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Thursday, August 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 14 / Ordinary 19
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Job 20:4

Knowest thou not this of olde? and since God placed man vpon the earth,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Death;   Hypocrisy;   Worldliness;   The Topic Concordance - Happiness/joy;   Hypocrisy;   Oppression;   Perishing;   Victory/overcoming;   Wickedness;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Man;  

Dictionaries:

- Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Fall of Man;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Adam in the Old Testament;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Don’t you know that ever since antiquity,from the time a human was placed on earth,
Hebrew Names Version
Don't you know this from old time, Since man was placed on eretz,
King James Version
Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
English Standard Version
Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed on earth,
New Century Version
"You know how it has been for a long time, ever since people were first put on the earth.
New English Translation
"Surely you know that it has been from old, ever since humankind was placed on the earth,
Amplified Bible
"Do you not know this from the old days, Since the time that man was placed on the earth,
New American Standard Bible
"Do you know this from ancient times, From the establishment of mankind on earth,
World English Bible
Don't you know this from old time, Since man was placed on earth,
Legacy Standard Bible
Do you know this from of old,From the establishment of man on earth,
Berean Standard Bible
Do you not know that from antiquity, since man was placed on the earth,
Contemporary English Version
Since the time of creation, everyone has known
Complete Jewish Bible
"Don't you know that ever since time began, ever since humans were placed on earth,
Darby Translation
Knowest thou [not] this, that of old, since man was placed upon earth,
Easy-to-Read Version
"You know that the joy of the wicked does not last long. That has been true a long time, ever since Adam was put on earth. Those who don't know God are happy for only a short time. <
George Lamsa Translation
This I know from of old, since man was created upon the earth,
Good News Translation
Surely you know that from ancient times, when we humans were first placed on earth,
Lexham English Bible
"Did you know this from of old, since the setting of the human being on earth,
Literal Translation
Do you know this from of old, from the setting of man on earth,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Knowest thou not this, namely: that from the begynninge (euer sence the creacion of man vpon earth)
American Standard Version
Knowest thou not this of old time, Since man was placed upon earth,
Bible in Basic English
Have you knowledge of this from early times, when man was placed on the earth,
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Knowest thou not this of old time, since man was placed upon earth,
King James Version (1611)
Knowest thou not this of old, since man was placed vpon earth,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Knowest thou not this of olde, and since God plaged man vpon earth,
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Hast thou not known these things of old, from the time that man was set upon the earth?
English Revised Version
Knowest thou not this of old time, since man was placed upon earth,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Y woot this fro the bigynnyng, sithen man was set on erthe,
Update Bible Version
Do you [not] know this of old time, Since man was placed on earth,
Webster's Bible Translation
Knowest thou [not] this of old, since man was placed upon earth,
New King James Version
"Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth,
New Living Translation
"Don't you realize that from the beginning of time, ever since people were first placed on the earth,
New Life Bible
Do you not know from long ago, since man was put on earth,
New Revised Standard
Do you not know this from of old, ever since mortals were placed on earth,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Knowest thou, this - from antiquity, from the placing of man upon earth: -
Douay-Rheims Bible
This I know from the beginning, since man was placed upon the earth,
Revised Standard Version
Do you not know this from of old, since man was placed upon earth,
Young's Literal Translation
This hast thou known from antiquity? Since the placing of man on earth?
THE MESSAGE
"Don't you even know the basics, how things have been since the earliest days, when Adam and Eve were first placed on earth? The good times of the wicked are short-lived; godless joy is only momentary. The evil might become world famous, strutting at the head of the celebrity parade, But still end up in a pile of dung. Acquaintances look at them with disgust and say, ‘What's that?' They fly off like a dream that can't be remembered, like a shadowy illusion that vanishes in the light. Though once notorious public figures, now they're nobodies, unnoticed, whether they come or go. Their children will go begging on skid row, and they'll have to give back their ill-gotten gain. Right in the prime of life, and youthful and vigorous, they'll die.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Do you know this from of old, From the establishment of man on earth,

Contextual Overview

1 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite and saide, 2 Doubtles my thoughts cause me to answere, and therefore I make haste. 3 I haue heard the correction of my reproch: therefore the spirite of mine vnderstanding causeth me to answere. 4 Knowest thou not this of olde? and since God placed man vpon the earth, 5 That the reioycing of the wicked is short, and that the ioy of hypocrites is but a moment? 6 Though his excellencie mount vp to the heauen, and his head reache vnto the cloudes, 7 Yet shall hee perish for euer, like his dung, and they which haue seene him, shall say, Where is hee? 8 He shal flee away as a dreame, and they shal not finde him, and shall passe away as a vision of the night, 9 So that the eye which had seene him, shall do so no more, & his place shal see him no more.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thou not: Job 8:8, Job 8:9, Job 15:10, Job 32:7

man: Genesis 1:28, Genesis 9:1-3, Psalms 115:16

Reciprocal: John 9:32 - the world

Cross-References

Genesis 19:24
Then the Lord rained vpon Sodom and vpon Gomorah brimstone, & fire from the Lord out of heauen,
Genesis 20:6
And God saide vnto him by a dreame, I knowe that thou diddest this euen with an vpright minde, and I kept thee also that thou shouldest not sinne against me: therefore suffered I thee not to touche her.
Genesis 20:17
Then Abraham prayed vnto God, and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his women seruants: and they bare children.
Genesis 20:18
For the Lorde had shut vp euery wombe of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah Abrahams wife.
2 Samuel 4:11
How much more, when wicked men haue slaine a righteous person in his owne house, and vpon his bed? shal I not now therfore require his blood at your hand, and take you from the earth?
1 Chronicles 21:17
And Dauid said vnto God, Is it not I that commanded to nomber the people? It is euen I that haue sinned and haue committed euil, but these sheepe what haue they done? O Lorde my God, I beseech thee, let thine hande be on me and on my fathers house, and not on thy people for their destruction.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Knowest thou [not] this of old,.... Or "from eternity" g, from the beginning of time, ever since the world was; as if he should say, if you are the knowing man you pretend to be, you must know this I am about to observe; and if you do not know it, you must be an ignorant man, since it is an ancient truth, confirmed by all experience from the creation; not that Job could know it so early, he was not the first man that was born, nor was he made before the hills, but was of yesterday, and comparatively knew nothing; but the sense is, that this about to be delivered was an old established maxim, of which there had been numerous instances,

since man, or "Adam",

was placed upon earth; referring to the putting of Adam in Eden to dress the garden, and keep it; and every man, ever since, is placed on earth by the ordination, and according to the will of God, where and for purposes he pleases: the instances Zophar might have in view are perhaps the expulsion of our first parents out of paradise, the vagabond state of Cain, the destruction of the old world by a flood, and of Sodom and Gomorrah by fire from heaven; which show that God, sooner or later, gives manifest tokens of his displeasure at sin and sinners, by his punishment of them for it. What he means is as follows.

g מני עד "ab aeterno", Junius & Tremellius, Drusius, Codurcus, Schmidt, Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Knowest thou not this of old - That is, dost thou not know that this has always happened from the beginning of the world, or that this is the invariable course of events. His purpose is to show that it was the settled arrangement of Providence that the wicked would be overtaken with signal calamity. It was “so” settled that Job ought not to be surprised that it had occurred in “his” case. Zophar goes on to show that though a wicked man might rise high in honor, and obtain great wealth, yet that the fall would certainly come, and he would sink to a depth of degradation corresponding to the former prosperity.

Since man was placed upon earth - Since the creation; that is, it has always been so.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 20:4. Knowest thou not this of old — This is a maxim as ancient as the world; it began with the first man: A wicked man shall triumph but a short time; God will destroy the proud doer.

Since man was placed upon earth — Literally, since ADAM was placed on the earth; that is, since the fall, wickedness and hypocrisy have existed; but they have never triumphed long. Thou hast lately been expressing confidence in reference to a general judgment; but such is thy character, that thou hast little reason to anticipate with any joy the decisions of that day.


 
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