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Amplified Bible

Job 34:10

"Therefore hear me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God that He would do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God;   God Continued...;   Thompson Chain Reference - Exhortations;   Hearken;   The Topic Concordance - God;   Rendering;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Evil;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Heart;   Providence;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elihu;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Far;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Heart;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding.It is impossible for God to do wrong,and for the Almighty to act unjustly.
Hebrew Names Version
"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, From Shaddai, that he should commit iniquity.
King James Version
Therefore hearken unto me ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
English Standard Version
"Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
New Century Version
"So listen to me, you who can understand. God can never do wrong! It is impossible for the Almighty to do evil.
New English Translation
"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, from the Almighty to do evil.
New American Standard Bible
"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil, And from the Almighty to do wrong.
World English Bible
"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, From the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Therefore hearken vnto me, ye men of wisedome, God forbid that wickednesse should be in God, and iniquitie in the Almightie.
Legacy Standard Bible
"Therefore, listen to me, you men with a heart of wisdom.Far be it from God to do injustice,And from the Almighty to do wrong.
Berean Standard Bible
Therefore listen to me, O men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wrong, and from the Almighty to act unjustly.
Contemporary English Version
If any of you are smart, you will listen and learn that God All-Powerful does what is right.
Complete Jewish Bible
"So listen to me, you men with sense! Far be it from God to do anything wicked!
Darby Translation
Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be wickedness from God, and wrong from the Almighty!
Easy-to-Read Version
"You men can understand, so listen to me. God would never do what is evil! God All-Powerful would never do wrong.
George Lamsa Translation
Therefore hearken to me, O you men of understanding; far be it from God that he should do wickedness; and far be it from him that he should commit iniquity.
Good News Translation
Listen to me, you men who understand! Will Almighty God do what is wrong?
Lexham English Bible
"Therefore, listen to me, people who have sense: far be it from God that he should commit wickedness and that Shaddai should do wrong.
Literal Translation
So, O man of heart, listen to me; far be it from God to do wickedness; and the Almighty, to do evilly.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore herke vnto me, ye yt haue vnderstondinge. Farre be it from God, that he shulde medle with wickednesse: and farre be it from the Allmightie, yt he shulde medle with vnrightuous dealynge:
American Standard Version
Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
Bible in Basic English
Now then, you wise, take note; you men of knowledge, give ear to me. Let it be far from God to do evil, and from the Ruler of all to do wrong.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding:
King James Version (1611)
Therefore hearken vnto me, ye men of vnderstanding: farre bee it from God, that he should doe wickednes, and from the Almighty, that hee should commit iniquitie.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Therfore hearken vnto me ye that haue vnderstanding: farre be it from God that he shoulde meddle with wickednesse, & farre be it from the almightie that he shoulde meddle with vnrighteous dealing.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Wherefore hear me, ye that are wise in heart: far be it from me to sin before the Lord, and to pervert righteousness before the almighty.
English Revised Version
Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor ye men hertid, `that is, vndurstonde, here ye me; vnpite, `ethir cruelte, be fer fro God, and wickidnesse fro Almyyti God.
Update Bible Version
Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, And from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
Webster's Bible Translation
Therefore hearken to me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, [that he should do] wickedness; and [from] the Almighty, [that he should commit] iniquity.
New King James Version
"Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.
New Living Translation
"Listen to me, you who have understanding. Everyone knows that God doesn't sin! The Almighty can do no wrong.
New Life Bible
"So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do what is sinful, and from the All-powerful to do wrong.
New Revised Standard
"Therefore, hear me, you who have sense, far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Wherefore, ye men of mind, hearken unto me, - Far be it, that, GOD, should be lawless, or, the Almighty, be perverse!
Douay-Rheims Bible
Therefore, ye men of understanding, hear me: far from God be wickedness, and iniquity from the Almighty.
Revised Standard Version
"Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding, far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.
Young's Literal Translation
Therefore, O men of heart, hearken to me; Far be it from God to do wickedness, And [from] the Mighty to do perverseness:
THE MESSAGE
"You're veterans in dealing with these matters; certainly we're of one mind on this. It's impossible for God to do anything evil; no way can the Mighty One do wrong. He makes us pay for exactly what we've done—no more, no less. Our chickens always come home to roost. It's impossible for God to do anything wicked, for the Mighty One to subvert justice. He's the one who runs the earth! He cradles the whole world in his hand! If he decided to hold his breath, every man, woman, and child would die for lack of air.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.

Contextual Overview

10"Therefore hear me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God that He would do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong.11"For God pays a man according to his work, And He will make every man find [appropriate] compensation according to his way. 12"Surely God will not act wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice. 13"Who put God in charge over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world? 14"If God should determine to do so, If He should gather to Himself [that is, withdraw from man] His [life-giving] spirit and His breath, 15All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

understanding: Heb. heart, Job 34:2, Job 34:3, Job 34:34, Proverbs 6:32, Proverbs 15:32, *marg.

far: Job 8:3, Job 36:23, Job 37:23, Genesis 18:25, Deuteronomy 32:4, 2 Chronicles 19:7, Psalms 92:15, Jeremiah 12:1, Romans 3:4, Romans 3:5, Romans 9:14, James 1:13

Reciprocal: Job 1:22 - charged God foolishly Job 33:12 - thou Job 33:23 - to Job 34:23 - he will Job 36:3 - ascribe Proverbs 1:5 - wise Hosea 6:5 - and thy judgments are as Hosea 14:9 - for Zephaniah 3:5 - he will James 2:5 - Hearken

Cross-References

Genesis 13:9
"Is not the entire land before you? Please separate [yourself] from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or if you choose the right, then I will go to the left."
Genesis 20:15
So Abimelech said, "Behold, my land is before you; settle wherever you please."
Genesis 34:21
"These men are peaceful and friendly with us; so let them live in the land and do business in it, for the land is large enough [for us and] for them; let us take their daughters for wives and let us give them our daughters [in marriage].
Genesis 34:23
"Will not their cattle and their possessions and all their animals be ours [if we do this]? Let us consent [to do as they ask], and they will live here with us."
Genesis 42:34
'Bring your youngest brother to me; then I will know that you are not spies, but that you are honest men. Then I will return your [imprisoned] brother [back] to you, and you may trade and do business in the land.'"
Genesis 47:27
Now [the people of] Israel lived in the country of Egypt, in [the land of] Goshen, and they gained possessions and acquired property there and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding,.... The same persons he addresses as wise men and men of knowledge, Job 34:2; and here as men of understanding, or "heart" z; the heart being the seat of wisdom and knowledge; and such Elihu desired to be his hearers, to attend to what he was about to say; which was to refute the words of Job, or his sense expressed in the preceding verses;

far be it from God [that he should do] wickedness; and [from] the Almighty, [that he should commit] iniquity; do any injustice or injury to any person, there being no unrighteousness in him, nor in any of his ways and works; which Job tacitly seemed to charge God with, at least as Elihu understood him. But sin is contrary to his pure and holy nature; he cannot look upon it with pleasure, much less commit it; it is forbidden by his holy righteous law, and therefore would never he done by him the lawgiver; nor can anyone single instance be given of wickedness and unrighteousness committed by him in any of his works of nature, or providence, or grace. He is the author of the evil of afflictions, whether as punishments or fatherly corrections; and in neither case does he commit or do any injustice; not in punishing wicked men less than they deserve, as he does in this life; nor in correcting his own people, which is always for their good: but not of the evil of sin; this may be concluded from the titles here given, of "Almighty and All-sufficient"; for being so he can be under no temptation of doing an unjust thing; and which is expressed with the like abhorrence and indignation by Elihu as the same sentiment is by the Apostle Paul, Romans 9:14.

z אנשי לבב "viri cordis", Pagninus, Montanus, Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Therefore hearken unto me - Elihu proceeds now to reply to what he regarded as the erroneous sentiments of Job, and to show the impropriety of language which reflected so much on God and his government. Instead, however, of meeting the facts in the case, and showing how the actual course of events could be reconciled with justice, he resolves it all into a matter of sovereignty, and maintains that it is wrong to doubt the rectitude of the dealings of one so mighty as God. In this he pursues the same course substantially which the friends of Job had done, and does little more to solve the real difficulties in the case than they had. The facts to which Job had referred are scarcely adverted to; the perplexing questions are still unsolved, and the amount of all that Elihu says is, that God is a sovereign, and that there must be an improper spirit when people presume to pronounce on his dealings.

Ye men of understanding - Margin, as in Hebrew men of “heart.” The word heart is used here as it was uniformly among the Hebrews; the Jewish view of physiology being that the heart was the seat of all the mental operations. They never speak of the head as the seat of the intellect, as we do. The meaning here is, that Elihu regarded them as sages, qualified to comprehend and appreciate the truth on the subject under discussion.

Far be it from God - Hebrew חלילה châlı̂ylâh - “profane, unholy.” It is an expression of abhorrence, as if the thing proposed were profane or unholy: 1 Samuel 20:2; Genesis 18:25; Joshua 24:16. The meaning here is, that the very idea that God would do wrong, or could patronize iniquity, was a profane conception, and was not to be tolerated for a moment. This is true enough, and in this general sentiment, no doubt, Job would himself have concurred.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 34:10. Far be it from God — Rather, Wickedness, far be that from God; and from iniquity, the Almighty. The sense is sufficiently evident without the paraphrase in our version.


 
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