Job 42:5 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Job 42:7 And it was so, that, after Jehovah had spoken these words unto Job, Jehovah said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "thee", "hearing", "mine", and "seeth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Hear I beseech thee and I will..." into verse 6's "Wherefore I abhor myself And repent in...", so "heard" and "thee" 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 "heard" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.