Job — Chapter 35
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1And Elihu went on to say:
2“Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I am more righteous than God.’
3For you ask, ‘What does it profit me, and what benefit do I gain apart from sin?’
4I will reply to you and to your friends as well.
5Look to the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds high above you.
6If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do to Him?
7If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand?
8Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only a son of man.
9Men cry out under great oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the mighty.
10But no one asks, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives us songs in the night,
11who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the air?’
12There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.
13Surely God does not listen to empty pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it.
14How much less, then, when you say that you do not see Him, that your case is before Him and you must wait for Him,
15and further, that in His anger He has not punished or taken much notice of folly!
16So Job opens his mouth in vain and multiplies words without knowledge.”
1Elihu spake moreover, and said,
2Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?
3For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?
4I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.
5Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.
6If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
7If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?
8Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.
9By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.
10But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;
11Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
12There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.
13Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.
14Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.
15But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity:
16Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.
1Moreover Elihu answered and said,
2Thinkest thou this to be [thy] right, [Or] sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God`s,
3That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee? [And], What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?
4I will answer thee, And thy companions with thee.
5Look unto the heavens, and see; And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.
6If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him? And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
7If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand?
8Thy wickedness [may hurt] a man as thou art; And thy righteousness [may profit] a son of man.
9By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
10But none saith, Where is God my Maker, Who giveth songs in the night,
11Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?
12There they cry, but none giveth answer, Because of the pride of evil men.
13Surely God will not hear an empty [cry], Neither will the Almighty regard it.
14How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not, The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!
15But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;
16Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity; He multiplieth words without knowledge.
1Then Elihu answered:
2“Do you think this to be just when you say, ‘My right before God’?
3But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’ and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’
4I will reply to you, and to your friends with you.
5Gaze at the heavens and see; consider the clouds, which are higher than you.
6If you sin, how does it affect God? If your transgressions are many, what does it do to him?
7If you are righteous, what do you give to God, or what does he receive from your hand?
8Your wickedness affects only a person like yourself, and your righteousness only other people.
9“People cry out because of the excess of oppression; they cry out for help because of the power of the mighty.
10But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator, who gives songs in the night,
11who teaches us more than the wild animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12Then they cry out—but he does not answer— because of the arrogance of the wicked.
13Surely it is an empty cry—God does not hear it; the Almighty does not take notice of it.
14How much less, then, when you say that you do not perceive him, that the case is before him and you are waiting for him!
15And further, when you say that his anger does not punish, and that he does not know transgression!
16So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; without knowledge he multiplies words.”
1Moreover Elihu answered,
2“Do you think this to be your right, or do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s,’
3That you ask, ‘What advantage will it be to you? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?’
4I will answer you, and your companions with you.
5Look to the heavens, and see. See the skies, which are higher than you.
6If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
7If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what does he receive from your hand?
8Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are, and your righteousness may profit a son of man.
9“By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out. They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
10But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night,
11who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
12There they cry, but no one gives answer, because of the pride of evil men.
13Surely God will not hear an empty cry, neither will the Almighty regard it.
14How much less when you say you don’t see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him!
15But now, because he has not visited in his anger, neither does he greatly regard arrogance.
16Therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk, and he multiplies words without knowledge.”
Summary
Elihu takes up Job's question of what advantage there is in avoiding sin (vv. 1-3), answering that human sin or righteousness affects other people, not God, who is too high above creation to be harmed or enriched by anyone's conduct (vv. 4-8). People cry out under oppression, yet rarely turn toward God as their maker who gives songs even in the night, so their empty cries go unanswered (vv. 9-13). Elihu tells Job that even though he cannot see God, his case is still before Him and he should trust, but then accuses Job of speaking without knowledge (vv. 14-16).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik observes that Elihu's point about God's self-sufficiency (vv.5-8) is theologically correct and echoes later Reformed theology: God is not enriched by our worship or impoverished by our sin. He commands righteousness for our good, not His need. However, Guzik notes that the application to Job is unfair: Job HAS been seeking God genuinely (23:3), not merely crying in pain. Elihu's critique of empty cries applies to others, not to Job.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- BibleProject: bibleproject.com On the whole book: the speech from the whirlwind, and why it answers Job the way it does.
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of Job -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- Your Righteousness Doesn't Enrich God, but It Benefits Others (v.7) — Elihu points out that God gains nothing from your obedience and loses nothing from your sin — the real effect lands on the people around you. Does this change how you think about why you pursue righteousness — not to pay God back, but because it serves the people God has placed in your life?
- Crying Out in Pain Isn't the Same as Seeking God (v.10) — Elihu observes that people cry out under oppression but rarely turn their hearts toward the God who made them. Everyone hurts, but not everyone turns toward God in the hurting — when you're in pain, are you seeking relief or seeking Him?
- An Empty Cry Gets an Empty Answer (v.13) — Elihu warns that God doesn't respond to hollow complaints detached from real relationship. Is your prayer life more like venting into the air, or genuine conversation with a Person you actually want to know?
- Trusting God When You Cannot See Him (v.14) — Elihu tells Job that even though he cannot see God, his case is still before Him, and he should trust. Faith isn't seeing and then believing — it's continuing to trust precisely when you can't see. What situation right now is asking that kind of trust from you?