Job 26:14 - Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
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What does "Job 26:14" mean?
Job 26:14, "Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” is a powerful statement about the incomprehensibility of God's power and ways. Here's a breakdown of its meaning:
"Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways": This part emphasizes that what we observe in the world - even the grandest and most awe-inspiring aspects of nature - are merely the outermost fringes or edges of God's activities and power. Imagine looking at the shoreline of an ocean and thinking that's the whole ocean. The vastness of God's actions is far beyond our ability to grasp.
"How small a whisper do we hear of him!": This reinforces the idea that our understanding of God is incredibly limited. A whisper is a faint, barely audible sound. It suggests that the knowledge and revelation we have of God are minimal compared to the totality of His being and works. Think of it as trying to understand a symphonic orchestra by only hearing a single flute note.
"But the thunder of his power who can understand?”: This brings in the idea of God's immense power, which is like thunder, a loud, overwhelming, and terrifying sound. The verse asks rhetorically, "Who can truly understand such immense power?" The answer is implicitly "no one." It acknowledges that God's power is far beyond human comprehension. It's like trying to measure the force of a hurricane with a household thermometer.
In essence, the verse means:
What we see and understand of God's ways in the world is just a tiny fraction of His true nature and actions.
The knowledge we have of God is limited, like hearing only a faint whisper of His voice.
God's power is so immense and overwhelming that it's beyond human comprehension, like the untamable force of thunder.
Context in Job:
This verse is part of Job's response to Bildad (one of Job's friends who is attempting to explain Job's suffering as a result of his sins). Job is asserting God's supreme power and wisdom, implying that the simplistic explanations offered by his friends fail to account for the vastness and complexity of God's character and actions. Job is acknowledging God's greatness and the limits of human understanding.
Job 26:14 - Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”
What does "Job 26:14" mean?
Job 26:14, "Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” is a powerful statement about the incomprehensibility of God's power and ways. Here's a breakdown of its meaning:
"Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways": This part emphasizes that what we observe in the world - even the grandest and most awe-inspiring aspects of nature - are merely the outermost fringes or edges of God's activities and power. Imagine looking at the shoreline of an ocean and thinking that's the whole ocean. The vastness of God's actions is far beyond our ability to grasp.
"How small a whisper do we hear of him!": This reinforces the idea that our understanding of God is incredibly limited. A whisper is a faint, barely audible sound. It suggests that the knowledge and revelation we have of God are minimal compared to the totality of His being and works. Think of it as trying to understand a symphonic orchestra by only hearing a single flute note.
"But the thunder of his power who can understand?”: This brings in the idea of God's immense power, which is like thunder, a loud, overwhelming, and terrifying sound. The verse asks rhetorically, "Who can truly understand such immense power?" The answer is implicitly "no one." It acknowledges that God's power is far beyond human comprehension. It's like trying to measure the force of a hurricane with a household thermometer.
In essence, the verse means:
What we see and understand of God's ways in the world is just a tiny fraction of His true nature and actions.
The knowledge we have of God is limited, like hearing only a faint whisper of His voice.
God's power is so immense and overwhelming that it's beyond human comprehension, like the untamable force of thunder.
Context in Job:
This verse is part of Job's response to Bildad (one of Job's friends who is attempting to explain Job's suffering as a result of his sins). Job is asserting God's supreme power and wisdom, implying that the simplistic explanations offered by his friends fail to account for the vastness and complexity of God's character and actions. Job is acknowledging God's greatness and the limits of human understanding.