Job 42:3 (WEB)

Passage

You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I didn’t know.

Nearby Context

Job 42:1 Then Job answered Yahweh,

Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be restrained.

Job 42:3 You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ therefore I have uttered that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I didn’t know.

Job 42:4 You said, ‘Listen, now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you will answer me.’

Job 42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "asked", "hides", "counsel", "without", "knowledge", "therefore", "uttered", and "understand". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "asked" and "hides", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "I know that you can do all..." into verse 4's "You said Listen now and I will...", so "asked" and "hides" 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 "asked" and "hides" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.