Job 22 23

Job 22:23 kjv

If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.

Job 22:23 nkjv

If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; You will remove iniquity far from your tents.

Job 22:23 niv

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored: If you remove wickedness far from your tent

Job 22:23 esv

If you return to the Almighty you will be built up; if you remove injustice far from your tents,

Job 22:23 nlt

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored ?
so clean up your life.

Job 22 verses

Job 22 23 Meaning

Job 22:23 expresses Eliphaz's belief that if Job genuinely repents and turns back to God, the Almighty (Shaddai), and purges his life of sin, he will experience restoration and prosperity. This verse encapsulates a core tenet of the friends' theology: human suffering is a direct consequence of sin, and returning to God through repentance is the path to divine blessing and rebuilding of one's life.

Job 22 23 Context

Job 22:23 is part of Eliphaz the Temanite's final speech to Job, specifically his encouragement for Job to repent in order to be restored. Eliphaz, like Job's other friends, firmly adheres to the traditional retribution theology, believing that God justly rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. Since Job is suffering intensely, Eliphaz concludes that Job must have committed serious, hidden sins. This chapter features direct accusations against Job, urging him to humble himself, confess, and "return to the Almighty." From Eliphaz's perspective, this verse offers the solution to Job's predicament, laying out the conditions for divine favor and the rebuilding of Job's devastated life. The irony lies in the fact that Job's suffering is not due to his sin, as the divine prologue to the book makes clear, which challenges the friends' rigid understanding of divine justice and human suffering.

Job 22 23 Word analysis

• If you return (כִּי־תָשׁוּב - ki-tashuv):

  • "If you": A conditional clause, making the promise dependent on Job's action.
  • "return": From the Hebrew root שׁוּב (shuv), meaning "to turn back," "repent," "restore," or "return." It implies a complete reversal of direction, a turning away from sin and back towards God. This concept of teshuvah (returning) is fundamental throughout the Old Testament as the path to reconciliation with God. Eliphaz is calling Job to spiritual repentance, not just an outward act.

• to the Almighty (אֶל־שַׁדַּי - el-Shaddai):

  • "to the": Indicates the direct object of returning.
  • "Almighty": שַׁדַּי (Shaddai), one of the oldest and most significant names for God in the Hebrew Bible, particularly prominent in Genesis and Job. It conveys God's power, omnipotence, self-sufficiency, and His ability to nourish and sustain (from a proposed root meaning "breast" or "mountain"). Eliphaz uses this name to emphasize God's absolute power to deliver and bless, implying that turning to such a mighty God guarantees a positive outcome. This name often appears in contexts of covenant promise and divine provision, asserting God's ability to fulfill His purposes despite human limitations or barrenness.

• you will be built up (תִּבָּנֶה - tibbāneh):

  • "you will be built up": From the Hebrew root בָּנָה (banah), meaning "to build," "establish," "restore," "rebuild," "be secure." It literally means "you will be constructed" or "established." In the context of a person's life, it signifies restoration of well-being, prosperity, stability, and a strong, thriving existence. It counters the state of ruin and desolation Job was experiencing, promising a return to his former stature, possessions, and familial joy. It carries the idea of spiritual, social, and material restoration, contrasting with the demolition Job had experienced.

• if you remove (אִם־תַּרְחִיק - im-tarḥiq):

  • "if you": Another conditional, reinforcing the dependence on Job's actions.
  • "remove": From the Hebrew root רָחַק (raḥaq), meaning "to be far," "distant." In the Hiphil stem (causative), it means "to put far off," "to send away," "to make distant." This is an active, intentional purging. It implies a conscious effort and resolute decision to put a considerable distance between oneself and the specified sin.

• iniquity (עַוְלָה - ʿawlāh):

  • "iniquity": From the Hebrew word עַוְלָה (ʿawlāh), meaning "wickedness," "injustice," "unrighteousness," "perversity." It denotes crookedness or distortion from the moral norm. It signifies sin in its moral and ethical dimension, specifically actions or attitudes that are perverse or deviate from God's righteousness. Eliphaz believed Job had such a flaw.

• far from your tents (מֵאֹהָלֶךָ - meʾohalekā):

  • "far from": Emphasizes the complete separation intended by "remove."
  • "your tents": Refers to one's dwelling place, home, household, family, and entire estate. In the nomadic and semi-nomadic society of the ancient Near East, the tent represented the totality of one's life, including family, possessions, and sphere of influence. Removing iniquity from "your tents" means purging sin not just from one's personal life, but also from one's family, property, and entire sphere of influence, ensuring a clean and righteous environment.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "If you return to the Almighty": This phrase highlights the necessary direction of true repentance – towards God, specifically identified as the All-Powerful One who is capable of radical change and full restoration. It posits a personal, active re-engagement with divine authority.
• "you will be built up": This is the promised outcome, emphasizing comprehensive restoration and re-establishment, contrasting with Job's current ruin. It implies God's active hand in recreating and securing Job's well-being and prosperity, signifying stability, abundance, and favor.
• "if you remove iniquity far from your tents": This parallel condition specifies the internal and external purification required. "Remove iniquity" denotes an active renunciation of sin. "Far from your tents" indicates that this removal must be complete and extend to all aspects of one's life, family, and influence, not merely personal belief, making the break with sin total and pervasive. The phrasing subtly critiques Job by suggesting that his personal sphere is tainted by his hidden sins.

Job 22 23 Bonus section

• The Flawed Premise: Eliphaz's counsel, though outwardly pious, operates on a false premise regarding Job's situation. The narrative establishes that Job is righteous and that his suffering is orchestrated by God to test his faith, not to punish his sin (Job 1:8-12). This highlights that while God blesses righteousness and punishes sin, this specific cause-and-effect cannot be universally applied to every instance of suffering without understanding God's deeper purposes.
• "Shaddai" in Context: The repeated use of "Shaddai" throughout Job, particularly by the friends, underscores their belief in God's immense power and His capacity to bring about both blessing and judgment. For them, Shaddai's power is absolute and always justly applied in a retributive manner. Yet, the book later reveals the incomprehensible wisdom and power of Shaddai beyond their limited theological framework.
• Irony of Advice: The advice, while good in isolation, is hurtful because it assumes Job is guilty. True spiritual advice needs to discern the situation accurately rather than rigidly applying a theological formula. It reflects a form of wisdom literature that values sound moral principles, yet in Job, these principles are shown to be insufficient to explain God's mysterious ways fully.

Job 22 23 Commentary

Job 22:23 is a conditional promise offered by Eliphaz, embodying the simplified retribution theology prevalent among Job's friends. While containing a universal truth—that repentance leads to divine blessing—it misapplies this truth to Job's unique situation. Eliphaz urges Job to make a full return to God (Shaddai), an active and complete repentance from assumed wrongdoing. This return involves a thorough removal of "iniquity" (עַוְלָה, ʿawlāh) not just from Job's personal conduct, but from his entire sphere of influence, represented by his "tents." The promised result is "you will be built up" (תִּבָּנֶה), signifying a restoration to prosperity, stability, and a flourishing life, the very opposite of Job's current state of desolation.

The verse encapsulates the friends' perspective that Job's suffering must be due to hidden sin, and the path to restoration must be confession and repentance. However, the book of Job as a whole demonstrates that suffering is not always a direct punitive consequence of sin. While Eliphaz's words contain biblical principles of turning from sin and God's restorative power, they fall short of understanding God's complex sovereignty and the nuanced nature of human experience and divine interaction, which is later revealed through God's own words.