Job 22 21

Job 22:21 kjv

Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

Job 22:21 nkjv

"Now acquaint yourself with Him, and be at peace; Thereby good will come to you.

Job 22:21 niv

"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you.

Job 22:21 esv

"Agree with God, and be at peace; thereby good will come to you.

Job 22:21 nlt

"Submit to God, and you will have peace;
then things will go well for you.

Job 22 verses

Job 22 21 Meaning

Job 22:21 is counsel from Eliphaz to Job, urging him to reconcile with God and embrace divine instruction. It conveys that by coming into proper alignment and intimacy with God, one will find true peace, and as a consequence, experience an outpouring of all forms of good and prosperity. While the theological principle of seeking God for blessing and peace is generally true, Eliphaz misapplies it, assuming Job's suffering is due to hidden sin, and portraying the restoration as conditional upon Job's repentance for assumed transgressions.

Job 22 21 Context

Job 22:21 is spoken by Eliphaz the Temanite, the first of Job's three friends. This verse is part of Eliphaz's third and final discourse (Job 22). Throughout their debates, Eliphaz and the other friends adhere to the prevailing wisdom tradition of the time: that God rewards the righteous with prosperity and punishes the wicked with suffering. They are convinced that Job's intense suffering must be due to some grievous, though perhaps secret, sin. In chapter 22, Eliphaz directly accuses Job of various specific sins—greed, lack of charity, oppressing the poor, dismissing God—despite Job's consistent claims of innocence. Verse 21, therefore, is an exhortation to repentance based on a false premise: Eliphaz's belief that Job is wicked. He implies that if Job just confesses and turns back to God, his blessings will return, aligning with a mechanical retribution theology which the overall narrative of the book of Job powerfully challenges.

Job 22 21 Word analysis

• Submit yourself: From the Hebrew verb הַסְכֶּן (has·ken), a Hiphil imperative of סָכַן (sakan).
  • Meaning: To accustom oneself to, to become familiar with, to make intimate, to come to terms with, to agree. It implies not just superficial obedience, but a deeper knowing, an inward conformity and intimacy with God's ways and His person. It also carries the sense of profit or benefit. Thus, "profit by knowing God" or "familiarize yourself with God for your benefit."
  • Significance: It's a call to genuine internal and relational change, suggesting Job needs to shed his resistance and adopt an amicable posture towards the Almighty. It speaks of reconciliation and spiritual acclimation.
• to God: Refers to עִמּוֹ (im·mo), "with Him," which functions as the direct object of the verb 'saken'.
  • Meaning: Expresses the target of the submission/familiarity – God Himself.
  • Significance: Emphasizes a personal, relational reconciliation. It's not about submitting to abstract rules, but to the Person of God.
• and be at peace: Hebrew וּשְׁלָם (ū·shə·lām). From the root שָׁלֵם (shalem), from which we get "shalom."
  • Meaning: To be complete, whole, sound, perfect; to have well-being, harmony, peace.
  • Significance: Peace here is comprehensive—not merely the absence of conflict but a holistic state of flourishing, soundness, and reconciliation with God and oneself. This shalom is the direct, beneficial result of submitting to God.
• by this: Hebrew בָּהֶם (bā·hem), literally "in them" or "by these."
  • Meaning: Refers back to the acts of submission and finding peace with God, or perhaps the instructions given by Eliphaz, which lead to these outcomes. It acts as the instrumental cause.
  • Significance: This phrase identifies the means through which the subsequent blessing flows, namely the new disposition and relationship with God.
• all good: Hebrew טוֹבָה (ṭō·vāh), feminine noun for "goodness" or "welfare."
  • Meaning: Encompasses all forms of welfare, blessing, prosperity, material and spiritual benefit.
  • Significance: Implies comprehensive divine favor, addressing all aspects of human existence. It's not just the restoration of Job's possessions, but overall well-being.
• will come to you: Hebrew תָּבוֹא אֵלֶיךָ (tā·vō’ ’ê·lekhā).
  • Meaning: This is a direct promise of divine provision.
  • Significance: Highlights the inevitable outcome and God's active role in bestowing blessings upon those who are rightly related to Him.

Word-groups analysis:

• "Submit yourself to God, and be at peace": This forms a two-fold command/exhortation where the second part is the direct consequence or accompanying state of the first. It stresses both active effort on man's part ("submit/accustom yourself") and the resulting divine gift ("be at peace"). This is the foundational action Eliphaz proposes for Job's change of fortune. It suggests that a correct posture towards God naturally yields internal and relational harmony.
• "by this all good will come to you": This phrase clearly states the consequence of the prior action. The phrase "by this" highlights causality – the prior reconciliation is the necessary condition or channel for all subsequent blessings. It speaks to a divinely ordered principle of cause and effect where alignment with God is the fount of prosperity. Eliphaz applies this as a universal principle for life, especially in overcoming distress.

Job 22 21 Bonus section

• The counsel from Eliphaz, while harsh and misguided for Job, is often echoed positively in biblical wisdom literature and New Testament exhortations for general spiritual conduct. The very essence of peace and prosperity does stem from a right relationship with God. The tension lies in applying this truth to righteous suffering, which Job's story illuminates.
• The Hebrew "has·ken" can also imply a "profitable acquaintance," underscoring the intrinsic benefit and wisdom in knowing God. This goes beyond mere submission to embracing God as the source of all advantage and well-being.
• This verse can be seen as representing the "conventional wisdom" that the Book of Job ultimately dissects and refines. While there's a correlation between godliness and blessing, Job demonstrates that God's ways are deeper and more complex than simple transactional relationships, particularly concerning suffering.
• The concept of shalom as comprehensive well-being contrasts sharply with Job's current state of profound suffering and unrest, emphasizing the radical change Eliphaz envisions for Job upon his (assumed) repentance.

Job 22 21 Commentary

Job 22:21 encapsulates a profound truth, universally affirmed throughout Scripture, regarding the benefits of aligning oneself with God. Eliphaz advises Job to actively seek reconciliation with the Almighty ("Submit yourself to God"), moving beyond his perceived resentment or challenge to God's ways. The term "submit" or "accustom oneself to" speaks to an intimate knowing and inward yielding rather than mere external conformity. This spiritual posture, Eliphaz promises, will result in deep, holistic "peace" (shalom)—a state of well-being, completeness, and harmony with God. Following this reconciled state, Eliphaz asserts, all "good" will inevitably flow to Job, implying a restoration of his previous blessings, prosperity, and welfare.

However, the context of the book reveals the tragic irony and ultimate flaw in Eliphaz's application of this true principle. While it is always beneficial to draw near to God, Eliphaz grounds his counsel in the flawed assumption that Job's intense suffering is direct evidence of grievous, hidden sin requiring such repentance. He does not understand the deeper purposes of God's testing and permits his mechanistic theology of retribution to override his understanding of Job's blamelessness, a fact stated explicitly in Job 1:1 and 1:8. Thus, this verse simultaneously states a timeless truth about walking with God while also exposing the limitations and potential harshness of human wisdom when it attempts to definitively explain the ways of God with individuals.