Psalm 73:11 kjv
And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
Psalm 73:11 nkjv
And they say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?"
Psalm 73:11 niv
They say, "How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?"
Psalm 73:11 esv
And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"
Psalm 73:11 nlt
"What does God know?" they ask.
"Does the Most High even know what's happening?"
Psalm 73 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 73:10 | Therefore his people turn back to them... | The preceding verse shows how the wicked influence others. |
| Ps 73:3-5 | For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pains in their death, but their body is plump. They are not in trouble as other men... | Asaph's initial struggle observing the wicked. |
| Job 22:12-14 | "Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! Therefore you say, 'What does God know?...'" | Echoes the same challenge to God's heavenly knowledge. |
| Job 21:7-16 | "Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power?... They say to God, 'Depart from us!'" | Wicked denying God and still prospering. |
| Ps 94:7 | And they say, "The LORD does not see, nor does the God of Jacob perceive." | A direct parallel questioning God's perception. |
| Ps 94:8-10 | Understand, O senseless among the people; and you fools, when will you be wise? He who planted the ear, does He not hear? He who formed the eye, does He not see?... He who instructs nations, does He not rebuke?... | God's counter-argument to the wicked's doubt about His knowledge. |
| Isa 29:15-16 | Woe to those who deeply hide their plans from the LORD... And they say, "Who sees us?" and "Who knows us?" | Prophetic condemnation of those who deny God's sight and knowledge. |
| Jer 23:23-24 | "Am I a God at hand," declares the LORD, "and not a God afar off?... Do I not fill heaven and earth?" | God's omnipresence countering the idea of His limited reach. |
| Heb 4:13 | And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account. | New Testament affirmation of God's omniscience and judgment. |
| Prov 15:3 | The eyes of the LORD are in every place, observing the evil and the good. | Explicit statement of God's universal sight and knowledge. |
| 2 Pet 3:3-4 | Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?" | New Testament parallel of scoffers questioning divine intervention/accountability. |
| Mal 2:17 | You have wearied the LORD with your words. Yet you say, "How have we wearied Him?" In that you say, "Everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the LORD, and He delights in them," or, "Where is the God of justice?" | Questions about God's justice, similar to the doubt about His knowledge. |
| Ps 139:1-4 | O LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought from afar. You scrutinize my path and my lying down, and are intimately acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word on my tongue, behold, O LORD, You know it all. | Poetic expression of God's complete and intimate knowledge. |
| Ps 10:4 | The wicked, in the haughtiness of his countenance, does not seek Him. All his thoughts are, "There is no God." | Describing the core rejection of God by the wicked. |
| Rom 1:28 | And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. | Consequence of rejecting the knowledge of God. |
| Jude 1:18-19 | ...that in the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. | Identifying the character of scoffers. |
| Gen 14:18-20 | And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High (El Elyon). | First biblical use of "Most High" demonstrating His supreme position. |
| Ps 7:9 | Oh let the evil of the wicked come to an end... For God tests the hearts and minds. | Affirms God's knowledge of inner thoughts for judgment. |
| 2 Sam 16:7-8 | And Shimei said thus when he cursed, "Get out, get out, you man of bloodshed, and worthless fellow! The LORD has returned upon you all the bloodshed of the house of Saul, in whose place you have reigned..." | Reflects human tendency to wrongly interpret or blame God for perceived injustice. |
| Luke 16:15 | And He said to them, "You are those who justify yourselves in the sight of men, but God knows your hearts..." | God's internal knowledge in contrast to outward appearance. |
Psalm 73 verses
Psalm 73 11 Meaning
Psalm 73:11 expresses the arrogant skepticism of the wicked observed by the psalmist Asaph. It encapsulates their contemptuous disbelief in God's awareness and active involvement in the affairs of humanity, particularly regarding their prosperous iniquity and the suffering of the righteous. They mockingly question God's omniscience, presuming that the Most High is either too distant or too unconcerned to perceive or intervene in their earthly deeds. This mindset serves as a justification for their unrighteous living, believing there are no divine consequences.
Psalm 73 11 Context
Psalm 73 is a wisdom psalm by Asaph, a chief musician in the temple and a prophet. The entire chapter grapples with the problem of theodicy – the question of why righteous people suffer while the wicked prosper. Asaph confesses that his faith almost faltered (v. 2) when he observed the seemingly blessed, easy lives of the wicked (vv. 3-10). These wicked individuals openly boast of their independence from God, even from heaven itself, acting with contempt and violence. Verse 11 specifically vocalizes their defiant conclusion: that God, if He exists, is either oblivious to their deeds or powerless to intervene. This perspective of practical atheism or deism, where God is too high to know earthly details, serves as the psychological underpinning for their unbridled arrogance and iniquity (v. 8-9). Asaph's resolution to this crisis of faith comes later in the psalm (v. 17-20) when he enters the sanctuary of God and understands their ultimate, desolate end.
Psalm 73 11 Word analysis
- And they say: Identifies the arrogant, complacent "wicked" from the preceding verses (vv. 3, 5, 8, 9). This statement is not an innocent inquiry but a defiant, dismissive assertion, indicating their internal justification for their ungodly behavior.
- How does God know?:
- How: Hebrew Mah (מָה) – here used rhetorically to express doubt, incredulity, or contempt rather than a request for method. It implies "In what sense?" or "Surely He doesn't."
- God: Hebrew El (אֵל) – a common name for God, emphasizing His power and might. The use of this name contrasts ironically with their challenge to His fundamental attribute of omniscience.
- know?: Hebrew yadah (יָדַע) – To know, perceive, understand. This "knowing" implies an intimate, discerning, and experiential knowledge, extending to hidden thoughts and actions, not merely abstract information. The wicked question God's awareness of their earthly machinations, implying they are beyond His reach or sight.
- Is there knowledge in the Most High?:
- Is there: Hebrew Ha-yesh (הֲיֵשׁ) – an interrogative indicating "Is there indeed?" or "Surely there isn't?" reinforcing the sarcastic tone.
- knowledge: Hebrew de'ah (דֵּעָה) – also meaning knowledge, understanding, discernment, but often implies more the intellectual or mental apprehension, wisdom. This word reiterates and amplifies the challenge, shifting from God's personal knowing to the very existence of such a capability within His being.
- in the Most High?: Hebrew Elyon (עֶלְיוֹן) – meaning "Highest," "Most High." This is an ancient divine title emphasizing God's transcendence, supreme sovereignty, and exalted position above all creation. The wicked use this very title to argue against God's immanence, suggesting that because He is so high and transcendent, He must be too far removed to care about or perceive earthly matters, especially individual human actions. They view His elevated status as a barrier to His knowledge, rather than a testament to His omnipotence that extends to all things.
Psalm 73 11 Bonus section
The concept expressed by the wicked in Psalm 73:11, namely that God's exalted status makes Him unaware of earthly details, stands in direct contradiction to fundamental biblical truth. Scripture consistently presents God not just as the "Most High" who dwells in inaccessible light, but also as the immanent God who sees, knows, and governs all creation (Ps 139). This is the paradox the wicked fail to grasp, yet it is foundational to divine justice. Their worldview is not a theoretical denial of God's existence but a practical rejection of His personal involvement and eventual judgment. It reveals a deep spiritual blindness and the hardening of hearts that naturally accompanies unrepented sin. Asaph's journey in the psalm shows how tempting this lie can be, and how essential it is for believers to anchor themselves in the truth of God's all-encompassing knowledge, which ultimately leads to His righteous judgment of the wicked and vindication of the just.
Psalm 73 11 Commentary
Psalm 73:11 perfectly encapsulates the root of practical godlessness and a core spiritual challenge to faith: the audacious disbelief in God's active, discerning knowledge of human affairs. The wicked, observing their unfettered success despite their disregard for divine law, confidently conclude that God is either blind, deaf, or indifferent to what transpires on earth. Their rhetorical questions ("How does God know?" "Is there knowledge in the Most High?") are not genuine inquiries but contemptuous assertions. They derive their sense of impunity from this distorted view of God's transcendence, effectively denying His omniscience and immanence. This skeptical worldview removes accountability and emboldens them in their unrighteousness, leading them to believe that they can operate with impunity outside the gaze of the "Most High." The verse sets up the spiritual dilemma Asaph himself was wrestling with, as the seeming silence of heaven led him to doubt God's justice until his understanding was illuminated in the sanctuary. This passage reminds us that challenging God's knowledge leads inevitably to a path of sin, as it dismantles the very foundation of accountability to a righteous and all-seeing Creator.