Job 36:17 kjv
But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold on thee.
Job 36:17 nkjv
But you are filled with the judgment due the wicked; Judgment and justice take hold of you.
Job 36:17 niv
But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
Job 36:17 esv
"But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; judgment and justice seize you.
Job 36:17 nlt
But you are obsessed with whether the godless will be judged.
Don't worry, judgment and justice will be upheld.
Job 36 17 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 1:4-6 | The wicked are not so, but are like chaff... the way of the wicked will perish. | Fate of the wicked |
| Ps 9:17 | The wicked shall return to Sheol, all the nations that forget God. | Destination of the wicked |
| Prov 11:3, 5-6 | The integrity of the upright guides them, but the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them... | Righteous vs. wicked judgment |
| Isa 3:10-11 | Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them... Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him... | God's justice in rewarding righteous/wicked |
| Rom 2:8-9 | ...but for those who are self-seeking... there will be wrath and fury. | Judgment for unrighteousness |
| 2 Pet 2:9 | then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment. | God distinguishes between godly and unrighteous |
| Gal 6:7-8 | For whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption... | Principle of reaping what one sows |
| Exod 14:25 | the Lord fought for Israel against the Egyptians. | God's judgment taking hold (historical) |
| Deut 32:41 | I will wreak vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. | God executing judgment/vengeance |
| Isa 59:18 | According to their deeds, so will he repay, wrath to his adversaries... | God's recompense for ungodliness |
| Jer 25:31 | For the Lord has a controversy with the nations; he enters into judgment with all flesh... | God's global judgment |
| Eze 7:27 | ...according to their ways I will deal with them, and according to their judgments I will judge them. | Consequence according to deeds |
| Matt 23:35 | ...so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth... | Righteous judgment upon a generation |
| Rom 1:18 | For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men... | God's active wrath against sin |
| Job 9:22 | It is all one; therefore I say, he destroys both the blameless and the wicked. | Job's perspective: suffering isn't always punitive |
| Job 10:3 | Does it seem good to you to oppress, to despise the work of your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked? | Job questioning God's apparent judgment |
| Job 27:8 | For what is the hope of the godless when God takes away his life? | Job's rhetorical question about the wicked |
| Job 34:10-12 | Far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong... He will repay a person according to his work... | Elihu's general defense of God's justice |
| Job 35:2-3 | Do you think this to be just: 'I am in the right before God,' that you say, 'What advantage will it be to me, your profit over sin?' | Elihu challenges Job's claim of righteousness |
| Job 40:2 | Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God must answer it. | God's later rebuke to Job (and Elihu) |
| Heb 12:5-8 | Do not despise the discipline of the Lord... for the Lord disciplines the one he loves... | Suffering as discipline, not always punishment |
| Jas 1:2-4 | Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. | Trials for spiritual growth and maturity |
Job 36 verses
Job 36 17 Meaning
Elihu accuses Job of being entirely enveloped by the kind of judgment typically meted out to the wicked. He claims that Job's current experience of suffering is equivalent to receiving the deserved condemnation for unrighteousness, and that divine justice and judgment have seized hold of him inescapably. This suggests Job is experiencing or adopting the mindset of those under God's righteous wrath.
Job 36 17 Context
Job chapter 36 features Elihu's continued discourse, aiming to correct Job's perspective on his suffering. Elihu asserts God's omnipotence and righteous administration of justice, emphasizing that God uses affliction for both punishment and discipline to teach and purify. Elihu had been presenting a view that suffering could be disciplinary to avert greater sin or to teach humility. However, in verse 17, his tone shifts to a more direct and harsh accusation against Job. Elihu seems to interpret Job's persistent complaints and refusal to admit wrongdoing as placing him in the category of those who defiantly resist God's righteous judgment. The historical and cultural context reflects a common ancient Near Eastern understanding that intense suffering was a direct consequence of significant sin. While Elihu tries to add nuance about discipline, this verse appears to fall back into the simpler retribution theology, accusing Job of embodying the fate or mindset of the genuinely wicked.
Job 36 17 Word analysis
But (אַךְ - ʾakh): A strong adversative particle, setting up a contrast. Here, it emphasizes a pointed observation or accusation towards Job, highlighting a stark reality from Elihu's perspective.
you (אַתָּה - ʾattāh): The second person singular masculine pronoun. Direct and emphatic, singling Job out for the pronouncement.
are filled with (מָלֵאתָ - mālēʾtā): From the verb מָלֵא (mālēʾ), meaning "to be full, to be filled, to fill." In the Qal perfect, it implies a completed state of being saturated or overwhelmed. Elihu perceives Job's very being or experience as permeated by the specific kind of judgment. This goes beyond a surface observation; it implies a deep internal state or encompassing condition.
the judgment (מִשְׁפָּט - mishpat): A multifaceted Hebrew term. While often meaning "justice" or "ordinance," in this context, when coupled with "of the wicked," it strongly conveys "sentence," "verdict," or "punishment." It refers to the consequence meted out according to righteous divine decree.
of the wicked (רָשָׁע - rāšāʿ): The noun/adjective "wicked, guilty, unrighteous." This term specifically refers to those who disregard divine law or moral standards. Elihu is explicitly linking Job's suffering, and possibly his response to it, to the rightful consequences of the ungodly, which is a significant and offensive accusation to Job.
justice (דִּין - dîn): Another term for "judgment," "controversy," or "cause." Often used synonymously with mishpat or in conjunction for emphasis. Here, it underscores the judicial nature of the experience Job is supposedly undergoing.
and judgment (וּמִשְׁפָּט - u-mishpat): The repetition of mishpat, or its pairing with dîn, creates a hendiadys meaning "righteous judgment" or "just verdict." This repetition adds intensity and finality, emphasizing the comprehensive and undeniable nature of the divine judicial process in Elihu's eyes.
have taken hold of you (יִתְמְכוּ - yitmᵉkū): From the verb תָּמַךְ (tāmak), meaning "to grasp, to take hold, to support." In the Hithpael imperfect, it suggests an intense, gripping, and self-affirming action. It depicts justice and judgment as active agents that have completely seized or enveloped Job, indicating his utter capture by this condition. There's no escaping this state, as far as Elihu is concerned.
Job 36 17 Bonus section
- The phrasing in this verse might suggest that Elihu believes Job has not merely incurred judgment, but has adopted a mindset or displayed characteristics that are typical of the wicked who are under divine judgment, especially in his responses to his suffering.
- The use of two distinct but related Hebrew terms for "judgment" (mishpat and dîn) in quick succession emphasizes the thoroughness and finality of the perceived divine verdict upon Job in Elihu's view.
- Elihu's perspective here demonstrates the theological blind spots of Job's friends and even Elihu, who, while trying to be more enlightened, still fundamentally misdiagnose Job's condition, revealing a common human tendency to oversimplify divine action and categorize complex suffering into simplistic frameworks of reward and punishment.
Job 36 17 Commentary
Job 36:17 represents a pivotal, harsh accusation from Elihu against Job. After expounding on God's just and disciplinary uses of affliction, Elihu pivots to accuse Job directly of experiencing a judgment reserved for the truly wicked. Elihu perceives Job's state as one "filled with the judgment of the wicked," implying that Job is either so saturated with unrighteousness or is reacting to his suffering in a way that aligns him with those under divine wrath. The phrase "justice and judgment have taken hold of you" vividly portrays an inescapable predicament where divine accountability has completely enveloped Job. Elihu, despite his attempts at theological sophistication, ultimately falls back into the simplistic retribution theology that condemned Job. He mistakes Job's bitter complaints—expressions of a wounded righteous man—for the defiant laments of the ungodly, failing to see the unique, purposed nature of Job's trial which transcended conventional punitive models. This verse highlights the profound theological chasm between Elihu's limited human understanding and God's sovereign, multifaceted purposes for suffering.