Job 33:7 kjv
Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
Job 33:7 nkjv
Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you.
Job 33:7 niv
No fear of me should alarm you, nor should my hand be heavy on you.
Job 33:7 esv
Behold, no fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not be heavy upon you.
Job 33:7 nlt
So you don't need to be afraid of me.
I won't come down hard on you.
Job 33 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Job's Fear of God's Intimidation: | ||
| Job 9:34 | Let Him remove His rod from me, And let not dread of Him terrify me. | Job desires absence of God's terror. |
| Job 13:21 | Withdraw Your hand far from me, and let not Your dread make me afraid. | Direct plea echoing Elihu's promise. |
| Job 23:15-16 | Therefore I am terrified at His presence...God has made my heart faint. | Job's personal experience of divine terror. |
| God's Hand and Weight (Positive & Negative Implications): | ||
| Exod 9:3 | Behold, the hand of the LORD will be on your livestock...a very severe pestilence. | God's hand as source of severe judgment/affliction. |
| 1 Sam 5:6 | But the hand of the LORD was heavy on the people of Ashdod, and He afflicted them. | God's hand as cause of burdensome affliction. |
| Ps 32:4 | For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up... | Experience of God's chastening or disciplinary weight. |
| Ps 37:24 | Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand. | God's hand as support and upholder. |
| Isa 41:10 | Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed...I will uphold you with My righteous right hand. | God's hand offering comforting support. |
| Matt 11:30 | For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. | Jesus' contrast to burdensome laws/experiences; echoes Elihu's promise of non-heaviness. |
| Acts 13:11 | "Indeed now the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind..." | God's hand causing punitive affliction. |
| Human Authority & Gentle Communication: | ||
| Prov 15:1 | A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. | Elihu's promise of gentle address vs. harshness. |
| 1 Pet 5:6 | Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God... | Instruction to yield to God's hand, rather than resist. |
| Divine Communication & Freedom from Fear: | ||
| Isa 35:4 | Say to those who are fearful-hearted, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come..." | God's promise to those who fear; applicable to spiritual address. |
| Jer 1:8 | Do not be afraid of their faces, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord. | God assures His prophet not to fear opposition. |
| Zech 8:13 | "...do not fear; let your hands be strong." | Divine command to be strong and not fear. |
| Luke 12:32 | Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. | Jesus reassures His disciples not to fear. |
| John 14:27 | Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives...Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. | Christ offers peace that removes fear. |
| Heb 12:18-24 | You have not come to a mountain that can be touched and that burned with fire...but you have come to Mount Zion... | Contrasts terrifying Sinai covenant with the accessible New Covenant, illustrating Elihu's spirit of approachability. |
| Rev 1:17 | When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, "Do not be afraid..." | The Resurrected Christ reassures a terrified John. |
| Truth & Wisdom Speaking: | ||
| Job 32:7 | "It is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding." | Context for Elihu's claim of divine insight. |
| Prov 2:6 | For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. | Source of true understanding Elihu claims. |
| 2 Tim 3:16 | All Scripture is given by inspiration of God... | Inspiration of words (though not explicit for Elihu here, he implies a form of it). |
Job 33 verses
Job 33 7 Meaning
Job 33:7 states, "Behold, my terror shall not make you afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon you." In this verse, Elihu assures Job that his address will be free from the very things Job has complained about in his dealings with God and his friends. Elihu distinguishes himself as an approachable human intermediary, not an oppressive divine force or a crushing, burdensome accuser. He promises that his presence will not cause Job dread, nor will his words or influence bear down on Job with an overwhelming weight, unlike Job's perception of God's dealings and his friends' criticisms. This assurance is a direct invitation for Job to listen without the defensive fear he expressed regarding God's power and potential accusations.
Job 33 7 Context
Job 33:7 is spoken by Elihu, the youngest of Job's four interlocutors. After silently listening to the lengthy arguments between Job and his three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—Elihu enters the discourse with righteous indignation. He is angry with Job for presuming his own righteousness over God's and with the friends for failing to adequately answer Job while still condemning him. Chapters 32-37 comprise Elihu's monologue. In chapter 33, Elihu directly addresses Job, establishing his credentials and approach. He claims divine inspiration (v. 4), stresses his shared humanity with Job ("I am like you before God; I too have been formed out of clay," v. 6), and then issues this assurance. By promising an absence of terror and heavy-handedness, Elihu distinguishes his corrective counsel from the overwhelming and seemingly arbitrary hand of God that Job has experienced, and from the harsh, unhelpful pronouncements of Job's previous companions. He aims to create a receptive environment for Job to truly hear God's perspective.
Job 33 7 Word analysis
Behold: (
hinnēh- הִנֵּה). This is an interjection used to draw immediate attention. It signifies that what follows is important or surprising, urging the listener to pay close heed. In this context, it sets Elihu's solemn and confident tone, introducing a significant point of distinction between himself and Job's perceived tormentors.my terror: (
'imati- אִמָתִי). Derived fromeymah(terror, dread). The suffix means 'my'. Elihu uses "terror" not in the sense of malicious intent but to allude to the impact of powerful, possibly confronting speech. He intentionally contrasts this with Job's own expressed terror concerning God (Job 9:34, 13:21). Elihu asserts that, despite his authoritative stance, he will not evoke the same paralyzing fear in Job that God or even the other friends' harsh words had done.shall not make you afraid: (
lo' teva'athekka- לֹא תְבַעֲתֶךָּ). Fromba'ath(to startle, terrify, dismay). This directly assures Job that Elihu's presence or words will not overwhelm him with dread or intimidation. It speaks to Elihu's intention to engage Job on a level playing field, inviting dialogue rather than silencing him through fear, a method Job attributed to God.neither shall: (
vekhabbdi- וְכַבְּדִי). This is part of a negative construct, meaning 'nor will'. The rootk.b.d.means heavy, weighty, glorious, or honored. Here, it refers to Elihu's influence or actions having a heavy or burdensome quality. It forms a pair with "terror," addressing both the psychological and the felt physical or circumstantial oppression.my hand be heavy: (Interpretive translation of
vekhabbdiused withaleka). The Hebrewkabhdiliterally implies 'my weight' or 'my heaviness', often used metaphorically for a heavy hand, strong influence, or oppressive burden. This directly counters Job's experience of God's "hand" being heavy (e.g., Ps 32:4) and his groaning being heavier than his hand (Job 23:2). Elihu assures Job that his advice and presence will not add to Job's affliction but instead lighten his burden.upon you: (
aleka- עָלֶיךָ). Refers directly to Job."my terror... neither shall my hand be heavy upon you": This phrase-group draws a clear distinction between Elihu's method of counsel and the oppressive experiences Job attributes to God's hand or the distressing interactions with his friends. Elihu positions himself as a compassionate and accessible interpreter of God's ways, offering instruction without condemnation or additional suffering, in contrast to the accusations or "heavy hand" that Job has lamented. He is presenting himself as a suitable and non-threatening conduit for God's truth to Job.
Job 33 7 Bonus section
Elihu's claim in Job 33:7 highlights a recurring theological theme throughout the Bible: the tension between humanity's fear of a powerful God and God's desire for an accessible relationship. While God's holiness and power rightly evoke reverence (Job 28:28, Ps 111:10), God consistently extends invitations for fellowship without terror (Gen 15:1, Isa 41:10, John 14:27). Elihu's promise to Job anticipates the New Testament concept of grace and truth in Jesus Christ (John 1:17), who embodies divine truth in human form, making God approachable and His burden light (Matt 11:30), allowing humanity to come without fear of crushing condemnation, but rather for correction and instruction in righteousness. Elihu, as a foreshadowing figure, strives to create an atmosphere for God's truth to be received and understood without the hindrance of dread or oppression, pointing to the importance of gentle wisdom.
Job 33 7 Commentary
Job 33:7 serves as Elihu's crucial overture to Job, establishing a tone of accessible authority, markedly different from both God's perceived judgment and the friends' crushing rhetoric. Elihu implicitly acknowledges Job's fears of God's overpowering might and overwhelming accusations (Job 9:34, 13:21) and directly contrasts his own approach. By promising that his "terror" will not intimidate and his "hand" will not be "heavy," Elihu disavows any intent to browbeat or add to Job's suffering. This promise allows Elihu to present divine truths to Job without inciting the very fear and defensive posture Job adopted when encountering what he felt was an oppressive deity or misinformed accusers. Elihu presents himself as a human equal who nonetheless carries a profound, Spirit-inspired message, urging Job to listen to genuine wisdom from an unthreatening source, paving the way for a clearer understanding of God's nuanced purposes in suffering beyond mere punishment.