Romans 11:34
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Romans 11:34
“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The verse doesn't just state that God's thoughts are unknowable, but implies that no one has ever been in a position to offer Him advice. This emphasizes not just His supreme wisdom, but His absolute sovereignty, meaning He owes nothing to anyone for His decisions.
Paul is reeling from the mind-boggling mystery of God's dealings with Israel and the Gentiles, bursting into an exclamation of awe at God's unfathomable wisdom and knowledge. He then quotes Isaiah to emphasize that no one can possibly comprehend or direct God's thoughts, implying that our limited human understanding must yield to divine sovereignty. This is a profound statement meant to silence any arrogant attempts to question or criticize God's ways, whether in His judgment of Israel or His inclusion of the Gentiles.
Ever felt like you just can't understand why God does what He does? You're not alone – and Paul says there’s a good reason for that.
Paul quotes from Isaiah here to make a powerful point: the inner workings of God's mind are beyond human comprehension. Think about it – if we could fully grasp God's thoughts, His plans, and His reasons, He wouldn't be God, would He?
Imagine trying to give advice to the most brilliant CEO, architect, or strategist in the world. Now, multiply that by infinity. That's the gap between us and God.
The second part of the verse, 'or who has been his counselor?', reinforces the first. It’s not just that we can't know God's mind, but we certainly can't advise Him.
Understand the original words
nous · Greek Noun
The rational faculty of God, encompassing His thoughts, purposes, and plans; it is the inaccessible intellect of the Creator that humanity cannot fully comprehend.
symboulos · Greek Noun
One who offers advice or counsel; in the context of God, it emphasizes that He is self-sufficient and does not require advice from His creatures.
This is the primary source for Paul's quote, highlighting the absolute sovereignty and unsearchable wisdom of God that no human can advise or direct.
Jeremiah 23:18This passage echoes the sentiment that God's prophetic word and plans are His own, and those who claim to speak for Him without divine direction are deceivers.
Job 41:11This verse, in a different context concerning the power of the creature (Leviathan), asserts that God owes nothing to anyone, reinforcing the idea that He has no need of counsel because all things originate from Him.
1 Corinthians 2:16Paul uses a very similar rhetorical question to assert that believers have the 'mind of Christ,' implying that understanding God's will comes through divine revelation, not human intellect or counsel.
gillRomans 11:34: "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller?"
For who hath known the mind of the Lord,.... The intentions of his mind, the thoughts of his heart, and the counsels of his will: these could never have been known, if he had not revealed them; nor can the doctrines relating to them, though externally revealed, be known by the natural man, or by the mere dint of nature, but only by the light of the Spirit of God; who searches them, and makes them known in…
barnesRomans 11:34: "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counseller?"
For who hath known? ... - This verse is a quotation, with a slight change, from Isaiah 40:13 , "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him?" It is designed to express the infinite wisdom and knowledge of God, by affirming that no being could teach him, or counsel him. Earthly monarchs have counsellors of state, whom they may consult in times of perplexity or danger. B…
The verse doesn't just state that God's thoughts are unknowable, but implies that no one has ever been in a position to offer Him advice. This emphasizes not just His supreme wisdom, but His absolute sovereignty, meaning He owes nothing to anyone for His decisions.
Paul is reeling from the mind-boggling mystery of God's dealings with Israel and the Gentiles, bursting into an exclamation of awe at God's unfathomable wisdom and knowledge. He then quotes Isaiah to emphasize that no one can possibly comprehend or direct God's thoughts, implying that our limited human understanding must yield to divine sovereignty. This is a profound statement meant to silence any arrogant attempts to question or criticize God's ways, whether in His judgment of Israel or His inclusion of the Gentiles.
Paul is reeling from the mind-boggling mystery of God's dealings with Israel and the Gentiles, bursting into an exclamation of awe at God's unfathomable wisdom and knowledge. He then quotes Isaiah to emphasize that no one can possibly comprehend or direct God's thoughts, implying that our limited human understanding must yield to divine sovereignty. This is a profound statement meant to silence any arrogant attempts to question or criticize God's ways, whether in His judgment of Israel or His inclusion of the Gentiles.
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"“For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?”" — The verse doesn't just state that God's thoughts are unknowable, but implies that no one has ever been in a position to offer Him advice. This emphasizes not just His supreme wisdom, but His absolu…