Job 38:21
New International Version
Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!

New Living Translation
But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!

English Standard Version
You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!

Berean Standard Bible
Surely you know, for you were already born! And the number of your days is great!

King James Bible
Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

New King James Version
Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great?

New American Standard Bible
“You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great!

NASB 1995
“You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great!

NASB 1977
“You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great!

Legacy Standard Bible
You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great!

Amplified Bible
“You [must] know, since you were born then, And because you are so extremely old!

Christian Standard Bible
Don’t you know? You were already born; you have lived so long!

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Don’t you know? You were already born; you have lived so long!

American Standard Version
Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, And the number of thy days is great!

Contemporary English Version
I'm certain you must be able to, since you were already born when I created everything.

English Revised Version
Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great!

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You must know because you were born then and have lived such a long time!

Good News Translation
I am sure you can, because you're so old and were there when the world was made!

International Standard Version
You should know! After all, you had been born back then, so the number of your days is great!

Majority Standard Bible
Surely you know, for you were already born! And the number of your days is great!

NET Bible
You know, for you were born before them; and the number of your days is great!

New Heart English Bible
Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great.

Webster's Bible Translation
Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

World English Bible
Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
You have known—for then you are born, "" And the number of your days [are] many!

Young's Literal Translation
Thou hast known -- for then thou art born And the number of thy days are many!

Smith's Literal Translation
Knewest thou? for shalt thou then be born, and the number of thy days great?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Didst thou know then that thou shouldst be born ? and didst thou know the number of thy days?

Catholic Public Domain Version
So then, did you know when you were to be born? And did you know the number of your days?

New American Bible
You know, because you were born then, and the number of your days is great!

New Revised Standard Version
Surely you know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Do you remember when you were born, and do you know if you will live many days?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if you know when you were conceived, and the number of your days, if they are many?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Thou knowest it, for thou wast then born, And the number of thy days is great!

Brenton Septuagint Translation
I know then that thou wert born at that time, and the number of thy years is great.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Challenges Job
20so you can lead it back to its border? Do you know the paths to its home? 21Surely you know, for you were already born! And the number of your days is great! 22Have you entered the storehouses of snow or observed the storehouses of hail,…

Cross References
Isaiah 40:14
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?

Proverbs 8:22-31
The LORD created me as His first course, before His works of old. / From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, before the earth began. / When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water. ...

Psalm 104:5-9
He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved. / You covered it with the deep like a garment; the waters stood above the mountains. / At Your rebuke the waters fled; at the sound of Your thunder they hurried away— ...

Jeremiah 10:12-13
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. / When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

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?” ...

Isaiah 45:7-12
I form the light and create the darkness; I bring prosperity and create calamity. I, the LORD, do all these things. / Drip down, O heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness. Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout and righteousness spring up with it; I, the LORD, have created it. / Woe to him who quarrels with his Maker—one clay pot among many. Does the clay ask the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘He has no hands’? ...

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. ...

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.

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.

Psalm 139:1-6
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me. / You know when I sit and when I rise; You understand my thoughts from afar. / You search out my path and my lying down; You are aware of all my ways. ...

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.

Isaiah 46:9-10
Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. / I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’

Psalm 147:4-5
He determines the number of the stars; He calls them each by name. / Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.

Hebrews 1:10-12
And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. / They will perish, but You remain; they will all wear out like a garment. / You will roll them up like a robe; like a garment they will be changed; but You remain the same, and Your years will never end.”

Proverbs 3:19-20
The LORD founded the earth by wisdom and established the heavens by understanding. / By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open, and the clouds dripped with dew.


Treasury of Scripture

Know you it, because you were then born? or because the number of your days is great?

Job 38:4,12
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding…

Job 15:7
Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills?

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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














Surely you know
This phrase is a divine challenge from God to Job, emphasizing human limitations in contrast to divine omniscience. The Hebrew root for "know" is יָדַע (yada), which implies an intimate, experiential knowledge. In the context of Job, this is a rhetorical question highlighting Job's lack of understanding of the universe's mysteries, which only God fully comprehends. It serves as a reminder of the vast gap between human and divine wisdom, encouraging humility and reverence for God's infinite knowledge.

for you were already born!
This phrase is laden with irony, as God points out the absurdity of Job's presumed wisdom by sarcastically suggesting that Job was present at the creation of the world. The Hebrew word for "born" is יָלַד (yalad), which signifies the act of bringing forth life. This highlights the temporal nature of human existence compared to God's eternal presence. Historically, this underscores the belief in God's pre-existence and sovereignty over creation, reminding believers of their place within God's grand design.

And the number of your days is great!
Here, God continues the rhetorical tone, suggesting that Job's lifespan is extensive enough to have witnessed the foundations of the earth. The Hebrew word for "days" is יוֹם (yom), often used to denote time or age. This phrase serves to contrast the brevity and limitations of human life with God's eternal nature. It is a call to recognize the fleeting nature of human existence and to trust in God's eternal wisdom and plan. In a broader scriptural context, it encourages believers to seek wisdom from God, who transcends time and human understanding.

(21) Knowest thou it?--It is better to read this verse without an interrogation, as sublime irony. "Doubtless thou knowest all this, for thou wast born then, and the number of thy days is so great!"

Verse 21. - Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? The irony that has underlain the whole address comes here to the surface, and shows itself palpably. Job, of course, is as old as the Almighty, or, at any rate, coeval with creation; otherwise he could not presume to take the tone which he has taken, and arraign the moral government of the Creator. Or because the number of thy days is great! Compare the sarcasm of Eliphaz (Job 15:7).

Parallel Commentaries ...


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

for
כִּי־ (kî-)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you were already
אָ֣ז (’āz)
Adverb
Strong's 227: At that time, place, therefore

born!
תִּוָּלֵ֑ד (tiw·wā·lêḏ)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 3205: To bear young, to beget, medically, to act as midwife, to show lineage

And the number
וּמִסְפַּ֖ר (ū·mis·par)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4557: A number, definite, indefinite, narration

of your days
יָמֶ֣יךָ (yā·me·ḵā)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

is great!
רַבִּֽים׃ (rab·bîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great


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OT Poetry: Job 38:21 Surely you know for you were born (Jb)
Job 38:20
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