Psalms 73:11 · Bible study
Psalms 73:11 Commentary: Who Questions God's Knowledge?
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Who speaks the skeptical question in Psalm 73:11? Explore the debated identity of the speakers and the challenge to God's providential oversight.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A skeptical question about God's providential oversight, likely spoken by either the wicked in arrogance or the faithful in temptation.
- Key words: 'How' (אֵיכָה), 'know' (יָדַע), 'God' (אֵל), 'Most High' (עֶלְיוֹן).
- Main debate: The identity of the speakers, the wicked themselves or the deluded followers of the wicked.
- Theological theme: Theodicy and the struggle to reconcile God's goodness with present injustice.
- Best use: A verse that opens honest pastoral conversation about doubt, not a proof text for God's limitations.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
They say, “How does God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?”
KJV King James Version 1769
And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And they have said, `How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And they say, How can God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Why dost thou turn away thy hand: and thy right hand out of the midst of thy bosom for ever?
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y dicen: ¿ Cómo sabe Dios? ¿ y hay conocimiento en lo alto?
E dizem: Como Deus saberia? Será que o Altíssimo tem conhecimento disto ?
Et il dit: Comment Dieu saurait-il,
und sprechen: “Was sollte Gott nach jenen fragen? Was sollte der Höchste ihrer achten?”
Dat zij zeggen: Hoe zou het God weten, en zou er wetenschap zijn bij den Allerhoogste?
e dice: Com’è possibile che Dio sappia ogni cosa, che vi sia conoscenza nell’Altissimo?
Że mówią: Jakoż ma Bóg o tem wiedzieć? albo mali o tem wiadomość Najwyższy?
Для чего отклоняешь руку Твою и десницу Твою? Из среды недра Твоего порази их.
他們說： 神 怎能 曉得？至高者 豈有 知識呢？
And they say, How will the Lord see this? is there knowledge in the Most High?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 73:11
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Psalm 73:11 challenges the idea that God oversees human affairs. The question "How does God know?" strikes at divine omniscience, using two weighty names, El (the Mighty One) and Elyon (the Most High). The Cambridge Bible notes that these names accentuate the blasphemy of the doubt. There is disagreement about the speakers: some (Calvin, Matthew Henry) attribute the words to the wicked themselves, who scoff at any divine accountability. Others (Barnes, Cambridge Bible, Keil & Delitzsch) see the speakers as the deluded followers of the wicked, the psalmist's own people, pulled into doubt by the prosperity of the ungodly. Both sides recognize the verse as capturing the raw temptation to question God when life seems unfair. The psalmist himself almost adopted this question, as his lament in verses 13, 14 shows. The verse thus functions as a mirror for every believer who has wondered whether God truly sees their suffering.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- The wicked themselves: The question fits their arrogant speech in v8–9 and parallels Ps 10:11 and Job 22:13 where the wicked boast that God does not see.
- Deluded followers of the wicked: Barnes and the Cambridge Bible argue that 'their people' in v10 are the speakers; the context shows them being led astray by the wicked's prosperity and adopting their language.
What is clear: The verse questions God's knowledge of human affairs, and the psalmist himself was tempted to adopt this question before finding resolution in God's presence.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Identity of the speakers | Both sides agree the question expresses doubt about God's awareness of human affairs. | Some (Calvin, Matthew Henry) attribute it to the wicked; others (Barnes, Cambridge Bible, Keil & Delitzsch) see it as the words of the deluded followers of the wicked. |
| Nature of the doubt | The question challenges divine omniscience, specifically in relation to God's justice. | Whether the doubt is a boastful denial (if the wicked speak) or a painful struggle (if the faithful speak). |
| Resolution of the doubt | The psalmist finds resolution not through argument but by entering the sanctuary (v17). | Some emphasize the liturgical encounter as revelation; others highlight the psalmist's discretion in not voicing the doubt (v15). |
| Use of divine names | The names El and Elyon heighten the contrast between God's majesty and the doubt expressed. | Whether this accentuates blasphemy (the wicked) or the depth of the believer's confusion (the faithful). |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 73 is a wisdom psalm attributed to Asaph. It opens with a firm confession of God's goodness (v1) but immediately describes the psalmist's near-stumble when he observes the prosperity of the wicked (v2, 3). Verses 4, 9 paint a vivid picture of their arrogance: they scoff, speak malice, and "set their mouth in the heavens" (v9). Verse 10 then notes that the wicked's success draws a crowd: "Therefore their people return to them, and they drink up waters of abundance." It is this crowd, the disillusioned followers, who likely ask the question in verse 11, as Barnes and the Cambridge Bible argue.
The Hebrew names are deliberate. El emphasizes God's power; Elyon His supremacy. By using these titles, the skeptical questioners aim at the heart of God's identity: if He is truly supreme, how can He allow such disorder? Similar doubts appear in Job 22:13, 14 ("What does God know?") and Psalm 10:11 ("God has forgotten"). The psalmist's own resolution comes not through philosophical argument but through entering the sanctuary (v17), where he gains an eternal perspective on the wicked's end. This movement from doubt to worship is the psalm's central trajectory, one that resonates across Israel's wisdom tradition and continues to speak to the perennial question of theodicy.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Psalm 73:11 is stable across the Masoretic manuscripts. The Qumran scrolls (11QPsa) preserve the same reading. The Douay-Rheims version included in some citation databases reads differently, "Why dost thou turn away thy hand", but this likely reflects a different verse or a textual corruption not supported by the Hebrew tradition. The consulted sources note no significant variants for this verse.
Reception History
Across church history, Psalm 73:11 has been a touchstone for the problem of evil. Early interpreters read it as the wicked's blasphemy, a denial of God's omniscience that mirrors the taunts of the nations. Reformation commentators like Calvin and Luther followed this reading, emphasizing the arrogance of unbelief. Others, including Matthew Henry, heard in it the groan of tempted believers, a confession of the struggle to trust God amid suffering. Modern pastoral theology often pairs this verse with the psalmist's resolution in v17, using it to validate honest lament while pointing toward worship as the path through doubt. The verse continues to be referenced in discussions of theodicy and in teaching that faith can handle hard questions.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Question Asked. Identify the speakers: either the wicked in arrogant denial or the faithful in painful temptation. Both interpretations reveal a crisis of trust in God's providence.
- The Question Sharpened. The divine names El and Elyon make the doubt more striking, the Most High God, of all beings, should see all. Yet the psalmist's people still wonder.
- The Question Answered. The psalmist does not stay in doubt. He enters the sanctuary (v17) and gains a view of the wicked's end. The solution is worship, not argument.
Five-point outline
- The setting: prosperity of the wicked (v2, 9) creates pressure on faith.
- The speakers: are they the wicked (so Calvin) or God's own people (so Barnes)?
- The substance: the question denies that God pays attention to human affairs, a direct assault on His character.
- The stakes: if left unanswered, this doubt leads to abandonment of faith, as v13, 15 show.
- The solution: the sanctuary provides perspective; the psalmist returns to trust.
Illustration hooks
- A honest employee watches a scheming colleague get promoted while she is passed over, and wonders, "Does God even see this?"
- A news report of a crime that goes unpunished makes a believer ask whether divine justice operates at all.
- A season of personal hardship coincides with others' ease, testing the conviction that God is good.
Questions your congregation is asking
- "Why do people who ignore God seem to get ahead while I struggle?"
- "Is God really aware of what is happening in my life, or is He distant?"
- "How do I hold onto my faith when it feels like God doesn't see the injustice around me?"
Leading a Discussion
This verse voices a doubt that nearly every believer faces: Does God really know what is going on? The psalmist does not condemn the question; he takes it seriously and walks through it toward resolution. Use these questions to help your group engage the text honestly.
Discussion questions
- Based on the surrounding verses, who seems to be speaking in v11, the wicked or the faithful? What clues do you see?
- Why does the psalmist use two different names for God (El and Elyon) in this question? How does that affect the tone of the doubt?
- Compare this verse with Job 22:13 and Psalm 10:11. What is similar about the doubt expressed in each?
- The psalmist says in v13 that he has "cleansed his heart in vain." How does that feeling connect to the question in v11?
- When in your own life have you been tempted to wonder whether God notices your situation?
- How did the psalmist resolve his doubt according to v17? What does that suggest about where to take hard questions?
- How can a small group create a safe space for people to admit they have asked this kind of question?
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)
| Job 22:13 | You say, ‘What does God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness? |
| Job 22:14 | Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he doesn’t see. He walks on the vault of the sky.’ |
| Psalms 10:11 | He says in his heart, “God has forgotten. He hides his face. He will never see it.” |
| Psalms 44:21 | won’t God search this out? For he knows the secrets of the heart. |
| Psalms 73:9 | They have set their mouth in the heavens. Their tongue walks through the earth. |
| Psalms 94:7 | They say, “Yah will not see, neither will Jacob’s God consider.” |
| Psalms 139:1 | For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. Yahweh, you have searched me, and you know me. |
| Psalms 139:6 | This knowledge is beyond me. It’s lofty. I can’t attain it. |
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
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke presents two ways to read the complaint against God's knowledge. Either God's own people are so shaken by the prosperity of the wicked that they doubt He sees, or the wicked themselves use the same words to justify their oppression, believing God is blind to their deeds.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the psalmist’s people are driven by painful facts to question whether God truly sees and knows the injustice around them. He notes that this struggle—how a just and all-knowing God can allow evil to flourish—is not unique to the psalmist but has confounded good people in every age, with no fully satisfying answer ever found.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin emphasizes that the psalmist nearly abandoned faith by judging only from present circumstances. The remedy is patience: we must let God's providence work in the hidden way He has determined, trusting that in the end the righteous will not lose their reward and the wicked will not escape judgment.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator identifies the speakers here not as the wicked themselves but as their deluded followers, who adopt the leaders' skeptical language. They question God's awareness of their actions and even His general omniscience. The divine names El and Elyon are deliberately used to heighten the blasphemy of their doubt.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
And they say, Howe doeth God know it? or is there knowledge in the most High?
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes the wicked do not ask how God knows but whether He knows at all. They acknowledge God's existence and supremacy, yet doubt He takes notice of human affairs. Alternatively, if the words come from the suffering righteous, they voice a temptation to question God's providential care and love.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch notes that those led astray by the wicked's prosperity first doubt God's actual knowledge of events, then deny His omniscience altogether. The ungodly's worldly success becomes their proof that piety is futile and brings only daily suffering, not reward.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange