Job 42:5 (GNV)

Passage

I haue heard of thee by the hearing of the eare, but now mine eye seeth thee.

Nearby Context

Job 42:3 Who is hee that hideth counsell without knowledge? therefore haue I spoken that I vnderstood not, euen things too wonderfull for me, and which I knew not.

Job 42:4 Heare, I beseech thee, and I will speake: I will demaunde of thee, and declare thou vnto me.

Job 42:5 I haue heard of thee by the hearing of the eare, but now mine eye seeth thee.

Job 42:6 Therefore I abhorre my selfe, and repent in dust and ashes.

Job 42:7 Now after that the Lord had spoken these wordes vnto Iob, ye Lord also said vnto Eliphaz ye Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for yee haue not spoken of me the thing that is right, like my seruant Iob.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Heare I beseech thee and I will..." into verse 6's "Therefore I abhorre my selfe and repent...", so "haue" 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 "haue" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.