Job 34 29

Job 34:29 kjv

When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:

Job 34:29 nkjv

When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone??

Job 34:29 niv

But if he remains silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can see him? Yet he is over individual and nation alike,

Job 34:29 esv

When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man? ?

Job 34:29 nlt

But if he chooses to remain quiet,
who can criticize him?
When he hides his face, no one can find him,
whether an individual or a nation.

Job 34 verses

Job 34 29 Meaning

Job 34:29 conveys Elihu's profound declaration of God's absolute and unchallengeable sovereignty. He asserts that when God wills peace or tranquility, no human or national power can disrupt it. Conversely, when God chooses to withdraw His presence, favor, or assistance, no one can perceive or approach Him, whether it be an entire nation or an individual. This verse highlights God's ultimate control over human experience, blessing, judgment, and the very perception of His presence.

Job 34 29 Context

Job 34 records Elihu's third speech, a defense of God's righteousness and justice. Elihu directly challenges Job's contention that God has unjustly afflicted him and ignores human pleas. His argument centers on God's omnipotence, omnipresence, and impartial governance of the world. In this chapter, Elihu asserts that God's ways are beyond human critique and comprehension, emphasizing His perfect justice (vv. 10-12), His sole authority over life (vv. 14-15), and His universal rule over all creation and humanity (vv. 16-28). Verse 29 specifically follows a description of God's unseen workings in judging kings and casting down the mighty without needing human investigation (vv. 24-28). Thus, Elihu underscores God's absolute sovereignty, implying that human complaints against Him are futile and rooted in ignorance of His unassailable wisdom and power. The historical context reflects a Near Eastern understanding of divine justice where the ruling deity holds ultimate power, often revealing or concealing himself at will, though Job adds a profound philosophical dimension to suffering beyond simple retribution.

Job 34 29 Word analysis

• When He gives quietness (וְהוּא יַשְׁקֵט - wəhū yashqēṭ):
  • He: Refers directly to God, the sovereign subject.
  • Gives quietness: The Hebrew verb יַשְׁקֵט (yashqēṭ) is from the root שָׁקַט (shaqat), meaning to be quiet, at rest, undisturbed, or to bring quietness. It denotes a cessation of turmoil, hostility, or anxiety, bringing peace and tranquility. This peace is not self-generated but divinely bestowed.
  • Significance: It emphasizes God as the ultimate source and bestower of peace, both personal and communal.
• who then can make trouble? (וּמִי יַרְשִׁיעַ - ūmî yaršîʿa):
  • Who then: A rhetorical question, anticipating the answer "no one."
  • make trouble: The verb יַרְשִׁיעַ (yaršîʿa) comes from the root רָשַׁע (rashaʿ), meaning to be or do wrong, to act wickedly, to condemn, or to declare guilty. In this context, it implies disrupting the peace God has established or acting wickedly to condemn what God has made righteous or peaceful.
  • Significance: Highlights God's absolute power; His peace cannot be overturned by any adversary, human or demonic.
• And when He hides His face (וְאִם יַסְתִּיר פָּנִים - wəʾim yasṯîr pānîm):
  • Hides His face: An idiom found frequently in the Old Testament (sātār pāním). It signifies withdrawal of divine favor, presence, help, or direct communion. It can imply judgment, abandonment, or unreachability from a human perspective. It means God is inaccessible or seemingly absent.
  • Significance: It underscores God's control over divine revelation and His decision to withdraw, leaving humanity in a state of confusion, despair, or lack of divine guidance.
• who then can behold Him, (וּמִי יְשׁוּרֶנּוּ - ūmî yəšûrénnu):
  • Who then: Again, a rhetorical question meaning "no one."
  • behold Him: The verb יְשׁוּרֶנּוּ (yəšûrénnu) from שׁוּר (shūr) means to see, look, gaze at, perceive, or understand. If God hides His face, no one can see Him, either literally (in a vision) or figuratively (understand His ways or presence).
  • Significance: When God chooses to conceal Himself or His purposes, no human effort, intellect, or spiritual searching can penetrate that concealment.
• whether it is a nation or a man? (אִם־עַל־גּוֹי וְאִם־עַל־אָדָם - ʾim-ʿal-goy wəʾim-ʿal-ʾādām):
  • Nation (גּוֹי - goy): Refers to a people group or country, implying corporate destiny.
  • Man (אָדָם - ʾādām): Refers to an individual human being.
  • Significance: This phrase emphasizes God's impartiality and universal sovereignty. His absolute control applies equally to vast collective entities (nations) and individual lives. No one is exempt from His ultimate authority or ability to dispense peace or withdraw His presence.

Job 34 29 Bonus section

Elihu's perspective throughout his speeches, particularly in Job 34, introduces the concept that God's ways, while righteous, are not always immediately comprehensible or explainable to humanity. He shifts the debate from Job's strict adherence to a retribution theology (suffering = sin) to a more expansive view of God's unsearchable greatness and sovereignty, foreshadowing God's own direct address to Job in the later chapters. This verse serves as a culmination of Elihu's argument regarding God's divine transcendence, meaning God is entirely distinct from and above His creation. He can act or not act, reveal or not reveal, based purely on His sovereign will, without accountability to human reasoning. The rhetorical questions employed ("who then can?") are typical of ancient wisdom literature to emphasize undeniable truths about the divine nature, often leading to a call for humility and trust in God's superior wisdom rather than questioning His justice based on limited human understanding. This impartiality of God – "whether it is a nation or a man" – underscores that no entity is too large to escape His judgment, nor too small to be beneath His sovereign hand, reminding us of God's universal governance.

Job 34 29 Commentary

Elihu, in Job 34:29, powerfully asserts the comprehensive sovereignty of God, presenting two parallel statements that underscore His unchallenged authority. First, when God grants peace or quietness, no one possesses the power or capability to disrupt it. This speaks to a divine tranquility that human or adversarial forces are utterly helpless against, illustrating God's omnipotent guardianship over what He establishes. Second, Elihu states that when God chooses to hide His face – a potent biblical metaphor for the withdrawal of His favor, presence, or immediate revelation – no one, neither an entire nation nor a single individual, can then perceive or understand Him. This highlights God's absolute autonomy over His own revelation and the profound helplessness of humanity to access Him outside His own choosing. The dual structure emphasizes God's absolute control over both active intervention (giving peace) and passive withdrawal (hiding His face), applicable impartially to all levels of existence from the global to the personal. This serves as a strong counterpoint to Job's complaints, reminding him and us that God operates beyond human comprehension and control, ruling justly over all without needing to explain Himself.

• Practical Example 1: A person faces deep distress, but then experiences an inexplicable sense of peace in their heart – God "gives quietness" despite outward circumstances.
• Practical Example 2: A nation finds itself in turmoil, yet when God sovereignly intervenes or withholds His hand, it is rendered powerless to fully control its own destiny or grasp the divine purposes at play.