Job 5:18 kjv
For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
Job 5:18 nkjv
For He bruises, but He binds up; He wounds, but His hands make whole.
Job 5:18 niv
For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.
Job 5:18 esv
For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
Job 5:18 nlt
For though he wounds, he also bandages.
He strikes, but his hands also heal.
Job 5 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 32:39 | "I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal..." | God's dual power over life and affliction |
| 1 Sam 2:6-7 | "The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up..." | God's sovereignty over life and death, humbling |
| Hos 6:1 | "Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us..." | God wounds to heal, a direct parallel |
| Lam 3:31-33 | "For the Lord will not cast off forever, but though he cause grief, he will have compassion..." | God's mercy follows His discipline |
| Psa 30:5 | "For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime; weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning." | Temporary grief, ultimate joy and favor |
| Psa 147:3 | "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." | God as the ultimate healer and restorer |
| Isa 30:26 | "...and the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun sevenfold, in the day when the LORD binds up the brokenness of his people, and heals the wound of his blow." | Future complete healing and restoration |
| Isa 45:7 | "I form light and create darkness; I make well-being and create calamity..." | God's ultimate sovereignty over all outcomes |
| Jer 30:17 | "For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the LORD..." | God's promise of restoration for His people |
| Prov 3:11-12 | "My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the LORD reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights." | God's discipline as a sign of love |
| Heb 12:6-11 | "For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives... it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." | New Testament affirmation of God's refining discipline |
| 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 as a means to spiritual growth |
| Rom 8:28 | "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." | God's purpose behind all circumstances |
| 2 Cor 1:3-4 | "...the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction..." | God's comfort through and in suffering |
| 1 Pet 5:10 | "And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace... will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you." | God's ultimate work of restoration after suffering |
| Job 2:10 | "But he said to her, 'You speak as one of the foolish women would speak. Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?'" | Job's own acknowledgment of God's sovereignty over both |
| Job 42:10 | "And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before." | Job's personal fulfillment of this principle |
| Phil 1:6 | "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." | God completes His redemptive work |
| Eph 1:11 | "In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will..." | God's overarching purpose in all things |
| Rev 21:4 | "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." | Ultimate, complete healing in the new creation |
| Luke 4:18 | "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor... to proclaim recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed..." | Christ's ministry reflects God's healing purpose |
| Jer 17:14 | "Heal me, O LORD, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for you are my praise." | A plea for divine healing and trust in God |
| Psa 34:19 | "Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all." | God's deliverance from multiple trials |
| Jer 8:22 | "Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?" | The question implying God is the source of healing |
| Exod 15:26 | "...for I am the LORD, your healer." (Jehovah Rapha) | God's inherent nature as the Healer |
Job 5 verses
Job 5 18 Meaning
Eliphaz, one of Job's friends, articulates a profound truth about God's nature: He sovereignly inflicts hardship or pain, but with the ultimate purpose of correction and restoration. God is depicted as the one who both wounds and lovingly tends to the wounds He has caused, demonstrating His absolute control over both affliction and well-being. This suggests that any suffering allowed or sent by God is not for destruction but for a redemptive outcome, ultimately leading to healing and renewed wholeness.
Job 5 18 Context
Job 5:18 appears in the middle of Eliphaz the Temanite's first speech to Job. Having already established his belief that pure individuals do not perish (Job 4:7-9) and that human sin inevitably leads to suffering (Job 4:8), Eliphaz begins to offer what he perceives as counsel and comfort. In Job 5:17-27, Eliphaz details the blessedness of a man disciplined by God, emphasizing that divine chastening ultimately leads to protection, peace, and prosperity. He attempts to encourage Job by explaining that God wounds with the ultimate intention to bind up and heal. This statement about God's dual role—afflicter and restorer—is a fundamental truth about divine discipline that the wider biblical narrative affirms. However, Eliphaz wrongly presumes Job's suffering is a direct punishment for specific sins, a premise the entire book of Job will eventually refute. Nonetheless, this particular verse powerfully articulates God's sovereignty and His beneficent design in allowing affliction, suggesting it is part of a larger, redemptive plan for His children.
Job 5 18 Word analysis
כִּי־הוּא (ki-hu'): "For He." "Ki" ("For") introduces a reason or explanation for what precedes. "Hu'" ("He") unequivocally identifies God as the primary agent of both the pain and the healing, underscoring divine sovereignty.
יִכְאָב (yikh'av): "wounds" / "causes pain." From the Hebrew root ka'ab (כאב), meaning to ache, suffer, or cause distress. This verb denotes the direct action of inflicting injury or emotional pain, signifying that the discomfort or suffering originates directly from God's permissive will or active intervention.
וְיֶחְבָּשׁ (v'yeḥbāš): "and He binds up." From the root ḥabash (חבש), meaning to bind, bandage, or restrain. This directly contrasts with "wounds," portraying God as the tender physician who applies balm and bandages to the very injury He caused. It implies care, intimate involvement, and the intent to restore.
יִמְחַץ (yimḥats): "He shatters" / "smites" / "crushes." From the root maḥats (מחץ), to strike violently, break in pieces, or utterly crush. This term indicates an even more severe and decisive act of striking or breaking than yikh'av. It suggests a devastating blow or profound breakage, emphasizing the intensity of the affliction God might permit.
וְיָדָיו תִּרְפֶּינָה (v'yādāyw tirpeynāh): "and His hands heal." "Hands" (יָדָיו - yādāyw) symbolize God's power, personal agency, and direct active involvement. The verb tirpeynāh is from the root rafa (רפא), meaning to heal, mend, restore, or make whole. This powerful imagery reinforces God's complete ability to not only inflict severe damage but also to bring about profound, comprehensive restoration. It suggests God's healing is personal and effective, often going beyond the mere physical to spiritual and emotional wholeness.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "He wounds, but He binds up": This phrase presents a divine paradox foundational to understanding God's nature and actions. It highlights God as the author of both affliction and comfort, demonstrating that His permission or active sending of pain is always paired with His intention to mend and restore. The "but" acts as a strong contrast, ensuring that the listener understands God's discipline is not punitive in an ultimate sense, but redemptive and remedial.
- "He shatters, but His hands heal": This second phrase amplifies the paradox with even greater intensity. "Shatters" suggests a more extreme form of breaking or devastation, indicating profound suffering. Yet, immediately countered by "His hands heal," it profoundly assures the believer that no brokenness is beyond God's power to make whole. The emphasis on "His hands" underscores God's personal, direct, and intimate involvement in the recovery process, not merely through decree but through active care.
Job 5 18 Bonus section
- The Hebrew parallelism in Job 5:18 (A wounds/B binds; A' shatters/B' heals) strengthens the contrast and underscores the unified action of God. It's a literary device common in wisdom literature to emphasize a singular truth through two parallel expressions.
- Eliphaz's wisdom, drawn from observation and traditional theology, correctly identified a divine principle but incorrectly applied it as a diagnostic tool for Job's suffering. The book of Job distinguishes between punitive suffering for sin (which God does inflict, but not in Job's case) and suffering that tests, purifies, or serves other divine purposes unknown to humans.
- The healing mentioned encompasses more than physical recovery; it implies restoration to a state of well-being, peace, and spiritual soundness. It's about God making one whole again after a period of intense distress or testing.
Job 5 18 Commentary
Job 5:18 succinctly encapsulates a cornerstone of biblical truth: God's dealings with His people are multifaceted and often involve apparent paradoxes. While Eliphaz's application to Job's situation was flawed—as Job's suffering was not directly due to personal sin—his statement about God's character remains profoundly true. God exercises sovereign power over all circumstances, including pain and calamity, not as a malicious tyrant but as a loving, wise Father. When He permits or brings about wounding or shattering, it is not for ultimate destruction but for a higher, redemptive purpose. This divine discipline or testing often aims to purify, teach, strengthen faith, or reorient one's life. The verse emphasizes the absolute certainty of God's healing follow-through. What He breaks, He can (and often does) mend completely. The image is of a divine physician whose painful surgical procedure leads to health, not decline. This promise serves as an assurance that no suffering caused or allowed by God is without hope or a planned resolution, affirming His faithful commitment to His children through every season of brokenness, always moving towards restoration and wholeness.