Job 34 6

Job 34:6 kjv

Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression.

Job 34:6 nkjv

Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

Job 34:6 niv

Although I am right, I am considered a liar; although I am guiltless, his arrow inflicts an incurable wound.'

Job 34:6 esv

in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'

Job 34:6 nlt

I am innocent, but they call me a liar.
My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.'

Job 34 verses

Job 34 6 Meaning

In Job 34:6, Elihu articulates what he perceives as Job's defiant assertion. Elihu believes Job claims that despite his adherence to righteousness, he is unjustly condemned and accused of falsehood. Furthermore, Elihu implies Job feels his profound and unrelenting suffering, particularly a deep physical affliction, is incurable and has struck him even though he believes himself to be entirely free of any transgression warranting such divine judgment. Elihu is presenting this as Job's impious questioning of God's justice.

Job 34 6 Context

Job 34:6 is uttered by Elihu, a young observer who interjects into the discourse between Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) after they have exhausted their arguments and Job has made his final, most insistent claims of innocence (Job 29-31). Elihu's speeches span chapters 32-37.

Specifically, in chapter 34, Elihu is responding directly to what he perceives as Job's errant claims and challenges to God's righteousness. He sees Job's declaration of his own righteousness, juxtaposed with his intense suffering, as an accusation that God is unjust. Elihu vehemently defends God's absolute righteousness, power, and wisdom. He contends that God is far too great and just to ever pervert judgment or treat His creation unfairly. Elihu presents Job 34:6 as an interpretation or summation of Job's repeated grievances: "I am innocent, yet I am punished; therefore, God must be unfair." Elihu intends to correct Job's perspective, emphasizing God's sovereign right to do as He pleases, that He always acts justly, and that suffering, while not always punitive for specific sins, can serve corrective or refining purposes, and certainly does not indicate divine injustice. The historical context reflects a general understanding of suffering as directly tied to sin, which Elihu attempts to refine by emphasizing God's broader purpose, but still falling short of fully grasping the mystery of Job's suffering.

Job 34 6 Word analysis

• "In spite of my right" / בְּצִדְקִי (bəṣidqī)

  • Word: "בְּצִדְקִי" combines "בְּ" (bə-, "in" or "by") with "צִדְקִי" (ṣidqī), meaning "my righteousness."
  • Significance: Job's assertion of blamelessness. The term "צֶדֶק" (tzedek) signifies moral rectitude, justice, integrity. It refers to a state of being morally upright and adhering to divine standards, which Job vehemently maintains regarding his character. This claim of righteousness is a core of Job's defense throughout the book.

• "I am counted a liar" / אֲכַזֵּב (ʾakhazzēḇ)

  • Word: From the root "כזב" (kazav), meaning "to lie, deceive, prove false."
  • Significance: Elihu states that Job perceives himself as being proven false or treated as a liar, especially in the eyes of God, despite his integrity. This points to Job's feeling of profound misrepresentation and injustice—he feels God is not acknowledging his truthfulness.

• "my wound is incurable" / וּבִלְעִי אָנוּשׁ (uvil‘ī ʾānûš)

  • Words: "וּבִלְעִי" (u-vil'ī) often relates to "my wound" or "my destruction/swallowing," signifying a severe, overwhelming affliction. "אָנוּשׁ" (ānûš) means "incurable," "desperate," or "mortally ill."
  • Significance: This emphasizes the severe, chronic, and seemingly irreversible nature of Job's physical and emotional suffering. He feels there is no end or remedy to his deep distress, underscoring the intensity of his agony.

• "though I am without transgression" / פֶּשַׁע (pešaʿ)

  • Word: "פֶּשַׁע" (pešaʿ) signifies "transgression," "rebellion," or "sin," often implying a breaking of a covenant or willful defiance against God. The precise grammatical parsing of this part of the verse (especially with the difficult verb that follows in the Masoretic Text) makes direct translation complex, leading to variations like "my wound is incurable and my transgression has ceased" or "my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression."
  • Significance: In the commonly understood sense of the verse (as translated by major English versions), this phrase underscores Job's central complaint: that his immense suffering is undeserved, as he believes he has committed no significant transgression to warrant it. It highlights his perceived innocence in the face of immense calamity.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "In spite of my right I am counted a liar": This phrase encapsulates Job's deep frustration and sense of being utterly misunderstood. He, a man declared righteous by God Himself (Job 1:1, 1:8), perceives God's treatment of him as a repudiation of his truthfulness and integrity. This is the heart of Job's perceived grievance against divine justice, as interpreted by Elihu.

• "my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression": This phrase unites the reality of Job's suffering with his conviction of innocence. It emphasizes the disproportionality between his grievous, unending pain and his self-perceived lack of deserving sin. This creates the paradox that causes Job to question divine order and justice, challenging the prevailing retributive theology of his time. Elihu sees this statement as particularly egregious, implying a direct accusation against the perfect justice of God.

Job 34 6 Bonus section

Elihu represents a fresh, often more profound theological voice compared to the three older friends, though not without his own flaws. He accurately perceives Job's intellectual arrogance in questioning God's ways (Job 34:35-37), and correctly asserts God's ultimate justice and inability to act wickedly (Job 34:10, 17-19). He also introduces the concept of suffering as a form of divine discipline or corrective, a less punitive explanation than offered by the friends (Job 33:16-19). However, he still largely adheres to the "retribution principle," applying it in a nuanced way to Job's complaints rather than his prior conduct. Job 34:6 is a distillation of Job's feelings about himself and God, viewed through Elihu's critical lens, setting the stage for Elihu's fervent defense of divine omnipotence and moral rectitude against what he sees as Job's hubris.

Job 34 6 Commentary

Job 34:6, spoken by Elihu, is his interpretation of Job's consistent laments and defenses of innocence. Elihu believes Job has declared himself righteous but feels God has unjustly treated him as if he were deceitful, inflicting an incurable affliction upon him despite his claimed blamelessness. Elihu views such a sentiment as challenging God's inherent justice and perfect judgment. Throughout his speech, Elihu seeks to correct what he perceives as Job's impiety, steadfastly upholding God's sovereignty and impeccable righteousness. For Elihu, God's nature dictates that He cannot pervert justice (Job 34:10, 12). While Elihu accurately identifies Job's core complaint—suffering innocently—he, like the other friends, fundamentally misunderstands the purpose of Job's suffering. Elihu is right to affirm God's justice, but wrong in attributing the cause of Job's suffering to hidden sin or the sin of challenging God, missing the dimension of testing and refining that can come through adversity. This verse captures the human outcry against seemingly unmerited pain and divine silence, a theme profoundly explored in the Bible, culminating in Christ's undeserved suffering which demonstrates divine justice and grace in perfect unity.