Job 35 12

Job 35:12 kjv

There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.

Job 35:12 nkjv

There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men.

Job 35:12 niv

He does not answer when people cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked.

Job 35:12 esv

There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.

Job 35:12 nlt

And when they cry out, God does not answer
because of their pride.

Job 35 verses

Job 35 12 Meaning

Elihu asserts that when individuals oppressed by wickedness cry out to God, He may not answer them. This divine non-response is attributed not to God's inability or disinterest, but directly to the pride and inherent evil of those making the plea. Their cries arise not from sincere humility, repentance, or genuine seeking of God, but from an arrogant heart unwilling to submit or acknowledge their own unrighteousness.

Job 35 12 Context

Job 35:12 is spoken by Elihu, the youngest of Job's counselors, who enters the debate in Job 32. His discourses aim to correct both Job's self-justification and the overly simplistic retribution theology of the three friends. In this verse, Elihu specifically addresses Job's complaint that God has not responded to his suffering (Job 19:7). Elihu offers a general principle: when God appears silent to suffering people, it is not because God is unaware or uncaring, nor is it a sign of injustice from Him. Rather, the non-response stems from the condition of the supplicants' hearts—specifically, their pride and wickedness. He implies that the cries heard by God are those born of true humility, contrition, or a righteous heart. This reflects a common theological idea that God's silence or lack of intervention is often linked to the spiritual state of humanity. Elihu contends that mere outward crying, if not accompanied by an inward turning to God from arrogance, will not secure a divine answer.

Job 35 12 Word analysis

• There (שָׁם, sham): This adverb points back to the immediate preceding context, specifically Job 35:9-11, which speaks of those who are oppressed, crying out under a heavy hand. It refers to the location or circumstances of oppression where cries arise.
• they cry out (יִצְעֲקוּ, yits'aqu): From the root צעק (tsa'aq), meaning "to cry aloud, call for help, shriek, wail." This term conveys an intense, desperate outcry in distress or emergency. It denotes an audible plea for intervention, common in biblical narratives of distress, like Israel's cry in Egypt.
• but he does not answer (וְלֹא יַעֲנֶה, vĕlo ya'aneh):
  • וְלֹא (vĕlo): "and not," indicating a direct negation and contrast to the crying.
  • יַעֲנֶה (ya'aneh): From the root ענה ('anah), "to answer, respond, reply." This signifies God's deliberate non-response or withholding of a solution. The emphasis is on divine silence as opposed to divine action.
• because of (מִפְּנֵי, mippĕney): Literally "from the face of," serving as a preposition meaning "because of," "on account of," or "before." It establishes a direct causal link between the lack of an answer and the subsequent phrase.
• the pride (גְּאוֹן, gĕ'on): From the root גאה (ga'ah), which can mean "to rise up, be exalted." In this context, gĕ'on specifically refers to negative pride, haughtiness, arrogance, or self-exaltation. It's often used for human arrogance that stands in defiance or opposition to God's authority or truth. It signifies a hardened heart that relies on itself rather than God.
• of evil men (רָעִים, ra'im): Plural of רע (ra'a), meaning "bad, evil, wicked." It describes individuals who are morally corrupt, impious, or do not conform to divine standards. These are not merely suffering, but suffering in a state of wickedness, a condition Elihu views as causative in the lack of divine response.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "There they cry out, but he does not answer": This phrase highlights a universal human experience of distress and the seeking of divine intervention, juxtaposed with an apparent divine silence. The common human reaction to oppression is to cry for help. However, Elihu states that this cry is sometimes met with silence. The issue then becomes why this silence exists.
• "because of the pride of evil men": This clause provides Elihu's explanation for God's non-response. It shifts the blame from God's character to the human character. The problem isn't the suffering itself, nor God's hearing, but the nature of the cry and the heart of the one crying. Their "pride" (arrogance, rebellion against God or refusal to humble themselves) coupled with their inherent "evil" renders their cry unacceptable or unheard by a holy God. Their prayer, in essence, is not a plea for repentance or rescue rooted in humility, but a complaint from an unyielding and sinful heart.

Job 35 12 Bonus section

• Elihu's perspective's limitations: While Elihu articulates sound general principles about God's character and human sin, his mistake, common among Job's friends, is applying this blanket principle definitively to Job, presuming Job's suffering must be due to some specific unconfessed sin or pride. The book of Job ultimately reveals God's sovereignty and Job's integrity beyond such simplistic explanations.
• Nature of the cry: The passage differentiates between any "cry out" and a heard cry. It suggests the difference lies in the spirit behind the prayer—is it mere complaint, self-pity, or defiant protest? Or is it a cry of repentance, brokenness, or humble seeking?
• Polemics against false piety: This verse implicitly argues against the idea that simply performing external religious acts, like crying out, guarantees God's favor or response, especially when the heart remains proud and steeped in evil. It emphasizes the internal condition of the petitioner as paramount.

Job 35 12 Commentary

Job 35:12 encapsulates Elihu’s core argument that divine silence in the face of human suffering and cries for help is directly linked to human unrighteousness, specifically pride and evil. He maintains that when people cry out from a heart of arrogance rather than genuine humility and contrition, God righteously refrains from answering. This teaching stands as a foundational biblical principle that sin, particularly the sin of pride, creates a barrier between humanity and God, impeding divine responsiveness to their pleas (Isa 59:2; Pss 66:18). While Elihu's application to Job's particular case may be a misjudgment of Job's heart, the general principle remains vital: God hears the prayers of the righteous and humble, but opposes the proud (Jas 4:6; 1 Pet 5:5). True supplication requires not merely an utterance, but a heart prepared by humility, acknowledging one's position before a holy God. Thus, God's silence is not impotence, but a just consequence for an unyielding and arrogant spirit.