God alone governs the world, and there is no external force that can grant or remove His sovereign authority.
Elihu continues his discourse, challenging Job and his friends with humbling questions about God’s sovereignty when he says, “Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?” (v.3). This rhetorical phrase proclaims that no one other than the Creator Himself has true dominion over the earth, reminding listeners that everything belongs to the Lord (Job 42:2). Elihu’s words emphasize that God’s power is not derived from any outside source—He holds final authority by virtue of being the Maker and Sustainer of all things.
By asking Who gave Him authority over the earth? Elihu implies that God’s sovereignty does not stem from anyone else’s permission or appointment. Instead, it is woven into the fabric of His nature as the eternal and almighty Ruler of creation. The second question, And who has laid on Him the whole world? underscores the futility of imagining that anyone could assign responsibility over the world to God. Instead, the whole world rests on His shoulders by His own design, echoing the truth that the earth and everything in it is under His care.
From a broader biblical viewpoint, these statements also anticipate the New Testament message that Jesus, the Son of God, is the One in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Just as Elihu exalts God’s power and authority, the gospel magnifies Christ as reigning over both heaven and earth, revealing that the same Creator who established the world came personally to redeem it. In all these facets, Job 34:13 humbles us to recognize our dependence on the Lord’s boundless supremacy.
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Job 34:13 meaning
Elihu continues his discourse, challenging Job and his friends with humbling questions about God’s sovereignty when he says, “Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?” (v.3). This rhetorical phrase proclaims that no one other than the Creator Himself has true dominion over the earth, reminding listeners that everything belongs to the Lord (Job 42:2). Elihu’s words emphasize that God’s power is not derived from any outside source—He holds final authority by virtue of being the Maker and Sustainer of all things.
By asking Who gave Him authority over the earth? Elihu implies that God’s sovereignty does not stem from anyone else’s permission or appointment. Instead, it is woven into the fabric of His nature as the eternal and almighty Ruler of creation. The second question, And who has laid on Him the whole world? underscores the futility of imagining that anyone could assign responsibility over the world to God. Instead, the whole world rests on His shoulders by His own design, echoing the truth that the earth and everything in it is under His care.
From a broader biblical viewpoint, these statements also anticipate the New Testament message that Jesus, the Son of God, is the One in whom all things hold together (Colossians 1:17). Just as Elihu exalts God’s power and authority, the gospel magnifies Christ as reigning over both heaven and earth, revealing that the same Creator who established the world came personally to redeem it. In all these facets, Job 34:13 humbles us to recognize our dependence on the Lord’s boundless supremacy.