Logos Bible Study

Job 34:10–15

The NET BibleOther versions

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God is Not Unjust

34:10“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.18

Far be it from19 God to do wickedness,

from the Almighty to do evil.

34:11For he repays a person for his work,20

and according to the conduct of a person,

he causes the consequences to find him.21

34:12Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,

and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

34:13Who entrusted22 to him the earth?

And who put him over23 the whole world?

34:14If God24 were to set his heart on it,25

and gather in his spirit and his breath,

34:15all flesh would perish together

and human beings would return to dust.

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Footnotes

  1. 18 Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”
  2. 19 For this construction, see Job 27:5.
  3. 20 Heb “for the work of man, he [= God] repays him.”
  4. 21 Heb “he causes it to find him.” The text means that God will cause a man to find (or receive) the consequences of his actions.
  5. 22 The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit; to appoint; to number.” Here it means “to entrust” for care and governing. The implication would be that there would be someone higher than God—which is what Elihu is repudiating by the rhetorical question. No one entrusted God with this.
  6. 23 The preposition is implied from the first half of the verse.
  7. 24 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  8. 25 This is the reading following the Qere. The Kethib and the and the suggest a reading יָשִׂים (yasim, “if he [God] recalls”). But this would require leaving out “his heart,” and would also require redividing the verse to make “his spirit” the object. It makes better parallelism, but may require too many changes.

The NET Bible First Edition, Copyright 1996-2005 by Biblical Studies Press

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:

far be it from God that he should do wickedness,

and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

For according to the work of a man he will repay him,

and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

Of a truth, God will not do wickedly,

and the Almighty will not pervert justice.

Who gave him charge over the earth,

and who laid on him the whole world?

If he should set his heart to it

and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,

all flesh would perish together,

and man would return to dust.

Copyright 2001 Crossway Bibles

NIVNew International Version (2011)

“So listen to me, you men of understanding.

Far be it from God to do evil,

from the Almighty to do wrong.

He repays everyone for what they have done;

he brings on them what their conduct deserves.

It is unthinkable that God would do wrong,

that the Almighty would pervert justice.

Who appointed him over the earth?

Who put him in charge of the whole world?

If it were his intention

and he withdrew his spirit and breath,

all humanity would perish together

and mankind would return to the dust.

Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 Biblica, Inc.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding.

It is impossible for God to do wrong,

and for the Almighty to act unjustly.

For he repays a person according to his deeds,

and he gives him what his conduct deserves.

Indeed, it is true that God does not act wickedly

and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

Who gave him authority over the earth?

Who put him in charge of the entire world?

If he put his mind to it

and withdrew the spirit and breath he gave,

every living thing would perish together

and mankind would return to the dust.

Copyright 2017 Holman Bible Publishers

NLTNew Living Translation

“Listen to me, you who have understanding.

Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin!

The Almighty can do no wrong.

He repays people according to their deeds.

He treats people as they deserve.

Truly, God will not do wrong.

The Almighty will not twist justice.

Did someone else put the world in his care?

Who set the whole world in place?

If God were to take back his spirit

and withdraw his breath,

all life would cease,

and humanity would turn again to dust.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

“Therefore, listen to me, people who have sense:

far be it from God that he should commit wickedness

and that Shaddai should do wrong.

Indeed, he will repay according to a human being’s deeds,

and according to a man’s way he will let it happen to him.

What’s more, God truly does not act wickedly,

and Shaddai does not pervert justice.

Who gave him charge over the earth?

Or who laid on him the whole world?

If he should set his heart to it,

and he should gather his spirit and his breath to himself,

all flesh would perish together,

and humankind would return to dust.

Copyright 2012 Lexham Press

KJV 1900King James Version

Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:

Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness;

And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.

For the work of a man shall he render unto him,

And cause every man to find according to his ways.

Yea, surely God will not do wickedly,

Neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

Who hath given him a charge over the earth?

Or who hath disposed the whole world?

If he set his heart upon man,

If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;

All flesh shall perish together,

And man shall turn again unto dust.

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