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Read the Bible

King James Version

Job 33:13

Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God;   Murmuring;   Philosophy;   Thompson Chain Reference - Mysteries-Revelations;   Striving with God;   Unsearchable, God;  

Dictionaries:

- Fausset Bible Dictionary - Providence;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Pit;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elihu;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Footsteps;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for March 19;  

Parallel Translations

New Living Translation
So why are you bringing a charge against him? Why say he does not respond to people's complaints?
English Revised Version
Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
Update Bible Version
Why do you strive against him because he doesn't give account of any of his matters?
New Century Version
Why do you accuse God of not answering anyone?
New English Translation
Why do you contend against him, that he does not answer all a person's words?
Webster's Bible Translation
Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
World English Bible
Why do you strive against him, Because he doesn't give account of any of his matters?
Amplified Bible
"Why do you complain against Him? That He does not answer [you with] all His doings.
English Standard Version
Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man's words'?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Thou stryuest ayenus God, that not at alle wordis he answeride to thee.
Berean Standard Bible
Why do you complain to Him that He answers nothing a man asks?
Contemporary English Version
So why do you challenge God to answer you?
American Standard Version
Why dost thou strive against him, For that he giveth not account of any of his matters?
Bible in Basic English
Why do you put forward your cause against him, saying, He gives no answer to any of my words?
Complete Jewish Bible
Why do you strive against him? He will not defend his words —
Darby Translation
Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
Easy-to-Read Version
You are arguing with God! Why do you think he should explain everything to you?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Why hast thou striven against Him? seeing that He will not answer any of his words.
King James Version (1611)
Why doest thou striue against him? for he giueth not account of any of his matters.
New Life Bible
"Why do you complain against Him? He does not give a reason for all He does.
New Revised Standard
Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of my words'?
Geneva Bible (1587)
Why doest thou striue against him? for he doeth not giue account of all his matters.
George Lamsa Translation
Why do you strive with him, seeing that he does not give an account of any of his matters?
Good News Translation
Why do you accuse God of never answering our complaints?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Wherefore, against him, hast thou contended? For, with none of his reasons, will he respond.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Dost thou strive against him, because he hath not answered thee to all words?
Revised Standard Version
Why do you contend against him, saying, 'He will answer none of my words'?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And why doest thou then striue against him? for he shall not geue the accomptes of all his wordes.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
But thou sayest, Why has he not heard every word of my cause?
Christian Standard Bible®
Why do you take him to courtfor not answering anything a person asks?
Hebrew Names Version
Why do you strive against him, Because he doesn't give account of any of his matters?
Lexham English Bible
Why do you contend against him, that he will not answer all a person's words?
Literal Translation
Why do you contend against Him, since He does not give account to you for any of His matters?
Young's Literal Translation
Wherefore against Him hast thou striven, When [for] all His matters He answereth not?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Why doest thou then stryue agaynst him, because he geueth the no accomptes of all his doinges?
New American Standard Bible
"Why do you complain to Him That He does not give an account of all His doings?
New King James Version
Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Why do you complain against Him That He does not give an account of all His doings?
Legacy Standard Bible
"Why do you contend against Him?For He does not give an answer for all His doings.

Contextual Overview

8 Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying, 9 I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me. 10 Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy, 11 He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths. 12 Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man. 13 Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

strive: Job 9:14, Job 15:25, Job 15:26, Isaiah 45:9, Jeremiah 50:24, Ezekiel 22:14, Acts 5:39, Acts 9:4, Acts 9:5, 1 Corinthians 10:22

giveth not account: Heb. answereth not, Job 40:2, Deuteronomy 29:29, Psalms 62:11, Isaiah 46:10, Daniel 4:35, Matthew 20:15, Acts 1:7, Romans 11:34

Reciprocal: Job 9:3 - he will contend Job 9:12 - What Job 40:9 - Hast Ecclesiastes 6:10 - neither Ecclesiastes 8:4 - What Matthew 11:26 - for Luke 4:27 - Naaman John 21:23 - what Acts 11:17 - what Romans 9:20 - who art Romans 11:33 - how

Cross-References

Genesis 33:15
And Esau said, Let me now leave with thee some of the folk that are with me. And he said, What needeth it? let me find grace in the sight of my lord.
Genesis 33:16
So Esau returned that day on his way unto Seir.
Genesis 33:17
And Jacob journeyed to Succoth, and built him an house, and made booths for his cattle: therefore the name of the place is called Succoth.
1 Chronicles 22:5
And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.
Proverbs 12:10
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
Isaiah 40:11
He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Why dost thou strive against him?.... A creature against the Creator, a man against his Maker, the clay against the potter; how absurd and stupid is this! and a piece of weakness and folly it was in him to desire to litigate the point with God, and dispute with him, as he often did, when men cannot answer him one of a thousand, as he himself owned, Job 9:3; and very sinful and criminal it is to chide with God, or complain of him, on account of any of his dealings with the sons of men, as well as it is vain and fruitless:

for he giveth not account of any of his matters; he is a sovereign Being, and does what he pleases in nature, providence, and grace, and is not accountable to any for what he does; in things temporal, he does all after the counsel of his will; he bestows riches and honours, wealth and health, gifts of natural wisdom and knowledge on some, and withholds them from others; and each of these are his own, and he may do with them as he pleases: so likewise in things spiritual, he loves, chooses, redeems, regenerates, calls by his grace, and brings to glory whom he thinks fit; the blessings of grace and glory are his own, and he disposes of them as seems good in his sight; and in all respects he acts according to his will in heaven and in earth; none can stay his hand, or hinder him from doing his pleasure; and none ought to say to him, what dost thou? or why dost thou thus? or, if they do, he is not obliged to give any reasons for his so doing. Some take this to be the thing Job strove and contended with God about, that he did not, and because he did not give an account of all his matters, or answer all his words; and particularly he did not show to him wherefore he contended with him; and others think the meaning is, that God does not reveal all his secrets to men, but only as much as he thinks fit to acquaint them with; secret things belong to him, and things revealed to men; the secrets of his own nature, and the modes of subsistence of the divine Persons in the Godhead, the secret reasons of divine predestination of men to life or death, and of his dealings with men in a providential way, afflicting the righteous, and suffering the wicked to prosper.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Why dost thou strive against him? - By refusing to submit to him, and by calling in question his wisdom and goodness.

For he giveth not account of any of his matters - Margin, as in Hebrew “answereth not.” The idea is, that it is as useless as it is improper to contend with God. He does his own pleasure, and deals with man as he deems best and right. The reason of his doings he does not state, nor has man any power to extort from him a statement of the causes why he afflicts us. This is still true. The reason of his doings he does not often make known to the afflicted, and it is impossible to know now the causes why he has brought on us the calamity with which we are visited. The general reasons why men are afflicted may be better known now than they were in the time of Elihu, for successive revelations have thrown much light on that subject. But when he comes and afflicts us as individuals; when he takes away a beloved child; when he cuts down the young, the vigorous, the useful, and the pious, it is often impossible to understand why he has done it.

All that we can do then is to submit to his sovereign will, and to believe that though we cannot see the reasons why he has done it, yet that does not prove that there are no reasons, or that we may never be permitted to understand them. We are required to submit to his will, not to our own reason; to acquiesce because he does it, not because we see it to be right. If we always understood the reasons why he afflicts us, our resignation would be not to the will of God, but to our own knowledge of what is right; and God, therefore, often passes before us in clouds and thick darkness to see whether we have sufficient confidence in him to believe that he does right, even when we cannot see or understand the reason of his doings. So a child reposes the highest confidence in a parent, when he believes that the parent will do right, though he cannot understand why he does it, and the parent does not choose to let him know. May not a father see reasons for what he does which a child could not understand, or which it might be proper for him to withhold from him?

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 33:13. Why dost thou strive against him? — Is it not useless to contend with God? Can he do any thing that is not right? As to his giving thee any account of the reasons why he deals thus and thus with thee, or any one else, thou needest not expect it; he is sovereign, and is not to be called to the bar of his creatures. It is sufficient for thee to know that "he is too wise to err, and too good to be unkind."


 
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