Job 1 · Verse 7

Job 1:7

And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
Job 1:7, King James Version

Job 1:7 in other translations

BSB“Where have you come from?” said the LORD to Satan. “From roaming through the earth,” he replied, “and walking back and forth in it.”
WEBThe LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, “From going back and forth on the earth, and from walking up and down in it.”
ASVAnd Jehovah said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered Jehovah, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
YLTAnd Jehovah saith unto the Adversary, ‘Whence comest thou?' And the Adversary answereth Jehovah and saith, ‘From going to and fro in the land, and from walking up and down on it.'
DARBYAnd Jehovah said to Satan, Whence comest thou? And Satan answered Jehovah and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
BBEAnd the Lord said to the Satan, Where do you come from? And the Satan said in answer, From wandering this way and that on the earth, and walking about on it.
WebsterAnd the LORD said to Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down upon it.

What does Job 1:7 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
7. going to and fro--rather, "hurrying rapidly to and fro." The original idea in Arabic is the heat of haste (Mt 12:43; 1Pe 5:8). Satan seems to have had some peculiar connection with this earth. Perhaps he was formerly its ruler under God. Man succeeded to the vice royalty (Ge 1:26; Psa 8:6). Man then lost it and Satan became prince of this world. The Son of man (Psa 8:4)--the representative man, regains the forfeited inheritance (Re 11:15). Satan's replies are characteristically curt and short. When the angels appear before God, Satan is among them, even as there was a Judas among the apostles.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 7 From going to and fro in the earth - The translation of the Septuagint is curious: Περιελθων την γην και εμπεριπατησας την ὑπ' ουρανον, παρειμι; "Having gone round the earth, and walked over all that is under heaven, I am come hither." The Chaldee says, "I am come from going round the earth to examine the works of the children of men; and from walking through it." Coverdale, who generally hits the sense, translates thus: I have gone aboute the londe ond walked thorow it. Mr. Good has it, from roaming round the earth, and walking about it. St. Peter, as has been already stated, 1Pet 5:8, refers to this: "Be sober, be vigilant; for your Adversary the Devil Goeth About, as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." I rather think, with Coverdale, that ארץ arets here signifies rather that land, than the habitable globe. The words are exceedingly emphatic; and the latter verb התהלך hithhallech being in the hithpael conjugation shows how earnest and determined the devil is in his work: he sets himself to walk; he is busily employed in it; he is seeking the destruction of men; and while they sleep, he wakes - while they are careless, he is alert. The spirit of this saying is often expressed by the simple inhabitants of the country: when they perceive a man plotting mischief, and frequent in transgression, they say, The devil is Busy with him.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Job 1:6-12

Job's afflictions began from the malice of Satan, by the Lord's permission, for wise and holy purposes. There is an evil spirit, the enemy of God, and of all righteousness, who is continually seeking to distress, to lead astray, and, if possible, to destroy those who love God. How far his influence may extend, we cannot say; but probably much unsteadiness and unhappiness in Christians may be ascribed to him. While…

Read the full comment on Job 1:6-12 →

Job 1:7 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיֹּ֧אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
יְהוָ֛הYah.wehYahwehH3068
אֶל\־'el-toH413
הַשָּׂטָ֖ןha.sa.Tanthe adversaryH7854
מֵאַ֣יִןme.'A.yinfrom where?H370
תָּבֹ֑אta.Vo'are you comingH935
וַיַּ֨עַןvai.Ya.'anand he answeredH6030
הַשָּׂטָ֤ןha.sa.Tanthe adversaryH7854
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
יְהוָה֙Yah.wehYahwehH3068
וַיֹּאמַ֔רvai.yo.Marand he saidH559
מִשּׁ֣וּטmi.Shutfrom roving aboutH7751
בָּאָ֔רֶץba.'A.retzon the earthH776
וּמֵֽהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְu.me.hit.ha.Lekhand from going aboutH1980
בָּֽהּ\׃Bahon it

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Job 1:7

  • 1 Peter 5:8

    Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

  • Job 2:2

    And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

  • Matthew 12:43

    When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

  • Revelation 12:12-17

    Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child. And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. …

  • Revelation 12:9

    And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

  • Revelation 20:8

    And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea.

  • 2 Kings 5:25

    But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.

  • Zechariah 1:10-11

    And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom the Lord hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. And they answered the angel of the Lord that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.

  • Zechariah 6:7

    And the bay went forth, and sought to go that they might walk to and fro through the earth: and he said, Get you hence, walk to and fro through the earth. So they walked to and fro through the earth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Whence.
2:2; 2Ki 5:25
From going.
Zec 1:10,11; 6:7; Mt 12:43; 1Pe 5:8; Re 12:9,12-17; 20:8

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Job 1:6

    Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them.

  • Job 1:7

    And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

  • Job 1:8

    And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

Read all of Job 1

Job 1:7 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y dijo Jehová á Satán: ¿De dónde vienes? Y respondiendo Satán á Jehová, dijo: De rodear la tierra, y de andar por ella.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et l’ Éternel dit à Satan: D’où viens-tu? Et Satan répondit à l’ Éternel et dit: De courir çà et là sur la terre et de m’y promener.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und Jehova sprach zu Satan: Wo kommst du her? Und Satan antwortete Jehova und sprach: Vom Durchstreifen der Erde und vom Umherwandeln auf ihr.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Cui dixit Dominus: Unde venis? Qui respondens, ait: Circuivi terram, et perambulavi eam.