Job 37 24

Job 37:24 kjv

Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.

Job 37:24 nkjv

Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart."

Job 37:24 niv

Therefore, people revere him, for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?"

Job 37:24 esv

Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit."

Job 37:24 nlt

No wonder people everywhere fear him.
All who are wise show him reverence. "

Job 37 verses

Job 37 24 Meaning

Elihu concludes his discourse by stating that because God is infinitely mighty and just, mankind should revere Him. Furthermore, God does not acknowledge or validate those who rely on their own human wisdom or insight, particularly those who are proud of it. He holds no regard for such self-congratulatory understanding.

Job 37 24 Context

Job 37:24 is the culminating point of Elihu’s final discourse, which spans chapters 32-37. Elihu, the youngest of Job’s interlocutors, positions himself as a spokesman for God, challenging Job's complaints and his friends' rigid arguments. In chapter 37, Elihu focuses intently on God's overwhelming majesty as displayed in natural phenomena – thunder, lightning, snow, ice, wind, and clouds – describing them as evidences of God’s awesome power, meticulous control, and unsearchable nature. He emphasizes that human beings cannot fully comprehend or measure God's wisdom and might (Job 37:23). Thus, 37:24 serves as a powerful summary statement: a recognition of God's transcendent power should evoke profound reverence (fear) in humanity, and simultaneously, it demonstrates that God holds no esteem for human wisdom that prides itself in its own understanding, particularly when such wisdom presumes to grasp or judge God's inscrutable ways. The historical context for the original audience, living in an ancient Near Eastern world with polytheistic views and often personified natural forces, would see Elihu's declaration as a polemic: God alone controls all nature, not other deities, and His wisdom vastly surpasses even the most revered human sagacity of their time.

Job 37 24 Word analysis

• Therefore (לָכֵן, lākēn): A logical connector, indicating a conclusion drawn from the preceding arguments in Job 37 about God's immense power and inscrutable control over creation (v. 1-23). It signals a summary point based on presented evidence.
• men (אֲנָשִׁים, ’anāšîm): Refers to humanity in general, all people. It emphasizes the universal scope of the implications of God’s majesty.
• fear (יִירָאֻֽהוּ, yîrā’uhu): From the root יָרֵא (yare), meaning to fear, reverence, stand in awe. In this biblical context, it primarily conveys awe, veneration, and respect, rather than mere terror, in the face of God's immense power and majesty. It implies a recognition of His supreme authority and incomprehensibility.
• him (הוּא, hu’): Refers unambiguously to God, the Almighty, whose power Elihu has extensively detailed.
• he respecteth not / does not regard (לֹ֣א יִרְאֶ֗ה, lō’ yir’eh): Literally "He does not see/look upon." From רָאָה (ra’ah), meaning to see, look, perceive, but here carries the sense of acknowledging, validating, or paying heed to. The negation "not" (לֹ֣א, lō’) strongly asserts God's complete lack of deference or approval towards the subject that follows.
• any that are wise of heart / wise in their own eyes (כָּל־חַכְמֵי־לֵ֥ב, kāl ḥaḵmê-lēḇ): This is a crucial phrase.
  • כָּל־ (kāl): "All" or "any," emphasizing comprehensive dismissal.
  • חַכְמֵי (ḥaḵmê): Plural construct state of חָכָם (ḥākām), "wise." Refers to those who possess wisdom.
  • לֵב (lēḇ): "Heart," which in Hebrew thought denotes the entire inner being – mind, intellect, will, emotions. "Wise of heart" could imply genuine wisdom (as in skilled craftsmen Exod 28:3), but in this specific context (and often elsewhere in wisdom literature), when combined with God's disregard, it signifies those whose wisdom is human-centered, self-derived, and often accompanied by pride, leading to a self-assured dismissal of divine ways. Many translations correctly render it as "wise in their own eyes" to capture this sense of prideful human intellect that operates independently of or in opposition to God's revelation. God simply does not consider their self-proclaimed insights relevant or valid when compared to His unsearchable decrees and actions.

Job 37 24 Words-group analysis

• "Therefore men fear him": This phrase succinctly expresses the proper human response to God's revealed might. The overwhelming display of God's power in nature should lead to a universal response of reverent fear among mankind. This isn't terror, but a deep awe and recognition of His supremacy, urging humility.
• "he respecteth not any that are wise of heart": This powerful negative statement delineates the boundary between true reverence for God and intellectual arrogance. God, in His infinite wisdom and power, stands above and takes no account of any human wisdom, particularly that which originates from human pride or presumes to evaluate divine actions based solely on human logic. It is a dismissal of self-sufficiency in understanding God, implying that human wisdom, when relied upon without humility before God, is ultimately inconsequential to Him.

Job 37 24 Bonus section

Elihu, despite his younger age, is presented as having divine insight (Job 32:8). His speech, while still from a human perspective, sets the stage for God's direct appearance in Job 38. The point about God disregarding the "wise of heart" prefigures God's own challenge to Job (Job 38:2, "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?"). This verse subtly yet strongly advocates for an epistemology rooted in divine revelation and humility rather than self-reliance. It also reflects a common biblical theme that true wisdom comes from God alone and begins with proper reverence for Him, in contrast to ancient polytheistic systems where humans might attempt to manipulate or understand deities through various wisdom traditions.

Job 37 24 Commentary

Job 37:24 acts as a summation of Elihu’s lengthy argument, serving as a climactic assertion of God's ultimate sovereignty and incomprehensibility. It underscores two profound truths. First, in the face of God's unassailable majesty, wisdom, and power, which Elihu meticulously described through natural phenomena, the only fitting human response is reverential fear – an awe-filled respect that acknowledges one's subordinate position. This "fear" is not debilitating dread but a humbling recognition of the divine. Second, Elihu delivers a direct rebuke to intellectual arrogance. God pays no heed to human wisdom that operates outside of His framework, especially wisdom that is self-proclaimed or wise "in its own eyes." Such wisdom is dismissible by the Almighty because it relies on limited human understanding, often devoid of humility and faith. The verse calls all humanity to humble themselves before God’s infinite wisdom rather than rely on their own finite, often prideful, understanding. This statement implicitly critiques the arguments of Job's friends, and even Job himself, who attempted to comprehend or judge God’s ways through their limited human lenses. True wisdom, Elihu implies, begins with the recognition of God's unsearchable greatness and a humble reverence for Him.

Examples: A brilliant scholar who, despite vast knowledge, dismisses spiritual truths based on human rationale alone. A person facing profound suffering who, like Job’s friends, offers glib explanations based on simplistic human wisdom about God's justice, failing to grasp His deeper, unsearchable purposes.