Job 34:4 kjv
Let us choose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.
Job 34:4 nkjv
Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is good.
Job 34:4 niv
Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good.
Job 34:4 esv
Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.
Job 34:4 nlt
So let us discern for ourselves what is right;
let us learn together what is good.
Job 34 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 30:19 | "...choose life, that you and your offspring may live," | Choosing between life (obedience) and death. |
| Ps 37:27 | "Turn away from evil and do good; so dwell forever." | Doing good as a fundamental righteous act. |
| Ps 119:66 | "Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments." | Seeking discernment from God's wisdom. |
| Prov 2:9 | "Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path." | Understanding justice from wisdom. |
| Prov 3:21 | "My son, do not lose sight of sound wisdom and discretion;" | The importance of sound wisdom. |
| Prov 4:7 | "The beginning of wisdom is this: Get wisdom, and whatever you get, get insight." | Seeking wisdom and understanding. |
| Prov 8:12 | "I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion." | Wisdom leading to knowledge and discretion. |
| Prov 11:14 | "Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety." | Value of shared counsel and wisdom. |
| Prov 15:21 | "Folly is a joy to him who is lacking in sense, but a man of understanding walks straight." | Walking straight by understanding. |
| Prov 17:24 | "The discerning person looks to wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." | Wisdom and discernment contrasting folly. |
| Prov 20:18 | "Plans are established by counsel; by wise guidance wage war." | Deliberation and wise counsel for decisions. |
| Isa 1:17 | "learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression..." | Active pursuit of good and justice. |
| Amos 5:14 | "Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you," | Choosing and seeking good. |
| Mic 6:8 | "He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice and to love kindness..." | Knowing and doing God's requirements (justice, kindness, humility). |
| Hab 2:4 | "...but the righteous shall live by his faith." | Living justly by faithfulness, contrasts Job's friends. |
| Job 36:2 | "Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet more to say on God’s behalf." | Elihu's purpose: explaining God's ways. |
| Job 36:3 | "I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker." | Elihu seeking true knowledge about God's justice. |
| Job 40:8 | "Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be justified?" | God challenges Job's accusations of injustice. |
| Psa 89:14 | "Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;" | God's rule founded on righteousness. |
| Psa 97:2 | "Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne." | God's justice even in mystery. |
| Rom 12:9 | "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good." | Distinguishing and adhering to what is good. |
| Phil 1:9-10 | "...that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent," | Growing in discernment to approve excellence. |
| 1 Thes 5:21-22 | "But test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil." | Testing and holding onto what is good. |
| Heb 5:14 | "But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil." | Maturation involves trained discernment. |
Job 34 verses
Job 34 4 Meaning
Job 34:4 presents Elihu's call to Job and his three friends for a collective exercise in discerning truth and morality. He urges them to actively select and agree upon what is just, righteous, and morally upright. It is an invitation to engage in a shared, reasoned pursuit of a sound understanding of God's character and His ways, particularly concerning divine justice in human suffering.
Job 34 4 Context
This verse is part of Elihu's first major speech in the Book of Job. Having remained silent through the preceding dialogues between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar), Elihu, a younger man, steps forward. He states his frustration with all parties: Job for presuming God is unjust, and the friends for failing to answer Job convincingly, yet condemning him without proper understanding. Elihu believes he possesses a clearer insight into God's ways. In Job 34:4, Elihu challenges them all to pause their debate based on faulty assumptions and instead collaboratively seek truth concerning God's actions and character. The historical context reflects a wisdom dispute in ancient Near Eastern culture, grappling with the problem of evil and suffering, and the Israelite understanding of divine justice (retribution theology), which Job's experience profoundly challenged. Elihu seeks to elevate the discussion from mere accusation to reasoned deliberation, preparing for God's eventual appearance and resolution.
Job 34 4 Word analysis
- לָנוּ (lānu): Transliteration: lanu. Meaning: "to us," "for us," "ourselves."
- Significance: Emphasizes a shared, collective responsibility and effort. Elihu is not dictating, but inviting mutual participation in discerning truth. It moves the discussion from individual declarations to a joint endeavor.
- נִבְחֲרָה (nibḥarâ): Transliteration: niv'khara. From the root
בחר(bakhar), meaning "to choose," "to select," "to decide." This form is a cohortative, expressing an exhortation or a joint resolution: "let us choose."- Significance: Implies active selection and judgment, not passive reception. It highlights human agency in distinguishing right from wrong, though ultimately guided by divine truth. It suggests a deliberate mental act of discrimination.
- מִשְׁפָּט (mišpāṭ): Transliteration: mishpat. Meaning: "justice," "judgment," "right," "custom," "due."
- Significance: A profound biblical term encompassing both the act of judging and the standard by which judgment is made (righteousness, equity). Elihu urges them to choose true justice—justice as defined by God, not human fallibility. This is key to understanding God's relationship with humanity, especially in suffering.
- נֵדְעָה (niddəʿâ): Transliteration: nede'a. From the root
ידע(yada), meaning "to know," "to perceive," "to discern," "to understand." Also a cohortative: "let us know," "let us discern."- Significance: Reinforces the intellectual and perceptive aspect of the proposed endeavor. It's about gaining genuine understanding, distinguishing truth from error, particularly in matters of God's ways and moral conduct. It is about spiritual intelligence and insight.
- בֵּינֵינוּ (bênēnū): Transliteration: beineinu. Meaning: "between us," "among ourselves."
- Significance: Reiterates the communal aspect. The discernment is to happen within their group, through open discussion and collaboration, rather than solitary introspection or unchallenged assertion.
- מַה־טּוֹב (mah-ṭōḇ): Transliteration: mah tov. Meaning: "what is good."
- Significance:
ṭōḇ(good) in Hebrew encompasses moral excellence, what is beneficial, pleasing, and right. It signifies what aligns with God's character and perfect will. Combined withmišpāṭ(justice), it presents a comprehensive standard for truth and morality, applicable to understanding divine action and human response.
- Significance:
Words-Group Analysis:
- "Let us choose what is right" (לָנוּ נִבְחֲרָה מִשְׁפָּט): This phrase is an active exhortation to establish a correct understanding of justice. It's not about inventing justice, but recognizing and affirming divine justice against the flawed human interpretations. It implies an ethical commitment to the truth.
- "let us discern among ourselves what is good" (נֵדְעָה בֵּינֵינוּ מַה־טּוֹב): This expands the scope from "justice" to the broader concept of "goodness," indicating a desire for a holistic, correct understanding of God's ways and moral principles. The communal "among ourselves" stresses open, rational deliberation as a path to clarity and shared conviction, contrasting with the previous circular arguments based on incomplete premises. It's a call to collaborative spiritual reasoning.
Job 34 4 Bonus section
Elihu's intervention is seen by many scholars as a pivotal transition, bridging the intense, flawed human debate and God's eventual majestic appearance (Job 38-41). His approach is didactic; he aims to re-educate Job and his friends. This verse, with its emphasis on "us" and "among ourselves," underscores the importance of community in the pursuit of truth and discernment. While divine revelation is ultimately supreme, there is a legitimate and necessary process of human reasoning and spiritual contemplation, especially within a community of faith, to rightly understand God's complex attributes and dealings. Elihu essentially calls for a "sanity check" and a renewed commitment to accurate theology through careful, shared examination.
Job 34 4 Commentary
Job 34:4 is Elihu's initial call for intellectual and spiritual sobriety in the midst of a theological deadlock. Having heard Job accuse God of injustice and the friends erroneously conclude Job's guilt, Elihu advocates for a higher form of discernment. He proposes that instead of defending pre-conceived notions or falling into despair, they should actively and collectively pursue truth, asking not what seems right to them, but what is truly just (mišpāṭ) and genuinely good (ṭōḇ) in God's eyes. This challenges all parties to transcend their limited perspectives and approach divine matters with humility, a willingness to learn, and shared deliberation. It's a reminder that true wisdom often emerges not from stubborn conviction, but from collective seeking of divine revelation and righteous understanding.