Job 42:4 (KJV)

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 every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee.

Job 42:3 Who is he that hideth counsel without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that 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 have 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 he that hideth counsel without..." into verse 5's "I have 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.