Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Job 40:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
The LORD states “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it” as one poetic claim in The LORD Calls the Contender to Answer.
Read It With
- Job 40:1–40:2
The line at Job 40:2 is one step in Job 40:1–40:2. The LORD states “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it” as one poetic claim in The LORD Calls the Contender to Answer. Its force depends on who speaks and what follows.
Why This Verse Appears Here
This verse supplies evidence for the paragraph rather than a detachable slogan. The LORD states “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it” as one poetic claim in The LORD Calls the Contender to Answer. The question confronts Job but does not retroactively endorse the friends, whom the epilogue will rebuke.
What Remains True
The LORD asks whether the one contending with the Almighty will instruct and correct God. Creaturely humility receives the divine questions while continuing to distinguish knowledge, power, justice, and the causal explanation the speeches do not disclose. In Job 40:2, that truth is carried specifically when the LORD states “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it” as one poetic claim in The LORD Calls the Contender to Answer.
How It Can Shape Life
- Role in Job 40:2: The LORD states “Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it” as one poetic claim in The LORD Calls the Contender to Answer. Contextual meaning in Job 40:1–40:2: The LORD asks whether the one contending with the Almighty will instruct and correct God. As a literary contribution from the LORD, it must be evaluated with the prose frame, surrounding speech, and final verdict rather than flattened into an anonymous maxim. Proportionate enduring truth: The LORD asks whether the one contending with the Almighty will instruct and correct God. Creaturely humility receives the divine questions while continuing to distinguish knowledge, power, justice, and the causal explanation the speeches do not disclose. Application: Use the questions in Job 40:1–40:2 to practice humility about knowledge and control while still naming suffering and justice honestly; do not make power a shortcut to moral certainty. Preserve this unit-specific boundary in the action: The question confronts Job but does not retroactively endorse the friends, whom the epilogue will rebuke.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Job 40:1–40:2 — The LORD Calls the Contender to AnswerSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Job 40:1–40:2, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Job
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Job.xml, OSIS 40:1–40:2
Open the fixed Hebrew Job file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: Job
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Job's difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, textual issues, speech boundaries, and alternatives in Job 40:1–40:2.
Exact location: Official NET Job PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Job 40:1–40:2
Open the official NET Job PDF ↗