Psalm 73:11

Translations

Modern

The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”

Traditional

And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

Literal

And they say, “How can God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”

Latin

Et dixerunt: Quomodo scit Deus, et si est scientia in excelso?

Original

Hebrew

English

The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”

Notes

Psalms 73:4–12

The psalmist gives an exaggerated picture of the happiness of the wicked (compare Psalm 1).

Psalms 73:1–28

This wisdom psalm looks at the injustice of the prosperity of the wicked. The psalmist states that God is good to the godly, but his own experience is different (Psalm 73:2–12).

Almost overwhelmed by doubt (Psalm 73:13–16), the psalmist meets the Lord in the sanctuary. This meeting gives him a broader view and renews his trust in God (Psalm 73:17–26). His troubling doubts lead to a stronger desire for truth. He knows he can trust God and that God will save him (Psalm 73:27–28).

Psalms 73:1–75:10

The seeming success of the wicked (Psalm 73) and God's apparent rejection of his people (Psalm 74) raise questions about his justice. God rules the entire world and decides when to judge (Psalm 75).

Theme notes and profiles

Complaints Material Reward Questions and Doubt Wisdom Psalms

Related verses

Hosea 7:2
But they fail to consider in their hearts that I remember all their evil. Now their deeds are all around them; they are before My face.
Zephaniah 1:12
And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’
Psalm 94:7
They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”
Psalm 73:9
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.
Psalm 139:1–6
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
Psalm 44:21
…would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
Ezekiel 8:12
“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
Job 22:13–14
Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?
Psalm 10:11
He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”

People

LORD: Names or title used to refer to God

Glossary

Asaph Music Poor, the Prayer Proverbs, Book of Psalms, Book of

Topics

Blasphemy: General Scriptures Concerning Blindness: Spiritual God: Knowledge of Infidelity: General Scriptures Concerning Integrity: General Scriptures Concerning Scoffing: General Scriptures Concerning Temptation: Resistance To The Punishment of the Wicked in This Life by Put in Slippery Places The Rich: General Scriptures Concerning The Wisdom of God: The Wicked Question Wicked (People): Contrasted with Righteous People Wicked (People): Described Wicked (People): Prosperity of Wicked (People): Punishment of Worldliness: General Scriptures Concerning

Psalm 73:11

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