Job 33 12

Job 33:12 kjv

Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.

Job 33:12 nkjv

"Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man.

Job 33:12 niv

"But I tell you, in this you are not right, for God is greater than any mortal.

Job 33:12 esv

"Behold, in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.

Job 33:12 nlt

"But you are wrong, and I will show you why.
For God is greater than any human being.

Job 33 verses

Job 33 12 Meaning

Job 33:12 encapsulates Elihu's primary contention with Job's complaints: Job has erred in his pronouncements, particularly concerning God's justice and dealings with humanity. Elihu asserts his authority to correct Job, grounding his argument in the foundational truth that God's being, power, wisdom, and righteousness are infinitely superior and beyond human comprehension. This verse is a direct rebuttal to Job's accusations of God's injustice or indifference, stressing the immeasurable chasm between the Creator and His creation.

Job 33 12 Context

Job 33:12 comes from Elihu's first speech (Job 32-37). Having patiently listened to Job and his three friends, Elihu, the youngest, enters the discourse, rebuking both Job for his self-justification and the friends for their inability to truly answer Job. This particular verse marks a pivotal point where Elihu directly addresses Job's presumed error. Job has passionately argued for his innocence, often lamenting what he perceives as God's unfair treatment, indifference, or even injustice. Elihu takes on the role of God's advocate, attempting to clarify divine ways and silence Job's accusations, setting the theological stage for God's eventual appearance and grand pronouncements from the whirlwind. The historical context reflects a wisdom tradition that grappled with the problem of suffering, particularly in light of divine justice.

Job 33 12 Word analysis

• Behold (הִנֵּה - hinnēh):

  • Meaning: An emphatic interjection.
  • Significance: Serves to call sharp attention, signaling that Elihu is about to make a crucial and confrontational statement. It introduces a stark contrast to what Job has been saying. It's a rhetorical marker of utmost importance.

• in this (זֹאת - zō’t):

  • Meaning: "this," referring to a previous statement or argument.
  • Significance: This pronoun points directly to Job's discourse. It encompasses Job's protests of innocence, his questioning of divine justice, and his implied or explicit accusations against God. Elihu pinpointing "this" means Job's overall theological understanding and expression of suffering are flawed.

• you have been wrong (לֹא־צָדַקְתָּ - lō’-ṣādhaqtā):

  • Meaning: Literally, "you have not been righteous" or "you are not in the right." The verb צָדַק (ṣādaq) means "to be righteous," "to be just," or "to be in the right." The negative particle (לֹא - lō’) negates it.
  • Significance: This is a direct, severe accusation against Job's statements, not necessarily his moral character. Elihu asserts that Job's reasoning and perspective on God are incorrect, unrighteous, or unjust, especially in his complaints. It implies Job's theological error more than moral failure. This contrasts with Job's earlier claim of wanting to "declare myself righteous before Him" (Job 13:18).

• I will answer you (אֶעֱנֶנּוּ - ’e‘ĕnanu):

  • Meaning: "I will answer him/it." Elihu is setting himself up as the authoritative responder, having just established Job's error.
  • Significance: Elihu is presenting himself as God's appointed representative, or at least a man uniquely inspired to offer the true explanation. This statement asserts his intent to refute Job's faulty premises and to provide a correct understanding of God's dealings. It also sets up Elihu's detailed theological discourse that follows.

• for God is greater than man (כִּי־רַב מֵאֱנוֹשׁ אֱלוֹהַּ - kī-rav mē’ěnôš ’ĕlôah):

  • Meaning: "For great from/than mortal man is God."
    • כִּי (kī): "for," "because," introducing the reason for the previous assertion.
    • רַב (rav): "great," "much," "abundant." Here, denoting superiority in wisdom, power, and nature.
    • מֵאֱנוֹשׁ (mē’ěnôš): "than man." אֱנוֹשׁ ('ěnôš) is a poetic term for "man," often emphasizing human frailty, mortality, or insignificance in contrast to the divine.
    • אֱלוֹהַּ (’ĕlôah): "God." A singular, less common poetic term for God used frequently in Job, emphasizing God's uniqueness and transcendence.
  • Significance: This is the theological lynchpin of Elihu's argument. It establishes the absolute disproportion between God and humanity. God is not only vastly superior in power and wisdom but operates on a different plane of existence and understanding. Therefore, judging God by human standards, or claiming to understand His motives completely, is impossible and presumptuous. This statement counters Job's attempts to bring God to an earthly court.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Behold, in this you have been wrong": This powerful opening immediately establishes Elihu's direct challenge and diagnosis of Job's fundamental error. It shifts the argument from Job defending himself against the friends to Elihu confronting Job's core theological stance. It implies Job's argument rests on a faulty premise about God.

• "I will answer you": This is Elihu asserting his authority and purpose. He isn't merely observing; he intends to engage and provide the "correct" explanation. This foreshadows his subsequent comprehensive speeches, positioning him as the insightful commentator who will articulate what Job and the friends failed to grasp.

• "for God is greater than man": This concluding phrase provides the theological foundation for Elihu's entire correction. It is the core reason why Job's "wrongness" matters and why Elihu believes he can offer a better understanding. It underscores divine transcendence as the ultimate frame of reference, making human questioning of God's ways audacious and misguided. This divine-human disparity is key to understanding why suffering, though mysterious, can still serve God's just and wise purposes.

Job 33 12 Bonus section

Elihu's role in the Book of Job is often debated among scholars. Some view him as a proto-prophetic figure, whose divinely inspired words pave the way for God's direct revelation. Others see him as an intellectual who correctly diagnoses Job's error (his theological misconceptions stemming from suffering) but doesn't necessarily have all the answers. Nevertheless, Elihu's statement in Job 33:12, particularly the emphasis on God's infinite superiority over "mortal man" ('ĕnôš), provides a crucial corrective perspective that both Job and his friends overlooked or inadequately understood. This theological bedrock prevents the problem of suffering from devolving into an anthropocentric judgment of God. Elihu champions divine incomprehensibility as a strength, not a weakness, challenging Job's attempts to bring God to account as if He were an equal. His assertion helps the reader pivot from human complaint to divine mystery, a theme echoed in God's own majestic speeches later in the book.

Job 33 12 Commentary

Job 33:12 encapsulates the foundational premise of Elihu's extensive discourse: Job's central flaw lies in his pronouncements about God. Elihu directly confronts Job, asserting that his perspective is erroneous because it fails to adequately grasp the immense qualitative difference between God and man. This isn't merely a polite disagreement but a theological rebuke. The phrase "you have been wrong" targets Job's self-vindication and his questioning of divine justice. Elihu takes on the task of re-educating Job and, by extension, the reader, about God's sovereign greatness and inscrutable wisdom. This core truth—that "God is greater than man"—means that God cannot be judged by human standards, nor can His intricate purposes be fully discerned by finite minds. Suffering, therefore, may have deeper, pedagogical aims that escape human comprehension, even when a person is outwardly righteous like Job.

Examples:

• A child arguing with a scientist about advanced physics demonstrates a similar, though far lesser, disparity in understanding, as Elihu highlights between Job and God.
• Questioning a master artist's brushstroke when only seeing a small detail, rather than the grand canvas, is akin to Job's perspective on God's work.