Job 35:11 · Bible study
Job 35:11 Commentary: God's Teaching and Human Responsibility
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Elihu say God teaches us more than animals? Explore the meaning of Job 35:11 in its context and its call to seek God in suffering.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God has given humans superior teaching and wisdom compared to animals, emphasizing our capacity to know and seek Him in suffering.
- Key words: 'Teaches' (H0502, Piel participle) and 'makes wise' (H2449, Piel imperfect), intensive, ongoing divine instruction.
- Main debate: Whether the preposition min is comparative ('more than') or instrumental ('by means of'); most commentators favor comparative.
- Theological theme: Human uniqueness and responsibility in the face of God’s gifts; prayer as intelligent response, not just instinctive cry.
- Best use: To challenge believers to move from complaint to thoughtful, faith-filled prayer, especially when God seems silent.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
WEB World English Bible 2000
who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
KJV King James Version 1769
Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowl of the heavens?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and instructeth us more than the fowls of the air.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Que nos enseña más que á las bestias de la tierra, y nos hace sabios más que las aves del cielo?
Que nos ensina mais que aos animais da terra, e nos faz sábios mais que as aves do céu?
Qui nous instruit plus que les bêtes de la terre,
der uns klüger macht denn das Vieh auf Erden und weiser denn die Vögel unter dem Himmel?”
Die ons geleerder maakt dan de beesten der aarde, en ons wijzer maakt dan het gevogelte des hemels?
che ci fa più intelligenti delle bestie de’ campi e più savi degli uccelli del cielo?”
Choć nas wyucza nad bydlęta ziemskie, a nad ptastwo niebieskie czyni nas mędrszymi.
Который научает нас более, нежели скотов земных, и вразумляет нас более, нежели птиц небесных?
教訓我們 勝於地上 的走獸，使我們有聰明 勝於空中的 飛鳥。
Who gives us more knowledge than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the heaven?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 35:11
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Job 35:11 contrasts God's gift to humanity with the limited instinct of animals. Adam Clarke notes that animals often show more gratitude to their masters than humans show to God, citing Isaiah 1:3. Barnes explains that animals suffer without understanding why, but humans, endowed with intelligence, can grasp God's purposes in affliction if they apply to Him. Gill emphasizes that God not only gives reason but also religious knowledge, including fear of the Lord and hope of eternal life, things animals cannot attain. Matthew Henry calls this 'an aggravation of men's neglect of God': because God has granted wisdom, failing to use it in prayer is inexcusable. Thus the verse functions as a call: since God teaches us more than the beasts, we are to respond intelligently with prayer and trust, not merely with instinctive complaint.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: God gives humans a capacity for understanding and relationship that animals do not have, and this gift carries an expectation that we seek Him genuinely.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Interpretation of 'more than' | Christians agree God gives humans superior understanding compared to animals. | Some read the preposition as comparative ('more than the beasts'), others as instrumental ('by the beasts'), though most favor the comparative sense. |
| Elihu's argument vs Job's complaint | Both Job and Elihu affirm that God is sovereign and just. | Job questions why God does not answer the innocent; Elihu insists the fault lies in human failure to truly seek God. |
| The nature of God's teaching | God is the ultimate source of all wisdom. | Some emphasize natural revelation through creation; others stress special revelation through Scripture and the Spirit. |
| Human responsibility in suffering | Sufferers are called to turn to God. | Protestant traditions often highlight individual responsibility; Catholic and Orthodox traditions also incorporate communal and sacramental responses. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Elihu speaks in Job 35 as part of his longer response to Job's doubt about the value of piety. Job had complained that the righteous suffer while oppressors thrive, and that God does not answer the cries of the oppressed (Job 24:12). Elihu addresses this by distinguishing between a natural cry of pain and a genuine, seeking prayer, one that asks, 'Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night?' (Job 35:10). The verse sits in that argument: God has uniquely endowed humans with understanding beyond animals, so to cry out without seeking Him is to act beneath that gift.
In the ancient Near East, animals were often seen as models of instinctive wisdom (Job 12:7; Proverbs 6:6), but here Elihu says humans have more. The Hebrew verbs are both in the Piel stem, aleph (to teach) and chakam (to make wise), indicating intensive or repeated action. God actively, persistently instructs humanity. The preposition min most likely has a comparative sense ('more than'), though some read it as instrumental ('by means of'). Either way, the point stands: humans are capable of a conscious relationship with God that animals lack.
This sets up Elihu's conclusion in verses 12-13: people cry, but God does not answer because pride and empty cries do not move Him. The fault is not in God's justice or power, but in human refusal to use the wisdom God has already given.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for Job 35:11. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscripts, and the comparison between humans and animals is consistently rendered.
Reception History
Job 35:11 has been used across church history to affirm human dignity and accountability. Matthew Henry and John Wesley cited it to emphasize that reason and religious knowledge are gifts God expects us to employ, especially in hardship. Adam Clarke connected it to ingratitude, contrasting animals' instinctive thankfulness with human neglect. In the Reformed tradition, it appears in discussions of natural revelation, God teaches through creation, but humans alone can respond with confession and prayer. The verse also surfaces in pastoral writings on suffering, reminding readers that intelligent lament, not mere complaint, aligns with the wisdom God has given.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God’s superior gift. Humans are taught more than animals, not just survival instincts, but knowledge of God, moral understanding, and hope beyond this life (Gill). This gift comes from the Creator who formed us in His image (Genesis 1:26).
- Our frequent ignorance. Despite this gift, we often cry out only in pain, not in prayer. We complain like the beasts, without seeking God’s purpose or help. As Barnes says, suffering becomes pointless when we refuse to apply our intelligence to God’s works.
- The call to use our wisdom. Because God teaches us, we are invited to turn to Him consciously, asking 'Where is God my Maker?' Such prayer is not empty, it is the song in the night that God answers.
Five-point outline
- Reason: God gives humans the ability to reason, above all other creatures (Wesley).
- Religion: More than intellect, God plants the capacity for reverence and faith (Gill).
- Knowledge of God: Through creation and Scripture, God teaches us about Himself (Psalm 94:12).
- Hope of immortality: Unlike animals, we can know there is life beyond this suffering (Gill).
- Responsibility to seek Him: With greater gifts comes greater expectation (Matthew Henry). Failing to use these gifts is not just neglect; it is ingratitude.
Illustration hooks
- A child who cries without words for help versus a child who calls out a parent’s name and describes the need. Both cries are heard, but the child who speaks shows trust and understanding.
- A dog that whines at the door versus an adult who knows why the door is closed and chooses to knock. Animals react; humans can reflect and respond in faith.
- The contrast between a grumbling customer who vents frustration and a customer who politely asks for assistance. Same trouble, very different outcome.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God has taught me so much, why do I still feel so lost in my pain?
- Does God expect me to understand why I am suffering? What if I don’t?
- How can I tell if my cry is just complaining, or genuine prayer?
Leading a Discussion
Job 35:11 sits in a speech where Elihu urges sufferers to move from mere outcry to genuine seeking. This verse reminds us that God has given humans a unique capacity to know Him. In your group, read verses 9-15 together, then discuss how this call applies to times of trouble.
Discussion questions
- What does this verse say about how God treats humans compared to animals? Look at the two verbs: 'teaches' and 'makes wise.' What kind of activity do they suggest?
- Elihu says that people cry out under oppression (v.9), but they don't ask for God (v.10). What is the difference between a cry of pain and a cry of faith?
- How does Job 35:11 connect to the idea that humans are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26)? What specific gifts do we have that animals don't?
- Barnes writes that animals suffer 'without any knowledge why all this occurs.' How does knowing why, or trusting that God has a reason, change the way we suffer?
- Think of a time you cried out to God in distress. Did your prayer sound more like a complaint or a search for God? What might change that?
- Gill says God teaches us through His word and Spirit. How can you actively 'use your wisdom' when you next feel unheard by God?
- What would it look like to pray 'Where is God my Maker?' rather than just 'God, fix this'?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 1:26 | God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” |
| Genesis 2:7 | Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. |
| Job 32:8 | But there is a spirit in man, and the Spirit of the Almighty gives them understanding. |
| Job 36:22 | Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him? |
| Psalms 94:12 | Blessed is the man whom you discipline, Yah, and teach out of your law, |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that animals show gratitude to their owners while Israel fails to acknowledge God. This shows humans lack the proper recognition God expects from them.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes draws a distinction between animals and humans: animals suffer without knowing why, but humans can understand affliction's purpose through God. Those who suffer without comfort are unwilling to seek God's instruction, not victims of divine injustice.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Elihu says those who suffer do not truly call on God. He claims their cries are only sounds of pain not real prayers to the Creator.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note stresses that God gives humans a higher teaching than what animals receive. Beasts and birds have their own kind of wisdom, but God grants people greater understanding through direct instruction. This divine teaching sets human wisdom apart from all other creatures.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill highlights that God grants humans reason, religious understanding, and spiritual wisdom far beyond what beasts or birds possess. Therefore, when suffering, people should respond with patient faith and submission to God, not merely cry out as animals do, since they have been given greater knowledge and capacity.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that human reason shows God is a powerful helper for those who humble themselves before Him. Those who do not seek Him in this way are in error.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that God does not fail to hear empty prayers but only those lacking true spiritual intent. They explain that the verse teaches people should seek God earnestly rather than merely complain because their arrogance prevents them from being heard.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Job’s complaint stems from thinking God ignores the oppressed because he does not answer their cries. He explains the problem is not God’s failure to hear but the people’s wrong kind of cry.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley notes that humans alone received wisdom to know God and themselves, a gift beasts lack. This wisdom makes people even more blameworthy when they neglect God in their suffering. Having been given the capacity to call on Him, they are without excuse when they fail to use it.