Job 38:16

Have you journeyed to the vents of the sea or walked in the trenches of the deep?

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — God addresses Job in response to his complaints, contrasting human limitation with divine authority over hidden realms. The question sits between statements about light being withheld from the wicked and the gates of death.

The words — נִבְכֵי (niv.khei) translates literally to "springs" or "vents," and תְּ֝ה֗וֹם (te.Hom) means "the deep."

The thread — The imagery of hidden waters and profound depths appears in Proverbs 8:24, Job 26:5, and Psalms 77:19.

Why it lands — The text states that no human has accessed the origins or boundaries of the ocean or the abyss. It requires the reader to acknowledge experiential limits before claiming authority over divine governance.

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

הֲ֭בָאתָHa./va.ta¿/ have you gone עַד־'ad-to נִבְכֵי־niv.khei-[the] springs of יָ֑םYam[the] sea וּבְחֵ֥קֶרu./ve./Che.kerand/ in/ [the] depth of תְּ֝ה֗וֹםte.Hom[the] deep הִתְהַלָּֽכְתָּ׃hit.ha.La.khe.tahave you walked about?

King James Version

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

Cross-references

Proverbs 8:24 When there were no watery depths, I was brought forth, when no springs were overflowing with water.
Job 26:5 The dead tremble—those beneath the waters and those who dwell in them.
Psalms 77:19 Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, but Your footprints were not to be found.
Jeremiah 51:36 Therefore this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I will plead your case and take vengeance on your behalf; I will dry up her sea and make her springs run dry.