Job 40 14

Job 40:14 kjv

Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.

Job 40:14 nkjv

Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you.

Job 40:14 niv

Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.

Job 40:14 esv

Then will I also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you.

Job 40:14 nlt

Then even I would praise you,
for your own strength would save you.

Job 40 verses

Job 40 14 Meaning

Job 40:14 presents a deeply ironic divine challenge. God addresses Job, declaring that if Job could, by his own might, bring order and defeat chaos in creation—specifically, by subduing the great Behemoth and by implication other powerful creatures—then God Himself would acknowledge Job's ability to save himself. This is a rhetorical question that highlights human inability to deliver oneself from any plight, particularly concerning one's own righteousness or vindication before God. The verse underscores the vast chasm between infinite divine power and finite human limitations.

Job 40 14 Context

Job 40:14 is spoken by God directly to Job out of the whirlwind. This verse is situated within God's second major speech to Job (chapters 40-41), which immediately follows Job's attempts to present his case against God and his initial partial confession (Job 40:3-5). Having previously questioned Job's understanding of the cosmos (chapters 38-39), God now presses the argument closer to Job's own moral and physical capabilities. God challenges Job to clothe himself with divine attributes, pour out his wrath, and humble the proud, as only a deity could. The direct lead-in to Job 40:14 (verses 9-13) queries Job's possession of a divine arm and voice and challenges him to exert cosmic judgment over the wicked. It functions as the ultimate test in God's rhetorical interrogation, demanding Job to demonstrate the power and wisdom necessary to govern the universe and conquer its most formidable creatures, before claiming he could save himself. The entire context aims to dismantle Job's perceived self-righteousness and reveal the immeasurable gap between Creator and creature, forcing Job to realize his place in light of God's absolute sovereignty and unchallengeable power over all creation.

Job 40 14 Word analysis

• Then: Signifies a conditional outcome or a consequence that logically follows if the prior impossible condition (Job's self-deification) were to be met. It sets up the ironic concession.
• I will confess: (אֹודֶךָּ – odekha) From the root יָדָה (yadah). While yadah can mean 'to praise' or 'give thanks', here in the Hiphil stem, and in this confrontational context, it carries the sense of 'to acknowledge,' 'to concede,' or 'to admit.' God is stating that if Job could demonstrate such power, God Himself would be compelled to admit Job's unique ability.
• to you: (אֹודֶךָּ) Indicates the direct recipient of God's ironic concession, Job. The direct address underscores the personal challenge.
• that your own right hand: (יְמִינְךָ – yemincha) "Right hand" (yamin) in biblical thought is a potent symbol. It universally represents strength, power, ability to act, skill, victory, and authority. For God, His right hand is glorious in power, victorious, and upholds. Here, attributing "your own right hand" to Job challenges him to demonstrate similar divine power through his own agency.
• can deliver you: (תּוֹשִׁיעֶךָּ – toshi'echa) From the root יָשַׁע (yasha), meaning 'to save,' 'to deliver,' 'to help,' or 'to bring victory.' In the Hiphil stem, it implies 'to cause to save' or 'to deliver yourself.' This word holds deep theological significance, encompassing not just physical rescue but also vindication, justification, or salvation. God's challenge points to the ultimate impossibility of any human being bringing about their own complete deliverance, especially in spiritual or existential terms, solely by their own might.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Then I will confess to you": This phrase immediately establishes the highly rhetorical and ironic nature of God's statement. God, who is omniscient and all-powerful, needs no proof to "confess" anything. This is God speaking on Job's terms, temporarily lowering Himself to meet Job's prior presumption of equality in wisdom or power, to then shatter that presumption. It signifies an impossible condition being met by a greater impossible "confession."
• "that your own right hand can deliver you": This phrase crystallizes the challenge. "Your own right hand" directly counters any notion that Job is reliant on God. The phrase directly points to self-sufficiency. "Can deliver you" goes to the heart of Job's struggle – his need for deliverance from suffering and vindication. The implication is profound: if Job possesses self-generated power sufficient to control the greatest of God's creation, then that same power could presumably deliver him from his woes, including his disputes with God regarding justice and suffering. This directly foreshadows Job's confession that he spoke of things he did not understand, acknowledging God alone has true power and brings about true salvation/vindication.

Job 40 14 Bonus section

• The challenge in Job 40:14 sets the stage for the detailed description of Behemoth and Leviathan. These creatures represent aspects of chaos and untamable power within creation. By asking Job to subdue them, God implies a challenge to overcome all evil and disorder in the cosmos, a task only befitting God Himself.
• This verse can be understood as an ancient Israelite theological polemic against any notion of human autonomy or self-actualization reaching divine proportions. It decisively asserts divine sovereignty over all created reality, even its most fearsome elements, thereby diminishing any human claim to ultimate control or wisdom.
• The irony also serves as a pedagogical tool. God is not truly asking Job to perform this task, but is using hyperbole to make Job internalize his limitations and the incomprehensible greatness of God's wisdom and might. This prepares Job's heart for true humility and trust, rather than contention.
• The concept of "saving oneself" or "delivering oneself by one's own hand" is a core tenet opposed by the New Covenant teaching on grace. Job 40:14 is an Old Testament prelude to the truth that justification and deliverance come solely through the intervention of God, epitomized by Christ.

Job 40 14 Commentary

Job 40:14 stands as the rhetorical climax of God's challenge to Job. Having paraded the vastness and intricacy of His creation before Job, God shifts from demonstrating His creative power to challenging Job's capacity for cosmic governance. The verse is laden with divine irony: God, the sole possessor of ultimate power, declares He would concede Job's ability to save himself, if Job could subdue Behemoth (and implicitly Leviathan later). This is an impossible condition followed by an impossible outcome. The "right hand" symbolizes sovereign power, effective action, and ultimate deliverance. God essentially asks Job, "If you possess an arm and a right hand with power equal to Mine—power capable of subduing creatures beyond human comprehension and control—then you indeed would have the capacity to deliver yourself."

The theological depth here is significant. It underscores the biblical truth that salvation or deliverance in any profound sense, whether from sin, suffering, or divine judgment, is not achievable by human strength, will, or righteousness. Humanity, including a righteous man like Job, lacks the inherent power and wisdom to navigate cosmic chaos or secure its own vindication before God. This prepares Job for his ultimate submission and repentance in Job 42:1-6, where he acknowledges God's absolute sovereignty and his own creaturely limitation, finally receiving true deliverance and restoration, not through his own right hand, but through God's abundant grace. This principle extends to all of humanity: we are saved not by works but by divine grace and power, as the New Testament repeatedly confirms.