Worthy.Bible » Parallel » Job » Chapter 35 » Verse 1-16

Job 35:1-16 King James Version (KJV)

1 Elihu spake moreover, and said,

2 Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God's?

3 For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?

4 I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.

5 Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.

6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

8 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.

10 But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;

11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?

12 There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.

13 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

14 Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.

15 But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity:

16 Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.


Job 35:1-16 King James Version with Strong's Concordance (STRONG)

1 Elihu H453 spake H6030 moreover, and said, H559

2 Thinkest H2803 thou this to be right, H4941 that thou saidst, H559 My righteousness H6664 is more than God's? H410

3 For thou saidst, H559 What advantage H5532 will it be unto thee? and, What profit H3276 shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin? H2403

4 I will answer H7725 H4405 thee, and thy companions H7453 with thee.

5 Look H5027 unto the heavens, H8064 and see; H7200 and behold H7789 the clouds H7834 which are higher H1361 than thou.

6 If thou sinnest, H2398 what doest H6466 thou against him? or if thy transgressions H6588 be multiplied, H7231 what doest H6213 thou unto him?

7 If thou be righteous, H6663 what givest H5414 thou him? or what receiveth H3947 he of thine hand? H3027

8 Thy wickedness H7562 may hurt a man H376 as thou art; and thy righteousness H6666 may profit the son H1121 of man. H120

9 By reason of the multitude H7230 of oppressions H6217 they make the oppressed to cry: H2199 they cry out H7768 by reason of the arm H2220 of the mighty. H7227

10 But none saith, H559 Where is God H433 my maker, H6213 who giveth H5414 songs H2158 in the night; H3915

11 Who teacheth H502 us more than the beasts H929 of the earth, H776 and maketh us wiser H2449 than the fowls H5775 of heaven? H8064

12 There they cry, H6817 but none giveth answer, H6030 because H6440 of the pride H1347 of evil men. H7451

13 Surely God H410 will not hear H8085 vanity, H7723 neither will the Almighty H7706 regard H7789 it.

14 Although H637 thou sayest H559 thou shalt not see H7789 him, yet judgment H1779 is before H6440 him; therefore trust H2342 thou in him.

15 But now, because it is not so, he hath visited H6485 in his anger; H639 yet he knoweth H3045 it not in great H3966 extremity: H6580

16 Therefore doth Job H347 open H6475 his mouth H6310 in vain; H1892 he multiplieth H3527 words H4405 without H1097 knowledge. H1847


Job 35:1-16 American Standard (ASV)

1 Moreover Elihu answered and said,

2 Thinkest thou this to be `thy' right, `Or' sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God's,

3 That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee? `And', What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?

4 I will answer thee, And thy companions with thee.

5 Look unto the heavens, and see; And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.

6 If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him? And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand?

8 Thy wickedness `may hurt' a man as thou art; And thy 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.

10 But none saith, Where is God my Maker, Who giveth songs in the night,

11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?

12 There they cry, but none giveth answer, Because of the pride of evil men.

13 Surely God will not hear an empty `cry', Neither will the Almighty regard it.

14 How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not, The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!

15 But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;

16 Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity; He multiplieth words without knowledge.


Job 35:1-16 Young's Literal Translation (YLT)

1 And Elihu answereth and saith: --

2 This hast thou reckoned for judgment: Thou hast said -- `My righteousness `is' more than God's?'

3 For thou sayest, `What doth it profit Thee! What do I profit from my sin?'

4 I return thee words, and thy friends with thee,

5 Behold attentively the heavens -- and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou.

6 If thou hast sinned, what dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost thou to Him?

7 If thou hast been righteous, What dost thou give to Him? Or what from thy hand doth He receive?

8 For a man like thyself `is' thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.

9 Because of the multitude of oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.

10 And none said, `Where `is' God my maker? Giving songs in the night,

11 Teaching us more than the beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'

12 There they cry, and He doth not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers.

13 Surely vanity God doth not hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.

14 Yea, though thou sayest thou dost not behold Him, Judgment `is' before Him, and stay for Him.

15 And, now, because there is not, He hath appointed His anger, And He hath not known in great extremity.

16 And Job `with' vanity doth open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.


Job 35:1-16 Darby English Bible (DARBY)

1 Moreover Elihu answered and said,

2 Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than ùGod's?

3 For thou hast asked of what profit it is unto thee: what do I gain more than if I had sinned?

4 I will reply to thee in words, and to thy companions with thee.

5 Look unto the heavens and see; and survey the skies: they are higher than thou.

6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? If thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

7 If thou be righteous, what givest thou to him? or what doth he receive of thy hand?

8 Thy wickedness [may affect] a man as thou [art], and thy righteousness a son of man.

9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry; they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty:

10 But none saith, Where is +God my Maker, who giveth songs in the night,

11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowl of the heavens?

12 There they cry, and he answereth not, because of the pride of evil men.

13 Surely ùGod will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.

14 Although thou sayest thou dost not see him, judgment is before him, therefore wait for him.

15 But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, doth not [Job] know [his] great arrogancy?

16 For Job hath opened his mouth in vanity, and made words abundant without knowledge.


Job 35:1-16 World English Bible (WEB)

1 Moreover Elihu answered,

2 "Do you think this to be your right, Or do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's,'

3 That you ask, 'What advantage will it be to you? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?'

4 I will answer you, And your companions with you.

5 Look to the heavens, and see. See the skies, which are higher than you.

6 If you have sinned, what effect do you have against him? If your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?

7 If you are righteous, what do you give him? Or what does he receive from your hand?

8 Your 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.

10 But none says, 'Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,

11 Who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?'

12 There they cry, but none gives answer, Because of the pride of evil men.

13 Surely God will not hear an empty cry, Neither will the Almighty regard it.

14 How much less when you say you don't see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him!

15 But now, because he has not visited in his anger, Neither does he greatly regard arrogance.

16 Therefore Job opens his mouth with empty talk, And he multiplies words without knowledge."


Job 35:1-16 Bible in Basic English (BBE)

1 And Elihu made answer and said,

2 Does it seem to you to be right, and righteousness before God, to say,

3 What profit is it to me, and how am I better off than if I had done wrong?

4 I will make answer to you and to your friends:

5 Let your eyes be turned to the heavens, and lifted up to see the skies; they are higher than you.

6 If you have done wrong, is he any the worse for it? and if your sins are great in number, what is it to him?

7 If you are upright, what do you give to him? or what does he take from your hand?

8 Your evil-doing may have an effect on a man like yourself, or your righteousness on a son of man.

9 Because the hand of the cruel is hard on them, men are making sounds of grief; they are crying out for help because of the arm of the strong.

10 But no one has said, Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night;

11 Who gives us more knowledge than the beasts of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the heaven?

12 There they are crying out because of the pride of the evil-doers, but he gives them no answer.

13 But God will not give ear to what is false, or the Ruler of all take note of it;

14 How much less when you say that you do not see him; that the cause is before him, and you are waiting for him.

15 And now ... ;

16 And Job's mouth is open wide to give out what is of no profit, increasing words without knowledge.

Commentary on Job 35 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible


CHAPTER 35

2. more than—rather as in Job 9:2; 25:4: "I am righteous (literally, my righteousness is) before God." The English Version, however, agrees with Job 9:17; 16:12-17; 27:2-6. Job 4:17 is susceptible of either rendering. Elihu means Job said so, not in so many words, but virtually.

3. Rather, explanatory of "this" in Job 35:2, "That thou sayest (to thyself, as if a distinct person) What advantage is it (thy integrity) to thee? What profit have I (by integrity) more than (I should have) by my sin?" that is, more than if I had sinned (Job 34:9). Job had said that the wicked, who use these very words, do not suffer for it (Job 21:13-15); whereby he virtually sanctioned their sentiments. The same change of persons from oblique to direct address occurs (Job 19:28; 22:17).

4. companions—those entertaining like sentiments with thee (Job 34:8, 36).

5-8. Elihu like Eliphaz (Job 22:2, 3, 12) shows that God is too exalted in nature to be susceptible of benefit or hurt from the righteousness or sin of men respectively; it is themselves that they benefit by righteousness, or hurt by sin.

behold the clouds, which are higher than thou—spoken with irony. Not only are they higher than thou, but thou canst not even reach them clearly with the eye. Yet these are not as high as God's seat. God is therefore too exalted to be dependent on man. Therefore He has no inducement to injustice in His dealings with man. When He afflicts, it must be from a different motive; namely, the good of the sufferer.

6. what doest—how canst thou affect Him?

unto him—that can hurt Him? (Jer 7:19; Pr 8:36).

9. (Ec 4:1.) Elihu states in Job's words (Job 24. 12; 30. 20) the difficulty; the "cries" of "the oppressed" not being heard might lead man to think that wrongs are not punished by Him.

10-13. But the reason is that the innocent sufferers often do not humbly seek God for succor; so to their "pride" is to be laid the blame of their ruin; also because (Job 35:13-16) they, as Job, instead of waiting God's time in pious trust, are prone to despair of His justice, when it is not immediately visible (Job 33:19-26). If the sufferer would apply to God with a humbled, penitent spirit, He would hear.

Where, &c.—(Jer 2:6, 8; Isa 51:13).

songs—of joy at deliverance (Ps 42:8; 149:5; Ac 16:25).

in the night—unexpectedly (Job 34:20, 25). Rather, "in calamity."

11. Man's spirit, which distinguishes him from the brute, is the strongest proof of God's beneficence; by the use of it we may understand that God is the Almighty helper of all sufferers who humbly seek Him; and that they err who do not so seek Him.

fowls—(see on Job 28:21).

12. There—rather, "Then" (when none humbly casts himself on God, Job 35:10). They cry proudly against God, rather than humbly to God. So, as the design of affliction is to humble the sufferer, there can be no answer until "pride" gives place to humble, penitent prayer (Ps 10:4; Jer 13:17).

13. vanity—that is, cries uttered in an unhumbled spirit, Job 35:12, which applies in some degree to Job's cries; still more to those of the wicked (Job 27:9; Pr 15:29).

14. Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him—(as a temporal deliverer; for he did look for a Redeemer after death, Job 19:25-27; which passage cannot consistently with Elihu's assertion here be interpreted of "seeing" a temporal "redeemer"), Job 7:7; 9:11; 23:3, 8, 9; yet, judgment … ; therefore trust … But the Hebrew favors Maurer, "How much less (will God … regard, Job 35:13), since thou sayest, that He does not regard thee." So in Job 4:19. Thus Elihu alludes to Job's words (Job 19:7; 30:20).

judgment—that is, thy cause, thy right; as in Ps 9:16; Pr 31:5, 8.

trust—rather, "wait thou" on Him, patiently, until He take up thy cause (Ps 37:7).

15. As it is, because Job waited not trustingly and patiently (Job 35:14; Nu 20:12; Zep 3:2; Mic 7:9), God hath visited … ; yet still he has not taken (severe) cognizance of the great multitude (English Version wrongly, "extremity") of sins; therefore Job should not complain of being punished with undue severity (Job 7:20; 11:6). Maurer translates: "Because His anger hath not visited (hath not immediately punished Job for his impious complaints), nor has He taken strict (great) cognizance of his folly (sinful speeches); therefore," &c. For "folly," Umbreit translates with the Rabbins, "multitude." Gesenius reads with the Septuagint and Vulgate needlessly, "transgression."

16. Apodosis to Job 35:15.

in vain—rashly.