# Job 38.5

<!-- type: passage | created: 2026-08-12 | updated: 2026-08-12 -->

**Book:** [Job](/codex/job/) · NASB95

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 3. Gird up now thy loins like a man; For I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. 4. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.
>
> **5. Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it?**
>
> 6. Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner - stone thereof, 7. When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:3-7, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 3. Brace yourself like a man, for I will question you, then you answer me! 4. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding.
>
> **5. Who determined its measures, if you know? Or who stretched the line on it?**
>
> 6. Whereupon were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7. when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:3-7, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 3. Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. <sup>answer: Heb. make me know</sup> 4. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. <sup>hast: Heb. knowest understanding</sup>
>
> **5. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?**
>
> 6. Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; <sup>foundations: Heb. sockets</sup> <sup>fastened: Heb. made to sink?</sup> 7. When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:3-7, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 3. Gird, I pray thee, as a man, thy loins, And I ask thee, and cause thou Me to know. 4. Where wast thou when I founded earth? Declare, if thou hast known understanding.
>
> **5. Who placed its measures, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched out upon it a line?**
>
> 6. On what have its sockets been sunk? Or who hath cast its corner-stone? 7. In the singing together of stars of morning, And all sons of God shout for joy, (Job 38:3-7, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** _TBD_
- **Audience:** _TBD_
- **Location:** _TBD_
- **Time period:** _TBD_

## Theological reading

_Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._

## Key words

_Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._

- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_
- _TBD_

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## Quoted in

**Arguments and defeaters:**

- [Argument from Mathematical Truth](/codex/argument-from-mathematical-truth/), via [Job 38.4-7](/codex/job-38-4-7/)
- [Mathematics Requires Christian Theism](/codex/mathematics-requires-christian-theism/)

**Concepts:**

- [Baryon Acoustic Oscillations](/codex/baryon-acoustic-oscillations/), via [Job 38.4-7](/codex/job-38-4-7/)

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## Notes

_Your annotations._

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.