📖 Job — Chapter 11 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Job 11:1 Then answered RZophar the Naamathite, and said,
Job 11:2 Should not Rthe multitude of words be answered? and should a man Tfull of talk be justified?
Job 11:3 Should Rthy Tlies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?
Job 11:4 RFor thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes.
Job 11:5 RBut oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee;
Job 11:6 And that he would Rshew thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
Job 11:7 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?
Job 11:8 RIt is Tas high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Job 11:9 The measure thereof is Rlonger than the earth, and broader than the sea.
Job 11:10 RIf he Tcut off, and shut up, or gather together, then who can Thinder him?
Job 11:11 For Rhe knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?
Job 11:12 RFor Tvain men would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt.
Job 11:13 If thou Rprepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward him;
Job 11:14 If Riniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.
Job 11:15 For then shalt thou Rlift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear:
Job 11:16 RBecause thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away:
Job 11:17 And thine Rage shall Tbe clearer than the noonday: thou shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.
Job 11:18 And thou shalt be secure, Rbecause there is hope; yea, thou shalt dig about thee, and thou shalt take thy rest in safety.
Job 11:19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; yea, Rmany shall Tmake suit unto thee.
Job 11:20 But Rthe eyes of the wicked shall fail, and Tthey shall not escape, and their hope shall be as Tthe giving up of the ghost.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 11:1–6 — Zophar accuses Job
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Zophar calls Job's speech empty and false and says he suffers less than he deserves. The book's opening gives no basis for this accusation. Zophar's certainty intensifies the friends' failure to comfort. Strong religious language can become harmful when it claims knowledge of another person's guilt without evidence.
Key Truth: Do not claim knowledge of guilt you do not possess.
Check What You Remember
1. Which friend speaks here? (Job 11:1)
Find it in Job 11:1 (KJV).
2. Whom does he wish would speak against Job? (Job 11:5)
Find it in Job 11:5 (KJV).
3. Does he say Job receives more or less than deserved? (Job 11:6)
Find it in Job 11:6 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 11:7–12 — Divine wisdom beyond searching
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Zophar describes God's wisdom as beyond human measurement and his knowledge as inescapable. These themes call for humility, yet that humility should also restrain Zophar's confidence in diagnosing Job. A true statement about God's knowledge does not mean the speaker has been given that knowledge of another person's circumstances.
Key Truth: Let God's greater knowledge deepen your own humility.
Check What You Remember
1. Whom does Zophar say cannot be fully found by searching? (Job 11:7)
Find it in Job 11:7 (KJV).
2. What heights does he use to describe wisdom? (Job 11:8)
Find it in Job 11:8 (KJV).
3. What breadth does he compare it with? (Job 11:9)
Find it in Job 11:9 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 11:13–20 — A promised solution based on blame
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Zophar tells Job to remove wrongdoing and predicts hope, security, and relief. He assumes hidden evil explains the crisis. The instructions to turn from evil are good in themselves, but the promised result cannot simply be applied to every suffering person. The book challenges the assumption that righteousness guarantees an easy life.
Key Truth: Do not make comfort depend on an unsupported accusation.
Check What You Remember
1. What does Zophar tell Job to prepare? (Job 11:13)
Find it in Job 11:13 (KJV).
2. What does he tell him to put far away? (Job 11:14)
Find it in Job 11:14 (KJV).
3. To what does he compare misery forgotten? (Job 11:16)
Find it in Job 11:16 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Job 42:7 — The LORD's later assessment warns against uncritically adopting the friends' account of Job's suffering.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
Where should your lack of knowledge lead you to listen rather than pronounce a verdict?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What is the status of Zophar’s claim that Job receives less than he deserves?
2. How do height, depth, length, and breadth support his argument?
3. What conditions accompany Zophar’s promise of restored confidence?
4. How does passing water illustrate forgotten misery?
5. What contrast closes Zophar’s speech?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
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