Psalms 73:11

King James Version

And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

Parallel Translations

English Standard Version
And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"

Geneva Bible (1587)
And they say, Howe doeth God know it? or is there knowledge in the most High?

Christian Standard Bible®
The wicked say, “How can God know?Does the Most High know everything?”

Hebrew Names Version
They say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge in Ha`Elyon?"

Easy-to-Read Version
Those evil people say, "God does not know what we are doing! God Most High does not know!"

Amplified Bible
They say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge [of us] with the Most High?"

American Standard Version
And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?

Contemporary English Version
Only evil people would say, "God Most High cannot know everything!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Then they ask, "How does God know? Does the Most High really have knowledge?"

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they say: 'How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they said, How does God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?

English Revised Version
And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?

Berean Standard Bible
The wicked say, "How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?"

Lexham English Bible
And they say, "How does God know?" and, "Does the Most High have knowledge?"

Literal Translation
And they say, How does God know? And, Is there knowledge in the Most High?

New Century Version
They say, "How can God know? What does God Most High know?"

New English Translation
They say, "How does God know what we do? Is the sovereign One aware of what goes on?"

New King James Version
And they say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?"

New Living Translation
"What does God know?" they ask. "Does the Most High even know what's happening?"

New Life Bible
They say, "How does God know? Is there much learning with the Most High?"

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they say - How doth GOD know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?

Douay-Rheims Bible
(72-11) And they said: How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

George Lamsa Translation
They shall say, How does God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

Good News Translation
They say, "God will not know; the Most High will not find out."

New American Standard Bible
They say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?"

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they say, howe shoulde God perceaue it? is there knowledge in the most hyghest?

New Revised Standard
And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"

Darby Translation
And they say, How can God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei seiden, How woot God; and whether kunnyng is an heiye, `that is, in heuene?

Young's Literal Translation
And they have said, `How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'

World English Bible
They say, "How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"

Revised Standard Version
And they say, "How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?"

Update Bible Version
And they say, How does God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?

Webster's Bible Translation
And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the Most High?

Bible in Basic English
And they say, How will the Lord see this? is there knowledge in the Most High?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Tush (saye they) how shulde God perceaue it? is there knowlege in the most hyest?

THE MESSAGE
What's going on here? Is God out to lunch? Nobody's tending the store. The wicked get by with everything; they have it made, piling up riches. I've been stupid to play by the rules; what has it gotten me? A long run of bad luck, that's what— a slap in the face every time I walk out the door.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
They say, "How does God know? And is there knowledge with the Most High?"

Legacy Standard Bible
They say, "How does God know?And is there knowledge with the Most High?"

Contextual Overview

¹ Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. ² But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. ³ For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ⁴ For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. ⁵ They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. ⁶ Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. ⁷ Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. ⁸ They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. ⁹ They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. ¹⁰ Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

How: Psalms 73:9, Psalms 10:11, Psalms 94:7, Job 22:13, Job 22:14, Ezekiel 8:12, Zephaniah 1:12

is there: Psalms 44:21, Psalms 139:1-6, Hosea 7:2

Reciprocal: Job 12:6 - tabernacles Job 15:25 - he stretcheth Job 24:15 - No eye Psalms 50:21 - thoughtest Psalms 59:7 - who Ecclesiastes 9:1 - no man Isaiah 29:15 - Who seeth 1 Corinthians 15:35 - How

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they say, how doth God know?.... Owning there is a God, but questioning his knowledge; for the words are not an inquiry about the way and manner of his knowing things; which is not by the senses, as hearing and seeing; eyes and ears are improperly ascribed to him; nor in a discursive way, by reasoning, and inferring one thing from another; for he knows things intuitively, beholding all things in his own eternal mind and will: but they are a question about his knowledge itself, as follows:

and is their knowledge in the most High? they acknowledge God to be the most High, and yet doubt whether there is knowledge in him; and indeed the higher with respect to place, and at the greater distance he was from them, the less they imagined he knew of affairs below; see

Job 22:13 for the knowledge called in question is to be understood of his providential notice of human affairs, which they thought he did not concern himself with, as being below his regard; see Ezekiel 9:9 and therefore concluded that their acts of oppression and violence, and their insolent words against God and men, would pass unobserved, and with impunity. If these are the words of good men, of the people of God under affliction, they are to be considered as under a temptation from their affliction, and the prosperity of the wicked, to call in question the providence of God in the government of the world, and his love to them, which is sometimes expressed by his knowledge of them, Psalms 1:6.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And they say - His people say. The connection demands this interpretation. The meaning is, that his people, as they return again and again to this subject Psalms 73:10, are constrained to put this question. They are compelled by these facts to start such painful inquiries about God; and distressing as the inquiries are, and as are the doubts which they involve, these thoughts will pass through their mind, even though to avoid giving needless pain to those who have no such perplexities and difficulties they keep these thoughts to themselves, Psalms 73:15.

How doth God know? - That is, How can these facts be reconciled with God’s omniscience? How can it be that he sees all this, and yet suffers it to occur, or that he does not interpose to prevent it? Is it not a fair inference from these facts that God does “not” see them, and that he is “not” an Omniscient Being? Can it be explained, can it be believed, that God sees all this, and that he calmly looks on, and does nothing to prevent it? If he sees it, why does he not interpose and put an end to it? These perplexities were not confined to the psalmist. They are such as have been felt by good people in all ages; and no one yet has been able to furnish a solution of them that is wholly free from difficulty.

And is there knowledge in the Most High? - Can there be in God a knowledge of these facts? Are we not driven to the conclusion that he must be ignorant of them? for, if he knew them, would he not interpose to prevent them? How “can” it be consistent with the idea that he “knows” them, and “sees” them, that he does “not” interpose, and that he suffers these things to take place without any attempt to check such evils? Who, even now, can answer these questions?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 73:11. They say, How doth God know? — My people are so stumbled with the prosperity of the wicked, that they are ready in their temptation to say, "Surely, God cannot know these things, or he would never dispense his favours thus." Others consider these words as the saying of the wicked: "We may oppress these people as we please, and live as we list; God knows nothing about it."