Job 42:4 (DRB)

Passage

Hear, and I will speak: I will ask thee, and do thou tell me.

Nearby Context

Job 42:2 I know that thou canst do all things, and no thought is hid from thee.

Job 42:3 Who is this that hideth counsel without knowledge? Therefore I have spoken unwisely, and things that above measure exceeded my knowledge.

Job 42:4 Hear, and I will speak: I will ask thee, and do thou tell me.

Job 42:5 With the hearing of the ear, I have heard thee, but now my eye seeth thee.

Job 42:6 Therefore I reprehend myself, and do penance in dust and ashes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "speak", "thee", "thou", and "tell". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "speak", 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 "With the hearing of the ear I...", so "hear" and "speak" 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 "speak" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.