Bible Strands
Job 36:26
Indeed, God is great—beyond our knowledge; the number of His years is unsearchable.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Elihu addresses Job and his companions, concluding a section on God's sovereign power displayed in creation and judgment. The speech follows a description of divine acts that all humanity observes from afar.
The words — The Hebrew שַׂגִּיא (sa.gi') translates literally as "exalted" or "great," while מִסְפַּר שָׁנָיו (mis.par sha.nav) means "the number of his years." The text states that God's greatness surpasses human comprehension and His years cannot be fully enumerated.
The thread — This declaration of divine incomprehensibility and eternal nature runs through Psalms 90:2, Psalms 145:3, and Job 11:7. Each reference reinforces the pattern of God's existence and authority exceeding human measurement.
Why it lands — The passage requires readers to acknowledge the limits of human knowledge before divine sovereignty. It demands a shift from attempting to calculate God's nature to accepting His unsearchable authority.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.
Cross-references
- Psalms 90:2 Before the mountains were born or You brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting You are God.
- Psalms 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
- Job 11:7 Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
- 1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
- Job 37:5 God thunders wondrously with His voice; He does great things we cannot comprehend.
- Job 37:23 The Almighty is beyond our reach; He is exalted in power! In His justice and great righteousness He does not oppress.
- 1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
- Job 26:14 Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”
- Psalms 102:24 I say: “O my God, do not take me in the midst of my days! Your years go on through all generations.
- Job 10:5 Are Your days like those of a mortal, or Your years like those of a man,