Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Job 35:6
If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or [if] thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? – This should not be interpreted as designed to justify sin, or as saying that there is no evil in it, or that God does not regard it. That is not the point or scope of the remark of Elihu. His object is to show that God is not influenced in his treatment of his creatures as people are in their treatment of each other. He has no interest in being partial, or in treating them otherwise than they deserve. If they sin against him his happiness is not so marred that he is under any inducement to interpose by passion, or in any other way than that which is right.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Job 35:6-8
If thou sinnest, what doest thou against Him?
Does man influence, God
Elihu, in these words, brings out his views of God in the form of questions, which views are of an Epicurean character. He looks upon God as a being so far above human concerns and conduct as not to be influenced by them. There are those now who have sympathy with these sentiments. They say God is too high and too great to be affected by the sin or righteousness of man. The doctrine of the Bible is, that mans conduct does influence God as well as man.
I. Answer the two questions that Elihu, in his scepticism, propounds.
1. If thou sinnest, what doest thou against Him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto Him? A man that lives in sin, and multiplies his transgressions–
(1) Sets God at defiance as his Sovereign Ruler.
(2) Violates His laws.
(3) Rivals God.
(4) Opposes Gods nature.
(5) Casts off His fear and restrains prayer.
(6) Rejects His mercy, grace, truth, and love.
If God was an Epicurean God, mans sins may not affect Him; but all His revelations of Himself to us go to show that He is our Father, Sovereign, Saviour; that He hates sin; that He loves the sinner. Hence our sins do influence Him. The Bible abounds with illustrations of these particulars.
2. If thou be righteous, what givest thou Him? or what receiveth He of thine hand? A righteous man (truly such in the scriptural sense) gives to the Almighty–
(1) Praise for what He is.
(2) Thanks for what He does.
(3) Obedience to His laws.
(4) Submission to His will.
(5) Himself a living sacrifice (Rom 12:1).
(6) Love for love. We love Him because He first loved us.
(7) His testimony. He is His witness.
Numerous illustrations of these particulars also may easily be collected from the Old and New Testament. The second part of this text, Elihu has no doubt about. Neither have those sceptics in our day, who sympathise with him in his former sentiments.
1. Thy wickedness may hurt, or injure a man as thou art. As to the hurt your wickedness may do your fellow, it may depend much upon the nature of the wickedness and the character, relations, and circumstances of your fellow man. One form of wickedness affects one man in one way, and another a different way. For instance, lying will hurt where swearing may not; and drunkenness where dishonesty may not. This thought more particularly applies to example. But look at the particular in its general application. Thy slander may hurt another mans character. Thy false accusation may hurt his feelings and reputation. Thy theft or dishonesty may hurt his property or circumstances. Thy calumny or detraction may injure his influence for good upon others. Humanity is one body–one family–one society; and it is impossible for one member to do wickedly without affecting in some way or other, to some degree or other, the rest.
2. Thy righteousness may profit the son of man. On the same principle that wickedness hurts our fellow men, righteousness is a benefit to them. If the term righteousness here be understood in a broad sense, as right-doing according to the moral instinct, it is profitable to man in a world like this, where human nature is so prone to wrong-doing. If the term be understood as the righteousness which is by faith in Jesus Christ–as received from Him in justification, and as wrought in Him in good works, according to His Spirit–it is still more profitable to man. This may be shown in the terms used to designate such:–the light of the world. Light is good and useful in darkness;–the salt of the earth. Salt is good and profitable in many ways. Righteousness implies truthfulness, honesty, goodness, purity, humility, benevolence, temperance, brotherly kindness, charity; and each of these is profitable in its influence on our fellow men. As wheat, fruit, flowers, vegetables, etc., in the natural world are profitable to man; so are the fruits and flowers of righteousness in the moral world. Learn–
1. Your responsibility to individuals and society in respect to your conduct towards them.
2. Your responsibility to God in respect to wicked or righteous conduct before Him.
3. The necessity of having a new nature within in order to live righteously before God and man. (J. Bate.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. If thou sinnest] God is not benefited by thy righteousness, nor injured by thy iniquity, howsoever multiplied it may be.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thy sins do him no hurt, and therefore thy righteousness brings him no benefit, as it follows.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. what doesthow canst thouaffect Him?
unto himthat can hurtHim? (Jer 7:19; Pro 8:36).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him?…. Sin is expressly said to be against God, Ps 51:4; it is contrary to his nature, as any opposites can be to each other: it is against his law, a breach and violation of it; and so against his supreme legislative power and authority, and a contempt of it; it is what he is angry with and is provoked by, being what he hates and abhors, and is abominable in his sight. But then he cannot be supposed to be so affected with it to be ruffled and discomposed, or his peace be disturbed, and his happiness in the least broke in upon; for affections are only attributed to him after the manner of men; much less is he so affected hereby as to be hurt or in danger of being destroyed, nor even of being dethroned: men can no more reach him by any hostile action of theirs, such as sin is, than they can reach the sun and stop its course, lessen its light or pluck it from its orbit. Or, “what canst thou work for him?” as Mr. Broughton; by way of atonement or satisfaction for sin? Nothing at all; see Job 7:20; but the other sense is best;
or [if] thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou unto him? As he is not hurt by a slight single sin, a failing or infirmity, an error or mistake, common to men, as the preceding word may signify; so not by greater sins, presumptuous ones, gross enormities, rebellions against God, overt acts of treason against the Almighty, and these multiplied and heaped up even unto heaven; for though by these the name of God is profaned and blasphemed, and he is dishonoured and despised, and his manifestative glory is eclipsed, or he has not the honour given him that is due unto him; yet his essential glory is untarnished, unsullied, and unhurt, no more than the sun by an eclipse; he is the same without any variableness or shadow of turning, as well as is over all blessed for ever. And, indeed, his manifestative glory in many instances receives a lustre, through his power, wisdom, and goodness, overruling the sins of men for the display of it; as the fall of the first Adam made way for the sending of Christ the Saviour, in which God has shown forth the exceeding riches of his grace; and as his mercy and grace are displayed in the pardon of sin, and his power and justice in the punishment of sin and sinners; and his patience and longsuffering in bearing with them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6, 7. What receiveth he of thine hand Independent and above all human conduct, he is under obligations to none; a point that had been reached before in the argument. “The all-sufficient One does not need man, and it is therefore foolish in us to demand, and fume, and murmur.” “When God crowns our merits, he crowns solely his own gifts.” St. Augustine. See notes on Job 7:20; Job 22:2-3.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Job 35:6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or [if] thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
Ver. 6. If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him? ] What more than show thy teeth? or shoot at a rock, where the arrow rebounds upon thee? In the sack of Constantinople the image of the crucifix was taken down by the Turks, and a Turk’s cap put upon the head thereof, and so set up, and shot at with their arrows; and afterwards, in great derision, carried about in the camp, as it were in procession, with drums playing before it, railing and spitting at it, and calling it the God of the Christians. But what was all this to Christ? He that sitteth in the heavens ( extra iactum ) laughed at them, the Lord had them in derision, Psa 2:4 . Do wicked sinners, when they work hardest against God, as the word here signifieth, and take greatest pains to go to hell; do they, I say, provoke the Lord to anger? Etsi naviter peccas. “Do they not provoke themselves to the confusion of their own faces?” Jer 7:19 . And, nay we not well say to such, as Ulysses’s companions said to him, when he would needs provoke Polydamas,
S (Hom. Odys.).
God can easily get him a name in the utter overthrow of a rabble of rebels conspiring against him, as at the flood, tower of Babel, Sodom, Egypt, Moab, &c., who were trodden down under him, as straw is trodden down for the dunghill, Isa 25:10 . And in the next verse, “The Lord shall spread forth his hands in the midst of them, as he that swimmeth spreadeth forth his hands to swim” (that is, with greatest facility; for violent strokes rather sink than support a swimmer): “and he shall bring down their pride together with the spoils of their hands. And the fortress of the high fort of their walls shall he bring down, lay low, and bring to the ground, even to the dust,” Isa 25:11-12 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
a man. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14.
of man. Hebrew ‘adam. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Pro 8:36, Pro 9:12, Jer 7:19
Reciprocal: Job 22:2 – a man Pro 14:21 – that despiseth Luk 17:10 – General Act 17:25 – is
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
35:6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou {d} against him? or [if] thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
(d) Neither does your sin hurt God, nor your justice profit him: for he will be glorified without you.