Job 34:13 kjv
Who hath given him a charge over the earth? or who hath disposed the whole world?
Job 34:13 nkjv
Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world?
Job 34:13 niv
Who appointed him over the earth? Who put him in charge of the whole world?
Job 34:13 esv
Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world?
Job 34:13 nlt
Did someone else put the world in his care?
Who set the whole world in place?
Job 34 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 115:3 | Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. | God's absolute will and power. |
| Isa 40:13-14 | Who has measured the Spirit... or what man... instructed him? ... With whom did he consult...? | No one counsels or instructs God. |
| Rom 11:34-36 | For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? ... | God's unsearchable wisdom; source of all things. |
| Dan 4:35 | All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does according to his will... | God's absolute rule over all. |
| Ps 135:6 | Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth... | God's sovereign actions universally. |
| 1 Tim 6:15-16 | King of kings and Lord of lords... He alone has immortality... | God's supreme title and inherent glory. |
| Eph 1:11 | ...according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will. | God's sovereign will directs all things. |
| Rev 4:11 | Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory... for you created all things... | God's right to rule derived from creation. |
| Jer 27:5 | It is I who by my great power... have made the earth... and I give it to whomever it seems right. | God made earth and appoints its rulers. |
| 2 Chr 20:6 | O LORD... are you not God in heaven? You rule over all the kingdoms... | God's universal reign. |
| Ps 24:1 | The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein. | God's ownership implies inherent authority. |
| Col 1:16-17 | For by him all things were created... and in him all things hold together. | Christ as creator, upholder, implying authority. |
| Neh 9:6 | You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven... and you preserve all of them. | God alone is Creator and Preserver. |
| Gen 1:1 | In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. | Creation is the basis of God's authority. |
| Rev 10:6 | ...him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven... the earth... and the sea... | Creator God is ultimate authority. |
| Isa 40:28 | The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary... | God's inexhaustible power and wisdom. |
| Acts 17:24-25 | The God who made the world... does not live in temples... nor is he served by human hands... | God's self-sufficiency; needs nothing from man. |
| Ps 75:6-7 | For not from the east or from the west... does exaltation come. But it is God who executes judgment... | God raises and humbles, is not raised or humbled. |
| Prov 21:1 | The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will. | God controls human leaders. |
| Job 26:14 | Behold, these are but the outer fringes of his ways... | Human understanding of God is limited. |
| Job 37:23 | The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power and justice, and abundant righteousness. | God's ultimate power and righteousness. |
Job 34 verses
Job 34 13 Meaning
Job 34:13 rhetorically asks who appointed God to rule the earth or placed the entire world's governance upon Him. The implied answer is "no one." This verse profoundly declares God's inherent, unassigned, and ultimate sovereignty. His authority over creation is not delegated by any superior power, nor is His rule a burden imposed by another. It signifies His absolute, self-existent dominion, which stems from His very being and role as Creator.
Job 34 13 Context
Job 34:13 is spoken by Elihu, who addresses both Job and "you men of understanding" (v. 2, 10). Elihu enters the discourse after Job and his three friends have exhausted their arguments regarding divine justice. Elihu posits himself as a younger, fresh voice claiming to speak for God. His primary aim in this speech (Job 34-37) is to assert God's absolute righteousness, power, and wisdom, contrasting it sharply with Job's perceived challenging of divine justice. Elihu vehemently denies that God acts unjustly or that He can be held accountable by humans. Verse 13 serves as a foundational declaration of God's unchallenged sovereignty. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, deities often gained their position through conquest, familial lineage, or appointment within a pantheon (e.g., Marduk's supremacy). Elihu's statement is a powerful monotheistic polemic against such concepts, emphasizing that the God of Israel (Yahweh/El) reigns by inherent right, not by any commission or shared authority.
Job 34 13 Word analysis
- מִ֣י (mî - "Who?"): A rhetorical interrogative, emphatically implying "No one." It highlights the impossibility of anyone holding authority over God.
- הִפְקִ֤יד (hiph·qîḏ - "gave charge" or "appointed"): From the root פָּקַד (pâqad), in the Hiphil stem, meaning to entrust, command, assign responsibility. This term points to delegation or a transfer of authority. The rhetorical question directly refutes any such act regarding God.
- עָלֶיהָ֙ ('ā·le·hā - "over it"): Refers to "earth." Signifies direct authority and supervision.
- אָ֔רֶץ ('ā·reṣ - "earth"): The physical planet, the ground, and the land inhabited by humanity. God's immediate domain.
- וּמִֽי־ (ū·mî- - "Or who?"): Continues the rhetorical questioning, connecting the two assertions.
- שָׂ֥ם (śām - "laid" or "placed," "put," "appointed"): Means to set, place, establish. Used in contexts of imposing something, establishing order, or assigning a position. Implies a burden or responsibility placed upon someone.
- עָלָיו֙ ('ā·lāw - "upon him"): Referring to God. Denotes the weight or responsibility of governance being laid upon God by another.
- כָּל־ (kol- - "the whole" or "all"): Emphasizes completeness, universality, signifying absolute control without any part omitted.
- תֵּבֵֽל (tē·ḇêl - "world" or "inhabited earth"): Broader than 'āreṣ, often refers to the entire habitable cosmos, emphasizing its vastness and scope of governance.
- "Who gave him charge over the earth?": This phrase fundamentally challenges any notion of God receiving His dominion as a mandate from an external, superior power. It asserts God's ultimate, unbegun authority over creation.
- "Or who laid on him the whole world?": This emphasizes the vastness of the responsibility of ruling the entire cosmos. It further stresses that such an immense burden or task was not imposed upon God by another; rather, it is intrinsic to His omnipotence and self-sufficiency.
Job 34 13 Bonus section
- Aseity of God: This verse strongly supports the theological doctrine of God's aseity (Latin: a se meaning "from himself"). God's existence and authority are derived from no one but Himself. He is self-existent and self-sufficient. This is a critical distinction between the one true God and any other spiritual or created being.
- Response to Chaos: In ancient cultures, the world was often seen as prone to chaos unless actively managed by a divine being who might struggle or contend with other deities. This verse counters that, affirming that the entire world is under God's undisputed, comprehensive, and inherently ordered control.
- Ultimate Justification: For Elihu, God's self-originated rule serves as the ultimate justification for all His actions, including those that humans may perceive as unjust. If no one gave Him charge, then no one can demand an account of His rule.
Job 34 13 Commentary
Job 34:13 serves as Elihu’s bedrock assertion concerning God’s nature and role in the cosmos. It's a forceful rhetorical device to silence any human complaint or questioning of divine justice, including Job's. By demonstrating that God holds His supreme authority neither by appointment nor by burden imposed by another, Elihu underlines God’s absolute self-existence and independent power. God’s rule over all creation is not earned or delegated but is inherent to His identity as the unique, uncreated Creator. This perspective shifts the focus from scrutinizing God’s actions to trusting His unassailable character, which is just precisely because He is sovereign and beholden to none. The implication is profound: humanity lacks the standing to judge or question God’s governance because His dominion transcends all created frameworks and derives from Himself alone.