JOB 38:4 Parallel View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. This view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on the version abbreviation to see the verse in more of its context.

The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Key: yellow:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Where were you in my founding of the earth?
⇔ Declare, if you know understanding.

UST Where were you when I began to create the earth?
⇔ Since you claim to know so much, tell me how I did that.

BSB Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
⇔ Tell Me, if you have understanding.

OEB Where wast thou, when I founded the earth?
⇔ Declare out of the depths of thine insight.

CSB Where were you when I established the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

NLT “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much.

NIV “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.

CEV How did I lay the foundation for the earth? Were you there?

ESV “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

NASB “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding,

LSB Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you know understanding,

WEB  ⇔ “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
⇔ Declare, if you have understanding.

MSG ^(1-11)And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm. He said:
  “Why do you confuse the issue?
  Why do you talk without knowing what you’re talking about?
Pull yourself together, Job!
  Up on your feet! Stand tall!
I have some questions for you,
  and I want some straight answers.
Where were you when I created the earth?
  Tell me, since you know so much!
Who decided on its size? Certainly you’ll know that!
  Who came up with the blueprints and measurements?
How was its foundation poured,
  and who set the cornerstone,
While the morning stars sang in chorus
  and all the angels shouted praise?
And who took charge of the ocean
  when it gushed forth like a baby from the womb?
That was me! I wrapped it in soft clouds,
  and tucked it in safely at night.
Then I made a playpen for it,
  a strong playpen so it couldn’t run loose,
And said, ‘Stay here, this is your place.
  Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.’

NET “Where were you
 ⇔ when I laid the foundation of the earth?
 ⇔ Tell me, if you possess understanding!

LSV Where were you when I founded the earth? Declare, if you have known understanding.

FBV Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have such knowledge!

T4T  ⇔ ◄“Where were you/Were you there with me► long ago when I ◄laid the foundations of/created► the earth?
⇔ Since you know so much, tell me where you were at that time.

LEB • the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding.

NRSV “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.

NKJV “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

BBE Where were you when I put the earth on its base? Say, if you have knowledge.

MOF No MOF JOB book available

JPS Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast the understanding.

ASV Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
 ⇔ Declare, if thou hast understanding.

DRA Where wast thou when I laid up the foundations of the earth? tell me if thou hast understanding.

YLT Where wast thou when I founded earth? Declare, if thou hast known understanding.

DBY Where wast thou when I founded the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.

RV Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

WBS Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

KJB Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.[fn]
(Where wast thou/you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou/you hast understanding.)

38.4 hast…: Heb. knowest understanding

BB Where wast thou when I layed the foundations of the earth? Tell playnely, if thou hast vnderstanding.
(Where wast thou/you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell plainly, if thou/you hast understanding.)

GNV Where wast thou when I layd the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast vnderstanding,
(Where wast thou/you when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou/you hast understanding, )

CB Where wast thou, when I layed ye foundacions of the earth? Tell planely yff thou hast vnderstondinge.
(Where wast thou, when I laid ye/you_all foundacions of the earth? Tell planely if thou/you hast understanding.)

WYC Where were thou, whanne Y settide the foundementis of erthe? schewe thou to me, if thou hast vndurstondyng.
(Where were thou, when I settide the foundementis of earth? show thou/you to me, if thou/you hast understondyng.)

LUT Wo warest du, da ich die Erde gründete? Sage mir‘s, bist du so klug?
(Where warest you, there I the earth gründete? Sage mir‘s, bist you so klug?)

CLV Ubi eras quando ponebam fundamenta terræ? indica mihi, si habes intelligentiam.
(Ubi eras when ponebam fundamenta terræ? indica mihi, when/but_if habes intelligentiam. )

BRN Where wast thou when I founded the earth? tell me now, if thou hast knowledge,

BrLXX Ποῦ ἦς ἐν τῷ θεμελιοῦν με τὴν γῆν; ἀπάγγειλον δέ μοι εἰ ἐπίστῃ σύνεσιν.
(Pou aʸs en tōi themelioun me taʸn gaʸn? apangeilon de moi ei epistaʸ sunesin. )

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

אֵיפֹ֣ה הָ֭יִיתָ בְּ⁠יָסְדִ⁠י־אָ֑רֶץ

where were in/on/at/with,laid_the_foundation,I earth

As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, this could mean: (1) that Yahweh wants Job to try to answer this question and the questions in the rest of the chapter so that Job will have to admit that he does not know the answers. Alternate translation: “You were not there when I founded the earth, were you?” (2) that Yahweh is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You were not there when I founded the earth!”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

בְּ⁠יָסְדִ⁠י־אָ֑רֶץ

in/on/at/with,laid_the_foundation,I earth

Yahweh is speaking as if the earth were literally a building and he had founded it, that is, laid a foundation for it (made a solid base on which to build it). Since this is poetry, you may wish to retain the image in your translation, using construction terms from your own culture, even if a speaker of your language would not ordinarily describe the creation of the world in this way. Alternatively, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “when I cleared a space on which to build the earth” or “when I first started to create the earth”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

הַ֝גֵּ֗ד

tell

Yahweh assumes that Job will understand that by Declare he means that he wants Job to declare how the foundations of the earth were laid. You could indicate that explicitly if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Explain how the foundations of the earth were laid” or “Explain how I first started to create the earth”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo

אִם־יָדַ֥עְתָּ בִינָֽה

if possess discernment

It might seem that the expression know understanding contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: “if you know” or “if you understand”

Parallel JOB 38:4