The Meaning of Psalms 73:11 Explained

Psalms 73:11

KJV: And they say, How doth God know? and is there knowledge in the most High?

YLT: And they have said, 'How hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'

Darby: And they say, How can God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?

ASV: And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And they say,  How doth God  know?  and is there  knowledge  in the most High? 

What does Psalms 73:11 Mean?

Context Summary

Psa 73:1-15 - Deceptive Prosperity
The opening psalms of this third Book of Psalms are by Asaph; see 2 Chronicles 29:30. The r.v. margin substitutes only for surely in Psalms 73:1. There is none good but God and God is only good. "His every act pure goodness is; His path unsullied light." Israel, as here intended, is not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. See John 1:47 and Romans 2:28-29.
We have in these verses a good man's temptation. In every age God's people have asked whether God can possibly know all that is taking place on the earth, and if He does know, why He allows evil to prosper. The dark spirit who is ever at our elbow whispers that we should have done as well, and better, if we had not been quite so scrupulous in our business dealings; and we are held back from giving expression to our thoughts only by the fear that we might cause God's weaker children to stumble. This reticence is, of course, wholly commendable. A Christian man confessed the other day that the irreligion of his children was due to his critical and captious speech. By all means keep these dark and faithless thoughts locked in your own breast; you have no right to scatter thistle-down. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psa 73

1  The prophet, prevailing in a temptation
2  Shows the occasion thereof, the prosperity of the wicked
13  The wound given thereby, diffidence
15  The victory over it, knowledge of God's purpose

What do the individual words in Psalms 73:11 mean?

And they say how does know God and is there knowledge in the Most High
וְֽאָמְר֗וּ אֵיכָ֥ה ؟ יָדַֽע־ אֵ֑ל וְיֵ֖שׁ דֵּעָ֣ה ؟ בְעֶלְיֽוֹן

וְֽאָמְר֗וּ  And  they  say 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֵיכָ֥ה  how 
Parse: Interjection
Root: אֵיךְ 
Sense: how? interj.
؟ יָדַֽע־  does  know 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּעָה 
Sense: to know.
אֵ֑ל  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵל 
Sense: god, god-like one, mighty one.
וְיֵ֖שׁ  and  is  there 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb
Root: יֵשׁ  
Sense: being, existence, substance, there is or are.
דֵּעָ֣ה  knowledge 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: דֵּעָה  
Sense: knowledge (of God).
؟ בְעֶלְיֽוֹן  in  the  Most  High 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עֶלְיׄון 
Sense: high, upper.