Job 22:2 kjv
Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
Job 22:2 nkjv
"Can a man be profitable to God, Though he who is wise may be profitable to himself?
Job 22:2 niv
"Can a man be of benefit to God? Can even a wise person benefit him?
Job 22:2 esv
"Can a man be profitable to God? Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
Job 22:2 nlt
"Can a person do anything to help God?
Can even a wise person be helpful to him?
Job 22 2 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 50:9-13 | I will not take a bull from your stall... If I were hungry, I would not tell you... | God's self-sufficiency, He needs no material offerings. |
| Acts 17:24-25 | The God who made the world and everything in it... is not served by human hands... | God is sovereign, self-existent, not dependent on man. |
| Isa 40:13-17 | Who has measured the Spirit of the Lord... Behold, the nations are like a drop... | God's incomprehensible greatness and independence. |
| Rom 11:35-36 | "Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?" For from him and through him and to him... | God is the source of all; none can give Him anything He lacks. |
| Job 35:7-8 | If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness affects a man like yourself... | Human righteousness or sin affects fellow humans, not God directly. |
| 1 Chr 29:14 | "But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to give so generously? For all things come from you, and from your own hand we have given you." | All offerings to God are merely giving back what is already His. |
| Prov 9:12 | If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; if you scoff, you alone will bear it. | Wisdom's benefits accrue to the wise person. |
| Deut 10:12-13 | "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you...? ...for your good." | God's commands are for humanity's benefit. |
| 1 Tim 6:17-18 | God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. Tell them to do good, to be rich in good deeds... | God provides for man; man's goodness is for man's enrichment. |
| John 15:5 | "apart from me you can do nothing." | Human effectiveness is dependent on God. |
| Ps 16:2 | "I say to the Lord, 'You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.'" | Acknowledgment that all good comes from God. |
| Isa 48:11 | "For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it... my glory I will not give to another." | God acts for His own glory, not for man's. |
| Neh 9:6 | "You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens... You preserve all of them..." | God's unique power and self-sufficiency. |
| Deut 6:24 | The Lord commanded us to obey all these decrees... "for our lasting good." | God's laws are beneficial for His people. |
| Ps 145:3 | Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. | God's absolute and unsearchable greatness. |
| Ps 97:6 | The heavens proclaim his righteousness, and all the peoples see his glory. | God's righteousness and glory are declared universally, not earned. |
| Isa 55:8-9 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." | God's infinite superiority to human understanding. |
| Luke 17:10 | "So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, 'We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'" | Human actions cannot create merit with God. |
| Rom 3:23-24 | For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace... | Humanity's inability to merit anything from God, justification by grace. |
| Eph 2:8-9 | For by grace you have been saved through faith... Not a result of works... | Salvation is God's gift, not something earned or profiting Him. |
| Job 21:15 | "What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?" | Irony of Job's previous questioning, similar but from a wicked perspective. |
| Job 22:3 | Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous? Or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless? | Eliphaz reiterates and elaborates on this theme in the next verse. |
Job 22 verses
Job 22 2 Meaning
Job 22:2 declares, "Can a man be profitable to God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?" This verse, spoken by Eliphaz the Temanite, challenges the notion that human actions, even acts of righteousness or wisdom, can add benefit, advantage, or profit to God. Eliphaz asserts that God's being is self-sufficient and infinitely complete, meaning He neither lacks anything nor can He be genuinely enriched or enhanced by human activity. He argues that any perceived benefit from human righteousness accrues solely to the individual person, not to God.
Job 22 2 Context
Job 22:2 opens Eliphaz’s third and final discourse with Job. His tone shifts dramatically from tentative accusations to direct condemnation. This speech represents the culmination of the friends' erroneous "retribution theology," where suffering is directly linked to sin, and prosperity to righteousness. Here, Eliphaz asserts a theological premise—God's utter independence and self-sufficiency—to then leverage it against Job. His argument is that if God doesn't need man's righteousness, then the only reason Job would be suffering is if he had committed great sin, since God does not afflict the innocent. Eliphaz effectively removes the possibility that Job’s suffering could be a test or for another divine purpose, because for him, righteous acts are for human benefit alone.
Job 22 2 Word analysis
- Can a man: The interrogative "Can" (הַיִּסְכַּן - ha-yis'kan, 'will be profitable' combined with interrogative 'ha') sets up a rhetorical question. The word "man" is גֶּבֶר (gever), often translated as a "mighty man" or a "strong man," indicating an individual of standing, such as Job. This makes the question more pointed; even a significant person like Job cannot bring benefit to God.
- be profitable: (יִסְכֹּן - yis'kon) From the root סָכַן (sakhan), meaning "to be useful," "to be advantageous," "to be of gain or profit." It often implies a mutual benefit or a transactional advantage. Eliphaz denies that such a transaction could apply to God. In Akkadian, a cognate term suggests provision or care. Here, it questions if humans can provide or add anything necessary or valuable to the Divine being.
- to God: (אֵל - 'El) This is a robust, ancient Semitic name for God, emphasizing His power, preeminence, and sovereignty. Using 'El here highlights the unbridgeable gap in status and need between humanity and the Almighty.
- as he that is wise: (כִּי יִסְכַּן עָלֵימוֹ מַשְׂכִּיל - ki yis'kan aleimo maskil) The particle כִּי (ki) functions as "that" or "for" introducing a comparison or explanatory clause. "Wise" is מַשְׂכִּיל (maskil), referring to someone who has understanding, discretion, or acts prudently. The emphasis is on wisdom in action, leading to practical benefit.
- may be profitable unto himself: (עָלֵימוֹ - aleimo) Literally "upon himself" or "for himself." This clause explicitly states where the profit from human actions, particularly wisdom and righteousness, accrues: it benefits the human agent, not God.
Words-group analysis
- "Can a man be profitable to God": This phrase introduces the central theological point Eliphaz is trying to make. It denies any capacity for humanity, even in their highest endeavors (like righteousness or wisdom), to enhance or add to God's inherent perfection and self-sufficiency. It critiques any anthropocentric view of piety where human actions might somehow fill a void in the Divine.
- "as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself": This establishes the stark contrast. While humans benefit from their wisdom and righteousness, this benefit is strictly human-centered. It delineates a boundary, stating that divine perfection means God operates outside the realm of human-style give-and-take. This perspective sets up Eliphaz's premise that Job's righteousness (or lack thereof) cannot affect God, only Job himself. Thus, Job’s suffering must logically stem from his own sin for his own detriment.
Job 22 2 Bonus section
The concept of sakhan (profitable) in this context reflects an ancient Near Eastern understanding of reciprocity between gods and humans. While many pagan cults envisioned gods needing appeasement or sustenance from humans, Eliphaz's statement rightly asserts the radical difference of the One True God. Yahweh is transcendent; He does not need human provisions or moral acts to maintain His divine state or power. His existence is aseity – existing necessarily from Himself and not from any external cause. However, Eliphaz oversteps by rigidly applying this self-sufficiency to argue against the very possibility of God responding to or taking pleasure in human actions. The God of the Bible is both utterly independent and deeply relational. He acts for His glory, and yet in His grace, He sovereignly chooses to delight in and bless those who walk uprightly, not because they "profit" Him in a utilitarian sense, but because it reflects His nature and brings glory to His name.
Job 22 2 Commentary
Job 22:2, delivered by Eliphaz, encapsulates a profoundly true theological statement about God's absolute self-sufficiency and independence, yet he misapplies it to condemn Job. God, in His infinite perfection, does not lack anything; human deeds cannot augment His glory or essence. All things originate from Him, and any human "giving" is merely returning what He already owns. However, while God gains nothing necessary from human righteousness, He is pleased by obedience, loves His creation, and delights in relationship with His people (Zeph 3:17). This "delight" is not a deficiency being filled but an expression of His divine nature. Eliphaz’s error lies in concluding that because God doesn't need man's actions, He therefore receives no pleasure or value from them. For God, delight in human conformity to His will is about manifesting His own glory and extending grace, not about a deficit of being. For man, living righteously always results in good (Ps 19:11), and walking in God's ways benefits the human soul (Jer 6:16). This verse serves as a crucial theological corrective against any notion that humans can merit anything from God, or that their good deeds complete His being, yet it should not negate God's active pleasure in righteous living.