Contradiction with Proverbs 8:22-23
This passage speaks of Wisdom being present at the beginning of creation, contrasting with the rhetorical question in Job 38:21 suggesting Job, a man, wasn't present in those early days.
Proverbs 8:22-23: The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old.
Contradiction with Psalm 139:6
This verse marvels at understanding being too wonderful and beyond human reach, contradicting Job 38:21's sarcastic notion that Job was all-knowing and present.
Psalm 139:6: [Such] knowledge [is] too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot [attain] unto it.
Contradiction with Isaiah 55:9
Proclaims the thoughts and ways of God as higher than human understanding, while Job 38:21 implies that Job might claim to have been present and understand the creation process.
Isaiah 55:9: For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
Contradiction with Ecclesiastes 8:17
Discusses human inability to fully understand God’s work, contrasting with the rhetorical implication in Job 38:21 that Job knows all due to his alleged presence.
Ecclesiastes 8:17: Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to seek [it] out, yet he shall not find [it]; yea further; though a wise [man] think to know [it], yet shall he not be able to find [it].
Contradiction with 1 Corinthians 8:2
Suggests that if anyone thinks they know something, they do not yet know as they ought to know, contradicting the implication in Job 38:21 of presumed complete knowledge by Job.
1 Corinthians 8:2: And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.
Paradox #1
The potential contradiction in this verse is that it suggests a firsthand human knowledge of events or the creation of the world, which contradicts the broader biblical narrative stating that humans came after creation and thus would not have witnessed it.
Paradox #2
The contradiction could arise from the fact that the verse sarcastically questions human understanding and wisdom. It might conflict with beliefs that humans can gain knowledge and understand the world through learning and reason. Instead, the verse emphasizes the limits of human understanding compared to divine wisdom, which might seem inconsistent with the view that humans have the capacity to discern truth independently.