Job 31:14 kjv
What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?
Job 31:14 nkjv
What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him?
Job 31:14 niv
what will I do when God confronts me? What will I answer when called to account?
Job 31:14 esv
what then shall I do when God rises up? When he makes inquiry, what shall I answer him?
Job 31:14 nlt
how could I face God?
What could I say when he questioned me?
Job 31 14 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 9:7-8 | But the LORD sits enthroned forever... He will judge the world in righteousness... | God judges righteously. |
| Ps 96:13 | For he comes, for he comes to judge the earth... He will judge the peoples with equity. | God comes to judge. |
| Eccl 12:13-14 | Fear God and keep his commandments... For God will bring every deed into judgment... | All deeds judged by God. |
| Rom 14:12 | So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. | Personal accountability to God. |
| Heb 4:13 | And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. | Nothing hidden from God's sight. |
| 2 Cor 5:10 | For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive... | Believers face judgment seat of Christ. |
| Matt 25:31-32 | When the Son of Man comes in his glory... he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations... | Christ's judgment of all nations. |
| Rev 20:12-13 | And I saw the dead, great and small... and books were opened... and the dead were judged by what was written... | The dead are judged by their deeds. |
| Jer 17:10 | I the LORD search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways... | God examines heart and rewards deeds. |
| Ps 139:1-4 | O LORD, you have searched me and known me! You know my sitting down and my rising up... | God knows all human thoughts and actions. |
| Prov 15:3 | The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good. | God's omniscience, sees everything. |
| Amos 7:2, 5 | "How can Jacob stand? He is so small!" | Emphasizes human inability to stand judgment. |
| Mal 3:2 | But who can endure the day of his coming, and who can stand when he appears? | No one can stand God's purifying presence. |
| Joel 2:11 | For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can stand it? | Terror of God's coming day of judgment. |
| Lk 21:36 | But stay awake at all times... that you may have strength to escape all these things... and to stand before the Son of Man. | Readiness for Christ's judgment. |
| Ps 7:3-5 | O LORD my God, if I have done this... then let my enemy pursue me and overtake me... | Psalmists appealing to God's judgment if guilty. |
| Ps 26:1-2 | Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity... Prove me, O LORD, and try me... | Confident appeal to God for vindication. |
| Prov 1:7 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge... | Fear of God as foundation of wisdom. |
| Prov 9:10 | The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. | Fear of God as beginning of wisdom. |
| 1 Jn 3:21 | Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God... | Confidence when one's conscience is clear. |
| Exod 32:34 | But in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them. | God's visitation often means punishment. |
| Isa 26:21 | For behold, the LORD is coming out from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity... | God's active rising up for punishment. |
Job 31 verses
Job 31 14 Meaning
Job 31:14 expresses Job's profound awareness of and submission to divine judgment. In his passionate defense of his integrity, Job declares that if he had committed any of the sins he meticulously listed (like mistreating servants, neglecting the poor, or succumbing to lust or greed), he would be utterly unable to stand or provide an answer when God, as the ultimate Judge, rises up to scrutinize and reckon his deeds. It highlights his ultimate accountability to God and his motivation for a righteous life rooted in a holy fear of the Creator.
Job 31 14 Context
Job 31 serves as Job's final, grand summation of his defense, an impassioned declaration of his blamelessness concerning a wide range of specific moral and ethical transgressions. This chapter is often referred to as Job's "oath of innocence" or "asseveration of integrity," where he systematically lists potential sins he explicitly denies committing. He even invokes a self-curse, challenging God to find fault in him if his claims are untrue. Verse 14 is the climactic rhetorical question posed after listing several areas of integrity (verses 1-12 dealing with lust, injustice to servants, neglect of the poor and vulnerable). This verse demonstrates that Job's motivations for his righteousness are not merely for human approval, but stem from a deep-seated fear and reverence for the omniscient and just God, to whom all are ultimately accountable. His detailed ethical code anticipates aspects of the later Mosaic Law, highlighting a sophisticated moral understanding in the ancient world. Job's stand against human and divine judgment also acts as a subtle polemic against the often capricious and amoral deities of contemporary ancient Near Eastern pagan religions, portraying a God of unwavering justice and righteousness.
Job 31 14 Word analysis
- What then shall I do (מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה - mah e'eseh): This Hebrew phrase conveys a sense of utter helplessness and desperation. "E'eseh" (אֶעֱשֶׂה) is from the verb עָשָׂה ('asah), meaning "to do" or "to make." In this context, it is a rhetorical question implying "There is nothing I could do." It underscores the impossibility of finding an escape or defense before God's judgment if one were truly guilty.
- when God rises up? (אֵל יָקוּם - 'el yaqum):
- God (אֵל - 'El): A generic term for God or a deity, but here clearly refers to the singular, true God whom Job worships. It conveys majesty and ultimate authority.
- rises up (יָקוּם - yaqum): From the root קוּם (qum), meaning "to rise," "to stand," or "to establish." When applied to God, especially in a judicial context, it signifies His active engagement, stepping forward from His heavenly throne to act as a judge, to take a stand, to execute judgment. It implies a moment of direct, unavoidable divine intervention.
- And when he visits, (וּכִי יִפְקֹד - u-chi yifqod):
- visits (יִפְקֹד - yifqod): From the verb פָּקַד (paqad), a rich Hebrew term with a wide semantic range. While it can mean "to visit" in a benevolent sense (e.g., God visiting Sarah with a child), in this judicial context, and paired with "rises up," it powerfully means to inspect, muster, review, count, take an account, or investigate, invariably leading to a reckoning or punishment for sin. It denotes God's precise and thorough examination of deeds. It is the action of calling to account.
- what shall I answer him? (וּמָה אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ - u-mah ashivennu): Another rhetorical question echoing helplessness. "Ashivennu" (אֲשִׁיבֶנּוּ) is from שׁוּב (shuv), meaning "to return," or "to answer." Here, it signifies the inability to provide an adequate defense, excuse, or justification when confronted directly by God’s unyielding judgment.
Words-Group analysis:
- "What then shall I do when God rises up? And when he visits, what shall I answer him?": This pairing of rhetorical questions profoundly emphasizes the absolute and inescapable nature of divine judgment. The first question ("what shall I do?") highlights human inability to escape or hide from God's active intervention. The second ("what shall I answer him?") stresses the utter futility of any human defense or excuse when confronted by God's meticulous scrutiny. Together, they articulate Job's conviction that the only valid response to God's ultimate authority is genuine righteousness motivated by reverence.
Job 31 14 Bonus section
Job 31, including verse 14, provides exceptional insight into ancient pre-Mosaic ethical thinking. Job’s moral code, centered around inner purity and social justice (treating servants justly, caring for widows, orphans, and the poor), reveals a spirituality ahead of its time, driven not by a legal code but by an intrinsic sense of right and wrong and an intense awareness of God's character. The concept of God "visiting" or "paqad-ing" human beings, though sometimes benevolent, is profoundly judicial in this context, signaling God’s unwavering commitment to uphold moral order by demanding an accounting from humanity. This verse underscores the foundational Old Testament teaching that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord, understanding that all life is lived before Him and all actions will face His scrutiny.
Job 31 14 Commentary
Job 31:14 stands as a theological high point in Job's defense, articulating a profound understanding of divine accountability. It reveals that Job's meticulously detailed righteousness was not merely for outward appearance or human approval, but stemmed from a deep, holy fear of God. He fully comprehends that God is not a passive observer but an active, just judge who "rises up" and "visits" – inspecting and calling to account every human action, motive, and secret. In such an ultimate confrontation, no human artifice or plea can avail for the truly guilty. This verse encapsulates the foundational principle of a life lived under the scrutinizing gaze of a holy God, prompting self-examination and ethical living rooted in reverence for His inescapable justice. It serves as a reminder that the righteous desire a clear conscience precisely so they might "answer" God on that great day.