God’s Word Translation
Job 38:6
6On what were its footings sunk? 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—
- English Standard Version (ESV)On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone,
- New King James Version (NKJV)To what were its foundations fastened? Or 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 ⌞such⌟ insight. 5Who determined its dimensions? Certainly, you know! Who stretched a measuring line over it? On what were its footings sunk? Who laid its cornerstone 7when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8“Who shut the sea behind gates when it burst through and came out of 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 26:7“He stretches out his heavens over empty space. He hangs the earth on nothing whatsoever.
- 1 Samuel 2:8He raises the poor from the dust. He lifts the needy from the trash heap in order to make them sit with nobles and even to make them inherit a glorious throne. “The pillars of the earth are the Lord’s. He has set the world on them.
- Psalms 24:2He laid its foundation on the seas and set it firmly on the rivers.
- Psalms 93:1The Lord rules as king! He is clothed with majesty. The Lord has clothed himself; he has armed himself with power. The world was set in place; it cannot be moved.
- Psalms 104:5You set the earth on its foundations so that it can never be shaken.
- Zechariah 12:1This is the prophetic revelation, the Lord’s word about Israel. The Lord—who spread out the heavens, laid the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit in a person—says,
- 2 Peter 3:5They are deliberately ignoring one fact: Because of God’s word, heaven and earth existed a long time ago. The earth ⌞appeared⌟ out of water and was kept alive by water.
- Exodus 26:18Make 20 frames for the south side of the inner tent.
- Psalms 118:22The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
- Psalms 144:12May our sons be like full-grown, young plants. May our daughters be like stately columns that adorn the corners of a palace.
- Isaiah 28:16This is what the Almighty Lord says: I am going to lay a rock in Zion, a rock that has been tested, a precious cornerstone, a solid foundation. Whoever believes ⌞in him⌟ will not worry.
- Ephesians 2:20You are built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Christ Jesus himself is 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries