Job 42 · Verse 5

Job 42:5

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.
Job 42:5, King James Version

Job 42:5 in other translations

BSBMy ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You.
WEBI had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you.
ASVI had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear; But now mine eye seeth thee:
YLTBy the hearing of the ear I heard Thee, And now mine eye hath seen Thee.
DARBYI had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee:
BBEWord of you had come to my ears, but now my eye has seen you.
WebsterI have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now my eye seeth thee.

What does Job 42:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
5. hearing of the ear--(Psa 18:44, Margin). Hearing and seeing are often in antithesis (Job 29:11; Psa 18:8). seeth--not God's face (Ex 33:20), but His presence in the veil of a dark cloud (Job 38:1). Job implies also that, besides this literal seeing, he now saw spiritually what he had indistinctly taken on hearsay before God's infinite wisdom. He "now" proves this; he had seen in a literal sense before, at the beginning of God's speech, but he had not seen spiritually till "now" at its close.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 I have heard of thee - I have now such a discovery of thee as I have never had before. I have only heard of thee by tradition, or from imperfect information; now the eye of my mind clearly perceives thee, and in seeing thee, I see myself; for the light that discovers thy glory and excellence, discovers my meanness and vileness.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Job 42:1-6

Job was now sensible of his guilt; he would no longer speak in his own excuse; he abhorred himself as a sinner in heart and life, especially for murmuring against God, and took shame to himself. When the understanding is enlightened by the Spirit of grace, our knowledge of Divine things as far exceeds what we had before, as the sight of the eyes excels report and common fame. By the teachings of men, God reveals his…

Read the full comment on Job 42:1-6 →

Job 42:5 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.

לְשֵֽׁמַע\־le.she.ma'-to [the] hearing ofH8088
אֹ֥זֶן'O.zen[the] earH241
שְׁמַעְתִּ֑יךָshe.ma'.Ti.khaI had heard of youH8085
וְ֝עַתָּ֗הve.'a.Tahand nowH6258
עֵינִ֥י'ei.Nieye myH5869
רָאָֽתְךָ\׃ra.'A.te.khait has seen youH7200

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

Cross references for Job 42:5

  • Ephesians 1:17-18

    That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

  • Romans 10:17

    So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

  • John 12:45

    And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me.

  • Isaiah 6:5

    Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

  • Isaiah 6:1

    In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

  • John 12:41

    These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

  • Job 26:14

    Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?

  • Numbers 12:6-8

    And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

  • John 1:18

    No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

  • Job 4:12

    Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof.

  • Job 23:8-9

    Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:

  • Job 33:16

    Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
heard.
4:12; 28:22; 33:16; Ro 10:17
mine.
23:8,9; Nu 12:6-8; Isa 6:1; Joh 1:18; 12:41,45; Ac 7:55,56

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

Context

  • Job 42:4

    Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.

  • Job 42:5

    I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.

  • Job 42:6

    Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.

Read all of Job 42

Job 42:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		De oídas te había oído; mas ahora mis ojos te ven.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mon oreille avait entendu parler de toi, maintenant mon œil t’a vu:
German
Elberfelder 1871		Mit dem Gehör des Ohres hatte ich von dir gehört, aber nun hat mein Auge dich gesehen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Auditu auris audivi te: nunc autem oculus meus videt te.