Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 34:10
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.
10 12. Elihu’s argument in these verses is the truest answer that can be given: injustice on the part of God is inconsistent with the idea of God. The three friends had urged the same plea. And Job would have accepted the argument had his friends or himself been able to take it up as a general principle and keep it clear from complications with the events of actual providence. When, however, they combined it with their other theory that good and evil befell men solely according to the principle of retribution, and that this latter principle was that according to which God’s actual providence was entirely administered, Job could not consent to their reasoning. And as he agreed with them that retributive righteousness was or ought to be the principle of God’s rule of the world, he was obliged, as he entirely failed to perceive such a principle adhered to, to charge God with injustice. It is not easy to see how Elihu differs from the friends in the position which he takes up here and in Job 34:20-33. He is concerned in the meantime, however, with a theoretical defence of God’s justice.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
10 19. This charge of injustice Elihu rebuts, first, on the general ground of its impiety: God cannot be thought of as acting in the way Job asserted He rewardeth every man according to his works ( Job 34:10-12); and second, he then resolves the general idea into two distinct thoughts, Job 34:13-15, and Job 34:16-19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Therefore hearken unto me – Elihu proceeds now to reply to what he regarded as the erroneous sentiments of Job, and to show the impropriety of language which reflected so much on God and his government. Instead, however, of meeting the facts in the case, and showing how the actual course of events could be reconciled with justice, he resolves it all into a matter of sovereignty, and maintains that it is wrong to doubt the rectitude of the dealings of one so mighty as God. In this he pursues the same course substantially which the friends of Job had done, and does little more to solve the real difficulties in the case than they had. The facts to which Job had referred are scarcely adverted to; the perplexing questions are still unsolved, and the amount of all that Elihu says is, that God is a sovereign, and that there must be an improper spirit when people presume to pronounce on his dealings.
Ye men of understanding – Margin, as in Hebrew men of heart. The word heart is used here as it was uniformly among the Hebrews; the Jewish view of physiology being that the heart was the seat of all the mental operations. They never speak of the head as the seat of the intellect, as we do. The meaning here is, that Elihu regarded them as sages, qualified to comprehend and appreciate the truth on the subject under discussion.
Far be it from God – Hebrew chalylah – profane, unholy. It is an expression of abhorrence, as if the thing proposed were profane or unholy: 1Sa 20:2; Gen 18:25; Jos 24:16. The meaning here is, that the very idea that God would do wrong, or could patronize iniquity, was a profane conception, and was not to be tolerated for a moment. This is true enough, and in this general sentiment, no doubt, Job would himself have concurred.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 34:10-12
Neither will the Almighty pervert Justice.
On the justice of God
These words are a description of the justice and righteousness of the supreme Governor of all things; introduced with an affectionate appeal to the common reason of mankind for the truth of the assertion, and closed with an eloquent repetition of the assurance of its certainty. There are, and must be, difficulties in the administration of providence; but these difficulties affect only such as are careless in matters of religion, and they can never make reasonable and considerate persons, men of attention and understanding, to doubt concerning the righteousness of the Divine government.
I. God is, and cannot but be, just in all His actions. There being necessarily in nature a difference of things, which is what we call natural good and evil, and a variety in the dispositions and qualifications of persons, which is what we call moral good and evil, from the due or undue adjustment of these natural qualities of things to the moral qualifications of persons, arise unavoidably the notions of right and wrong. Now, the will of every intelligent agent being always directed by some motive, it is plain Chat the natural motive of action, where nothing irregular interposes, can be no other than this right or reason of things. Whenever this right and reason are not made the rule of action, it can only be, either because the agent is ignorant of what is right, or wants ability to pursue it, or else is knowingly and willingly diverted from it, by the hope of some good, or fear of some evil. But none of these causes of injustice can possibly have any place in God. His actions must necessarily be directed by right, and reason, and justice only. It is sometimes argued that the actions of God must needs be just, for whatever He does is just, because He does it. But this argument is not proving, but supposing the thing in question. It has been unworthily used, as if, because whatever God does is certainly just, therefore whatsoever unjust and unreasonable things men, in their systems of Divinity ascribe to Him, were made just and reasonable by supposing God to be the author of them. Or that, God being all-powerful, therefore whatever is ascribed to Him, though in itself it may seem unjust, and would be unjust among men, yet by supreme power is made just and right. Upon this kind of reasoning is built the doctrine of absolute reprobation, and some other the like opinions. But this is speaking deceitfully for God. In Scripture, God perpetually appeals to the common reason and natural judgment of mankind for the equity Of His dealings with them.
II. Wherein the nature of Gods justice consists. Justice is of two sorts. There is a justice which consists in a distribution of equality; and there is a justice which consists in a distribution of equity. Of this latter sort is the justice of God. In the matter of punishment, His justice requires that it should always be apportioned with the most strict exactness, to the degree or demerit of the crime. The particulars wherein this justice consists are–
1. An impartiality with regard to persons.
2. An equity of distribution with regard to things; that is, the observing an exact proportion in the several particular degrees of reward and punishment, as Well as an impartiality and determining what persons shall be in general rewarded or punished.
III. Objections arising from particular cases against the general doctrine of the Divine justice.
1. From the unequal distributions of providence in the present life. This is answered by the belief of a future state, wherein, by the exactness and precise equity of the final determinations of the great day, shall be abundantly made up all the little inequalities of this short life. There are also many special reasons of these seeming inequalities. God frequently afflicts the righteous, for the trial and improvement of their virtue, for the exercise of their patience, or the correction of their faults. On the other hand, God frequently, for no less wise reasons, defers the punishing of the wicked. Besides these, there are also particular difficulties arising from singular inequalities, even with regard to spiritual advantages.
The uses of this discourse are–
1. Let us acknowledge and submit to the Divine justice, and show forth our due sense and fear of it in the course of our lives.
2. A right notion of the justice of God is matter of comfort to good men.
3. The justice of God is a matter of terror to all wicked and unrighteous men, how great and powerful soever they may be.
4. From a consideration of the justice of God arises a true notion of the heinousness of sin.
5. If God, who is all-powerful and supreme, yet always confines Himself to what is just, how dare mortal men insult and tyrannise over each other, and think themselves by power and force discharged from all obligations of equity towards their fellow creatures? (S. Clarke, D. D.)
The perdition of the unconverted, not attributable to God
I. God cannot wish that any human mind should continue unconverted. It would be strange indeed if He did. It is blasphemy to think that God should wish any creature to commit sin. The holy God cannot wish any human mind either to begin to be unholy, or to continue to be unholy.
II. God cannot wish that any human being should perish. God has declared that they shall. It is inevitable in order to the ends of justice, and the maintenance of His moral government. But, then, He does not desire this issue. To say He did would be to say that God is malevolent. He cannot take any pleasure in suffering.
III. God has not decreed that any single mind should continue unconverted and should perish. There is no such decree. If there were, it would be substantially the same with the last, only that it would be underhand and clandestine. It would be charging God, not only with sin, but with cowardice and hypocrisy.
IV. God never acts with the view that any should continue unconverted and should perish. God never operates upon the mind with this view. He never interposes difficulties in the way of its conversion, and with a view to its perdition. God does wish that every human mind should be converted and saved.
1. Prove this from Gods words.
2. The actions of God will be found in harmony with His word.
3. Prove this from the death Of Christ.
4. This doctrine is deducible from the entire plan of salvation. (John Young, M. A.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. Far be it from God] Rather, Wickedness, far be that from God; and from iniquity, the Almighty. The sense is sufficiently evident without the paraphrase in our version.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Ye men of understanding; you who are present, and understand these things, do you judge between Job and me.
Far be it from God that he should do wickedness: this I must lay down as a principle, that the righteous and holy God neither doth nor can deal unjustly with Job, or with any man, as Job insinuates that God had dealt with him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. The true answer to Job,which God follows up (Job38:1-41). Man is to believe God’s ways are right, becausethey are His, not because we fully see they are so (Rom 9:14;Deu 32:4; Gen 18:25).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding,…. The same persons he addresses as wise men and men of knowledge, Job 34:2; and here as men of understanding, or “heart” z; the heart being the seat of wisdom and knowledge; and such Elihu desired to be his hearers, to attend to what he was about to say; which was to refute the words of Job, or his sense expressed in the preceding verses;
far be it from God [that he should do] wickedness; and [from] the Almighty, [that he should commit] iniquity; do any injustice or injury to any person, there being no unrighteousness in him, nor in any of his ways and works; which Job tacitly seemed to charge God with, at least as Elihu understood him. But sin is contrary to his pure and holy nature; he cannot look upon it with pleasure, much less commit it; it is forbidden by his holy righteous law, and therefore would never he done by him the lawgiver; nor can anyone single instance be given of wickedness and unrighteousness committed by him in any of his works of nature, or providence, or grace. He is the author of the evil of afflictions, whether as punishments or fatherly corrections; and in neither case does he commit or do any injustice; not in punishing wicked men less than they deserve, as he does in this life; nor in correcting his own people, which is always for their good: but not of the evil of sin; this may be concluded from the titles here given, of “Almighty and All-sufficient”; for being so he can be under no temptation of doing an unjust thing; and which is expressed with the like abhorrence and indignation by Elihu as the same sentiment is by the Apostle Paul, Ro 9:14.
z “viri cordis”, Pagninus, Montanus, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
10 Therefore, men of understanding, hearken to me!
Far be it from god to do evil,
And the Almighty to act wrongfully.
11 No indeed, man’s work He recompenseth to him,
And according to man’s walk He causeth it to be with him.
“Men of heart,” according to Psychol. S. 249, comp. 254, is equivalent to noee’mones or noeeroi’ (lxx ). The clause which Elihu makes prominent in the following reply is the very axiom which the three defend, perfectly true in itself, but falsely applied by them: evil, wrong, are inconceivable on the part of God; instead of it is only in the second member of the verse, with the omission of the praep. – a frequent form of ellipsis, particularly in Isaiah (Isa 15:8; Isa 28:6; Isa 48:14; Isa 61:7, comp. Eze 25:15). Far removed from acting wickedly and wrongfully, on the contrary He practises recompense exactly apportioned to man’s deeds, and ever according to the walk of each one ( like or , e.g., Jer 32:19, in an ethical sense) He causes it to overtake him, i.e., to happen to him ( only here and Job 37:13). The general assertion brought forward against Job is now proved.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
10 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. 11 For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. 12 Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. 13 Who hath given him a charge over the earth? or who hath disposed the whole world? 14 If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; 15 All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
The scope of Elihu’s discourse to reconcile Job to his afflictions and to pacify his spirit under them. In order to this he had shown, in the foregoing chapter, that God meant him no hurt in afflicting him, but intended it for his spiritual benefit. In this chapter he shows that he did him no wrong in afflicting him, nor punished him more than he deserved. If the former could not prevail to satisfy him, yet this ought to silence him. In these verses he directs his discourse to all the company: “Hearken to me, you men of understanding (v. 10), and show yourselves to be intelligent by assenting to this which I say.” And this is that which he says, That the righteous God never did, nor ever will do, any wrong to any of his creatures, but his ways are equal, ours are unequal. The truth here maintained respects the justice of equity of all God’s proceedings. Now observe in these verses,
I. How plainly this truth is laid down, both negatively and positively. 1. He does wrong to none: God cannot do wickedness, nor the Almighty commit iniquity, v. 10. It is inconsistent with the perfection of his nature, and so it is also with the purity of his will (v. 12): God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment. He neither can nor will do a wrong thing, nor deal hardly with any man. He will never inflict the evil of punishment but where he finds the evil of sin, nor in any undue proportion, for that would be to commit iniquity and do wickedly. If appeals be made to him, or he be to give a definitive sentence, he will have an eye to the merits of the cause and not respect the person, for that were to pervert judgment. He will never either do any man wrong or deny any man right, but the heavens will shortly declare his righteousness. Because he is God, and therefore is infinitely perfect and holy, he can neither do wrong himself nor countenance it in others, nay more than he can die, or lie, or deny himself. Though he be Almighty, yet he never uses his power, as mighty men often do, for the support of injustice. He is Shaddai–God all-sufficient, and therefore he cannot be tempted with evil (James i. 13), to do an unrighteous thing. 2. He ministers justice to all (v. 11): The work of a man shall he render unto him. Good works shall be rewarded and evil works either punished or satisfied for; so that sooner or later, in this world or in that to come, he will cause every man to find according to his ways. This is the standing rule of distributive justice, to give to every man according to his work. Say to the righteous, it shall be well with them; woe to the wicked, it shall be ill with them. If services persevered in now go unrewarded, and sins persisted in now go unpunished, yet there is a day coming when God will fully render to every man according to his works, with interest for the delay.
II. How warmly it is asserted, 1. With an assurance of the truth of it: Yea, surely, v. 12. It is a truth which none can deny or call in question; it is what we may take for granted and are all agreed in, That God will not do wickedly. 2. With an abhorrence of the very thought of the contrary (v. 10): Far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from us that we should entertain the least suspicion of it or say any thing that looks like charging him with it.
III. How evidently it is proved by two arguments:
1. His independent absolute sovereignty and dominion (v. 13): Who has given him a charge over the earth and deputed him to manage the affairs of men upon the earth? Or, Who besides has disposed the whole world of mankind? He has the sole administration of the kingdoms of men, and has it of himself, nor is he entrusted with it by or for any other. (1.) It is certain that the government is his, and he does according to his will in all the hosts both of heaven and earth; and therefore he is not to be charged with injustice; for shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? Gen. xviii. 25. How shall God either rule or judge the world if there be, or could be, any unrighteousness with him?Rom 3:5; Rom 3:6. He that is entitled to such unlimited power most certainly have in himself unspotted purity. This is also a good reason why we should acquiesce in all God’s dealings with us. Shall not he that disposes of the whole world dispose of us and our concerns? (2.) It is as certain that he does not derive his power from any, nor is it a dispensation that is committed to him, but his power is original, and, like his being, of himself; and therefore, if he were not perfectly just, all the world and the affairs of it would soon be in the utmost confusion. The highest powers on earth have a God above them, to whom they are accountable, because it is not far from them to do iniquity. But therefore God has none above him, because it is not possible that he should do any thing (such is the perfection of his nature) that should need to be controlled. And, if he be an absolute sovereign, we are bound to submit to him, for there is no higher power to which we may appeal, so that the virtue is a necessity.
2. His irresistible power (v. 14): If he set his heart upon man, to contend with him, much more if (as some read it) he set his heart against man, to ruin him, if he should deal with man either by summa potestas–mere sovereignty, or by summum jus–strict justice, there were no standing before him; man’s spirit and breath would soon be gone and all flesh would perish together, v. 15. Many men’s honesty is owing purely to their impotency; they do not do wrong because they cannot support it when it is done, or it is not in their power to do it. But God is able to crush any man easily and suddenly, and yet does not by arbitrary power crush any man, which therefore must be attributed to the infinite perfection of his nature, and that is immutable. See here, (1.) What God can do with us. He can soon bring us to dust; there needs not any positive act of his omnipotence to do it; if he do but withdraw that concurrence of his providence by which we live, if he gather unto himself that spirit and breath which was from his hand at first and is still in his hand, we expire immediately, like an animal in an air-pump when the air is exhausted. (2.) What he may do with us without doing us wrong. He may recall the being he gave, of which we are but tenants at will, and which also we have forfeited; and therefore, as long as that is continued of his mere favour, we have no reason to cry out of wrong, whatever other comforts are removed.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
TEXT 34:1015
10 Therefore hearken onto me, ye men of understanding:
Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness,
And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
11 For the work of a man will he render unto him,
And cause every man to find according to his ways,
12 Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,
Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
13 Who gave him a charge over the earth?
Or who hath disposed the whole world?
14 If he set his heart upon himself,
If he gather onto himself his spirit and his breath;
15 All flesh shall perish together,
And man shall torn again unto dust.
COMMENT 34:1015
Job. 34:10Bildad raised this question in Job. 8:3; Elihu echoes it here in Job. 34:10-12. True wise men, i.e., lit. men of heart, you know that God can do no evil. Job is not merely in error; he has committed blasphemyGen. 18:25.
Job. 34:11Whether the man be good or evil, his reward will follow from his character. Elihu, like Jobs three friends, is persuaded that God is not unjust. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible is fully conscious that a persons desert and his fortune are not often in harmony. The systems of society, history, and nature are so interconnected[339] that negative repercussions do, in fact, come to those who are not personally guilty of any particular heinous crime, egs. famine, earthquake, tornadoes, war, pestilence, etc. Freedom and responsibility are always within structures. There is no such thing as Sartres ontological Freedom, which is in reality insanity. But if there is no freedom, neither is there responsibility, i.e., basis for praise or blame for human behaviorJob. 4:8; Ps. 62:13; Pro. 24:12; Eccl. 16:14; Mat. 16:27; Rom. 2:6; Gal. 6:7-10. Rowley certainly raises the appropriate question, which is not Why does God not prevent injustice? but why do men perpetrate injustice? (Job, p. 279). In the case of Job, God permitted Satanic injustice as an expression of His confidence in his servant Job. God was prepared to stake His cosmic honor on Jobs integrity. The last line as rendered in the A. V. could better read, lit., will cause it to find him.[340]
[339] Systems Analysis is the most effective method known to man which can correlate interrelatedness of the systems of the universe, whether natural or societal systems.
[340] See my theological essay on EvilSilence, Suffering, and Sin: Present Evil and the Presence of God in this commentary.
Job. 34:12Elihu repeats what he has already declared in Job. 34:10. The editors of The Qumran Targum render this verse as a rhetorical questionEh bien, Dieu fera-T-il vraiment ce qiu est faux? Well? God will certainly not do that which is false or evil? The Hebrew omnom is rendered by sd which appears in Dan. 3:14 with -hsd, the interrogative particle.[341]
[341] For analysis of this grammatical possibility, see H. H. Rowley, The Aramaic of the Old Testament, 1929, p. 132.
Job. 34:13Elihu deduces from the fact that God is all-powerful creator that He can do no wrong. This logically entails that power is moral; whatever God does is by definition moral or just. But Job has already acknowledged that God is answerable to no oneJob. 9:12; but he erroneously derived from this premise that God was responsible for all the injustice in the worldJob. 9:24. Camus expresses this same viewpoint in his existential literature, specifically The Plague and The Fall. Sartre is also a brilliant protagonist of Gods justice, eg. The Devil and The Good Lord, No Exit, and The Flies, etc.
Job. 34:14If God only thought of Himself and not of all His creatures, i.e., all of creation, with benevolent mercy, then no one would survive. All flesh would perish from the earth. God gave life to all creaturesGen. 2:7 and Job. 33:4; and when and if He withdraws His spirit, we diePsa. 104:29 and Ecc. 12:7. We are all alike, dependent on an impartial God.
Job. 34:15All flesh here indicates that when His spirit is withdrawn, only lifeless sarx remains to be ravaged by decayJob. 12:10; Job. 28:21; Isa. 42:5; Psa. 104:29. God is a loving merciful Lord, not a capricious tyrant. We can never gain an adequate perspective on evil until we know God and His cosmic purpose, which is to fulfill His promises in Christ2Co. 1:20. It should be all but self-evident that biblical eschatology is the basis for a Christian view of history-nature, the removal of evil is part of the biblical understanding of redemptionIsaiah 6166; Romans 8; Revelation 21.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(10) Ye men of understanding.Elihu now appeals to the men of understanding, by whom he can hardly mean the three friends of whom he has already spoken disparagingly, but seems rather to appeal to an audience, real or imagined, who are to decide on the merits of what he says. This is an incidental indication that we are scarcely intended to understand the long-continued argument as the record of an actual discussion. Elihu begins to take broader ground than the friends of Job, inasmuch as he concerns himself, not with the problems of Gods government, but with the impossibility of His acting unjustly (Gen. 18:25), and the reason he gives is somewhat strangeit is the fact that God is irresponsible, He has not been put in charge over the earth; but His authority is ultimate and original, and being so, He can have no personal interests to secure at all risks; He can only have in view the ultimate good of all His creatures, for, on the other hand, if He really desired to slay them, their breath is in His hands, and He would only have to recall it. The earth and all that is in it belongs to God: it is His own, and not anothers entrusted to Him; His self-interest, therefore, cannot come into collision with the welfare of His creatures, because their welfare is the welfare of that which is Hisof that, therefore, in which He Himself has the largest interest. The argument is a somewhat strange one to us, but it is sound at bottom, for it recognises God as the prime origin and final hope of all His creatures, and assumes that His will can only be good, and that it must be the best because it is His. (Comp. St. Joh. 10:12-13.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Main division. ELIHU FORMULATES AND REFUTES JOB’S ERROR BY A COUNTER PROPOSITION: THE NATURE OF GOD NOT ONLY DECLARES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD TO DO WRONG, BUT NECESSITATES RIGHT DOING IN ALL HIS WORKS, Job 34:10-30.
a. The proposition is stated ( Job 34:10-12 ) and enforced by the consideration that the creation and continued preservation of the world, and all that live, imply that God, because of his almightiness thus declared, and who consequently must forever be independent of all, must be animated by love for his creatures. “An almighty, and at the same time an unjust, God, is an unimaginable thought.” Hengstenberg. Job 34:10-15. Comp. Bildad’s position, Job 8:3.
10. Men of understanding Literally, Men of heart.
Far be it from God Far from God be wickedness, and iniquity (far be it) from the Almighty! The italics in A.V. are not needed. The word rendered far is a strong expression of aversion. He abhors the thought that wickedness should or could belong to God. If such were the case, man would have to deal with an infinite monster. The entrance of evil into the divine nature would be the wreck of right, of justice, and of all hope. Happy are we that we have not to harbour the thought of omnipotence linked with evil. “If God is the author of evil, he is consequently not good; and if he is not good, he is not God.” Basil the Great.
Proof of the Divine Righteousness
v. 10. Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding, v. 11. For the work of a man shall He render unto him, v. 12. Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment, v. 13. Who hath given Him a charge over the earth, v. 14. If He set his heart upon man, v. 15. all flesh shall perish together, v. 16. If, now, thou hast understanding, hear this, v. 17. Shall even he that hateth right govern? v. 18. Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? v. 19. How much less to Him that accepteth not the persons of princes nor regardeth the rich more than the poor; v. 20. In a moment shall they die, v. 21. For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings, v. 22. There is no darkness nor shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves, v. 23. For He will not lay upon man more than right, v. 24. He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, v. 25. Therefore He knoweth their works, v. 26. He striketh them as wicked men, v. 27. because they turned back from Him, v. 28. so that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto Him, v. 29. When He giveth quietness, v. 30. that the hypocrite reign not, Job 34:10 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.
Ver. 10. Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding ] Heb. Ye men of heart, Cor est sedes sapientiae. Egregie cordati viri.
Mentemque habere queis bonam
Et esse corculis datum est.
Having recited Job’s evil speeches, he turneth away from him as it were in great displeasure, and directeth his speech to others. See the like done by Jacob, Gen 49:4
Far be it from God that he should do wickedness, &c. THE ALMIGHTY. Hebrew Shaddai. App-4.
Job 34:10-15
Job 34:10-15
IMPERTINENT REMARKS CONCERNING GOD
“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, will he render unto him,
And cause every man to find according to his ways.
Yea, of a surety, God will not do wickedly,
Neither will the Almighty pervert justice.
Who gave him a charge over the earth?
Or who hath disposed the whole world?
If he set his heart upon himself,
If he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
All flesh shall perish together,
And man shall turn again unto dust.”
“The work of a man he (God) will render unto him” (Job 34:11). Elihu here repeats, “In crass individualistic terms the doctrine that God requites every man according to his behavior.” In context, this was merely Elihu’s way of saying that, “Job is getting exactly what he deserves.” The great error of Elihu’s bombastic words here is that, “He says a lot about God’s justice but not a word about divine grace.”
“God will not do wickedly” (Job 34:12). “Elihu said this as an effort to refute that which he (erroneously) supposed that Job had said.” “Job had not accused God of injustice, nor was he inclined to do so.”
“Who gave him a charge over the earth” (Job 34:13)? “The thought here is that God rules the earth and is answerable to no one for his actions, a thought repeated again by Elihu in Job 36:23; but this truth Job had already stated emphatically in Job 9:12.”
“All flesh shall perish together” (Job 34:15). “If God Chose, he would have a right to cut down the whole race of mankind. How then should men complain of loss of health, comforts, friends, or anything else, and presume to arraign God as if he were unjust”? This was Elihu’s answer to what he conceived as Job’s accusation against God. Although Job’s persistent affirmation of his integrity seemed to his friends to be an accusation against God, they had totally misunderstood Job’s position. Job was not affirming that God was wicked or unjust; but that it could not have been his personal wickedness that led to his sufferings. Not God, but his sufferings were unjust; but since that contradicted the false theology of his friends, they erroneously concluded that Job was wicked.
E.M. Zerr:
Job 34:10. This verse is addressed to men in general as was the 2nd verse. The implication is that if God were to let Job “get by” with his wickedness he would himself be guilty of wickedness.
Job 34:11. This verse states a truth, that God will give every man what his deeds deserve. Job believed that doctrine as firmly as anyone.
Job 34:12. This verse has the same meaning as Job 34:10.
Job 34:13. No man gave God his control over the earth, but rather God has disposed or arranged the universe himself.
Job 34:14-15. If God should withdraw his support from man he would utterly perish and return to dust.
understanding: Heb. heart, Job 34:2, Job 34:3, Job 34:34, Pro 6:32, Pro 15:32, *marg.
far: Job 8:3, Job 36:23, Job 37:23, Gen 18:25, Deu 32:4, 2Ch 19:7, Psa 92:15, Jer 12:1, Rom 3:4, Rom 3:5, Rom 9:14, Jam 1:13
Reciprocal: Job 1:22 – charged God foolishly Job 33:12 – thou Job 33:23 – to Job 34:23 – he will Job 36:3 – ascribe Pro 1:5 – wise Hos 6:5 – and thy judgments are as Hos 14:9 – for Zep 3:5 – he will Jam 2:5 – Hearken
Job 34:10-12. Hearken to me, ye men of understanding Ye who are present, and understand these things, do you judge between Job and me. Far be it from God that he should do wickedness This I must lay down as a principle, that the righteous and holy God neither does nor can deal unjustly with Job, or with any man, as Job insinuates that God hath dealt with him. For the work of a man That is, the reward of his work; shall he render unto him, &c. Jobs afflictions, though great and distressing, are not undeserved, but justly inflicted upon him, both for the original corruption of his nature, and for many actual transgressions, which are known to God, though Job, through partiality, may not see them. And Jobs piety shall be recompensed, it may be, in this life, but undoubtedly in the next; and therefore piety is not unprofitable, as Job signifies. Neither will the Almighty pervert judgment As Job hath erroneously affirmed.
Elihu’s defense of God’s justice 34:10-37
As the three friends, Elihu believed God was acting perfectly justly in allowing Job to suffer, and that Job was insolent to accuse God of being unjust (Job 34:10). He then reviewed God’s character to illustrate His justice (Job 34:11-30).
"Elihu [in Job 34:10-15] repeats the self-evident truth that God can do no wrong. He attaches three thoughts to this proposition. First, he infers from God’s supremacy as Creator that He is not accountable to anyone (13). This takes us to the edge of a dangerous cliff. For, if everything God does is right, by definition, and if, because He is Sovereign, God does everything that happens, it follows that everything that happens is right, and the category of evil disappears. Secondly, Job 34:14-15 specify that every living thing depends on God for its being, so that He may, indiscriminately or universally, withdraw this gift of existence and do nothing wrong. This is a fine acknowledgment of God as owner of all, and a fine tribute to His might. But it leaves no grounds for saying that any act of God is ’good’ rather than ’bad’. ’Might makes right’ is the upshot of Elihu’s doctrine, and in this emphasis he approaches rather closely to Job’s contention. But he wriggles out of the difficulty by falling back on the doctrine that God requites every person according to his behaviour (11), stating it in crass individualistic terms. But this is the very thing under debate, and no answer to the problem." [Note: Andersen, p. 253.]
Elihu asserted that God was not answerable to anyone including Job (Job 34:31-37; cf. Job 34:13). In this section Elihu became very heavy-handed (cf. Job 34:33; Job 34:36). Some sin that Job had committed had brought on his suffering, Elihu concluded, but Job’s consequent rebellion against God made him doubly guilty (Job 34:37).
Much of what Elihu said in this speech was true. Nevertheless, as the other critics, he incorrectly assumed Job was lying about his innocence. As we know from the first two chapters, Job was not suffering because he had sinned.
"In Israel the ban on idols placed restrictions on the decorative visual arts. The prohibition of ritualized myths was another part of the campaign against paganism and prevented the development of drama in Israel. As a result the prime media for artistic expression were music, with song and dance, and the spoken word. In all these Israel excelled. Nothing was esteemed more highly than a word fitly spoken (Pro 25:11). It was savoured by the ear as the palate tastes food (Job 34:3). Such art could easily become decadent, when the form was prized for its own sake, rather than as an expression of truth. Elihu’s speeches tend to come under this condemnation." [Note: Ibid., p. 251.]
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)