Job 22:12-22

12 Whether thou thinkest, that God is higher than heaven, and is enhanced above the top of stars? (Thinkest thou, that God is not higher than the heavens, or that he is not exalted above the height of the stars?)

13 And yet thou sayest, What soothly knoweth God? and, He deemeth as by darkness. (And yet thou sayest, Truly what knoweth God? and, Can he judge through all that darkness?)

14 A cloud is his hiding place, and he beholdeth not our things, and he goeth about the hinges of (the) heaven(s), that is, the principal parts of (the) heaven(s).

15 Whether thou covetest to keep (to) the path of (the) world's, that is, the life of men living worldly and dissolutely, (on) which wicked men have oft gone?

16 Which were taken away before their time, and the flood destroyed the foundament of them. (Who were taken away before their time, and the flood destroyed their foundation.)

17 Which said to God, Go thou away from us; and as if Almighty God may do nothing, they guessed him, (Who said to God, Go thou away from us; and they thought, that Almighty God can do nothing for them/that Almighty God can do nothing to them,)

18 when he had filled their houses with goods; the sentence of which men be far from me. (when he had filled their houses with good things; may the thoughts of these wicked people be far away from me!)

19 Just men shall see, and shall be glad; and an innocent man shall scorn them. (The righteous shall see, and shall be glad; and the innocent shall scorn them.)

20 Whether the up-raising of them is not cut down, and fire shall devour the remnants of them? (And whatever they have raised up, shall be cut down, and fire shall devour whatever is left.)

21 Therefore assent thou to God, and have thou peace; and by these things thou shalt have (the) best fruits.

22 Take thou the law of his mouth (Take thou the Law from his mouth), and set thou his words in thine heart.

Job 22:12-22 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 22

This chapter contains the third and last reply of Eliphaz to Job, in which he charges him with having too high an opinion of himself, of his holiness and righteousness, as if God was profited by it, and laid thereby under obligation to him, whereas he was not, Job 22:1-3; and as if he reproved and chastised him, because of his fear of him, whereas it was because of his sins, Job 22:4,5; an enumeration of which he gives, as of injustice, oppression, cruelty to the poor, and even of atheism and infidelity, for which snares and fears were around him, and various calamities, Job 22:6-14; and compares his way and course of life to that of the men of the old world, and the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, and suggests that his end would be like theirs, unless he repented, Job 22:15-20; and then concludes with an exhortation to him to return to God by repentance, and to reform, when he should see happy times again, and enjoy much outward and inward prosperity, and be an instrument of doing much good to many, Job 22:21-30.