Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 34:23

For he will not lay upon man more [than right]; that he should enter into judgment with God.

23. The verse reads probably,

For he needeth not to consider a man further,

That he should come before God in judgment.

The meaning is that no inquisition on God’s part is needed of a man, beyond his evil deed, with the view of bringing him before God in judgment. God beholds all, and His insight and judgment operate simultaneously.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

For he will not lay upon man more than right – Very various translations have been given of this verse. According to our common version, it means that God will not deal with man in such a manner as to give him just reason for calling in question the rectitude of the divine dealings. He shall in no case receive more than his sins deserve, so as to give him cause for complaint. This is undoubtedly a correct sentiment; but it may be doubted whether it is the sense conveyed by the original. Umbreit renders it:

Denn er braucht auf einem Mann nicht lang zu achten

Um ihm vor Gott in das Gericht zn ziehen.

For he needs not long to regard a man in order to bring him before God in judgment – meaning that he has all power; that he can at once see all his character; and that he can bring him at once to his bar. This translation undoubtedly accords with the general scope of the argument. Noyes renders it:

He needeth not attend long to a man,

To bring him into judgment before God.

Wemyss renders it in a similar way:

He has no need of laborious inquiry,

In order to convict men at his tribunal.

Rosenmuller gives a similar sense to the passage. According to this, the meaning is, that there is no need that God should give long attention to a man, or go into a protracted investigation, in order that he may bring him to judgment. He knows him at a glance. He can at once convict him, and can decide the case in a moment without danger of error. Human tribunals are under a necessity of long and patient investigation, and then are often deceived; but no such necessity, and no such danger, pertains to God. This interpretation agrees with the scope of the passage (compare the notes at Job 34:24), and seems to me to be correct. The Hebrew literally is, For not upon man will he place (scil. his mind or attention) long that he should go before God in judgment; that is, there is no need of long and anxious investigation on his part, in order that he may prove that it is right for him to cut man off. He may do it at once, and no one has a right to complain.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 23. For he will not lay upon man] The meaning appears to be this: He will not call man a second time into judgment; he does not try a cause twice; his decisions are just, and his sentence without appeal.

Mr. Good translates: –

“Behold, not to man hath he intrusted the time

Of coming into judgment with God.”

Man’s time is not in his own hand; nor is his lot cast or ruled by his own wisdom and power. When God thinks best, he will judge for him; and, if oppressed or calumniated, he will bring forth his righteousness as the light, and do him justice on his adversaries.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

More than right; more or heavier punishments than they deserve, or than are proportionable to their sins, which he accurately observes, as was now said, and therefore can suit punishments to them.

That he should enter into judgment with God; thereby to give him any pretence or occasion of entering into judgment with him, or condemning his proceedings; for which there might seem to be some colour, if God did lay upon man more than right. And therefore thou, O Job, hadst no cause for thy complaints against God.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

23. (1Co 10:13;Lam 3:32; Isa 27:8).Better, as UMBREIT, “Hedoes not (needs not to) regard (as in Job 34:14;Isa 41:20) man long (soHebrew, Ge 46:29) inorder that he may go (be brought by God) into judgment.”Literally, “lest his (attention) upon men” (Job 11:10;Job 11:11). So Job34:24, “without number” ought to be translated,”without [needing any] searching out,” such as has to bemade in human judgments.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

For he will not lay upon man more [than right],…. Neither in a way of duty, his law being holy, just, and good, not any of his commandments grievous, but all his precepts concerning all things right, his yoke easy and his burden light; nor in a way of punishment, always punishing then less than their iniquities deserve; nor in a way of chastisement, suffering nothing to befall his people but what is common to men; and he is faithful to bear them up under it and through it, and to make a way to escape out of it: or the phrase, “than right”, being a supplement, may be left out, and the words be connected with what follows,

that he should enter into judgment with God; and the sense is, either that God does not put it on man to go again into judgment with him; he does not suffer him to have a cause heard over again, to appeal from God or to him to have a second hearing; nor is anything to be got by it, he is in one mind, and none can turn him or reverse or get reversed any sentence of his; and therefore it was a piece of weakness in Job to insist so much as he did to have a hearing of his cause before him, since he could not expect there would be any alteration made in his favour: or, as Mr. Broughton reads it, “it is not for men to purpose to enter into judgment before the Omnipotent”; such a purpose is vain, he can never carry his cause against him; it is a piece of weakness to pretend to litigate a point with him: or the sense is, he puts no more on man than to come to him in judgment, so Schultens; he has appointed a person and time to judge the world in righteousness, and all must appear before his tribunal; and everything, thought, word and action, will then and there be brought into an account, and righteous judgment will pass; and therefore, since he has fixed such a method of proceeding, and requires no other, he can never be charged with injustice.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(23) For he will not lay upon man more than righti.e., so much that he should enter into judgment with God. This is probably the meaning, as the Authorised Version; but some render, He needeth not yet again to consider a man that he should go before God in judgment. He hath no need to consider any mans case twice or to rectify His first decision. He is infallible, and cannot do otherwise than right, whatever He does.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

23. For he will not lay upon man more Literally, For not again (or repeatedly) doth he set thought upon man, (or, he doth not long regard man; same meaning of , as in Gen 46:29,) that he may go to God in judgment. “A single thought of God, without the uttering of a word, is enough to summon the whole world to judgment.” Wordsworth. Elihu has possibly in mind the complaints of Job that God refused to enter into judgment with him, and reminds him of another phase of the painful subject, to wit, that before he is aware God may bring him into judgment.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Job 34:23 For he will not lay upon man more [than right]; that he should enter into judgment with God.

Ver. 23. For he will not lay upon men more than right ] Plus quam par est. He cannot over do likely, Nam non super virum ponet ultra; no, though he should inflict upon him all the torments here, and tortures in hell, since death, in the utmost extent of it, is the just hire of the least sin, Rom 6:23 . See Ezr 9:13 . See Trapp on “ Ezr 9:13 “

That he should enter into judgment with God ] Commence a suit against him, or challenge him into the schools to argue it out with him, as thou Job hast offered to do, but unadvisedly; since God hath justice on his side; as the very heathens also saw, when they set Themis, their goddess of justice, , next of all to Jupiter, their chief god.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

he will: Job 34:10-12, Job 11:6, Ezr 9:13, Psa 119:137, Isa 42:3, Dan 9:7-9

that he: Job 9:32, Job 9:33, Job 16:21, Job 23:7, Jer 2:5, Rom 9:20

enter: Heb. go

Reciprocal: Neh 9:33 – Howbeit Job 22:4 – will he enter Job 33:12 – thou Psa 119:75 – I know Isa 3:14 – enter Rom 2:2 – judgment

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

34:23 For he will not lay upon man more [than right]; that he should {q} enter into judgment with God.

(q) God does not afflict man above measure so that he should have opportunity to contend with him.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes