God continues 'Who has first given to me that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine.' This verse asserts God's absolute ownership of all things. The rhetorical question 'Who has first given to me?' suggests that nothing has been given to God; God is the source of all giving. The assertion that everything under heaven is God's establishes divine possession of all creation. Job, being part of creation, is also possessed by God. The verse establishes God's property rights over all things, suggesting that God's action regarding any creature or person is not subject to external moral evaluation because all things belong to God. Yet the verse also raises implicit questions: does possession grant the right to use as one wishes? Does ownership eliminate responsibility for the welfare of what is owned?

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

Publish a note on this verse