Job 27:1-8

Job Affirms His Righteousness

1 Then Job continued * his ¹discourse and said,

2 "As God lives, ²who has taken away my right, And the Almighty, ³who has embittered my soul,

3 For as long * as life is in me, And the ⁴breath of God is in my nostrils,

4 My lips certainly will not speak unjustly, Nor will ⁵my tongue mutter deceit.

5 "Far be it from me that I should declare you right; Till I die ⁶I will not put away my integrity from me.

6 "I ⁷hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go. My heart does not reproach any of my days.

The State of the Godless

7 "May my enemy be as the wicked And my opponent as the unjust.

8 "For what is ⁸the hope of the godless when he is cut off, When God requires ⁹his life?

Job 27:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 27

Though Job's friends were become silent, and dropped the controversy with him, he still continued his discourse in this and the four following chapters; in which he asserts his integrity; illustrates and confirms his former sentiments; gives further proof of his knowledge of things, natural and divine; takes notice of his former state of prosperity, and of his present distresses and afflictions, which came upon him, notwithstanding his piety, humanity, and beneficence, and his freedom from the grosser acts of sin, both with respect to God and men, all which he enlarges upon. In this chapter he gives his word and oath for it, that he would never belie himself, and own that he was an hypocrite, when he was not, but would continue to assert his integrity, and the righteousness of his cause, as long as he lived, Job 27:1-6; for to be an hypocrite, and to attempt to conceal his hypocrisy, would be of no advantage to him, either in life, or in death, Job 27:7-10; and was this his character and case, upon their principles, he could expect no other than to be a miserable man, as wicked men are, who have their blessings turned into curses, or taken away from them, and they removed out of the world in the most awful and terrible manner, and under manifest tokens of the wrath and displeasure of God, Job 27:11-23.

Cross References

• 1. Job 13:12; Job 29:1
• 2. Job 16:11; Job 34:5
• 3. Job 9:18
• 4. Job 32:8; Job 33:4
• 5. Job 6:28; Job 33:3
• 6. Job 6:29
• 7. Job 2:3; Job 13:18
• 8. Job 8:13; Job 11:20
• 9. Job 12:10

Footnotes

• [a] Or "again took up"
• [b] Lit "breath"
• [c] Or "spirit"
• [d] Lit "he who rises up against me"
• [e] Or "though he gains"
• [f] Lit "soul"