Job 22 30

Job 22:30 kjv

He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.

Job 22:30 nkjv

He will even deliver one who is not innocent; Yes, he will be delivered by the purity of your hands."

Job 22:30 niv

He will deliver even one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."

Job 22:30 esv

He delivers even the one who is not innocent, who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands."

Job 22:30 nlt

Even sinners will be rescued;
they will be rescued because your hands are pure."

Job 22 verses

Job 22 30 Meaning

Job 22:30 states that God will deliver even the one who is not innocent, and that deliverance will come through the cleanness of the hands of the intercessor or righteous individual. In Eliphaz’s speech to Job, this verse is part of his assurance that if Job repents and turns to God, he will be restored, and through Job’s righteousness, even others (the guilty) would find salvation. It reflects a theology of conditional blessing and the power of intercessory prayer rooted in personal purity.

Job 22 30 Context

Job 22:30 is part of Eliphaz the Temanite’s third and final discourse to Job (Job 22:1-30). Throughout his speeches, Eliphaz operates under the traditional wisdom theology prevalent at the time, which asserted a direct correlation between sin and suffering, and righteousness and prosperity. He strongly accuses Job of hidden sins (vv. 5-11), assuming Job’s immense suffering must be divine punishment. In the latter part of chapter 22 (vv. 21-30), Eliphaz urges Job to repent, return to God, accept His instruction, and trust in His power to restore. Verse 30 encapsulates this promise: if Job repents and demonstrates clean hands (righteousness), not only will he be delivered from his plight, but his newfound or renewed purity will be so potent that it can even effect the deliverance of others who are less righteous or explicitly "not innocent." This forms part of Eliphaz’s plea for Job to cease resisting and conform to the expected path of repentance for restoration. His words aim to persuade Job through the hope of personal deliverance and broader influence, yet they ultimately fail to grasp the deeper spiritual battle and God's sovereign purposes at play in Job’s suffering.

Job 22 30 Word analysis

• He will deliver (יְמַלֵּֽט – yə·mal·lêṭ):
  • From the Hebrew verb מלט (malat), meaning "to escape," "to slip away," "to deliver," "to save."
  • Implies active intervention, bringing someone out of danger, trouble, or death.
  • The "He" refers to God, indicating divine power and action in salvation.
  • Significance: This highlights God's role as the rescuer, aligning with a core biblical attribute.
• even the one who is not innocent (אִֽי־נָקִֽי – ’î·nā·qî):
  • "אִי" (’iy) meaning "not," and "נָקִי" (naqi) meaning "clean," "innocent," "pure," "guiltless," "unpunished."
  • The phrase literally means "not innocent" or "guilty."
  • This challenges common notions that God only delivers the righteous; here, the deliverance extends to the culpable.
  • Significance: Suggests a breadth to divine salvation or the profound effect of righteous intercession that goes beyond strict merit. Eliphaz might be using this to subtly suggest that if Job, supposedly guilty, repents, he could then even deliver others less pure.
• and he will be delivered (וּבְפֶ֙לֶט֙ – u·ḇə·p̄e·leṭ):
  • From the Hebrew noun פלט (pelet), meaning "escape," "deliverance," "refuge," "a remnant."
  • The prefixed "וּבְ" (u-və) means "and by" or "and through."
  • This is a reaffirmation of deliverance, using a noun form derived from the same root as "yimalleṭ." The slight redundancy emphasizes the certainty and method of salvation.
  • Significance: Reinforces the focus on God's act of saving, and explicitly links it to the means described next.
• through the cleanness (בַּר – bar):
  • From the Hebrew adjective בַּר (bar), meaning "pure," "clean," "clear," "spotless," "bright."
  • Connotes both moral and ceremonial purity. It speaks of a state of blamelessness or being without moral stain.
  • Significance: This is the crucial condition Eliphaz proposes. Deliverance is not solely unilateral grace, but hinges upon this purity.
• of your hands (כַפֶּֽיךָ – kap·peḵa):
  • "כפיך" (kappeḵa) meaning "your hands."
  • "Hands" are often used metonymically in biblical literature to represent one's actions, deeds, moral conduct, or character. "Clean hands" thus signifies righteous behavior and moral integrity.
  • Significance: Eliphaz makes it personal and conditional. It directly links the effectiveness of this intercession or divine favor to Job’s demonstrated personal righteousness and pure conduct.

• "He will deliver even the one who is not innocent": This phrase highlights the divine capacity to extend mercy and salvation beyond the purely deserving. It speaks to God’s nature as one who can redeem the guilty. Eliphaz frames this as an extraordinary act that God is capable of performing, hinting at God’s ultimate sovereignty and grace, even within his flawed theology of strict retribution. This concept is ultimately fulfilled more profoundly in the New Testament through Christ's work for the ungodly.
• "and he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands": This critical conjunction links divine action directly to human purity and intervention. It places the efficacy of God's deliverance (both for Job and for others) upon Job’s repentance and resultant moral blamelessness. In Eliphaz's worldview, the integrity of the one petitioning or interceding is paramount for God to act, reinforcing the transactional nature of his proposed relationship with God. This part presents a key theological tension, as Job later argues for a God who acts sovereignly beyond human merit, while the NT emphasizes deliverance through grace and faith, rather than "clean hands" in a meritorious sense for salvation.

Job 22 30 Bonus section

One significant alternative scholarly interpretation for the word אִי ('iy) in Job 22:30 suggests it means "island" or "coastland," rather than "not" or "where." In this view, the phrase would read: "He will deliver even the islands (or inhabitants of remote lands)," or "He will deliver the land/habitation that is not innocent." While "not innocent" ('iy naqi) is the most widely accepted and contextually consistent rendering within Eliphaz's argument against Job, the "island" interpretation (often linked to אִי (iy), 'region' or 'coast') implies God's far-reaching sovereignty and deliverance over distant, Gentile lands or peoples. This would paint a picture of God's universal redemption reaching beyond Israel. However, the linguistic and contextual evidence overwhelmingly favors the "not innocent" reading in Eliphaz's speech, which focuses on personal sin and its consequences. Nonetheless, considering the "island" interpretation can provide a richer, albeit secondary, understanding of God's universal saving power, foreshadowing themes of Gentile inclusion found more explicitly in the New Testament.

Eliphaz's words, while seemingly comforting, reflect a "friends-of-Job" theological pattern: they assume divine justice always manifests as immediate retribution for sin. This perspective fundamentally misdiagnoses Job's suffering. The "cleanness of your hands" is indeed a biblical ideal, emphasized in psalms (e.g., Ps 24:4). Yet, Eliphaz implies that Job is not currently pure, and this purity, once regained, becomes the transactional basis for God’s favor, limiting God's sovereign freedom. This contrast between human performance and divine grace is a central tension in the entire book of Job and finds its ultimate resolution not in Job’s perfect performance but in God’s direct intervention and Job’s renewed faith.

Job 22 30 Commentary

Job 22:30 captures Eliphaz’s belief in the power of repentance and personal righteousness to invoke divine deliverance, extending even to others deemed "not innocent." From Eliphaz’s perspective, if Job were to confess and turn from his assumed secret sins, he would not only find personal restoration but also become a conduit through whom God would save the morally flawed. This statement underscores Eliphaz’s rigid theology where divine blessings and rescue are largely conditional on human behavior and moral purity. It illustrates the common ancient Near Eastern wisdom belief in immediate divine retribution: good deeds bring reward, evil deeds bring punishment.

The verse is poignant within the book of Job because Eliphaz presents it as an assured outcome of Job's repentance, yet the broader narrative of Job ultimately challenges such simplistic explanations of God's ways. While biblical principles do affirm the power of righteous intercession and that God desires clean hands, Eliphaz misapplies this, forcing Job into a predetermined box of guilt. The verse inadvertently hints at a deeper theological truth—God's capacity to deliver the unrighteous—which the Bible, particularly in the New Testament, reveals more fully through grace and Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and intercession. However, Eliphaz’s formulation remains rooted in a performance-based acceptance, rather than the gratuitous favor God ultimately extends to Job, and to all.