Job 36:5

5 God casteth not away mighty men, since he is mighty; (God, who is mighty, despiseth no one, since he is so mighty;)

Job 36:5 Meaning and Commentary

Job 36:5

Behold, God [is] mighty
This is a clear plain truth, easy to be discerned, and worthy of notice, and therefore introduced with a "behold"; that God is mighty, the most mighty, the Almighty, as appears from his works of nature and providence; making all things out of nothing, upholding them by the word of his power, and governing and overruling all things in the world, and doing in it whatever he pleases: and from the works of redemption and grace; ransoming his people out of the hands of them that are stronger than they; converting them by the power of his grace; assisting them to do all they do in a spiritual way; supporting them under all their troubles; protecting and defending them from all their enemies; supplying all their wants, and preserving them safe to his kingdom and glory;

and despises not [any];
not the meanest of his creatures, clothing the grass of the field, feeding the fowls of the air, and preserving man and beast; and particularly he despises not any of the sons of men: not the mighty through fear of them, nor envy at them, whose power and grandeur are from him, which he gives and can take away at his pleasure; nor the mean and miserable the poor and the afflicted, to whom he has a merciful regard; much less the innocent and harmless, as the Septuagint; or the just and righteous man, as the Targum: he does not despise his own people, whom he has loved and chosen, redeemed and called; nor any, as Aben Ezra observes, without a cause; for though there are some whose image he will despise, it is because of their own sins and transgressions; and since, therefore, though he is mighty, yet despises not any of his creatures, he cannot do any unrighteous thing; he does not and cannot use or abuse his power to the in jury of any of his creatures;

[he is] mighty in strength [and] wisdom,
as there is a pleonasm, a redundancy in the expression, "mighty in strength", it denotes the abundance of his strength, that he is exceeding strong, superlatively and all expression so; and also strong in wisdom, his strength is tempered with wisdom, so that he cannot employ it to any bad purpose, or be guilty of any unrighteousness. Some men have strength, but not wisdom to make a right use of it; but God abounds as much in wisdom as in strength; he is the only wise and the all wise God, and therefore can do no injustice; and thus Elihu, as he promised, ascribes righteousness to his almighty Maker.

Job 36:5 In-Context

3 I shall rehearse my knowing from the beginning; and I shall prove my worker just. (I shall use all my knowledge from far and wide; and I shall prove that my Maker is just, or fair.)
4 For verily my words be without leasing, and by them perfect knowing shall be proved to thee. (For truly my words be without any lying, and by them sound reasoning shall be shown to thee.)
5 God casteth not away mighty men, since he is mighty; (God, who is mighty, despiseth no one, since he is so mighty;)
6 but he saveth not wicked men, and he giveth doom to poor men. (but he saveth not the wicked, and he giveth justice to the poor.)
7 He taketh not away his eyes from a just man; and he setteth kings in their seat [into] without end, and they be raised up there. (He taketh his eyes not away from the righteous; and he putteth kings on their thrones forevermore, and they be raised up there.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.