Job 42:5 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Job 42:7 And after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Themanite: My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends, because you have not spoken the thing that is right before me, as my servant Job hath.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Hear and I will speak I will..." into verse 6's "Therefore I reprehend myself and do penance...", so "hearing" and "heard" 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 "hearing" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.