11:7 Can you discover the depths of God? These questions of Zophar expect a negative reply. The same Hebrew word is behind the word discover in both parts of the sentence. The NASB preserves that idea by translating this with the same English word. It is often translated find and is used in Job 28:12 when the question where is wisdom found used.The word depths is from a Hebrew word (cheqer) used 12 times in the OT, 7 of those cases from the book of Job (5:9; 8:8; 9:10; 34:24; 36:26; 38:16). The word is ...
11:7 Can you discover the depths of God? These questions of Zophar expect a negative reply. The same Hebrew word is behind the word discover in both parts of the sentence. The NASB preserves that idea by translating this with the same English word. It is often translated find and is used in Job 28:12 when the question where is wisdom found used.
The word depths is from a Hebrew word (cheqer) used 12 times in the OT, 7 of those cases from the book of Job (5:9; 8:8; 9:10; 34:24; 36:26; 38:16). The word is particularly significant in Job 5:9 and 9:10 for both Eliphaz and Job acknowledged that God does things beyond searching out. Psalm 145:3 also uses the term. (I Cor. 2:10)
Can you discover the limits of the Almighty? The word limits (taklith) describes the boundaries, the farthest reaches of something (Neh.3:21; Job 26:10; 28:3; Ps.139:22).
We cannot search the heart of the highest men (Prov. 25:3), how much less can we search the heart of God? Human beings cannot reach the outer limits of the physical universe, who can reach the outer limits of God? God’s presence dwarfs the physical world that He created (Isa. 40:12).
11:8 They are high as the heavens, what can you do? Isa. 7:11; 55:8-9; Ps.103:11. Job used this word for do (paal) in 7:20 asking what he had done to God to deserve his suffering. Bildad uses the same word to ask Job what he has done that leads him to think he understands God.
Deeper than Sheol, what can you know? Lam. 2:13 The height of the heavens is contrasted with the depth of Sheol (Ps. 135:6; 139:8; Amos 9:2). In 10:13 Job used the same word know to affirm that he knew what was in God’s heart.
11:9 Its measure is longer than the earth- Eph. 3:18. The earth and sea are mentioned together in Hag. 2:6.
And broader than the sea
This section remind us of Psalms 103, 139; Isaiah 40:12-17, and even the LORD’s speeches in Job 38-41. The friends say many things that are good and right, but they draw the wrong conclusions from those truths.
“A human being has a difficult time comprehending God’s ways, for he observes them only in part. He lacks the full picture that is necessary to understand how a particular occurrence fits within God’s plan.”[1]
How is Zophar using this statement on God limitless nature? He especially applies it to God’s knowledge to separate the righteous from the wicked, the guilty from the innocent in vs. 10-11. Prov. 25:3; 30:4 Is Zophar implying that he has searched deeper and higher than Job has? Does he think that he had figured God out? How does he know that God has overlooked some of Job’s sins?
[1] Hartley, 197.
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