Job 34 12

Job 34:12 kjv

Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.

Job 34:12 nkjv

Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.

Job 34:12 niv

It is unthinkable that God would do wrong, that the Almighty would pervert justice.

Job 34:12 esv

Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.

Job 34:12 nlt

Truly, God will not do wrong.
The Almighty will not twist justice.

Job 34 verses

Job 34 12 Meaning

Elihu declares with absolute certainty that God is fundamentally just and incapable of wickedness or perverting the principles of righteousness. This verse emphasizes God's intrinsic moral perfection, asserting that His actions are always pure and His judgments never deviate from what is right. It directly confronts the idea that God could inflict suffering capriciously or unfairly, thereby upholding His divine integrity against Job's laments and implied accusations.

Job 34 12 Context

Job 34:12 is spoken by Elihu, the youngest of Job's four interlocutors. His discourse spans chapters 32-37, acting as a "corrective" to both Job and his three friends. Elihu claims divine inspiration for his wisdom, arguing that God is greater than Job can comprehend, and thus, beyond reproach. In chapter 34, Elihu addresses Job directly, defending God's justice and sovereignty. This verse specifically serves as a foundational premise for Elihu's argument: God cannot be unjust. It directly refutes Job's despairing cries where he, in his agony, had questioned God's righteousness and the fairness of his suffering. The historical and cultural context for this period often linked suffering directly to sin, making Job's innocent suffering a profound theological challenge to contemporary understanding. Elihu here reiterates the accepted theological principle of God's perfect justice, polemically asserting it against Job's lived experience which seemed to contradict it.

Job 34 12 Word analysis

• Surely (אֻמְנָם, ’ūmnām): This adverb introduces a strong affirmation, conviction, or solemn assertion. It emphasizes the absolute certainty and undeniable truth of the statement that follows. In the Book of Job, it often highlights a critical theological point being made by a speaker. It signifies that Elihu views this as an undeniable, foundational truth about God's character.

• God (אֵל, ’Ēl): A generic, widely used Semitic term for deity, often employed to denote the supreme God. While Yahweh is God's covenant name, ’Ēl or ’Elohim (which means "God," plural) emphasizes God's power, transcendence, and sovereign rule as creator and ruler of the cosmos. Its use here reinforces the idea of God as the ultimate, all-powerful authority.

• will not do wickedly (לֹא יַרְשִׁיעַ, lo’ yarshia’):

  • will not (לֹא, lo’): A strong negation, absolutely denying the possibility of the action.
  • do wickedly (יַרְשִׁיעַ, yarshia’): Hiphil stem of the root רָשַׁע (rasha‘), which means "to be wicked," "to act wickedly," or "to condemn (as wicked)." In the Hiphil, it means "to declare wicked," "to condemn," or "to do wickedly/unjustly." Here, it asserts God's absolute moral rectitude—He cannot and does not perform unrighteous acts or condemn without cause.

• Nor (וְלֹא, wəlo’): The conjunction "and" (wə) combined with the negation "not" (lo’) creates a strong double negative, reinforcing and expanding the previous statement. It links the two parallel clauses with equal weight, stressing the dual impossibility of divine injustice.

• will the Almighty (שַׁדַּי, Shadday): Refers to ’Ēl Shaddai (God Almighty), a name of God emphasizing His omnipotence, overwhelming power, and sufficiency, particularly as the covenant-keeping God who is more than enough for His people. This name reinforces the notion that God's power is always exercised righteously and in line with His perfect character, not arbitrarily.

• pervert justice (יְעַוֵּת מִשְׁפָּט, yə‘awwēth mishpāṭ):

  • pervert (יְעַוֵּת, yə‘awwēth): Piel stem of the root עָוַת (‘awath), meaning "to bend," "to twist," "to make crooked," or "to pervert." In the Piel, it denotes an intensified action—to deliberately distort or twist something out of its proper form. Here, it conveys the absolute impossibility of God distorting truth or fairness.
  • justice (מִשְׁפָּט, mishpāṭ): A comprehensive Hebrew term meaning "justice," "judgment," "ordinance," "right," or "custom." It refers to the correct standard of legal and moral action. In a theological context, it refers to God's righteous judgments, decrees, and the inherent moral order He upholds. Thus, Elihu states God cannot distort or undermine righteousness itself.

• "Surely God will not do wickedly": This phrase asserts God's moral purity. It is an affirmation against any insinuation that God could be malicious, corrupt, or fundamentally evil in His actions or character. Elihu states that God's essence precludes any wicked act.

• "Nor will the Almighty pervert justice": This parallel phrase specifically addresses God's actions concerning law and righteousness. It means God will not twist or corrupt what is inherently right or fair. His judgments are always straight, true, and untainted by bias, partiality, or error. The use of "Almighty" emphasizes that even with ultimate power, He uses it perfectly justly.

Job 34 12 Bonus section

The concept expressed in Job 34:12—God's intrinsic righteousness and inability to act unjustly—is a central pillar of biblical theology. It is assumed or explicitly stated across the Old and New Testaments, forming the bedrock for understanding God's actions, laws, and ultimate judgments. This verse serves as a crucial point of theological common ground between Job and his friends, despite their disagreements on its application to Job's particular suffering. Elihu uses this undeniable truth about God to argue against Job's charges, but ultimately, the book of Job itself demonstrates that while God does not do wickedly, His ways of justice and wisdom are often beyond human comprehension or conventional wisdom. The very fact that this foundational truth about God's justice is reiterated across different speakers in Job (like Bildad in Job 8:3) underscores its deeply ingrained nature in the theological framework of the era.

Job 34 12 Commentary

Job 34:12 stands as a core affirmation of divine righteousness, articulated by Elihu in his theological discourse. It directly challenges Job's despairing cries about his suffering, which implied God might be dealing with him unjustly. Elihu's pronouncement reflects the mainstream theological understanding of God's character at the time: God is intrinsically just, incapable of wickedness, and His judgments are perfectly equitable. This is not merely an opinion, but a statement presented as undeniable truth, foundational to understanding God's nature and rule over the world. The verse underscores God's consistent integrity; He does not contradict His own perfect nature by acting unjustly. While Elihu applies this principle rigidly, overlooking the complexities of innocent suffering which Job represents, his declaration itself is theologically sound regarding God's absolute character. The tension in Job’s narrative is not whether God can do evil, but how His undeniable justice is manifested in ways humans, limited in perspective, often fail to comprehend.