Job 35:7 kjv
If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?
Job 35:7 nkjv
If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?
Job 35:7 niv
If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand?
Job 35:7 esv
If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand?
Job 35:7 nlt
If you are good, is this some great gift to him?
What could you possibly give him?
Job 35 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 16:2 | I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; I have no good apart from you.” | God's absolute self-sufficiency and human dependence. |
| Job 22:2-3 | “Can a man be profitable to God? ...is it any gain to the Almighty if you make your ways blameless?” | Elihu echoes Eliphaz's earlier argument on God's independence. |
| Job 41:11 | Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? | God's absolute ownership and non-indebtedness. |
| Acts 17:25 | nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. | God's complete independence and as the giver of all. |
| Rom 11:35-36 | “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. | God is the source and ultimate recipient of all, needing nothing. |
| Ps 50:12-13 | “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and all its fullness are mine. Do I eat the flesh of bulls or drink the blood of goats?” | God's lack of need for material provisions. |
| 1 Chr 29:14 | “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able thus to offer willingly? For all things come from you, and of your own have we given you.” | Recognition that all gifts to God are from what He has already given. |
| Luk 17:10 | So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’ | Human duty doesn't create merit for God, but fulfills obligation. |
| Isa 40:18 | To whom then will you liken God, or what likeness will you compare to him? | Emphasizes God's incomparable nature, transcending human categories. |
| Isa 40:25 | “To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?” says the Holy One. | Reiterates God's uniqueness and inability to be equated with anything. |
| Isa 55:9 | For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. | God's transcendence in wisdom and ways. |
| Ps 97:9 | For you, O LORD, are most high over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods. | God's supreme elevation over all. |
| 1 Tim 6:15-16 | ...the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no human being has seen or can see. | God's inherent majesty, glory, and independence. |
| Job 35:8 | Your wickedness harms a man like yourself, and your righteousness profits a son of man. | Directly follows verse 7, clarifying where the impact of actions lies. |
| Deut 6:24 | And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes...for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as we are today. | Obedience benefits the obedient, not God. |
| Tit 3:8 | ...these things are good and profitable for people. | Righteous living has human benefit. |
| Jer 32:39 | ...and I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. | God's commands are for human benefit. |
| 1 Tim 4:8 | for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, promising for the present life and also for the life to come. | Godliness benefits the believer comprehensively. |
| Rom 6:18-22 | ...and having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness...the outcome is sanctification, and the end eternal life. | Righteousness yields fruit for the believer. |
| Prov 11:18 | The wicked earns deceptive wages, but one who sows righteousness gets a true reward. | Righteousness yields a personal reward. |
Job 35 verses
Job 35 7 Meaning
Job 35:7 conveys the theological principle that human righteousness or good deeds do not provide any inherent benefit or advantage to God Himself. Elihu, speaking to Job, argues that God is entirely self-sufficient and beyond human need or influence. Human actions, whether good or evil, impact other people or oneself, but they do not add to or diminish God's divine being or majesty.
Job 35 7 Context
Job chapter 35 is part of Elihu's third discourse (chapters 35-37). Elihu steps in after Job and his three friends (Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar) have finished their rounds of arguments. Elihu presents himself as a younger, more objective observer who believes he can correct both Job and his friends.
In chapter 35, Elihu addresses Job's complaint that God does not acknowledge or respond to his righteousness (Job 34:5-6, 35:2-3). Elihu counters Job's argument by asserting that human actions, whether good or evil, primarily affect humanity itself, not God. Verse 7, in particular, tackles the notion that human righteousness could somehow enrich or add to God. Elihu argues that God is infinitely great and majestic, dwelling in the heavens, far removed from being influenced or improved by anything a human can do. Therefore, righteousness cannot "profit" God, just as wickedness cannot truly "harm" Him (as stated in Job 35:6, 8).
Historically and culturally, this passage operates within the wisdom literature tradition, which often grapples with profound theological questions about God's nature, justice, and human suffering. Elihu's argument here functions as a polemic against any anthropocentric belief (where humanity is the center or measure of all things) that would diminish God's absolute sovereignty and transcendence. It challenges the common ancient Near Eastern transactional views of deities, where gods might be bribed or appeased by human offerings to gain favor or avoid wrath, suggesting that God operates on a fundamentally different, uninfluenced plane. Elihu asserts that God does not stand in need of anything from His creation.
Job 35 7 Word analysis
If you are righteous (כִּי תִּצְדַּק, ki titzdaq):
- titzdaq comes from the root tsadaq (צָדַק), meaning "to be righteous," "to be just," or "to be vindicated."
- This is a hypothetical statement, even though Job has consistently affirmed his own righteousness.
- Significance: It sets up the premise that even if one achieves the highest level of human righteousness, it does not change God's independent state.
what do you give to him? (מַה תִּתֵּן לוֹ, mah titten lo):
- mah (מַה) is "what" or "what does it mean." Here, it implies "nothing."
- titten (תִּתֵּן) is from nathan (נָתַן), "to give."
- lo (לוֹ) is "to him," referring to God, the implicit subject of the discussion, who is in the "high heavens" (Job 35:5).
- Significance: This question is rhetorical, emphatically pointing out the inability of humans to offer anything that God actually "needs" or that would enhance His being. God is not dependent on human generosity or achievement.
Or what does he receive from your hand? (וּמַה יִּקַּח מִיָּדֶךָ, u-mah yiqqah mi-yad’kha):
- u-mah (וּמַה) means "and what" or "or what," further reinforcing the previous question.
- yiqqah (יִקַּח) is from laqach (לָקַח), "to take" or "to receive."
- mi-yad’kha (מִיָּדֶךָ) literally means "from your hand." "From your hand" is an idiomatic expression signifying "from your power," "from your agency," "from your possession," or "by your doing."
- Significance: This parallel question strengthens the assertion that no action originating from humanity, no matter how righteous, can add anything to God. It underscores His absolute self-sufficiency (aseity).
Words-group analysis:
- "If you are righteous, what do you give to him?": This phrase immediately dismisses the idea of righteousness as a beneficial transaction for God. It reframes human goodness not as something God lacks, but as an action primarily affecting humanity itself or expressing a proper relationship to God without adding to His nature. The language suggests a legal or commercial exchange, which is then dismissed as inapplicable to God.
- "Or what does he receive from your hand?": This parallel question, using the imagery of "receiving from your hand," reiterates the point of absolute divine independence. It covers any form of 'taking' or 'acquiring' by God, emphatically stating that God acquires nothing from human righteousness, because He already possesses all things in their fullness. It counters any notion that humans can impose an obligation or confer a benefit upon God through their acts.
Job 35 7 Bonus section
Elihu's perspective in Job 35, while containing a core truth about God's aseity (His self-existence and independence from creation), needs to be balanced. While humans cannot benefit God in terms of His inherent being, God does express desires and preferences for human conduct, which He describes as pleasing or displeasing Him. For example, Psalm 147:11 states, "the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love." Similarly, Heb 11:6 affirms that without faith, it is impossible to please God. The distinction lies in that pleasing God is about relationship, obedience, and alignment with His character, rather than contributing to His essence or filling a deficit within Him. The truth in Job 35:7 strongly refutes a purely transactional understanding of humanity's relationship with God, where righteousness is viewed as a payment or gift that literally adds value to the Divine. God's call for righteousness is an invitation to share in His holy character and experience His blessings, not to enhance Him.
Job 35 7 Commentary
Job 35:7 encapsulates a profound theological truth about God's intrinsic nature. Elihu's point, though delivered within a context where his broader pronouncements contain elements of presumption, is that God exists independently and possesses perfect completeness. Human righteousness, while commanded by God and beneficial to the individual and society (as Job 35:8 clarifies), does not, and cannot, improve God's glory, power, or blessedness. God is not made richer or stronger by our good deeds, nor poorer or weaker by our sins. He is infinite and self-sustaining. This verse serves to elevate God's transcendent nature, demonstrating that His commands for righteousness are not for His own deficiency but for the well-being and ordered relationship of His creation. It counters any idea that humans can manipulate God through piety or impose an obligation on Him, establishing Him as the ultimate, self-sufficient Giver, who receives nothing that He did not first bestow.