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Thursday, September 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Job 20:4

Knowest thou not this, namely: that from the begynninge (euer sence the creacion of man vpon 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,
Geneva Bible (1587)
Knowest thou not this of olde? and since God placed man vpon the 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,
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 Sophar the Naamathite, and sayde: 2 For the same cause do my thoughtes compell me to answere. And why? my mynde is tossed here and there. 3 I haue sufficiently herde the checkynge & reprofe, therfore am I purposed to make answere after my vnderstodinge. 4 Knowest thou not this, namely: that from the begynninge (euer sence the creacion of man vpon earth) 5 the prayse of the vngodly hath bene shorte, and that the ioye of Ypocrytes continued but ye twincklinge of an eye? 6 Though he be magnified vp to the heaue, so that his heade reacheth vnto the cloudes: 7 yet he perisheth at the last like donge: In so moch yt they which haue sene him, saye: Where is he? 8 He vanysheth as a dreame, so that he can nomore be founde, & passeth awaye as a vision in ye night. 9 So that the eye which sawe him before, getteth now no sight of him, & his place knoweth him nomore.

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 LORDE caused brymstone and fyre to rayne downe from the LORDE out of heauen vpon Sodoma and Gomorra,
Genesis 20:6
And God sayde vnto him in a dreame: I knowe that thou dyddest it wt a pure hert, and therfore I kepte the, that thou shuldest not synne agaynst me, nether haue I suffred the to touch her.
Genesis 20:17
As for Abraham, he prayed vnto God: Then God healed Abimelech, and his wyfe, and his maydens, so that they bare childre.
Genesis 20:18
For a fore the LORDE had closed all the matrices of Abimelechs house, because of Sara Abrahams wife.
2 Samuel 4:11
And these vngodly personnes haue slayne a righteous man in his owne house vpon his bed. Yee shulde not I requyre his bloude of youre handes, and take you awaye from ye earth?
1 Chronicles 21:17
And Dauid sayde vnto God: Am not I he that caused the people to be nombred? I am he that hath synned and done euell: as for these shepe, what haue they done? LORDE my God, let thine hande be agaynst me and agaynst my fathers house, and not agaynst thy people to plage them.

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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