Job 22:13

Old Testament Wisdom/Poetry ASV (1901)

What does Job 22:13 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?
Job 22:13 — American Standard Version

Context — Job 22

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
13And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness?

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And thou sayest, how doth God know? etc.] What is done on earth, the works of the children of men, their sinful actions, when he dwells at such a distance, and so remote from the earth, as the height of the stars, and highest heavens, be; not that Job said this expressly with his lips, but in his heart; Eliphaz imagined and supposed that such was the reasoning of his mind; it was an invidious consequence he had drawn from what Job had said concerning the afflictions of the godly, and the prosperity of the wicked; which he interpreted as a denial of the providence of God, as if he had no regard to human affairs, but things took place in a very disorderly and confused way, without any regard…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Rather, And yet thou sayest, God does not concern Himself with ("know") human affairs (Psa 73:11).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And thou sayest, How doth God know? - That is, it “follows” from what you have said; or the opinion which you have advanced is “the same” as if you had affirmed this. How common it is to charge a man with holding what we “infer,” from something which he has advanced, he must hold, and then to proceed to argue “as if” he actually held that. The philosophy of this is plain. He advances a certain opinion. “We” infer at once that he can hold that only on certain grounds, or that if he holds that he must hold something else also. We can see that if “we” held that opinion, we should also, for the sake of consistency, be compelled to hold something which seems to follow from it, and we cannot see…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“How: or, What doth God know: Psa 10:11, Psa 59:7, Psa 73:11, Psa 94:7-9; Eze 8:12, Eze 9:9; Zep 1:12 Job 22:14”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification