Job 9 22

Job 9:22 kjv

This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

Job 9:22 nkjv

It is all one thing; Therefore I say, 'He destroys the blameless and the wicked.'

Job 9:22 niv

It is all the same; that is why I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.'

Job 9:22 esv

It is all one; therefore I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.'

Job 9:22 nlt

Innocent or wicked, it is all the same to God.
That's why I say, 'He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.'

Job 9 verses

Job 9 22 Meaning

Job 9:22 encapsulates Job’s despairing observation that God deals indiscriminately with both the righteous and the wicked during calamities. In the midst of sudden, sweeping disaster, God allows both the blameless and the guilty to perish. This statement reflects Job's agonizing struggle to reconcile his suffering as a blameless man with the prevailing theological belief of his time that God always blesses the righteous and punishes only the wicked. He perceives divine action as universal destruction, seeing no immediate differentiation between those who serve God with integrity and those who do not.

Job 9 22 Context

Job 9:22 is part of Job's extensive response to Bildad’s traditional argument that God only punishes the wicked. Bildad (Job 8) asserted that if Job were righteous, his prosperity would be restored, implying his suffering must be due to sin. Job's entire ninth chapter is a passionate, sometimes rambling, but deeply theological counter-argument that centers on God's immeasurable power and unknowable wisdom. Job recognizes God's absolute sovereignty and irresistible might (vv. 4-13), making it impossible for a human to contend with Him (vv. 14-20). He despairs of proving his innocence before such an awesome, incomprehensible God.

Within this larger argument, Job 9:22 reflects his raw experience of suffering. He sees calamity—personified as a "scourge"—descending indiscriminately upon all. This challenges the simplistic cause-and-effect theology of his friends and of his era, which believed that God's justice operated strictly by a visible, immediate retribution model in this life. Job experiences no such discernment in the unfolding disaster, leading him to this bleak conclusion about God's ways with humanity in times of widespread trouble. It's a statement born out of his struggle to reconcile suffering with perceived divine justice.

Job 9 22 Word analysis

• He: Not explicitly stated as "God" but implicitly refers to God, the active agent of power and judgment throughout Job's speech in Chapter 9 (e.g., Job 9:4, 5, 8, 12). Job understands that these sweeping events ultimately originate from, or are permitted by, the Almighty's hand.
• destroys: Hebrew: הַתָּם (hattām). This is from the root tāmám, meaning "to be complete," "to finish," or in the Hifil stem (causative), "to cause to cease," "to consume," "to bring to an end," or "to destroy." It signifies an act of utterly bringing to an end or consuming, emphasizing God's decisive and comprehensive action.
• the blameless: Hebrew: תָּם (tām). This word means "complete," "whole," "innocent," "righteous," "perfect" (in character or integrity). This is a direct descriptor of Job himself in Job 1:1 and 2:3 ("blameless and upright"). By using this term, Job highlights the seeming injustice of his own situation where a righteous individual faces destruction alongside the wicked. It emphasizes the moral quality that should, in traditional theology, elicit blessing.
• and the wicked: Hebrew: וְרָשָׁע (və-rāšā‘). From rāšā‘, meaning "guilty," "unrighteous," "evil," "wicked." This term stands in stark contrast to "the blameless." This juxtaposition is critical for the verse's meaning, underscoring Job's observation of indiscriminate fate.
• when the scourge: Hebrew: כִּי שׁוּט (kî šūṭ). שׁוּט (šūṭ) here refers to a "whip" or "scourge," often a metaphor for a rapid, overwhelming calamity, pestilence, or judgment (e.g., Isa 10:26; 28:15). It implies something swift, sweeping, and devastating that brings widespread suffering or death.
• suddenly kills: Hebrew: פֶּתַע יָמִית (peṯa‘ yāmîṯ). פֶּתַע (peṯa‘) means "suddenly," "unexpectedly." יָמִית (yāmîṯ) is from the root mûṯ, "to die," in the Hifil stem, "to cause to die," "to put to death." This phrase underscores the swift, unexpected, and seemingly indiscriminatory nature of death during such a catastrophe, pointing to divine agency or permission behind it.

Words-group analysis:

• "He destroys the blameless and the wicked": This phrase directly challenges the conventional understanding of divine retribution prevalent in Job's time and among his friends. The direct pairing of "blameless" and "wicked" as recipients of the same destructive action is a theological shocker from Job's perspective. It directly opposes the idea that God's immediate justice always separates and blesses the righteous while cursing only the unrighteous. This can be interpreted as a polemic against a simplistic and mechanistic understanding of the covenant blessings and curses found in Deuteronomy, where cause and effect seemed more immediate and discernible in material well-being.
• "when the scourge suddenly kills": This part specifies the context: not daily life, but times of overwhelming, sudden, and indiscriminate catastrophe (like the plagues Job suffered). The swiftness and universality of the "scourge" contribute to Job's conclusion that God makes no immediate distinction in such moments. This also highlights Job's human perspective limited to earthly experiences; he cannot see or understand the deeper spiritual or eschatological distinctions God truly maintains.

Job 9 22 Bonus section

The profound questioning in Job 9:22 foreshadows deeper theological insights later revealed in scripture concerning the complexities of suffering, grace, and judgment. While Job perceives an immediate lack of distinction in physical calamity, the Bible as a whole affirms God's ultimate and precise distinction between the righteous and the wicked. However, this distinction may not always be visible or evident within the temporal suffering of this life. Job’s raw complaint is a cry for such distinction in a world that often seems devoid of it, a sentiment that resonates deeply with those who experience unmerited hardship. The "scourge" metaphor reminds us that sometimes judgment or disaster comes universally, affecting all in its path, rather than targeting only specific sinners, thus serving broader purposes or demonstrating the fallen nature of the world itself.

Job 9 22 Commentary

Job 9:22 expresses a profound lament and a key facet of Job's struggle. It is Job’s anguished observation from the depths of his personal suffering, not a comprehensive theological statement about God's eternal character or ultimate justice. He perceives God as so overwhelmingly powerful and sovereign that when a "scourge" of calamity strikes, it obliterates without apparent distinction between the morally pure and the overtly sinful. This is a direct assault on the conventional "retribution theology" that dictated: "Do good, get good; do evil, get evil." Job's experience screams against this oversimplified formula, highlighting the paradox of suffering, especially for the innocent. He struggles with a divine will that seems opaque and, at times, arbitrary in its physical manifestations in the world. This verse underscores the "mystery of iniquity" and the "mystery of suffering" within a fallen world where the consequences of sin are widespread, and divine judgments, or allowed calamities, do not always follow neat human expectations of merit and punishment. It sets the stage for God's ultimate answer to Job, which does not provide reasons for his suffering, but reasserts God's incomprehensible wisdom and sovereign control.