Job 42:4 (ASV)

Passage

Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

Nearby Context

Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do all things, And that no purpose of thine can be restrained.

Job 42:3 Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore have I uttered that which I understood not, Things too wonderful for me, which I knew not.

Job 42:4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

Job 42:5 I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth thee:

Job 42:6 Wherefore I abhor [myself], And repent in dust and ashes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "beseech", "thee", "speak", "demand", "declare", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "beseech", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Who is this that hideth counsel without..." into verse 5's "I had heard of thee by the...", so "hear" and "beseech" belong inside that flow. In Job context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "hear" and "beseech" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.