Job 34
BSASBElihu, the young man who has waited to speak, now turns on Job’s claim that God has treated him unjustly. He insists that God is never wrong, that He rules the world by right and not by favor, and that Job has spoken without knowledge. Elihu says some true things about God’s justice, but he misses the real cause of Job’s suffering, and God later answers him differently.
Job 34:1-4
Elihu addresses the wise men present, Job’s three friends included. He says a listener should test words the way the tongue tests food. Then he invites them to weigh the matter together and choose what is right and good, before he sets out his case against Job.
BSA: tests (“examines, proves”): Words are not to be swallowed whole but carefully examined, as a person samples food before eating. tastes (“perceives, discerns”): Tasting here means telling good from bad, so listening becomes a matter of discernment.
See also: 1 Thessalonians 5:21.
Job 34:5-6
Elihu quotes Job: I am righteous, and God has denied me justice. Job has felt his wound as incurable even though he believes he has not rebelled. Elihu hears this as a charge against God. Job had in fact claimed innocence of any sin that deserved such suffering, which is not quite the same as claiming to be sinless.
BSA: deprived me of justice (“my right, judgment”): Job felt that his lawful right, his fair hearing, had been taken from him. transgression (“rebellion, revolt against God”): Job denied that he had openly turned against God, which is the heart of his claim.
Job 34:7-9
Elihu paints Job as a man who swallows scorn like water, as if he cannot get enough of it. He says Job sides with the wicked by saying it does not pay to delight in God. This is Elihu’s harsh reading of Job’s complaints, and Job never quite said that.
BSA: drinks up (“consumes, feasts on”): Elihu says Job takes in mockery eagerly, as if it refreshed him. delight (“take pleasure, be pleased”): The real issue is whether walking with God is a joy, or only a bargain that ought to bring a reward.
See also: Job 9:22.
Job 34:10-12
Elihu calls on men of understanding and states his main point: it is unthinkable that God would do wrong. God repays people according to what they have done. Many Christians would agree with the principle that God is just, though Job’s story shows that suffering does not always match a person’s deeds.
BSA: Almighty (“Shadday, all-powerful”): The name stresses that the One who holds all power is also the One who cannot act unjustly. pervert (“twist, distort”): God never bends justice out of its true shape.
See also: Genesis 18:25; Romans 2:6.
Job 34:13-15
Elihu asks who put God in charge of the world. No one did, for He owns it by right as Creator. If He took back His breath, all living things would die and return to dust. Every creature lives only because God keeps giving life.
BSA: withdraw (“gather to Himself, take back”): Life is a loan that God can call in, and He alone keeps it going. dust (“dry earth, ashes”): It recalls humanity’s humble origin and where it ends.
Hebrew: רוּחוֹ (rûḥô, H7307) — “his spirit, his breath, his wind.” One Hebrew word covers wind, breath and spirit. Life in every creature is God’s own breath on loan.
See also: Genesis 2:7; Psalm 104:29.
Job 34:16-19
Elihu asks Job whether he would really condemn the just and mighty One. A ruler who hated justice could not govern at all. God speaks plainly to kings and nobles and shows no favor to the rich over the poor. He made them all, so they all stand equal before Him.
BSA: worthless (“belial, evil or ungodly”): Even a king can be called a worthless person when God judges him. partial (“does not show favoritism, without respect”): God judges without regard for rank or wealth.
See also: Acts 10:34; Proverbs 22:2.
Job 34:20
Death comes suddenly and does not wait for rank. At midnight whole peoples are shaken, and the powerful are taken away without a human hand touching them. Elihu uses this to show that God can remove anyone, and that no earthly strength can stop Him.
BSA: convulse (“shake violently, are troubled”): The picture is of a people trembling in the shock of God’s sudden judgment.
Job 34:21-22
God’s eyes are on every path a person walks, and He sees every step. No darkness is deep enough to hide evildoers from Him. These verses warn the wicked, and they comfort anyone who has been wronged unseen.
BSA: deep shadow (“shadow of death, place of”): Even the darkest place, one that feels like the grave, gives no cover from God.
Hebrew: צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmāweth, H6757) — “deep shadow, shadow of death.” The word pictures a gloom so thick it feels like death itself, and even that cannot hide anyone from God.
See also: Psalm 139:11-12; Hebrews 4:13.
Job 34:23-25
God does not need to call a person in for a long hearing, because He already knows everything. He breaks the powerful without a formal inquiry and sets up others in their place. He knows their deeds, and He overturns them in the night. His justice is swift and perfectly informed.
BSA: overthrows (“turns upside down, overturns”): The picture is of the proud being turned over like a cart. inquiry (“search, investigation”): Human judges must search for facts, but God already has them all.
Job 34:26-28
God strikes the wicked openly, where others can see, so that the lesson is plain. They turned from Him and ignored His ways. Their oppression made the poor cry out, and God heard. Elihu says that God notices the cries of the afflicted.
BSA: turned aside (“from following Him, against His will”): Wickedness begins as a turning away from the road God laid out. heard (“listened to, gave attention to”): God hears the poor and attends to them. He is no distant ruler.
See also: Exodus 22:23; James 5:4.
Job 34:29-30
When God stays silent or hides His face, no one has the right to condemn Him, and no one can find Him by force. Yet He still watches over every person and nation, so that godless men do not rule forever or trap the people. Job felt this silence keenly.
BSA: hides His face (“conceals”): God’s silence is not absence. He may be hidden from us while still ruling. watches over (“continually, watchfully”): Even in silence He keeps careful and constant watch.
See also: Psalm 10:1; Isaiah 45:15.
Job 34:31-33
Elihu pictures a person who humbly says to God, I have borne my punishment and will sin no more, and asks to be taught. Then he turns on Job. Should God shape His justice to suit Job’s terms, when Job has rejected God’s own? Job must choose his answer.
BSA: Teach (“show, point out”): The humble person asks God to show what he cannot see, which is the right attitude in suffering. disavowed (“rejected, refused”): Elihu thinks Job has turned down God’s way of running things in favor of his own.
See also: Psalm 139:23-24.
Job 34:34-37
Elihu says that wise listeners will agree with him that Job speaks without knowledge. He wishes Job would be tested to the limit for answering like a wicked man. He accuses Job of piling rebellion on sin and mocking God. Elihu’s tone is harsh, and later God shows that Job’s friends and Elihu had not understood him.
BSA: knowledge (“understanding or insight, a deep awareness of God’s ways”): Elihu says Job’s trouble is that he does not grasp how God works. claps (“slaps, applauds”): Clapping the hands was a sign of scorn, and Elihu says Job shows contempt in their very presence.