Job 15:8
New International Version
Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?

New Living Translation
Were you listening at God’s secret council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom?

English Standard Version
Have you listened in the council of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself?

Berean Standard Bible
Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?

King James Bible
Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

New King James Version
Have you heard the counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

New American Standard Bible
“Do you hear the secret discussion of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?

NASB 1995
“Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?

NASB 1977
“Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And limit wisdom to yourself?

Legacy Standard Bible
Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And cut down wisdom only unto yourself?

Amplified Bible
“Do you hear the secret counsel of God, And do you limit [the possession of] wisdom to yourself?

Christian Standard Bible
Do you listen in on the council of God, or have a monopoly on wisdom?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Do you listen in on the council of God, or have a monopoly on wisdom?

American Standard Version
Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? And dost thou limit wisdom to thyself?

Contemporary English Version
Have you ever been present when God's council meets? Do you alone have wisdom?

English Revised Version
Hast thou heard the secret counsel of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Did you listen in on God's council meeting and receive a monopoly on wisdom?

Good News Translation
Did you overhear the plans God made? Does human wisdom belong to you alone?

International Standard Version
Have you listened in on God's secret council? Have you limited wisdom only to yourself?

Majority Standard Bible
Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?

NET Bible
Do you listen in on God's secret council? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

New Heart English Bible
Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?

Webster's Bible Translation
Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

World English Bible
Have you heard the secret counsel of God? Do you limit wisdom to yourself?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Do you hear of the secret counsel of God? And withdraw wisdom to you?

Young's Literal Translation
Of the secret counsel of God dost thou hear? And withdrawest thou unto thee wisdom?

Smith's Literal Translation
Shalt thou hear in the consultation of God? and wilt thou reserve wisdom to thyself?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Hast thou heard God's counsel, and shall his wisdom be inferior to thee?

Catholic Public Domain Version
Have you heard the intentions of God, and will his wisdom be inferior to you?

New American Bible
Do you listen in on God’s council and restrict wisdom to yourself?

New Revised Standard Version
Have you listened in the council of God? And do you limit wisdom to yourself?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Have you heard of the secrets of God? Has his wisdom been revealed to you?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Have you heard the secret of LORD JEHOVAH, and is wisdom revealed to you?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Dost thou hearken in the council of God? And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Or hast thou heard the ordinance of the Lord? or has God used thee as his counsellor? and has wisdom come only to thee?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Eliphaz: Job Does Not Fear God
7Were you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? 8Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself? 9What do you know that we do not? What do you understand that is not clear to us?…

Cross References
Job 12:2
“Truly then you are the people with whom wisdom itself will die!

Job 11:6
and disclose to you the secrets of wisdom, for true wisdom has two sides. Know then that God exacts from you less than your iniquity deserves.

Job 38:2
“Who is this who obscures My counsel by words without knowledge?

Job 42:3
You 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.

Isaiah 40:13-14
Who has directed the Spirit of the LORD, or informed Him as His counselor? / Whom did He consult to enlighten Him, and who taught Him the paths of justice? Who imparted knowledge to Him and showed Him the way of understanding?

Romans 11:34
“Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?”

1 Corinthians 2:16
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, so as to instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.

Job 32:8-9
But there is a spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding. / It is not only the old who are wise, or the elderly who understand justice.

Proverbs 30:3-4
I have not learned wisdom, and I have no knowledge of the Holy One. / Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His hands? Who has bound up the waters in His cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is the name of His Son—surely you know!

Ecclesiastes 8:17
I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.

Isaiah 55:8-9
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. / “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.

1 Corinthians 3:18-20
Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise. / For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. As it is written: “He catches the wise in their craftiness.” / And again, “The Lord knows that the thoughts of the wise are futile.”

Job 21:22
Can anyone teach knowledge to God, since He judges those on high?

Job 26:14
Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”

Jeremiah 23:18
But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and hear His word? Who has given heed to His word and obeyed it?


Treasury of Scripture

Have you heard the secret of God? and do you restrain wisdom to yourself?

the secret

Job 11:6
And that he would shew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.

Deuteronomy 29:29
The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Psalm 25:14
The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.

thou restrain

Job 12:2
No doubt but ye are the people, and wisdom shall die with you.

Job 13:5,6
O that ye would altogether hold your peace! and it should be your wisdom…

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Council Counsel God's Hear Heard Hearken Limit Meeting Present Restrain Secret Thyself Wisdom
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Council Counsel God's Hear Heard Hearken Limit Meeting Present Restrain Secret Thyself Wisdom
Job 15
1. Eliphaz reproves Job for impiety in justifying himself
17. He proves by tradition the restlessness of wicked men














Do you listen
The phrase "Do you listen" implies an active engagement and attentiveness to divine communication. In the Hebrew context, the word for "listen" often carries the connotation of obedience and understanding, not merely hearing. This suggests a deeper spiritual discipline of being attuned to God's voice, which is a recurring theme throughout Scripture. The challenge here is whether Job claims a special insight or revelation that others do not possess, questioning the humility and openness required to truly hear God.

in on God's council
The "council" of God refers to the divine assembly or the heavenly court where God deliberates and makes decisions. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, councils were places of authority and wisdom. The Hebrew word used here can also denote a secret or intimate conversation, suggesting a privileged access to divine mysteries. This rhetorical question posed by Eliphaz challenges Job's claim to understanding God's ways, emphasizing the vastness and mystery of divine wisdom that is beyond human comprehension.

or limit wisdom
To "limit wisdom" implies setting boundaries on what can be known or understood. In the biblical context, wisdom is often portrayed as a divine gift, something that comes from God and is not confined by human limitations. The Hebrew root for "wisdom" (חָכְמָה, chokmah) encompasses skill, insight, and moral understanding. Eliphaz is questioning whether Job is arrogantly confining wisdom to his own perspective, rather than acknowledging its divine source and infinite nature.

to yourself?
The phrase "to yourself" highlights the personal and introspective nature of the accusation. It suggests self-centeredness or pride in one's own understanding. In the broader scriptural narrative, humility is a key virtue, and the acknowledgment of one's limitations is crucial in the pursuit of true wisdom. This question challenges Job to consider whether he is isolating himself from the communal and divine sources of wisdom, thus missing the broader picture of God's purposes and plans.

Verse 8. - Hast thou heard the secret of God? or, Hast thou been a hearer in the secret counsel of God? (comp. Jeremiah 23:18, "Who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and hoard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it?"). No mortal man was ever admitted to the secret counsel of the Most Highest (comp. Romans 11:34). And dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? or, Dost thou confine (appropriate) wisdom to thyself? i.e. Dost thou suppose that thou art the only wise man in all the world? (comp. Job 12:2, where Job had brought the same charge against his three friends).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Do you listen in
תִּשְׁמָ֑ע (tiš·mā‘)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 8085: To hear intelligently

on God's
אֱל֣וֹהַ (’ĕ·lō·w·ha)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 433: God -- a deity, the Deity

council
הַבְס֣וֹד (haḇ·sō·wḏ)
Article, Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 5475: A session, company of persons, intimacy, consultation, a secret

or limit
וְתִגְרַ֖ע (wə·ṯiḡ·ra‘)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 1639: To scrape off, to shave, remove, lessen, withhold

wisdom
חָכְמָֽה׃ (ḥāḵ·māh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 2451: Wisdom

to yourself?
אֵלֶ֣יךָ (’ê·le·ḵā)
Preposition | second person masculine singular
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to


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OT Poetry: Job 15:8 Have you heard the secret counsel (Jb)
Job 15:7
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