Job 34:14-24

14 If he should ¹set his heart to it and ²gather to himself his ³spirit and his breath,

15 all flesh would perish together, and man would ⁴return to dust.

16 “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say.

17 ⁵Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty,

18 who ⁶says to a king, ‘Worthless one, ’and to nobles, ‘Wicked man, ’

19 who ⁷shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich ⁸more than the poor, for ⁹they are all the work of his hands?

20 In a moment ¹⁰they die; at ¹¹midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by ¹²no human hand.

21 “For his eyes are on ¹³the ways of a man, and he sees all his ¹⁴steps.

22 There is no ¹⁵gloom or ¹⁶deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.

23 For God^[a] has no need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in ¹⁷judgment.

24 He ¹⁸shatters the mighty without investigation and sets ¹⁹others in their place.

Job 34:14-24 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 34

In this chapter Elihu reassumes his discourse, and proceeds in his answer to Job, in which are first a preface exciting attention, Job 34:1-4; then a charge is brought against Job, expressed in or extracted from some words that dropped from his lips, not so well guarded, Job 34:5-9; a refutation of these expressions of his in a variety of arguments, Job 34:10-30; and the chapter is closed with some good advice to Job, Job 34:31-33; and with an earnest request of Elihu to men of understanding, to join with him in trying him to the uttermost, Job 34:34-37.

Cross References

• 1. 34:14 [ch. 2:3]
• 2. 34:14 Ps. 104:29; [Ps. 146:4]
• 3. 34:14 ch. 32:8
• 4. 34:15 See ch. 10:9
• 5. 34:17 [Gen. 18:25]
• 6. 34:18 Ex. 22:28
• 7. 34:19 Deut. 10:17; 2 Chr. 19:7; Acts 10:34; Rom. 2:11; Gal. 2:6; Eph. 6:9; Col. 3:25; 1 Pet. 1:17
• 8. 34:19 [James 2:5]
• 9. 34:19 See ch. 31:15
• 10. 34:20 ch. 21:13
• 11. 34:20 Ex. 11:4; [ch. 27:20; 36:20]
• 12. 34:20 Dan. 8:25; [Lam. 4:6]
• 13. 34:21 ch. 14:16; See ch. 31:4
• 14. 34:21 ch. 14:16; See ch. 31:4
• 15. 34:22 [Ps. 139:12; Amos 9:2, 3; Heb. 4:13]
• 16. 34:22 See ch. 3:5
• 17. 34:23 ch. 14:3
• 18. 34:24 Ps. 2:9
• 19. 34:24 See ch. 8:19

Footnotes

• [a] 34:23 Hebrew 'he'