Job 38:20

Bishop's Bible

That thou shouldest receaue it in the boundes thereof, and know the pathes to their houses.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so you can lead it back to its border?Are you familiar with the paths to its home?

Hebrew Names Version
That you should take it to the bound of it, That you should discern the paths to the house of it?

King James Version
That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

English Standard Version
that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?

New Century Version
Can you take them to their places? Do you know the way to their homes?

New English Translation
that you may take them to their borders and perceive the pathways to their homes?

Amplified Bible
That you may take it to its territory And that you may know the paths to its house?

New American Standard Bible
That you would take it to its territory, And discern the paths to its home?

World English Bible
That you should take it to the bound of it, That you should discern the paths to the house of it?

Geneva Bible (1587)
That thou shouldest receiue it in the boundes thereof, and that thou shouldest knowe the paths to the house thereof?

Legacy Standard Bible
That you may take it to its territoryAnd that you may discern the paths to its home?

Berean Standard Bible
so you can lead it back to its border? Do you know the paths to its home?

Contemporary English Version
Can you lead them home?

Complete Jewish Bible
If you knew, you could take each to its place and set it on its homeward path.

Darby Translation
That thou shouldest take it to its bound, and that thou shouldest know the paths to its house?

Easy-to-Read Version
Can you take them back to where they belong? Do you know how to get there?

George Lamsa Translation
Do you know its borders and the path to its house?

Good News Translation
Can you show them how far to go, or send them back again?

Lexham English Bible
that you may take it to its territory, and that you might discern the paths to its home?

Literal Translation
that you should take it to its boundary, and that you should perceive the paths to its house?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
yt thou mayest bringe vs vnto their quarters, yf thou cast tell the waye to their houses.

American Standard Version
That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, And that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?

Bible in Basic English
So that you might take it to its limit, guiding it to its house?

JPS Old Testament (1917)
That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

King James Version (1611)
That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the pathes to the house thereof.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If thou couldest bring me to their utmost boundaries, and if also thou knowest their paths;

English Revised Version
That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
that thou lede ech thing to hise termes, and thou vndurstonde the weies of his hows.

Update Bible Version
That you should take it to the bound thereof, And that you should discern the paths to the house thereof?

Webster's Bible Translation
That thou shouldest take it to its bound, and that thou shouldest know the paths [to] its house?

New King James Version
That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home?

New Living Translation
Can you take each to its home? Do you know how to get there?

New Life Bible
that you may take it to its land, and know the paths to its home?

New Revised Standard
that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
That thou mayest conduct it unto the bound thereof, and that thou mayest perceive the paths to its house.

Douay-Rheims Bible
That thou mayst bring every thing to its own bounds, and understand the paths of the house thereof.

Revised Standard Version
that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?

Young's Literal Translation
That thou dost take it unto its boundary, And that thou dost understand The paths of its house.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
That you may take it to its territory And that you may discern the paths to its home?

Contextual Overview

¹² Hast thou geue the morning his charge since thy dayes, and shewed the day spring his place, ¹³ That it might take holde of the corners of the earth, and that the vngodly might be shaken out of it. ¹⁴ They are fashioned as is the clay with the seale, and all stand vp as a garment. ¹⁵ The vngodly shall be disapointed of their light, and the arme of the proude shalbe broken. ¹⁶ Camest thou euer into the grounde of the sea, or walkedst in the lowe corners of the deepe? ¹⁷ Haue the gates of death ben opened vnto thee? or hast thou seene the doores of the shadowe of death? ¹⁸ Hast thou also perceaued how brode the earth is? If thou hast knowledge of all this: ¹⁹ Then shewe me the way where light dwelleth, & where is the place of darkenesse? ²⁰ That thou shouldest receaue it in the boundes thereof, and know the pathes to their houses. ²¹ Knewest thou afore thou wast borne how olde thou shouldest be?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

it to: or, it at

the bound: Genesis 10:19, Genesis 23:17

Reciprocal: Job 9:7 - sealeth

Cross-References

Genesis 20:9
Then Abimelech called Abraham, & sayde vnto hym: What hast thou done vnto vs? & what haue I offended thee, that thou hast brought on me & on my kingdome [so] great a sinne? thou hast done deedes vnto me that ought not to be done.

Leviticus 19:17
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thyne heart, but shalt in any wyse rebuke thy neighbour, & suffer not sinne vpon hym.

Judges 14:20
But Samsons wyfe was geuen to one of his companions that he had taken vnto him.

2 Samuel 13:3
But Amnon had a frende called Ionadab, the sonne of Simah, Dauids brother: And Ionadab was a very subtile man.

Luke 23:12
And the same day Pilate and Herode were made friendes together: For before they were at variaunce.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof,.... Either darkness, or rather the light; take it as it were by the hand, and guide and direct its course to its utmost bound. This only the Lord can do and does: he has set a tabernacle for the sun, which goes forth at his command as a strong man to run a race; whose going forth is from the end of the heavens, and his circuit unto the ends of it: in which his course is so steered and directed by the Lord, that he never misses his way or errs from it; but keeps his path exactly, as well as knows its rising and setting, its utmost bounds;

and that thou shouldest know the paths [to] the house thereof? from whence it sets out, and whither it returns; see Psalms 19:4. And so the light and darkness of prosperity and adversity, as well as natural light and darkness, are of God, at his disposal, and bounded by him, and therefore his will should be submitted to; which is the doctrine the Lord would teach Job by all this.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That thou shouldest take it to the bounds thereof - Margin, “or, at.” The sense seems to be this: God asks Job whether he was so well acquainted with the sources of light, and the place where it dwelt, that he could take it under his guidance and reconduct it to its place of abode.

And that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof? - The same idea is repeated here. Light has a home; a place of abode. It was far distant - in some region unknown to man. Did Job know the way in which it came, and the place where it dwelt so well, that he could conduct it back again to its own dwelling? Umbreit, Noyes, and Herder, suppose that this is to be understood ironically.

“For thou hast reached its boundaries!

For then knowest the path to its dwelling!”

But it has been commonly regarded as a question, and thus understood it accords better with the connection.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 38:20. Shouldest take it to the bound thereof? — Or, as Mr. Good, translates, "That thou shouldest lay hold of it in its boundary." That thou shouldest go to the very spot where light commences, and where darkness ends; and see the house where each dwells. Here darkness and light are personified, each as a real intelligent being, having a separate existence and local dwelling. But poetry animates everything. It is the region of fictitious existence.

I believe this verse should be translated thus: - "For thou canst take US to its boundary; for thou knowest the paths to its house." This is a strong irony, and there are several others in this Divine speech. Job had valued himself too much on his knowledge; and a chief object of this august speech is to humble his "knowing pride," and to cause him to seek true wisdom and humility where they are to be found.