03 October 2020

A rhetorical device

 “Who knows whether you have attained royalty for such a time as this?”

Who knows? For such a time as this?

You see in English, we use this phrase “Who knows?” as a rhetorical device. What’s a rhetorical question? It’s asked in order to stimulate the listener to think, because there may not be a clear cut answer to a rhetorical question. We may not even want an answer to a rhetorical question. For example:

“When are you going to do the dishes?” your mother may ask. “Who knows?”
“When are you going to clean your room?” “Who knows?”
“How are your grades in school?” “Who knows? It’s all online so it’s not easy to calculate.”
“Why is everything so hard for you?” “Who knows?”
“What are your plans with your life?” “Who knows?”
“Why are we experiencing all of this” “Who knows?”
“What does 2021 hold for us?”

But every time that phrase “Who knows?” is used in the Old Testament, the few times that it is, every time it’s used as a rhetorical device, the answer is obvious. It refers to Someone Who does know.