“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse isn't just asking if we can know God, but if we can fully plumb the depths of His wisdom and His ultimate limits. It highlights that human understanding, no matter how much we search, simply cannot grasp the infinite perfection of the Almighty.
“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Job's friend Zophar is pushing back hard against Job's complaints, suggesting that Job's suffering must be due to some hidden sin. In this verse, Zophar challenges Job, implying that human understanding is far too limited to grasp God's vast wisdom and perfect justice, especially when it comes to the reasons behind divine actions and judgments. He's basically saying, "How can you possibly know if God is wrong when you can't even fully comprehend Him?"
Ever feel like you've got God figured out? This verse throws that idea right back at us. It challenges the very notion that we can fully comprehend the Almighty.
Zophar, one of Job's friends, poses a rhetorical question here: Can you truly discover the deep things of God? Can you reach the very end of the Almighty's perfection?
Beyond Human Grasp
The scholars all point to the same truth: God's nature is infinite. He is eternal, immense, and beyond our limited human understanding. We can't measure His wisdom like we measure space or count His years like we count days.
Trying to fully grasp God is like trying to hold the ocean in a teacup. It's not about God hiding things from us, but about His reality being so far beyond our own that full comprehension is impossible for finite beings.
Why It Matters
This isn't meant to discourage us, but to inspire awe! When we realize we can't fully know Him, it makes the times He does reveal Himself even more precious. It humbles us and redirects our trust from our own understanding to His perfect character.
We often strive for perfection in our lives and relationships. But what happens when we try to apply that same standard to understanding God?
Zophar's second question in Job 11:7 asks if we can find out the Almighty 'unto perfection.' This isn't just about knowing about God, but reaching the absolute end of understanding His perfect nature.
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The Limit of Knowledge
Human knowledge, by its very nature, is finite. We can learn and grow, but there will always be a boundary. The scholars emphasize that trying to reach the 'perfection' of God's being is an impossible task for a created being.
Think of it like trying to trace a circle from its circumference inward – you can approach it, but you can never reach an 'end point' that defines its absolute totality.
Humility in Worship
This lack of absolute comprehension isn't a flaw in God, but a testament to His glory. It calls us to humility. Instead of demanding full answers or trying to box God into our understanding, we are invited to worship Him based on what He has revealed, trusting His infinite perfection even when we can't fully grasp it.
Understand the original words
Shaddai · Hebrew Proper Noun
A title for God (Shaddai) that signifies His omnipotence, power, and sovereign rule over all creation. It portrays Him as the all-sufficient One who sustains and governs the universe.
Sheol · Hebrew Noun
Refers to the place of the dead, the grave, or the underworld. It is used in Scripture to represent the shadowy, subterranean realm that is completely under the sovereign knowledge and domain of God.
This passage directly echoes Job's sentiment, proclaiming the unsearchable depth of God's wisdom and knowledge, and how His judgments and ways are beyond our full comprehension.
Psalm 139:6This Psalm speaks to the overwhelming nature of God's knowledge and power, acknowledging that such understanding is 'too wonderful' for us to grasp, much like Job questions our ability to 'find out the Almighty unto perfection'.
Isaiah 55:8This verse directly states that God's thoughts and ways are higher than ours, reinforcing Job's rhetorical question about our capacity to fully understand the Almighty's profound purposes and actions.
Proverbs 30:4Agur's question, 'Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son's name, if you know?' powerfully illustrates the human inability to fully comprehend God's cosmic power and divine nature, echoing the spirit of Job's challenge.
bensonJob 11:7: "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?"
Job 11:7-8 . Canst thou by searching find out God? — That is, discover all the depths of his wisdom, and the reasons of all his actions. It is as high as heaven — Thou canst not measure the heights of the visible heavens, much less of the divine perfections; what canst thou do? — Namely, to find him out. Deeper than hell; what canst thou know? — Concerning him and his ways, which are far out of t…
clarkeJob 11:7: "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?"
Canst thou by searching find out God? - What is God? A Being self-existent, eternal, infinite, immense, without bounds, incomprehensible either by mind, or time, or space. Who then can find this Being out? Who can fathom his depths, ascend to his heights, extend to his breadths, and comprehend the infinitude of his perfections?
The verse isn't just asking if we can know God, but if we can fully plumb the depths of His wisdom and His ultimate limits. It highlights that human understanding, no matter how much we search, simply cannot grasp the infinite perfection of the Almighty.
Job's friend Zophar is pushing back hard against Job's complaints, suggesting that Job's suffering must be due to some hidden sin. In this verse, Zophar challenges Job, implying that human understanding is far too limited to grasp God's vast wisdom and perfect justice, especially when it comes to the reasons behind divine actions and judgments. He's basically saying, "How can you possibly know if God is wrong when you can't even fully comprehend Him?"
Job's friend Zophar is pushing back hard against Job's complaints, suggesting that Job's suffering must be due to some hidden sin. In this verse, Zophar challenges Job, implying that human understanding is far too limited to grasp God's vast wisdom and perfect justice, especially when it comes to the reasons behind divine actions and judgments. He's basically saying, "How can you possibly know if God is wrong when you can't even fully comprehend Him?"
"“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?" — The verse isn't just asking if we can know God, but if we can fully plumb the depths of His wisdom and His ultimate limits. It highlights that human understanding, no matter how much we search, s…
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Last reviewed October 2026