Job 5 9

Job 5:9 kjv

Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:

Job 5:9 nkjv

Who does great things, and unsearchable, Marvelous things without number.

Job 5:9 niv

He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted.

Job 5:9 esv

who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number:

Job 5:9 nlt

He does great things too marvelous to understand.
He performs countless miracles.

Job 5 verses

Job 5 9 Meaning

Job 5:9 proclaims the incomprehensible greatness of God, declaring Him as the One who consistently performs vast and significant actions beyond human understanding and investigation. His wondrous works are immeasurable, exceeding any human count or enumeration, showcasing His boundless power, wisdom, and sovereign reach across all creation and providence. This verse emphasizes God's transcendence and His unique ability to operate on a scale that defies human comprehension and limitation.

Job 5 9 Context

This verse is spoken by Eliphaz the Temanite, the first of Job's three friends to respond to his lament. Job 5:9 is part of Eliphaz's first speech (Job 4-5), where he attempts to offer counsel to Job by presenting his understanding of divine justice and wisdom. In this section, Eliphaz is articulating the commonly held wisdom of his time: God is righteous and omnipotent, intervening in human affairs to uphold justice. He posits that God brings low the proud and lifts up the humble, punishing the wicked and rescuing the oppressed.

Specifically, 5:9 highlights God's attributes as a prelude to encouraging Job to seek God (5:8), implying that if Job repents and seeks the God of such immense power and unfathomable works, then God will restore him (5:17ff). While Eliphaz's application of this theology to Job's situation is later shown to be flawed and insufficient, the statement itself about God's character in verse 9 is profoundly true and forms a foundational theological principle reiterated throughout Scripture. Historically, this perspective contrasts with limited, capricious pagan deities common in the Ancient Near East, affirming the unique, universal, and utterly transcendent nature of the God of Israel.

Job 5 9 Word analysis

• who does (עֹשֶׂה - 'ōśeh): This is a masculine singular participle from the verb עָשָׂה ('asah), meaning "to do, make, create, accomplish." The participle form emphasizes an ongoing, active, and inherent characteristic of God – He is the doer, the active agent. It's not a past act, but a continual reality of His nature.

• great things (גְּדֹלוֹת - gᵉdōlōṯ): From the root גָדַל (gadal), meaning "to be great, grow, become important, magnificent." This plural noun refers to acts of immense magnitude, power, and significance. It encompasses both the scale and the import of God's deeds, signifying their unparalleled grandeur and majesty in contrast to any human accomplishment.

• and unsearchable (וְאֵין חֵקֶר - wᵉʾêin ḥēḳer):

  • וְאֵין (wᵉʾêin): "and not," "and without." Indicates absence or negation.
  • חֵקֶר (ḥēḳer): From חָקַר (ḥaqar), "to search out, examine, investigate." It means "search, inquiry, examination." Combined, it means "without search" or "beyond investigation." This points to the inscrutability and incomprehensibility of God's actions. They are too profound, too complex, or too mysterious for human intellect or research to fully grasp or analyze.

• marvelous things (נִפְלָאוֹת - nifᵉlāʾōṯ): From the verb פָּלָא (pālāʾ), meaning "to be wonderful, extraordinary, astonishing, difficult, incomprehensible." These are deeds that inspire awe, wonder, and astonishment because they surpass natural law, human expectation, or capability. They are often associated with miracles or acts of divine intervention that reveal God's supernatural power and wisdom.

• without number (עַד־אֵין מִסְפָּר - ʿad-ʾêin mispār):

  • עַד (ʿad): "up to, until, as far as." Implies a boundary or limit that is not reached.
  • אֵין (ʾêin): "no, not."
  • מִסְפָּר (mispār): "number, count."
  • Literally "to no number" or "until there is no count." This phrase means "innumerable" or "countless." It emphasizes the infinite quantity and ceaseless nature of God's wonderful acts, suggesting that they are too many to be cataloged or exhausted.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "who does great things and unsearchable": This phrase highlights God's active involvement in the world on a magnificent scale, combined with the fact that the full extent or nature of these acts remains hidden or beyond human understanding. It speaks to both His power and His mystery.
  • "marvelous things without number": This further elaborates on the character and quantity of God's actions. They are not merely great but astounding, provoking wonder, and are unending in their scope and manifestation. The parallelism reinforces the theme of God's limitless, awesome power.

Job 5 9 Bonus section

The phraseology in Job 5:9 exhibits a form of Hebrew parallelism, where "great things" parallels "marvelous things," and "unsearchable" parallels "without number." This poetic structure emphasizes and intensifies the concepts being conveyed, underscoring the boundlessness and mystery of God's acts. While Eliphaz's application of this truth to Job was flawed (implying Job's suffering was a result of sin which could be rectified by seeking this "unsearchable" God in a simplistic way), the inherent theological accuracy of the statement itself about God's nature is undeniable. It reminds us that our understanding of God is always partial, and faith must embrace mystery where knowledge ceases. This humility is key to genuine worship. The irony in the book of Job is that Eliphaz preaches God's unsearchable ways, yet believes he fully understands why Job is suffering, a clear contradiction that underscores human finite understanding versus divine infinite wisdom.

Job 5 9 Commentary

Job 5:9, spoken by Eliphaz, offers a profound theological statement regarding the nature and actions of God. While the friend's counsel ultimately proved misapplied to Job's unique suffering, the attributes of God presented here are universally true and foundational to biblical theology. God is depicted as the sole agent who performs actions of immense "greatness" (גְּדֹלוֹת), signifying their vastness, significance, and power. These "great things" are inherently "unsearchable" (וְאֵין חֵקֶר), meaning they are beyond human comprehension, investigation, or exhaustive analysis. This points to God's transcendence and omniscience; His ways are higher than ours.

Furthermore, His actions are described as "marvelous things" (נִפְלָאוֹת), indicating that they are not just great in scale but wondrous, inspiring awe and wonder, often bordering on or being outright miraculous. These are deeds that demonstrate His extraordinary power and divine intervention, transcending natural explanations. Finally, these wonders are "without number" (עַד־אֵין מִסְפָּר), conveying their infinite quantity and inexhaustible nature. God's creative, redemptive, and providential works are boundless.

This verse therefore encapsulates the infinite power, inscrutable wisdom, and astonishing creativity of God. It encourages humanity to humbly acknowledge the vast gulf between divine capacity and human limitation, inviting awe and worship. Even in the midst of profound suffering, as Job experienced, the steadfast truth of God's majestic and limitless power remains, calling believers to trust in His unsearchable, yet ultimately good, purposes. For instance, consider creation: it is vast and great, yet the universe's full scope and origin processes remain unsearchable; life itself is marvelous, defying simple explanation, and the stars in the heavens are without number. God's provision and guidance for individuals also demonstrate this, often working in ways we cannot trace or count, but whose effects are undeniably great and marvelous.