Job 9 24

Job 9:24 kjv

The earth is given into the hand of the wicked: he covereth the faces of the judges thereof; if not, where, and who is he?

Job 9:24 nkjv

The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, who else could it be?

Job 9:24 niv

When a land falls into the hands of the wicked, he blindfolds its judges. If it is not he, then who is it?

Job 9:24 esv

The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges ? if it is not he, who then is it?

Job 9:24 nlt

The whole earth is in the hands of the wicked,
and God blinds the eyes of the judges.
If he's not the one who does it, who is?

Job 9 verses

Job 9 24 Meaning

Job 9:24 articulates Job's despairing observation that the earth and its governance appear to be in the control of wicked individuals, and that justice itself seems to be obscured or blinded, presumably by divine design or allowance. Job’s rhetorical question at the end highlights his desperate plea for an alternative explanation, expressing his belief that if God is not directly or indirectly responsible for this perceived injustice, then no one else could be.

Job 9 24 Context

Job chapter 9 is part of Job's response to Bildad, who had affirmed the traditional retribution theology – that suffering indicates sin, and justice will always prevail, punishing the wicked and rewarding the righteous. Job, while affirming God’s absolute power and incomprehensibility (Job 9:1-13), vehemently challenges this neat moral framework in light of his own blameless suffering and the observable prosperity of the wicked. Job finds himself in an impossible theological bind: God is supremely powerful and wise, yet seemingly allows or orchestrates a world where the righteous suffer indiscriminately with the wicked. This verse encapsulates his anguished conclusion about the state of the world, serving as a desperate challenge to the notion that divine justice is transparent or consistently punitive towards the wicked in this life.

Job 9 24 Word analysis

• The earth (Hebrew: ארץ, 'eretz): Refers to the physical world, the human sphere of existence, indicating a pervasive condition, not just an isolated incident.
• is given (Hebrew: נתנה, nuttānâ): This is a passive verb, implying that the action is performed by someone else. The implicit agent here, in Job’s theological worldview, could only be God. It's not that the wicked take it, but that it is given to them, suggesting divine orchestration or allowance.
• into the hand of (Hebrew: ביד, bīyaḏ): A common idiom signifying possession, control, or authority. The earth is under the dominion of the wicked.
• the wicked (Hebrew: רשע, rāšā’): This term denotes those who are morally evil, unrighteous, or guilty in a legal and ethical sense, standing in contrast to the innocent. Job observes that these are the ones holding power and prosperity, challenging the conventional wisdom.
• he covers (Hebrew: יְכַסֶּה, yəḵassēh): The subject "he" is implicit but in Job's context likely refers to God or God’s permissive will. To "cover" here means to blind, obscure, or hide. It implies a deliberate act or allowance that prevents discernment.
• the faces (Hebrew: פני, pəné): In this context, "faces" symbolize identity, perception, authority, or insight. To cover faces can mean to obscure vision, prevent a clear judgment, or keep things hidden.
• of its judges (Hebrew: שפטי, šōfṭêy): These are those whose role it is to discern truth and dispense justice. This refers to both human judges whose judgment is perverted or bypassed, and perhaps even implies that God's own justice is not clearly seen or executed, at least from Job’s perspective.
• If it is not he, then who is it? (Hebrew: אם לא הוא אפוא מי הוא, ʾim loʾ hū ʾefōʾ mî hūʾ): A potent rhetorical question born of deep anguish and frustration. It signifies Job’s desperate conviction that there is no other logical explanation within his understanding. If God, the omnipotent and omniscient, is not responsible (directly or permissively), then no other being or force could possibly bring about such a state of affairs. This is Job’s ultimate challenge to God regarding the problem of evil and suffering, asserting that only God could cause or allow such pervasive injustice.

Job 9 24 Bonus section

Job’s anguished questions in this verse highlight the theodicy problem – how to reconcile God's goodness and omnipotence with the existence of evil and suffering. His struggle anticipates the broader biblical revelation that there are dimensions of spiritual warfare and a cosmic conflict (e.g., Eph 6:12; 1 Pet 5:8) beyond human immediate comprehension, as hinted in the book’s opening scenes in the heavenly court (Job 1-2). Furthermore, the verse underscores a theme explored throughout wisdom literature: the inherent difficulty for finite human minds to fully grasp the infinite wisdom and purposes of God (e.g., Isa 55:8-9). Job perceives a "silence of God" on the matter of injustice, a silence that leaves him no alternative explanation but divine agency or allowance. The verse thus serves as a powerful biblical expression of skepticism regarding simplistic views of divine justice operating visibly in the immediate human realm.

Job 9 24 Commentary

Job 9:24 is a cry of intellectual and emotional desperation from a man suffering immensely. It captures the universal human struggle with the problem of evil and the apparent injustice of a world seemingly under divine control. Job’s friends clung to a rigid theology that the wicked are always punished and the righteous always prosper, directly equating suffering with sin. Job, from his unique vantage point as a righteous sufferer, completely overturns this, arguing that current observation points to the opposite: the wicked prosper, and their prosperity extends to controlling the very systems of justice, while God appears either absent, complicit, or hidden in allowing such a state.

This verse is not a definitive theological statement about God's nature, but rather Job's raw, painful, yet honest indictment from his limited human perspective. He doesn't deny God's power but grapples with God's justice, lamenting that if anyone is to be held accountable for this perversion of the world order, it must ultimately be God, since He is sovereign over all. This sets the stage for God's later, sweeping response from the whirlwind, which transcends human logic and provides a larger, albeit mysterious, framework for divine action in the world. Job’s utterance challenges all simplistic understandings of divine retribution, inviting deeper reflection on the hiddenness of God's ways and the reality of suffering in a fallen world.