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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>Job 38:5 Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/job/38-5.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/new9.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><meta property="og:image" content="https://biblehub.com/visuals/12/18_Job_38_05.jpg" /><meta property="og:title" content="Job 38:5 - God Challenges Job" /><meta property="og:site_name" content="Bible Hub" /><meta property="og:description" content="Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! 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Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/job/38.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />Who determined its dimensions and stretched out the surveying line?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/job/38.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/job/38.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/job/38.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/job/38.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/job/38.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the measuring line over it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/job/38.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/job/38.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />Who set its measurements, since you know? Or who stretched the line on it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/job/38.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/job/38.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />“Who determined the measurements [of the earth], if you know? Or who stretched the [measuring] line on it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/job/38.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/job/38.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />Who fixed its dimensions? Certainly you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/job/38.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/job/38.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />Doubtless you know who decided its length and width. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/job/38.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/job/38.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />Who determined its dimensions? Certainly, you know! Who stretched a measuring line over it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/job/38.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />Who decided how large it would be? Who stretched the measuring line over it? Do you know all the answers? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/job/38.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />Who set its measurement? Am I to assume you know? Who stretched a boundary line over it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/job/38.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />Who fixed its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched a measuring line across it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/job/38.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />Who set its measurements--if you know--or who stretched a measuring line across it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/job/38.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/job/38.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />Who hath laid the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/job/38.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it? <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/job/38.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />Who placed its measures—if you know? Or who has stretched out a line on it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/job/38.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> Who placed its measures -- if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched out upon it a line?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/job/38.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />Who set its measures, if thou shalt know? or who stretched the line upon it?<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/job/38.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/job/38.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />Who set its measurements, if you know, or who stretched a line over it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/job/38.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />Who determined its size? Surely you know? Who stretched out the measuring line for it? <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/job/38.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/job/38.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />Who has laid its measures, if you know? Or who has stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hpbt/job/38.htm">Peshitta Holy Bible Translated</a></span><br />Who set down its measurements, if you know, and who has stretched a cord upon it?<div class="vheading2"><b>OT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/jps/job/38.htm">JPS Tanakh 1917</a></span><br />Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/sep/job/38.htm">Brenton Septuagint Translation</a></span><br />who set the measures of it, if thou knowest? or who stretched a line upon it?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/job/38-5.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XAwuD5NuZq0?start=5883" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/job/38.htm">God Challenges Job</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">4</span>Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. <span class="reftext">5</span><span class="highl"><a href="/hebrew/4310.htm" title="4310: mî- (Interrog) -- An interrogative pronoun of persons, as mah is of things, who?; also whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix.">Who</a> <a href="/hebrew/7760.htm" title="7760: śām (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- To put, place, set. Or siym; a primitive root; to put.">fixed</a> <a href="/hebrew/4461.htm" title="4461: mə·mad·de·hā (N-mpc:: 3fs) -- Measurement. From madad; a measure.">its measurements?</a> <a href="/hebrew/3588.htm" title="3588: kî (Conj) -- That, for, when. ">Surely</a> <a href="/hebrew/3045.htm" title="3045: ṯê·ḏā‘ (V-Qal-Imperf-2ms) -- A primitive root; to know; used in a great variety of senses, figuratively, literally, euphemistically and inferentially.">you know!</a> <a href="/hebrew/176.htm" title="176: ’ōw (Conj) -- Or. Presumed to be the constructive or genitival form of -av; short for 'avvah; desire; hence or, also if.">Or</a> <a href="/hebrew/4310.htm" title="4310: mî- (Interrog) -- An interrogative pronoun of persons, as mah is of things, who?; also whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix.">who</a> <a href="/hebrew/5186.htm" title="5186: nā·ṭāh (V-Qal-Perf-3ms) -- A primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication, to bend away; used in a great variety of application.">stretched</a> <a href="/hebrew/6957.htm" title="6957: qāw (N-ms) -- Or qav; from qavah; a cord, especially for measuring; figuratively, a rule; also a rim, a musical string or accord.">a measuring line</a> <a href="/hebrew/5921.htm" title="5921: ‘ā·le·hā (Prep:: 3fs) -- Properly, the same as al used as a preposition; above, over, upon, or against in a great variety of applications.">across it?</a> </span><span class="reftext">6</span>On what were its foundations set, or who laid its cornerstone,…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/proverbs/8-27.htm">Proverbs 8:27-29</a></span><br />I was there when He established the heavens, when He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep, / when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth, / when He set a boundary for the sea, so that the waters would not surpass His command, when He marked out the foundations of the earth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/40-12.htm">Isaiah 40:12</a></span><br />Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or marked off the heavens with the span of his hand? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on a scale and the hills with a balance?<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/jeremiah/31-35.htm">Jeremiah 31:35-37</a></span><br />Thus says the LORD, who gives the sun for light by day, who sets in order the moon and stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar—the LORD of Hosts is His name: / “Only if this fixed order departed from My presence, declares the LORD, would Israel’s descendants ever cease to be a nation before Me.” / This is what the LORD says: “Only if the heavens above could be measured and the foundations of the earth below searched out would I reject all of Israel’s descendants because of all they have done,” declares the LORD.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/104-5.htm">Psalm 104:5</a></span><br />He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/33-6.htm">Psalm 33:6-9</a></span><br />By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth. / He piles up the waters of the sea; He puts the depths into storehouses. / Let all the earth fear the LORD; let all the people of the world revere Him. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/genesis/1-1.htm">Genesis 1:1-10</a></span><br />In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. / Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. / And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/45-12.htm">Isaiah 45:12</a></span><br />It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/44-24.htm">Isaiah 44:24</a></span><br />Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/89-11.htm">Psalm 89:11</a></span><br />The heavens are Yours, and also the earth. The earth and its fullness You founded.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/102-25.htm">Psalm 102:25</a></span><br />In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/1-10.htm">Hebrews 1:10</a></span><br />And: “In the beginning, O Lord, You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/1-16.htm">Colossians 1:16-17</a></span><br />For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him. / He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/1-1.htm">John 1:1-3</a></span><br />In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/romans/11-33.htm">Romans 11:33-36</a></span><br />O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways! / “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor?” / “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?” ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/revelation/4-11.htm">Revelation 4:11</a></span><br />“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and were created.”</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know? or who has stretched the line on it?</p><p class="hdg">laid</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/11-9.htm">Job 11:9</a></b></br> The measure thereof <i>is</i> longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/job/28-25.htm">Job 28:25</a></b></br> To make the weight for the winds; and he weigheth the waters by measure.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/proverbs/8-27.htm">Proverbs 8:27</a></b></br> When he prepared the heavens, I <i>was</i> there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth:</p><p class="hdg">who hath stretched</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/19-4.htm">Psalm 19:4</a></b></br> Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/psalms/78-55.htm">Psalm 78:55</a></b></br> He cast out the heathen also before them, and divided them an inheritance by line, and made the tribes of Israel to dwell in their tents.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/isaiah/34-11.htm">Isaiah 34:11</a></b></br> But the cormorant and the bittern shall possess it; the owl also and the raven shall dwell in it: and he shall stretch out upon it the line of confusion, and the stones of emptiness.</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/job/21-21.htm">Determined</a> <a href="/ezekiel/43-13.htm">Dimensions</a> <a href="/job/36-21.htm">Fixed</a> <a href="/nehemiah/7-11.htm">Line</a> <a href="/job/26-10.htm">Marked</a> <a href="/2_chronicles/3-3.htm">Measurements</a> <a href="/job/28-25.htm">Measures</a> <a href="/job/28-25.htm">Measuring</a> <a href="/job/34-13.htm">Placed</a> <a href="/job/36-29.htm">Stretched</a> <a href="/job/37-20.htm">Surely</a> <a href="/job/36-33.htm">Thereof</a> <a href="/job/37-16.htm">Wisdom</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/psalms/140-4.htm">Determined</a> <a href="/ezekiel/42-11.htm">Dimensions</a> <a href="/job/38-10.htm">Fixed</a> <a href="/psalms/19-4.htm">Line</a> <a href="/job/38-10.htm">Marked</a> <a href="/ezekiel/40-10.htm">Measurements</a> <a href="/proverbs/16-11.htm">Measures</a> <a href="/psalms/108-7.htm">Measuring</a> <a href="/job/38-10.htm">Placed</a> <a href="/job/38-40.htm">Stretched</a> <a href="/job/38-21.htm">Surely</a> <a href="/job/38-6.htm">Thereof</a> <a href="/job/38-36.htm">Wisdom</a><div class="vheading2">Job 38</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/38-1.htm">God challenges Job to answer</a></span><br><span class="reftext">4. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/38-4.htm">God, by his mighty works, convinces Job of ignorance</a></span><br><span class="reftext">31. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/job/38-31.htm">and weakness</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/38.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/job/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/job/38.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>Who fixed its measurements?</b><br>This phrase emphasizes God's sovereignty and wisdom in creation. The rhetorical question highlights human limitations compared to divine omniscience. In the ancient Near Eastern context, measuring and fixing dimensions were tasks of a master builder or architect, roles attributed to God in the creation narrative. This echoes <a href="/proverbs/8-27.htm">Proverbs 8:27-29</a>, where wisdom is present at the creation, and <a href="/isaiah/40-12.htm">Isaiah 40:12</a>, which speaks of God measuring the waters and heavens. The concept of God as the ultimate architect is foundational, underscoring His authority and intentionality in creation.<p><b>Surely you know!</b><br>This sarcastic remark underscores the vast gap between human and divine understanding. It serves as a rebuke to Job, reminding him of his limited perspective. The phrase challenges human pride and presumption, a theme prevalent throughout the book of Job. It aligns with passages like <a href="/isaiah/55-8.htm">Isaiah 55:8-9</a>, which declare God's thoughts and ways higher than human ways. This rhetorical device is used to humble Job and, by extension, the reader, reinforcing the need for trust in God's wisdom.<p><b>Or who stretched a measuring line across it?</b><br>The imagery of a measuring line suggests precision and order in creation, akin to a builder ensuring the accuracy of a structure. This reflects the ancient practice of using a line to measure and plan construction, symbolizing God's meticulous care in the universe's design. The phrase connects to <a href="/zechariah/2.htm">Zechariah 2:1-2</a>, where a measuring line is used to symbolize God's protection and future plans for Jerusalem. It also prefigures Christ as the Logos, the divine reason and order, as seen in <a href="/john/1.htm">John 1:1-3</a>, where all things are made through Him, emphasizing the order and purpose inherent in creation.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/job.htm">Job</a></b><br>A man of great faith and patience, who undergoes severe trials and questions God's justice.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/g/god.htm">God</a></b><br>The Creator, who speaks to Job out of the whirlwind, challenging Job's understanding of divine wisdom and power.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_earth.htm">The Earth</a></b><br>The subject of God's rhetorical questions, emphasizing His role as the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/w/whirlwind.htm">Whirlwind</a></b><br>The medium through which God speaks to Job, symbolizing divine power and majesty.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/m/measuring_line.htm">Measuring Line</a></b><br>A metaphorical tool used to describe God's precise and intentional creation of the world.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/g/god's_sovereignty_in_creation.htm">God's Sovereignty in Creation</a></b><br>Recognize that God is the ultimate architect of the universe, with precise control over its design and function.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/human_limitations.htm">Human Limitations</a></b><br>Acknowledge our limited understanding compared to God's infinite wisdom and knowledge.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/t/trust_in_divine_wisdom.htm">Trust in Divine Wisdom</a></b><br>Trust that God's plans and purposes are perfect, even when we cannot comprehend them fully.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/h/humility_before_god.htm">Humility Before God</a></b><br>Approach God with humility, recognizing our place as part of His creation and His greater plan.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/f/faith_in_god's_order.htm">Faith in God's Order</a></b><br>Have faith that God has established order in the universe, and He maintains it according to His will.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_job_38.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Job 38</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_do_voids_challenge_a_young_universe.htm">How do cosmic voids contradict a recently created universe?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_proverbs_8_27_align_with_cosmology.htm">Proverbs 8:27: When it says wisdom was there at the making of the heavens, how does this compare with modern cosmology's timing of the universe's formation?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_satan's_claim_fit_god's_rule.htm">If the devil claimed authority over 'all the kingdoms' (Matthew 4:8-9), how does that align with God's sovereignty?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_do_exodus_38_21-23_and_numbers_align.htm">How do the measurements and quantities listed in Exodus 38:21-23 harmonize with other parts of Exodus and Numbers that detail Israel's population and resources?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/job/38.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 5.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Who determined the measures thereof?</span> Everything in creation is orderly, measured, predetermined, governed by law and will The actual weight of the planets is fixed by Divine wisdom, with a view to the stability and enduringness of the solar system (comp. <a href="/isaiah/40-12.htm">Isaiah 40:12</a>). If thou knowest; literally, <span class="accented">for thou knowest</span> - an anticipation of the lofty irony which comes out so remarkably in ver. 21. <span class="cmt_word">Or who hath stretched the line upon it?</span> Human builders determine the dimensions of their constructions by means of a measuring-line (<a href="/ezekiel/40-3.htm">Ezekiel 40:3-49</a>, etc.). The writer carries out his metaphor of a building by supposing a measuring-rod to have been used at the creation of the earth also. Some find a trace of the idea in <a href="/genesis/1-9.htm">Genesis 1:9</a>, where they translate <span class="hebrew">קָווּ הַמַּיִם</span>, "Let the waters be <span class="accented">marked out with a line."</span> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/job/38-5.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Hebrew</div><span class="word">Who</span><br /><span class="heb">מִי־</span> <span class="translit">(mî-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4310.htm">Strong's 4310: </a> </span><span class="str2">Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix</span><br /><br /><span class="word">fixed</span><br /><span class="heb">שָׂ֣ם</span> <span class="translit">(śām)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_7760.htm">Strong's 7760: </a> </span><span class="str2">Put -- to put, place, set</span><br /><br /><span class="word">its measurements?</span><br /><span class="heb">מְ֭מַדֶּיהָ</span> <span class="translit">(mə·mad·de·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine plural construct | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4461.htm">Strong's 4461: </a> </span><span class="str2">Measurement</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Surely</span><br /><span class="heb">כִּ֣י</span> <span class="translit">(kî)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">A relative conjunction</span><br /><br /><span class="word">you know!</span><br /><span class="heb">תֵדָ֑ע</span> <span class="translit">(ṯê·ḏā‘)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_3045.htm">Strong's 3045: </a> </span><span class="str2">To know</span><br /><br /><span class="word">Or</span><br /><span class="heb">א֤וֹ</span> <span class="translit">(’ōw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_176.htm">Strong's 176: </a> </span><span class="str2">Desire, if</span><br /><br /><span class="word">who</span><br /><span class="heb">מִֽי־</span> <span class="translit">(mî-)</span><br /><span class="parse">Interrogative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_4310.htm">Strong's 4310: </a> </span><span class="str2">Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix</span><br /><br /><span class="word">stretched</span><br /><span class="heb">נָטָ֖ה</span> <span class="translit">(nā·ṭāh)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5186.htm">Strong's 5186: </a> </span><span class="str2">To stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend</span><br /><br /><span class="word">a measuring line</span><br /><span class="heb">קָּֽו׃</span> <span class="translit">(qāw)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - masculine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_6957.htm">Strong's 6957: </a> </span><span class="str2">A cord, for, measuring, a rule, a rim, a musical string, accord</span><br /><br /><span class="word">across it?</span><br /><span class="heb">עָלֶ֣יהָ</span> <span class="translit">(‘ā·le·hā)</span><br /><span class="parse">Preposition | third person feminine singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/hebrew/strongs_5921.htm">Strong's 5921: </a> </span><span class="str2">Above, over, upon, against</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/job/38-5.htm">Job 38:5 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/job/38-5.htm">OT Poetry: Job 38:5 Who determined its measures if you know? (Jb) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/job/38-4.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Job 38:4"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Job 38:4" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/job/38-6.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Job 38:6"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Job 38:6" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>