Job 41:11 kjv
Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.
Job 41:11 nkjv
Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
Job 41:11 niv
Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
Job 41:11 esv
Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.
Job 41:11 nlt
Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.
Job 41 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 24:1 | The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein... | God's universal ownership of creation. |
| Psa 50:10-12 | For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills... If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are Mine. | God owns everything; He needs nothing from humans. |
| Deut 10:14 | Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. | Absolute divine ownership. |
| 1 Chr 29:11-12 | Thine, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory... All that is in the heaven and in the earth is Yours... | All creation and authority belong to God. |
| Neh 9:6 | You alone are the Lord... You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens with all their host... | God is the sole Creator and possessor of all. |
| Isa 44:24 | Thus says the Lord, your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb: "I am the Lord, who made all things..." | God as the singular Creator and owner. |
| Rom 11:36 | For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. | God is the source, sustainer, and goal of all. |
| Rom 11:35 | Or who has given a gift to Him that he might be repaid? | Direct New Testament parallel; God owes no one. |
| Acts 17:25 | Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. | God's complete self-sufficiency. |
| Isa 40:13-14 | Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord, or what man has been His counselor...? Whom did He consult, and who made Him understand? | God is beyond human counsel or instruction. |
| Job 35:7-8 | If you are righteous, what do you give to Him...? Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself. | Human actions don't benefit or harm God. |
| Psa 16:2 | I say to the Lord, "You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you." | No human merit or goodness adds to God. |
| Luke 17:10 | So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.' | Humility and understanding of human duty, not merit. |
| Isa 45:9 | Woe to him who strives with his Maker, an earthen pot among the potsherds of the earth! | Rebuke against questioning God's authority. |
| Rom 9:20-21 | But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its moldar, "Why have you made me thus?" | Creator-creature distinction. |
| Jer 18:6 | "O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done?" declares the Lord. | God's sovereign right over His creation. |
| Job 38:4 | Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. | God questions Job's knowledge and authority. |
| Job 40:2 | "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who argues with God must answer it." | Challenge to human contention with God. |
| Rev 4:11 | "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things..." | All creation for God's glory. |
| Phil 2:9-11 | Therefore God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name that is above every name... that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow... | Ultimate sovereignty and universal worship due to God. |
| Job 42:2 | "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted." | Job's ultimate recognition of God's sovereignty. |
| 2 Sam 7:22 | Therefore you are great, O Lord God. For there is none like you... | God's uniqueness and incomparable nature. |
Job 41 verses
Job 41 11 Meaning
Job 41:11 is a profound rhetorical question posed by God to Job, asserting His absolute and non-negotiable sovereignty, self-sufficiency, and universal ownership. It declares that no creature can initiate an act of giving to God, thereby creating a debt that God must repay. All things existing "under the whole heaven" belong unequivocally to God, emphasizing that humanity operates entirely within the parameters of His ownership and authority, having nothing to offer Him that He does not already possess or that would place Him in obligation.
Job 41 11 Context
Job 41:11 concludes God's detailed description of Leviathan, the formidable sea creature (chapters 40-41), presented as an example of His uncontrollable power in creation. This verse functions as the climactic point of God's rhetorical interrogation of Job, spanning chapters 38-41. Through questions about the creation and untamable beasts, God aims to humble Job and reveal the vast chasm between human knowledge and power, and divine omnipotence and wisdom.
Historically and culturally, the ancient Near East (ANE) often viewed deities as requiring sustenance or service from humanity, sometimes believing human actions could obligate the gods. This verse directly counters such notions by affirming God's complete self-sufficiency and supreme status as Creator and Proprietor, independent of any human contribution. It underscores that unlike ANE gods, the God of Israel owes no one and cannot be manipulated or put in debt by human actions or sacrifices. This context emphasizes Yahweh's unparalleled transcendence above all perceived divine or natural powers.
Job 41 11 Word analysis
Who (הֵי - Hêy): This interrogative particle immediately sets a confrontational, rhetorical tone. It's not seeking information but challenging Job to consider an impossible scenario, reinforcing the uniqueness of God's position.
has first given to me (מִקְּדַּמְתּוֹ - miq·qə·ḏam·tōw): Derived from the root qādam (קדַם), meaning "to go before," "to anticipate," or "to do first." It implies a prior act of bestowing or benefiting God. The rhetorical question posits an impossibility: no one could precede God in generosity, thus placing God under obligation.
that I should repay him (וַאֲשַׁלֵּם - wa·ʾa·šal·lêm): From the root šālam (שלם), meaning "to be complete," "to restore," "to repay," or "to recompense." The notion of God owing anyone repayment fundamentally undermines His absolute sovereignty and uncreated nature. God is the source of all; He receives nothing that He does not first grant.
Whatsoever is under the whole heaven (מִתַּחַת כָּל־הַשָּׁמַיִם - mit·ta·ḥat kāl-haš·šā·ma·yim): This phrase uses the idiom for the entire creation. "Under the whole heaven" denotes the entirety of the created cosmos, from the terrestrial to the celestial, indicating limitless scope.
is mine (לִי־הוּא - lî-hûʾ): Literally "to me it is." This emphatic declaration confirms God's absolute and exclusive ownership of all that exists. It solidifies the truth presented in the preceding rhetorical question: since everything originates from and belongs to Him, no one has anything of their own to offer Him as an initial gift.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Who has first given to me, that I should repay him?": This segment highlights God's self-sufficiency and non-indebtedness. It asserts His primary position as the ultimate Giver, not one who receives and then reciprocates out of obligation. This is a theological bedrock: God's essence is independent of creation, needing nothing from it. It's a direct challenge to any thought of human merit earning divine favor.
- "Whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.": This statement establishes the universal scope of God's proprietorship. It complements the first phrase by providing the factual basis for God's non-indebtedness. Since everything, without exception, belongs to Him, any purported "gift" from a creature is merely returning what was already His. This eliminates any basis for human boasting or attempting to obligate God.
Job 41 11 Bonus section
This verse fundamentally challenges anthropocentric theology which subtly posits that God needs humanity, or that humanity can accrue merit that places God in its debt. It eradicates such notions by establishing God as the absolute Proprietor and Sustainer of all existence. The Old Testament consistently echoes this truth, as seen in offerings, where Israel was to bring the firstfruits (Deut 26:10), acknowledging that the entire harvest, and indeed their very existence in the land, was a prior gift from God, not something they produced independently to bless God. This verse therefore underscores the grace inherent in all God's dealings; any good bestowed upon humanity flows from His inherent goodness and sovereignty, not from human deserving or inducement.
Job 41 11 Commentary
Job 41:11 stands as a powerful summation of divine sovereignty, expressed by God Himself in His grand address to Job. It cuts to the core of theological truth regarding God's nature and relationship with His creation. The rhetorical question about giving to God first, followed by the declaration of universal ownership, unequivocally shatters any illusion of human autonomy or ability to obligate the Almighty.
This verse emphasizes that God is not dependent on anything or anyone outside of Himself. His acts of grace and beneficence are sovereignly initiated, not responses to human attempts to curry favor or pay off a debt. Any human endeavor, even in worship or service, is simply fulfilling what is due from creation to its Creator, never providing something genuinely new or needed by God.
The terrifying portrayal of Leviathan (Job 41) immediately preceding this verse sets the stage. If humanity cannot even tame or manage such a creature, how much less can they contend with, or lay claim upon, its infinitely powerful Maker? The verse is a profound reminder of the Creator-creature distinction, urging profound humility and reverence before the one to whom all things belong and who owes nothing to anyone. It forms a crucial part of God's strategy to dismantle Job's self-righteous arguments and bring him to a posture of complete trust and awe.