Job 12:9 kjv
Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the LORD hath wrought this?
Job 12:9 nkjv
Who among all these does not know That the hand of the LORD has done this,
Job 12:9 niv
Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
Job 12:9 esv
Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
Job 12:9 nlt
For they all know
that my disaster has come from the hand of the LORD.
Job 12 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 19:1 | The heavens declare the glory of God... | Nature's universal testimony to God. |
| Ps 24:1 | The earth is the LORD’s, and all its fullness... | God's absolute ownership and dominion over creation. |
| Ps 33:6 | By the word of the LORD the heavens were made... | God's powerful creative agency. |
| Ps 104:24 | O LORD, how manifold are Your works! The earth is full... | The extensiveness and variety of God's works. |
| Isa 40:26 | Lift up your eyes on high, and see Who has created these things... | Direct question inviting recognition of the Creator. |
| Rom 1:20 | ...since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen... | God's attributes are self-evident in creation to all. |
| Acts 14:17 | He did good, gave us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons... | God's ongoing providence and sustenance through nature. |
| Gen 1:1 | In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. | Fundamental statement of God as the sole Creator. |
| Exo 3:20 | ...I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt... | God's powerful action and intervention (His "hand"). |
| Deut 2:15 | Indeed the hand of the LORD was against them to destroy... | God's active power in judgment. |
| Ps 8:6 | You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands... | Creation itself is referred to as the "works of Your hands." |
| Isa 66:2 | "...All these things My hand has made," says the LORD. | God declaring His absolute creative power. |
| Neh 2:8 | ...according to the good hand of my God upon me. | God's guiding, protecting, and enabling hand. |
| Job 10:8 | Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity... | God's personal, intricate creative work in individuals. |
| John 10:28-29 | ...no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. | God's protecting power and sovereign grip. |
| Ps 95:4 | In His hand are the deep places of the earth... | God's comprehensive control over all parts of creation. |
| 1 Chr 29:12 | Both riches and honor come from You, and in Your hand is power and might. | God as the source of all power and authority. |
| Lam 3:38 | Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that woe and well-being proceed? | God's sovereignty over all outcomes, both good and bad. |
| Jer 8:7 | Even the stork in the heavens knows her appointed times... but my people do not. | Animals' instinctual knowledge contrasted with human spiritual ignorance. |
| Isa 1:3 | The ox knows its owner and the donkey its master’s crib; but Israel does not know... | Rebuke for failing to recognize one's Creator/Master, even animals do. |
| 1 Cor 1:20-21 | Where is the wise?... For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God... | Human intellectual wisdom fails to apprehend God, who reveals Himself universally. |
| Luke 19:40 | "...if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out." | The very creation would testify to God's truth if humans refused. |
| Job 12:10 | In His hand is the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind. | Directly connected, further defining the scope of God's hand over life. |
Job 12 verses
Job 12 9 Meaning
Job 12:9 conveys Job's rhetorical challenge to his friends, asserting that the omnipotent power and active agency of the LORD in creation are universally evident. It suggests that every created thing, even down to the animals and the very earth itself, testifies to God's ultimate dominion and authorship over all things. The verse implies that to deny or ignore this fundamental truth is to be more ignorant than the creatures themselves.
Job 12 9 Context
Job 12:9 is part of Job’s third response to his friends, specifically targeting Zophar, but generally addressing the trio's repetitive arguments. Job criticizes their claim to exclusive wisdom, pointing out that what they pronounce as profound truths about God are, in fact, self-evident to even the non-human creation. The preceding verses (Job 12:7-8) challenge them to "ask the beasts... the birds... the earth... and the fish of the sea" to learn. This sets up the rhetorical question of verse 9, asserting that all of creation bears undeniable witness to God's creative power and ongoing sovereign rule. Job is not denying God's power, but rather questioning his friends' simplistic explanations of divine justice and their lack of true insight into God's expansive, multifaceted dominion, evident in the natural world. He emphasizes God's total sovereignty and the universally observable manifestations of His might, contrasting it with his friends' limited understanding.
Job 12 9 Word analysis
- Who: The Hebrew term מִי (mî) introduces a rhetorical question, implying an emphatic "No one!" or "Everyone knows!" It highlights the widespread and undeniable nature of the truth being stated.
- among all these: בְּכָל־אֵ֤לֶּה (bəḵāl-ʾḗlleh) directly refers back to the creatures and elements of nature mentioned in verses 7 and 8 – beasts, birds, fish, and the earth itself. It emphasizes the universal scope of this knowledge beyond just humanity.
- does not know: The phrase לֹא־יָ֣דַע (lōʾ-yāḏaʿ) combines the negative particle "not" with the verb "to know" (yadaʿ). "Yadaʿ" signifies not just intellectual assent but often a deep, experiential, and relational knowledge. Job asserts that even animals, through instinct and direct experience of the natural world, perceive this fundamental truth.
- that the hand: The Hebrew יַד־ (yaḏ-) means "hand," but here it's an anthropomorphic metaphor representing God's active power, agency, sovereignty, control, and effective action. It encompasses His creative power, providential sustenance, and ultimate authority. This metaphor is common in Scripture, denoting divine involvement.
- of the LORD: יְהוָ֣ה (YHWH), the sacred, personal covenant name of God, underscores that this is not just any deity or force, but the one true God who acts powerfully in creation and history. It points to His unique identity and covenant faithfulness.
- has done: עָ֭שָׂתָה (ʿāśāṯāh) from the verb ʿāśāh (to do, make, accomplish, create). It signifies a completed action, emphasizing God's definitive and effective work in bringing the universe and life into existence and continually sustaining it. "This" refers to the processes of life, creation, sustenance, and governing of the natural world, which Job had just illustrated through appealing to nature itself.
- "Who among all these does not know": This phrase underlines the undeniable, self-evident nature of God's creative and sustaining power. It is a rebuke to Job's friends, suggesting their purported wisdom pales in comparison to the basic, universally understood truths displayed by creation. Even unthinking creatures understand by instinct what these wise men miss.
- "that the hand of the LORD has done this": This highlights God's sole and ultimate agency behind all phenomena in the created order. It proclaims His omnipotence and active involvement. The natural order, the sustenance of life, the intricacies of the animal kingdom—all point unequivocally to the purposeful and powerful action of the Sovereign God.
Job 12 9 Bonus section
The verse strongly supports the concept of natural theology, indicating that humanity is inherently without excuse concerning the knowledge of God's power through observable creation. This "knowing" transcends mere intellectual understanding, implying an innate testimony of creation that registers even on a non-human level. It emphasizes God's immanence, His active presence and ongoing work within His creation, rather than a deistic distant observation. Job is subtly criticizing his friends for reducing God to a formulaic system of reward and punishment, thereby overlooking the profound mystery and overwhelming majesty of a God who operates far beyond human comprehension, yet whose creative work is plainly visible to all who simply observe. This perspective sets the stage for the later speeches by Elihu and God Himself, which further expand on divine sovereignty and wisdom in ways that far surpass human wisdom.
Job 12 9 Commentary
Job 12:9 serves as a powerful declaration by Job of the universally evident truth of God's creative power and sovereign hand. It is a rhetorical device used by Job to challenge his friends' narrow and human-centric view of divine justice, emphasizing that even the simplest forms of creation attest to God's omnipotence. Job contends that fundamental truths about God's authorship over life and natural order are not exclusive knowledge but are plainly discernible to all—even creatures that lack rational thought. This suggests that his friends, with all their wisdom, are overlooking something so basic and undeniable that its rejection would imply a profound ignorance. The "hand of the LORD" signifies His complete control, continuous work, and unchallengeable authority over the entire cosmos, underscoring that all of life's intricate workings and every turn of fate are ultimately within His sovereign domain.