King James Version

Job 12:8

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Study

Hebrew

Tap a word to see its meaning. Words run left to right in English reading order.

א֤וֹvoalsoאוֹconjunction — “also”H176desire (and so probably in Proverbs 31:4); hence (by way of alternative) or, also ifalso, and, either, if, at the least, [idiom] nor, or, otherwise, then, whether.שִׂ֣יחַsichacommuneשִׂיחַverb, qal, imperative, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “commune”, a commandH7878to ponder, i.e. (by implication) converse (with oneself, and hence, aloud) or (transitively) uttercommune, complain, declare, meditate, muse, pray, speak, talk (with).לָאָ֣רֶץlaaretsto earthאֶרֶץpreposition, with the article, noun, common, both genders, singular, absolute — “to earth”, the ordinary formH776the earth (at large, or partitively a land)[idiom] common, country, earth, field, ground, land, [idiom] natins, way, [phrase] wilderness, world.וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּvetorekaand shootיָרָהconjunction, verb, hiphil, imperfect, 3rd person, feminine, singular, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “and shoot”, an unfinished actionH3384properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach([phrase]) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through.וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּvisaprvand communeסָפַרconjunction, verb, piel, imperfect, 3rd person, masculine, plural — “and commune”, an unfinished actionH5608properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebratecommune, (ac-) count; declare, number, [phrase] penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.לְ֝ךָ֗lekhatoלְ֝ךָ֗preposition, suffix, pronominal, 2nd person, masculine, singular — “to”toדְּגֵ֣יdegefishדָּגnoun, common, masculine, plural, construct — “fish”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH1709a fish (often used collectively)fish.הַיָּֽםhayamthe seaיָםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the sea”, the ordinary formH3220a sea (as breaking in noisy surf) or large body of water; specifically (with the article), the Mediterranean Sea; sometimes a large river, or an artifical basin; locally, the west, or (rarely) the southsea ([idiom] -faring man, (-shore)), south, west (-ern, side, -ward).

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee;

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Young’s Literal Translation

Or talk to the earth, and it sheweth thee, And fishes of the sea recount to thee:

World English Bible

Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you. The fish of the sea will declare to you.

Darby Translation

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

Douay-Rheims

Speak to the earth, and it shall answer thee: and the fishes of the sea shall tell.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee;

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Tell the earth, if it may speak to thee: and the fishes of the sea shall explain to thee.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐκδιήγησαι γῇ, ἐάν σοι φράσῃ, καὶ ἐξηγήσονταί σοι οἱ ἰχθύες τῆς θαλάσσης.