Job 21:22 - “Shall any teach God knowledge, since he judges those who are high?
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What does "Job 21:22" mean?
Job 21:22 asks a rhetorical question: "Shall any teach God knowledge, since he judges those who are high?"
Let's break it down:
"Shall any teach God knowledge..." This questions the audacity of anyone presuming to instruct God. The implication is that God, being all-knowing, is inherently beyond human instruction or correction. He already possesses all knowledge.
"...since he judges those who are high?" This provides the reason why teaching God is preposterous. "Those who are high" is typically interpreted as referring to powerful, important, even celestial beings (angels, perhaps, or rulers). The fact that God judges even these "high" figures demonstrates His supreme authority, wisdom, and understanding. If God judges even the most powerful and knowledgeable beings, how could a mere mortal possibly presume to teach Him anything?
In essence, the verse means:
It's absurd to think anyone could teach God anything because He is the ultimate judge, even of those who are powerful and wise. His judgment implies perfect knowledge and understanding, making human instruction irrelevant and presumptuous.
Context within Job:
This verse is part of Job's response to his friends, who are trying to explain his suffering as divine punishment for sin. Job, throughout the book, questions this simplistic cause-and-effect relationship. Here, he's challenging the idea that humans can fully comprehend God's ways or that their understanding of justice aligns with God's. By highlighting God's incomprehensible knowledge and judgment, Job is pushing back against the simplistic explanations offered by his friends and asserting the mystery and complexity of divine justice. It's a defense of his own righteousness, arguing that even if he has sinned, God's judgment is beyond human understanding and therefore cannot be easily explained as a direct result of his actions.
Job 21:22 - “Shall any teach God knowledge, since he judges those who are high?
What does "Job 21:22" mean?
Job 21:22 asks a rhetorical question: "Shall any teach God knowledge, since he judges those who are high?"
Let's break it down:
"Shall any teach God knowledge..." This questions the audacity of anyone presuming to instruct God. The implication is that God, being all-knowing, is inherently beyond human instruction or correction. He already possesses all knowledge.
"...since he judges those who are high?" This provides the reason why teaching God is preposterous. "Those who are high" is typically interpreted as referring to powerful, important, even celestial beings (angels, perhaps, or rulers). The fact that God judges even these "high" figures demonstrates His supreme authority, wisdom, and understanding. If God judges even the most powerful and knowledgeable beings, how could a mere mortal possibly presume to teach Him anything?
In essence, the verse means:
It's absurd to think anyone could teach God anything because He is the ultimate judge, even of those who are powerful and wise. His judgment implies perfect knowledge and understanding, making human instruction irrelevant and presumptuous.
Context within Job:
This verse is part of Job's response to his friends, who are trying to explain his suffering as divine punishment for sin. Job, throughout the book, questions this simplistic cause-and-effect relationship. Here, he's challenging the idea that humans can fully comprehend God's ways or that their understanding of justice aligns with God's. By highlighting God's incomprehensible knowledge and judgment, Job is pushing back against the simplistic explanations offered by his friends and asserting the mystery and complexity of divine justice. It's a defense of his own righteousness, arguing that even if he has sinned, God's judgment is beyond human understanding and therefore cannot be easily explained as a direct result of his actions.