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Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

New Defender's Study Bible Notes

11:33 wisdom and knowledge. All the treasures of both wisdom and knowledge are found in Christ (Colossians 2:3), for He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things (Colossians 1:16-17; Hebrews 1:3). In fact, “the fear of the Lord is the [very] beginning” (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10) of both knowledge (awareness and comprehension of facts) and wisdom (correlation and application of facts).


11:33 past finding out. God is not accessible to scientific research. “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?” (Job 11:7). The negative answer to this rhetorical question is confirmed by Paul in many references (e.g., I Corinthians 1:21: “the world by wisdom knew not God”).


11:34 who hath known. This phrase is quoted from Isaiah 40:13, which is also quoted in I Corinthians 2:16. Though we cannot know the mind of the Lord by human wisdom, Paul says “we have the mind of Christ.” See also Philippians 2:5.


11:35 recompensed. All of God’s gifts are by grace, not for recompense. He needs nothing from us, but gives us all things in Christ (Romans 8:32).


11:36 all things. Compare Colossians 1:16-20. Christ created all things, sustains all things and reconciles all things. Also note Hebrews 1:2-3. God’s Son “made the worlds” in the past, is “upholding all things by the word of His power” in the present, and will be “heir of all things” in the future. Jesus Christ is “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:13), “the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8).


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