English Standard Version
Job 38:6
6On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,
Job 38:6 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
- New International Version (NIV)On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—
- New King James Version (NKJV)To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,
- New Living Translation (NLT)What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone
Context of Job 38:6
4"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8"Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb,
Read all of Job 38Job 38:6 word by word
עַל־מָ֭ה אֲדָנֶ֣יהָ הָטְבָּ֑עוּ א֥וֹ מִֽי־יָ֝רָ֗ה אֶ֣בֶן פִּנָּתָֽהּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Job 38:6
- Job 26:7He stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing.
- 1 Samuel 2:8He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and on them he has set the world.
- Psalms 24:2for he has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers.
- Psalms 93:1The Lord reigns; he is robed in majesty; the Lord is robed; he has put on strength as his belt. Yes, the world is established; it shall never be moved.
- Psalms 104:5He set the earth on its foundations, so that it should never be moved.
- Zechariah 12:1The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him:
- 2 Peter 3:5For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God,
- Exodus 26:18You shall make the frames for the tabernacle: twenty frames for the south side;
- Psalms 118:22The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
- Psalms 144:12May our sons in their youth be like plants full grown, our daughters like corner pillars cut for the structure of a palace;
- Isaiah 28:16therefore thus says the Lord God, "Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: 'Whoever believes will not be in haste.'
- Ephesians 2:20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Commentaries on Job 38:6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? - How does it continue to revolve in the immensity of space? What supports it? Has it foundations like a building, and is it fastened with a key-stone, to keep the mighty fabric in union?Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6Whereupon are the foundations - Margin, “sockets.” The Hebrew word (אדן 'eden ) means “a basis,” as of a column, or a pedestal; and then also the foundation of a building. The language here is evidently figurative, comparing the earth with an edifice. In building a house, the securing of a proper foundation is essential to its stability; and here God represents himself as rearing the earth on the most permanent and solid basis. The word is not used in the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-11Verses 4-11 For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church stands as firm as the earth.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-41God challenges Job. Job admits he cannot judge the moral world. God shows Job's ignorance of the natural world's elements related to the realm of heaven, weather, animals, and birds (38:4–21; 22–38; 39–39:30).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 66. foundations--not "sockets," as Margin. fastened--literally, "made to sink," as a foundation-stone let down till it settles firmly in the clay (Job 26:7). Gravitation makes and keeps the earth a sphere.Read the comment
Topics related to Job 38:6
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Job 38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries