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Contemporary English Version

Job 22:3

If you were completely sinless, that would still mean nothing to God All-Powerful.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Grace of God;   Man;   Self-Righteousness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Eliphaz;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Greatness of God;   Hypocrisy;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Gain;   Pleasure;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Does it delight the Almighty if you are righteous?Does he profit if you perfect your behavior?
Hebrew Names Version
Is it any pleasure to Shaddai, that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him, that you make your ways perfect?
King James Version
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
English Standard Version
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
New Century Version
Does it help the Almighty for you to be good? Does he gain anything if you are innocent?
New English Translation
Is it of any special benefit to the Almighty that you should be righteous, or is it any gain to him that you make your ways blameless?
Amplified Bible
"Is it any pleasure or joy to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it of benefit to Him that you make your ways perfect?
New American Standard Bible
"Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or gain if you make your ways blameless?
World English Bible
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? Or does it benefit him, that you make your ways perfect?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Is it any thing vnto the Almightie, that thou art righteous? or is it profitable to him, that thou makest thy wayes vpright?
Legacy Standard Bible
Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous,Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
Berean Standard Bible
Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless?
Complete Jewish Bible
Does Shaddai gain if you are righteous? Does he profit if you make your ways blameless?
Darby Translation
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if thou art righteous? And is it gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect?
Easy-to-Read Version
Does your living right benefit him? Does God All-Powerful gain anything if you follow him?
George Lamsa Translation
What do you profit by trying to make it seem that your ways are perfect because you are afraid?
Good News Translation
Does your doing right benefit God, or does your being good help him at all?
Lexham English Bible
Is it a pleasure to Shaddai if you are righteous, or a gain if you make your ways blameless?
Literal Translation
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways perfect?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
What pleasure hath God in yt thou art rightuous? Or what doth it profite him, yt thy waies are perfecte?
American Standard Version
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
Bible in Basic English
Is it of any interest to the Ruler of all that you are upright? or is it of use to him that your ways are without sin?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Is it any advantage to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain to Him, that thou makest thy ways blameless?
King James Version (1611)
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gaine to him, that thou makest thy waies perfite?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Is it any aduauntage to the almightie that thou art righteous? or shall it profite him that thou makest thy wayes perfect?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
For what matters it to the Lord, if thou wert blameless in thy works? or is it profitable that thou shouldest perfect thy way?
English Revised Version
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
What profitith it to God, if thou art iust? ethir what schalt thou yyue to hym, if thi lijf is without wem?
Update Bible Version
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that you are righteous? Or is it gain [to him], that you make your ways perfect?
Webster's Bible Translation
[Is it] any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or [is it] gain [to him], that thou makest thy ways perfect?
New King James Version
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that you are righteous? Or is it gain to Him that you make your ways blameless?
New Living Translation
Is it any advantage to the Almighty if you are righteous? Would it be any gain to him if you were perfect?
New Life Bible
Is the All-powerful pleased if you are right and good? Is it of any use to Him if your ways were perfect?
New Revised Standard
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Is it a pleasure to the Almighty, that thou shouldst be righteous? or any profit, that thou shouldst be blameless in thy ways?
Douay-Rheims Bible
What doth it profit God if thou be just? or what dost thou give him if thy way be unspotted?
Revised Standard Version
Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
Young's Literal Translation
Is it a delight to the Mighty One That thou art righteous? is it gain, That thou makest perfect thy ways?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous, Or profit if you make your ways perfect?

Contextual Overview

1 Eliphaz's Third Speech Eliphaz from Teman said: 2 What use are we humans to God, even the wisest of us? 3 If you were completely sinless, that would still mean nothing to God All-Powerful. 4 Is he correcting you for worshiping him?

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

any pleasure: 1 Chronicles 29:17, Psalms 147:10, Psalms 147:11, Proverbs 11:1, Proverbs 11:20, Proverbs 12:22, Proverbs 15:8, Malachi 2:17, Philippians 4:18

thou makest: Job 23:10-12, Psalms 39:1, Psalms 119:3-6, Psalms 119:59, Acts 24:16, 2 Corinthians 7:1

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 22:33 - perfect Job 35:7 - General Job 41:11 - Who Psalms 16:2 - my goodness Proverbs 9:12 - General Luke 17:10 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 17:23
On that same day Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Ishmael. Abraham was also circumcised, and so were all other men and boys in his household, including his servants and slaves. He was ninety-nine years old at the time, and his son Ishmael was thirteen.
Genesis 21:14
Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar an animal skin full of water and some bread. Then he put the boy on her shoulder and sent them away. They wandered around in the desert near Beersheba,
Genesis 22:3
So Abraham got up early the next morning and chopped wood for the fire. He put a saddle on his donkey and left with Isaac and two servants for the place where God had told him to go.
Genesis 22:4
Three days later Abraham looked off in the distance and saw the place.
Genesis 22:17
"I will bless you and give you such a large family, that someday your descendants will be more numerous than the stars in the sky or the grains of sand along the beach. They will defeat their enemies and take over the cities where their enemies live.
Genesis 22:19
Abraham and Isaac went back to the servants who had come with him, and they returned to Abraham's home in Beersheba.
Psalms 119:60
As soon as you command, I do what you say.
Ecclesiastes 9:10
Work hard at whatever you do. You will soon go to the world of the dead, where no one works or thinks or reasons or knows anything.
Matthew 10:37
If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples.
Luke 14:26
You cannot be my disciple, unless you love me more than you love your father and mother, your wife and children, and your brothers and sisters. You cannot come with me unless you love me more than you love your own life.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

[Is it] any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous?.... It is not; the Lord indeed takes pleasure in his people, not as sinners, but as righteous; and as they are considered such in Christ, he is well pleased for his righteousness' sake, and with it, being agreeable to his nature, will, and law; and with his people in Christ, in whom they are accepted, having imputed the righteousness of his Son unto them, and so they stand before him unblamable and irreprovable, and he takes pleasure in the work of his own hands upon them, called the good pleasure of his will, in the new man formed after his image in righteousness and true holiness, in the graces of his Spirit, and in the exercise of them, faith, hope, love, humility, fear of God, c. it is a pleasure to him to hear their prayers and praises, and to observe their ready and cheerful obedience to his will but then all this gives him no new pleasure, or adds anything to the complacency of his mind; he would have had as much delight and pleasure within himself, if there had never been an holy angel in heaven, or a righteous man on earth; he has no such pleasure in either as to be made more happy thereby, or so as to receive any "gain" or profit from it, as the next clause explains it. Some render it, "that thou justifiest thyself" k, or "that thou art just", or "seemest to be righteous to thyself" l; a self-righteous person is not pleasing to God; it is no pleasure to him when a man seeks for justification by his own works, or reckons them his righteousness; the publican that confessed his sin was rather justified with God than the Pharisee that applauded his own righteousness; such that are conceited of their own righteousness, and despise others, are an offence to God, a "smoke in his nose", Isaiah 65:5; for the righteousness of such is not real righteousness in the account of God, and according to his law; it has only the shadow and appearance of one, but is not truly so; and besides, to seek righteousness this way is going contrary to the revealed will of God, to the Gospel scheme of justification by faith in Christ's righteousness, without the works of the law, and is a setting aside his righteousness, and frustrating and making null and void the death of Christ, and therefore can never be pleasing in the sight of God:

or [is it] gain [to him] that thou makest thy ways perfect? no man's ways are perfect before God, even the best of men have detects in their works, and failings in their walk and conversations: some men's ways are indeed clean in their own eyes, and perfect in their own conceit; and if Eliphaz thought Job such an one, he was mistaken, see Job 9:20; there are others, who are in a sense unblamable in their walk and conversation; that is, are not guilty of any notorious crime, but exercise a conscience void of offence towards God and man, walk in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless; and yet this is no "gain" to God; for what does such a man give to him? or what does he receive of his hands? see Job 35:7. This was indeed Job's case and character.

k כי תצדק "quod justifices te", Junius Tremellius. l "Quum Justus es apud teipsum", Schmidt "quod tibi justus esse videris", Michaelis.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Is it any pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? - This is the same sentiment which was advanced in the previous verse. The meaning is, that it can be no advantage to God that a man is righteous. He is not dependent on man for happiness, and cannot be deterred from dealing justly with him because he is in danger of losing anything. In this sense, it is true. God “has” pleasure in holiness wherever it is, and is pleased when people are righteous; but it is not true that he is dependent on the character of his creatures for his own happiness, or that people can lay him under obligation by their own righteousness. Eliphaz applies this general truth to Job, probably, because he understood him as complaining of the dealings of God with him, as if he had laid God under obligation by his upright life. He supposes that it was implied in the remarks of Job, that he had been so upright, and had been of so much consequence, that God “ought” to have continued him in a state of prosperity. This supposition, if Job ever had it, Eliphaz correctly meets, and shows him that he was not so profitable to God that he could not do without him. Yet, do people not often feel thus? Do ministers of the gospel not sometimes feel thus? Do we not sometimes feel thus in relation to some man eminent for piety, wisdom, or learning? Do we not feel as if God could not do without him, and that there was a sort of necessity that he should keep him alive? Yet, how often are such people cut down, in the very midst of their usefulness, to show

(1) that God is not dependent on them; and

(2) to keep them from pride, as if they were necessary to the execution of the divine plans; and

(3) to teach his people their dependence on “Him,” and not on frail, erring mortals. When the church places its reliance on a human arm, God very often suddenly knocks the prop away.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 22:3. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty — Infinite in his perfections, he can neither gain nor lose by the wickedness or righteousness of men.


 
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