Job 33:13 kjv
Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
Job 33:13 nkjv
Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
Job 33:13 niv
Why do you complain to him that he responds to no one's words?
Job 33:13 esv
Why do you contend against him, saying, 'He will answer none of man's words'?
Job 33:13 nlt
So why are you bringing a charge against him?
Why say he does not respond to people's complaints?
Job 33 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 45:9 | "Woe to him who strives with his Maker... shall the clay say to him who forms it, 'What are you making?'" | Against contending with Creator |
| Rom 9:20-21 | "But who are you, O man, to answer back to God?... Has the potter no right over the clay?" | Creator's sovereignty, human's lack of right |
| Isa 55:8-9 | "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." | God's thoughts and ways are superior |
| Ps 115:3 | "Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases." | God's absolute sovereignty and will |
| Ps 135:6 | "Whatever the LORD pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps." | God's absolute freedom to act |
| Dan 4:35 | "all the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing... no one can restrain his hand or say to him, 'What have you done?'" | No one can question God's actions |
| 1 Sam 2:3 | "Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." | God's perfect knowledge, challenging pride |
| Prov 21:30 | "No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD." | Human wisdom is futile against God |
| Job 9:32-33 | "For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we might come to trial together. There is no arbiter between us..." | Job's prior recognition of divine gap |
| Job 23:3-4 | "Oh, that I knew where I might find him... I would lay my case before him..." | Job's persistent desire to argue his case |
| Job 23:8-9 | "Behold, I go forward, but he is not there, and backward, but I do not perceive him;" | God's perceived hiddenness or silence |
| Job 38:1-3 | "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind... 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?'" | God's ultimate answer to Job's complaints |
| Ps 19:1-4 | "The heavens declare the glory of God... Their voice goes out through all the earth." | God speaks through creation |
| Job 33:14 | "For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it." | God speaks in ways man may not understand |
| Job 33:15-18 | "In a dream, in a vision of the night... He opens the ears of men... He holds back his soul from the pit," | God speaks through dreams/warnings |
| Hos 12:10 | "I have also spoken by the prophets, and have multiplied visions; and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets." | God speaks through His servants/visions |
| 1 Kgs 19:11-12 | "The LORD was not in the wind... after the wind an earthquake... not in the earthquake... a fire... not in the fire... a still small voice." | God's unexpected ways of communicating |
| Ps 4:3 | "But know that the LORD has set apart the godly for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him." | God hears prayers, though not always as expected |
| Matt 7:7-8 | "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you." | God answers prayer according to His will |
| Jas 4:3 | "You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions." | Improper asking can lead to no answer |
| Job 40:1-5 | "Then the LORD said to Job: 'Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?...' Then Job answered the LORD: 'Behold, I am of small account...'" | Job's eventual humility before God |
Job 33 verses
Job 33 13 Meaning
Elihu questions Job's insistence on contending with God, highlighting that God is not obligated to provide an exhaustive answer to every accusation or query posed by humanity. The verse conveys God's sovereign prerogative not to submit to human judgment or demand for explanation, underscoring the vast chasm between the Creator and His creation.
Job 33 13 Context
Job 33 begins Elihu's first of four speeches, in which he aims to correct Job's perspective. After asserting his authority and wisdom in chapter 32, Elihu now directly addresses Job. Job has repeatedly pleaded for an audience with God to present his case, believing God has unjustly afflicted him and remains silent. Elihu challenges Job's accusations, especially the notion that God does not answer or does not listen (Job 13:24, 23:8-9). This specific verse sets up Elihu's subsequent argument that God indeed speaks, but not necessarily in the legalistic, direct response Job demands. God speaks in diverse ways—through dreams, visions, pain, and the ministry of angels—all for humanity's instruction and ultimate good, aiming to turn people from pride and self-destruction. Historically and culturally, such an exchange within wisdom literature challenged the common ancient Near Eastern (ANE) concept of deities being susceptible to human demands or having to justify their actions in human terms. Elihu asserts God's transcendent sovereignty over all human endeavors and critiques any anthropocentric view of divine accountability.
Job 33 13 Word analysis
- Why: The Hebrew word Lāmāh (לָ֫מָּה), an interrogative particle, implies a rhetorical question expressing rebuke or challenge. Elihu is questioning the very validity and wisdom of Job's continuous struggle against God.
- do you contend: The Hebrew Tāriv (תָרִ֖יב) comes from the root rîḇ (רִיב), meaning "to strive, contend, quarrel, bring a legal charge." It strongly denotes a legal dispute or controversy. Elihu highlights that Job's constant lamenting is, in essence, an attempt to engage God in a courtroom-like contest, questioning His justice.
- with Him: ‘im•mō (עִמּ֑וֹ) specifies God as the direct object of Job's contention. This personal challenge to the Almighty is deemed audacious.
- For He does not answer: The phrase Kî lō’ ya‘ăneh (כִּֽי־לֹ֤א יַעֲנֶה֙) introduces the reason for Elihu's rebuke. ‘Anah (עָנָה) means "to answer, respond, reply, give an account." The implication is that God does not answer Job in the manner Job expects – He doesn't directly address Job's every accusation, nor does He explain His sovereign actions to a human claimant. This is not about God's inability to speak, but His prerogative.
- all your words: The Hebrew Kol-děvārèyka (כָל־דְּבָרֶֽיךָ) uses dāḇār (דָּבָר), a broad term meaning "word, matter, thing, affair, case, argument." Elihu indicates that God does not owe Job a detailed explanation or defense concerning the myriad points of Job's complex and continuous grievances. God's silence, from this perspective, is a testament to His unchallengeable authority, not His indifference or injustice.
Word-group analysis:
- "Why do you contend with Him?": This phrase exposes Elihu's view of Job's profound miscalculation. It is foolish and presumptuous to legally challenge the sovereign God who created all things. This sets up the argument that human logic and legal systems are inadequate to judge divine actions.
- "For He does not answer all your words.": This clause provides the core reason and justification for the rhetorical question. It highlights that God's ways are beyond full human comprehension and certainly not subject to human demands for immediate and full explanation. God is not silent because He lacks answers, but because He is God and not bound by human expectations or accusations. His "non-answer" is, in itself, an assertion of His sovereign freedom.
Job 33 13 Bonus section
Elihu's perspective in this verse serves as a crucial theological corrective to both Job's self-righteous complaints and the friends' rigid dogma. It introduces the idea that God's "silence" is not always a void or absence, but can be an expression of His profound nature—unapproachable in His majesty, unanswerable in His wisdom, and under no compulsion to validate His actions to humanity. This point challenges anthropocentric assumptions about divine communication and governance. While Job desired a legal confrontation to clear his name, Elihu suggests that God's justice operates on a plane entirely distinct from human jurisprudence, making Job's pursuit misguided. Elihu prepares the listener for the divine encounter, showing that God's answer to Job would not be a justification, but a majestic revelation that put human questioning into its proper perspective.
Job 33 13 Commentary
Job 33:13 acts as a sharp rhetorical question posed by Elihu to challenge Job's continuous pleas for an audience and an explanation from God. Elihu perceives Job's incessant complaints as an improper legal contention against the Almighty. The crux of Elihu's argument is that God is not accountable to human demands for specific answers. God's perceived "silence" or His refusal to engage in a human-style debate does not equate to injustice or indifference on God's part. Rather, it signifies His absolute sovereignty and transcendent wisdom, which far surpasses human understanding and critique. This prepares the ground for Elihu's ensuing arguments, which suggest that God communicates through other, often indirect, means like dreams, visions, or even pain, all for the ultimate redemptive purpose of turning humanity away from evil. Elihu effectively introduces the perspective that God's interactions are not to be confined to human judicial terms, and His majesty ensures He is not obliged to justify His every action according to finite human logic. Ultimately, Job himself experiences this divine sovereignty when God speaks from the whirlwind, not by answering Job's direct questions, but by revealing His incomprehensible power and wisdom, silencing Job's accusations.