to veil from sight · verb, hiphil active participle, masculine singular construct
counsel
עֵצָ֗ה'e.Tzah
H6098
advice · noun, common feminine singular absolute
knowledge
דָ֥עַתDa.'at
H1847
knowledge · noun, common feminine singular absolute
uttered
הִ֭גַּדְתִּיHi.gad.ti
H5046
properly · verb, hiphil perfect, 1st person common singular
understood
אָבִ֑ין'a.Vin
H995
to separate mentally (or distinguish) · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
wonderful
נִפְלָא֥וֹתnif.la.'ot
H6381
properly · verb, niphal active participle, feminine plural absolute
knew
אֵדָֽע'e.Da'
H3045
to know (properly · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Job 38:2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
Psalms 131:1 LORD, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty: neither do I exercise myself in great matters, or in things too high for me.
Psalms 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.
Psalms 40:5 Many, O LORD my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in orde…
Proverbs 30:2-4 Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Job 42:1-6
The words of Job justifying himself were ended, Job 31:40. After that he said no more to that purport. The words of Job judging and condemning himself began, Job 40:4, Job 40:5. Here he goes on with words to the same purport. Though his patience had not its perfect work, his repentance for his impatience had. He is here thoroughly humbled for his folly and unadvised speaking, and it was forgiven him. Good men will see and own their faults at last, though it may be some difficulty to bring them to do this. Then, when God had said all that to him concerning his own greatness and power appearing in the creatures, then Job answered the Lord (Job 42:1), not by way of contradiction (he had promise…
I am the man! Job in God's own words (Job 38:2) expresses his deep and humble penitence. God's word concerning our guilt should be engraven on our hearts and form the groundwork of our confession. Most men in confessing sin palliate rather than confess. Job in omitting "by words" (Job 38:2), goes even further than God's accusation. Not merely my words, but my whole thoughts and ways were "without knowledge."
too wonderful--I rashly denied that Thou hast any fixed plan in governing human affairs, merely because Thy plan was "too wonderful" for my comprehension.
Adam Clarke on Job 42:3
Who is he that hideth counsel - These are the words of Job, and they are a repetition of what Jehovah said, Job 38:2 : "Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" Job now having heard the Almighty's speech, and having received his reproof, echoes back his words: "Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge Alas, I am the man; I have uttered what I understood not; things too wonderful for me, that I knew not. God had said, Job 38:3 : "Gird up now thy loins like a man; I will demand of thee, and answer thou me." In allusion to this, Job exclaims to his Maker, Job 42:4 : "Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will ask of Thee, and declare Thou unto Me." I acknowledg…
Who is he, he says, who being sparing of words, can hide the secrets of his mind in silence, because they have not been expressed in words?
Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? For Leviathan hides counsel without knowledge, because, though he is concealed from our infirmity by many frauds, he is yet disclosed to us by the holy inspiration of our Protector. He hides counsel without knowledge, because though he escapes the notice of those who are tempted, yet he cannot escape the notice of the Protector of the tempted. Having heard therefore the power and craft of the devil, having heard also the power of our Creator, which both mightly represses him, and mercifully protects us, we entreat thee, O blessed Job, not to conceal from us that which thou thinkest of thyself. It follows; Therefore I have spoken foolishly, and things that above measure exceeded my knowledge. 3. All human wisdom, however powerful in acuteness, is foolishness, when compared with Divine wisdom. For all human deeds which are just and beautiful are, when compared with the justice and beauty of God, neither just nor beautiful, nor have any existence at all. Blessed Job therefore would believe that he had said wisely what he had said, if he did not hear the words of superior wisdom. In comparison with which all our wisdom is folly. And he who had spoken wisely to men, on hearing the Divine sayings, discourses more wisely that he is not wise. Hence it is that Abraham saw, when God was addressing him, that he was nothing but dust, saying; I speak unto my Lord, though I am dust and ashes. [Gen. 18, 27] Hence it is that Moses, though instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, as soon as he heard the Lord speaking, discovered that he was a person of more hesitating and slower speech, saying; I beseech Thee, O Lord, I am not eloquent; for from yesterday, and the day before, since Thou hast spoken unto Thy servant, I am of a more hesitating and slower tongue. [Ex. 4, 10] Hence it is that Isaiah, after he saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up, after he beheld the Seraphim covering their face with two wings, and their feet with two, and flying with two, after he heard them crying one to the other, That Which He is, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, he returned to himself, and said; Woe is me, because I have held my peace, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people that hath unclean lips. [Is. 6, 5] And he immediately added, whence he had learned this pollution, and said; And…
Dictionary and topics
Job · .Submission of, to God — .Submission of, to God
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
John Gill on Job 42:3
Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge?.... It may be understood, and supplied, as it is by Cocceius, "thou didst say"; as the Lord had said, or to this purpose; see Gill on Job 38:2; to which Job here replies, I am the foolish man that has done it, I own it with sorrow, shame, and confusion: or it may be interpreted as condemning every other man that should act the like part. Schultens understands this as spoken by Job of God, and renders the words,
"who is this that seals up counsel, which cannot be known?''
the counsels, purposes, and decrees of God are sealed up by him, among his treasures, in the cabinet of his own breast, and are not to be unsealed and unlocked by creatures,…
Job understood the message of God’s speeches: I know that you can do anything. Nothing is too hard for God (Gen 18:14; Jer 32:17; Matt 19:26) and nothing can stop his plan (Job 23:13; Isa 14:27; 46:10). Job realized how unlike God he was.
Rashi on Job 42:3
Who is this who concealed and covered the counsel and the wonders of the Holy One, blessed be He, without knowledge? I knew that everything is in Your hand to do, and so I related some of Your mighty deeds as were in my heart; as I knew [them].
but I did not understand But I did not understand so much, as You informed me, for many wonders are hidden and concealed from me, which I do not know.
