New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Job 35
1
Elihu continued,
2
"Job, do you think it's fair for you to say, 'God will clear me of all charges'?
3
You ask him, 'What good is it for me not to sin? What do I get by not sinning?'
Reference
Parallel theme
Job 34:9
6
If you sin, what does that mean to God? If you sin many times, what does that do to him?
Reference
8
The evil things you do only hurt someone like yourself. The right things you do only help other human beings.
9
"People cry out when they are beaten down. They beg to be set free from the power of those who are over them.
Reference
10
But no one says, 'Where is the God who made me? He gives us songs even during the night.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 149:5
Psalm 77:6
Isaiah 51:13
Job 36:13
Ecclesiastes 12:1
References God
Psalm 42:8
Acts 16:25
Isaiah 54:5
1 Peter 4:19
11
He teaches more to us than to wild animals. He makes us wiser than the birds of the air.'
Reference
12
He doesn't answer sinful people when they cry out to him. That's because they are so proud.
Reference
13
In fact, God doesn't listen to their empty cries. The Mighty One doesn't pay any attention to them.
Reference
14
So he certainly won't listen to you. When you say you don't see him, he won't hear you. He won't listen when you state your case to him. He won't pay attention even if you wait for him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Job 9:11
15
When you say his anger never punishes sin, he won't hear you. He won't listen when you say he doesn't pay any attention to evil.
Reference
Parallel theme
Psalm 89:32
Summary of Job 35
Job Chapter 35 continues Elihu's argument by examining the relationship between human righteousness, human suffering, prayer, and God's justice. Elihu's central point is that Job is asking the wrong kind of question when he focuses on what he personally gains from being righteous or why his righteousness has not protected him from suffering. Elihu wants Job to understand that human righteousness does not make God richer, stronger, or more obligated to reward a person, just as human sin does not diminish God's power.
The chapter begins with Elihu challenging Job's understanding of his own righteousness. He asks whether Job has begun to think that his righteousness is greater than God's. This does not necessarily mean Elihu believes Job has committed serious moral crimes; rather, he believes Job's repeated insistence on his innocence has developed into an argument about what God should have done for him.
Elihu then asks an important question: What does a person gain from being righteous?
His answer is that human behavior primarily affects other human beings. If someone behaves wickedly, other people may suffer. If someone behaves righteously, other people may benefit. But God Himself does not depend upon human morality for His existence or power.
This distinction is important in Elihu's reasoning. Job has been struggling with the apparent lack of reward for his righteousness, but Elihu believes that righteousness should not be treated as a transaction in which people behave well and therefore expect God to provide prosperity in return.
Elihu then shifts toward the suffering of oppressed people. He recognizes that people cry out because powerful individuals mistreat them, which acknowledges that real injustice exists in human society. However, he argues that people do not always respond to oppression in the right way. They may cry out for relief without truly seeking God or recognizing the deeper source of wisdom they need.
This leads to one of the chapter's most interesting ideas: God gives human beings understanding and teaches them through their experiences.
Elihu points out that God gives people wisdom beyond that possessed by animals and enables them to understand their circumstances. Therefore, suffering should not only produce a demand for immediate rescue; it should also encourage people to seek understanding.
Elihu's discussion of prayer is especially significant. He says that people may cry out under oppression and still not receive an immediate response. In his view, the absence of an immediate answer does not prove that God is absent or unjust.
This is an important response to Job's experience.
Job has repeatedly expressed his desire to find God, present his case, and receive an explanation. Elihu acknowledges that Job feels unable to see God, but he tells him that God's judgment is still present even when God does not appear to answer immediately.
The chapter therefore addresses a common human experience: praying while feeling that nothing is happening.
Elihu's answer is that delayed response should not automatically be interpreted as rejection.
However, Elihu also believes that Job's attitude toward God has become problematic. He thinks Job has focused so strongly on proving his innocence that he has lost sight of the larger question of God's wisdom. Job wants an explanation for his suffering, while Elihu wants him to recognize that God's purposes cannot be measured entirely by immediate human experience.
The historical setting helps explain Elihu's reasoning. Ancient societies often connected righteousness with blessing, prosperity, and social stability. Job's experience creates a major challenge to that traditional expectation because he has suffered despite believing that he has lived faithfully. Elihu attempts to address this problem by separating righteousness from guaranteed material reward.
This is one of the most important ideas in the chapter.
Elihu is effectively saying that a person should not treat righteousness as a contract with God.
Being righteous does not mean that God owes a person wealth, health, success, or freedom from suffering.
Likewise, suffering does not automatically prove that a person has committed serious wrongdoing.
Instead, Elihu believes that God remains independent, wise, and just even when human beings cannot see the reason behind their circumstances.
The chapter ends with Elihu criticizing Job for speaking too much without reaching a satisfactory understanding. He believes Job's frustration has caused him to multiply arguments without recognizing the limits of human knowledge.
The central theme of Job Chapter 35 is that human righteousness does not place God under obligation, while human wrongdoing and righteousness primarily affect other people. Elihu encourages Job to recognize that unanswered prayer and suffering do not necessarily mean that God is unjust or absent.
The chapter also continues Elihu's broader effort to move Job away from demanding an explanation and toward humility before God's greater wisdom.
At the same time, Elihu still does not completely solve Job's central problem. He explains why human righteousness should not be treated as a guarantee of prosperity, but he does not fully explain why a particular righteous person should endure such extreme suffering.
Job Chapter 35 can therefore be summarized as Elihu's argument that human righteousness does not make God indebted to people, human wrongdoing primarily harms other people, and suffering or unanswered prayer should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of divine injustice, because God's wisdom and purposes remain greater than human understanding.
The chapter begins with Elihu challenging Job's understanding of his own righteousness. He asks whether Job has begun to think that his righteousness is greater than God's. This does not necessarily mean Elihu believes Job has committed serious moral crimes; rather, he believes Job's repeated insistence on his innocence has developed into an argument about what God should have done for him.
Elihu then asks an important question: What does a person gain from being righteous?
His answer is that human behavior primarily affects other human beings. If someone behaves wickedly, other people may suffer. If someone behaves righteously, other people may benefit. But God Himself does not depend upon human morality for His existence or power.
This distinction is important in Elihu's reasoning. Job has been struggling with the apparent lack of reward for his righteousness, but Elihu believes that righteousness should not be treated as a transaction in which people behave well and therefore expect God to provide prosperity in return.
Elihu then shifts toward the suffering of oppressed people. He recognizes that people cry out because powerful individuals mistreat them, which acknowledges that real injustice exists in human society. However, he argues that people do not always respond to oppression in the right way. They may cry out for relief without truly seeking God or recognizing the deeper source of wisdom they need.
This leads to one of the chapter's most interesting ideas: God gives human beings understanding and teaches them through their experiences.
Elihu points out that God gives people wisdom beyond that possessed by animals and enables them to understand their circumstances. Therefore, suffering should not only produce a demand for immediate rescue; it should also encourage people to seek understanding.
Elihu's discussion of prayer is especially significant. He says that people may cry out under oppression and still not receive an immediate response. In his view, the absence of an immediate answer does not prove that God is absent or unjust.
This is an important response to Job's experience.
Job has repeatedly expressed his desire to find God, present his case, and receive an explanation. Elihu acknowledges that Job feels unable to see God, but he tells him that God's judgment is still present even when God does not appear to answer immediately.
The chapter therefore addresses a common human experience: praying while feeling that nothing is happening.
Elihu's answer is that delayed response should not automatically be interpreted as rejection.
However, Elihu also believes that Job's attitude toward God has become problematic. He thinks Job has focused so strongly on proving his innocence that he has lost sight of the larger question of God's wisdom. Job wants an explanation for his suffering, while Elihu wants him to recognize that God's purposes cannot be measured entirely by immediate human experience.
The historical setting helps explain Elihu's reasoning. Ancient societies often connected righteousness with blessing, prosperity, and social stability. Job's experience creates a major challenge to that traditional expectation because he has suffered despite believing that he has lived faithfully. Elihu attempts to address this problem by separating righteousness from guaranteed material reward.
This is one of the most important ideas in the chapter.
Elihu is effectively saying that a person should not treat righteousness as a contract with God.
Being righteous does not mean that God owes a person wealth, health, success, or freedom from suffering.
Likewise, suffering does not automatically prove that a person has committed serious wrongdoing.
Instead, Elihu believes that God remains independent, wise, and just even when human beings cannot see the reason behind their circumstances.
The chapter ends with Elihu criticizing Job for speaking too much without reaching a satisfactory understanding. He believes Job's frustration has caused him to multiply arguments without recognizing the limits of human knowledge.
The central theme of Job Chapter 35 is that human righteousness does not place God under obligation, while human wrongdoing and righteousness primarily affect other people. Elihu encourages Job to recognize that unanswered prayer and suffering do not necessarily mean that God is unjust or absent.
The chapter also continues Elihu's broader effort to move Job away from demanding an explanation and toward humility before God's greater wisdom.
At the same time, Elihu still does not completely solve Job's central problem. He explains why human righteousness should not be treated as a guarantee of prosperity, but he does not fully explain why a particular righteous person should endure such extreme suffering.
Job Chapter 35 can therefore be summarized as Elihu's argument that human righteousness does not make God indebted to people, human wrongdoing primarily harms other people, and suffering or unanswered prayer should not automatically be interpreted as evidence of divine injustice, because God's wisdom and purposes remain greater than human understanding.