Then Job answered the Lord and said 'I know that thou canst do everything, and that no thought can be witholden from thee.' Job's response to God begins with affirmation of divine omnipotence and omniscience. Job acknowledges that God can do all things and that no thought or plan can be hidden from God. The response represents a shift from Job's earlier stance of questioning and complaint. Yet Job is not saying that he now understands why he suffered; rather, Job is acknowledging divine power and knowledge as absolute. The statement presupposes that omnipotence and omniscience are sufficient grounds for accepting divine action without question. Job is beginning a response that will culminate in withdrawal of complaint, yet the movement is from asserting God's power and knowledge, not from asserting God's justice or goodness toward Job.

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