speak
Here, God promises to communicate directly with Job. The Hebrew root "דבר" (dabar) is used for "speak," which often conveys the idea of authoritative speech. This phrase reassures Job that God is not silent in his suffering but is actively engaging with him. It reflects the biblical theme that God desires to reveal Himself and His purposes to humanity.

I will question you
The phrase indicates a shift in the dialogue where God takes the role of the questioner. The Hebrew verb "שָׁאַל" (sha'al) means to ask or inquire. This is not merely an interrogation but an invitation for Job to consider his own understanding and limitations. It serves as a reminder of the vastness of God's wisdom compared to human knowledge.

and you shall inform Me
This phrase is somewhat ironic, as it highlights the futility of human attempts to fully comprehend God's ways. The Hebrew verb "יָדַע" (yada) means to know or to inform. In this context, it underscores the lesson that Job, and by extension all believers, must recognize their own limitations and the need for humility before God. It is a call to trust in God's greater wisdom and to submit to His divine plan.

(4) Hear, I beseech thee.--This cannot in like manner be appropriately assigned to Job, but, as in Job 38:3; Job 40:7, must be referred to God; then the confession of Job 42:5-6 comes in very grandly. How much of our knowledge of God is merely hearsay? and it is not till the experimental teaching of the Holy Ghost has revealed God to our consciences that we really see Him with the inward eye. The confession of Job, therefore, is the confession of every converted man. Compare in a much later and very different, and yet analogous sphere, the confession of St. Paul (Galatians 1:16).

Verse 4. - Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me, Job refers to God's words in Job 38:3 and Job 40:7, and realizes the humbling effect which they had had on him. They made him feel how little he knew on the subject of God's works and ways, and how little competent he was to judge them. Hence he bursts into the confession-

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You said, ‘Listen
שְֽׁמַֽע־ (šə·ma‘-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

now,
נָ֭א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

and I
וְאָנֹכִ֣י (wə·’ā·nō·ḵî)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - first person common singular
Strong's 595: I

will speak.
אֲדַבֵּ֑ר (’ă·ḏab·bêr)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

I will question you,
אֶ֝שְׁאָלְךָ֗ (’eš·’ā·lə·ḵā)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - first person common singular | second person masculine singular
Strong's 7592: To inquire, to request, to demand

and you shall answer Me.’
וְהוֹדִיעֵֽנִי׃ (wə·hō·w·ḏî·‘ê·nî)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 3045: To know


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OT Poetry: Job 42:4 You said 'Listen now and I will (Jb)
Job 42:3
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