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Sunday, September 14th, 2025
the Week of Proper 19 / Ordinary 24
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Job 34:30

so that the godless man should not rule, and not lay snares for the people.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - God;   Hypocrisy;   Sin;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Hypocrites;  

Dictionaries:

- Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Hypocrisy;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elihu;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Godless;   Hypocrisy;   Reign;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so that godless men should not ruleor ensnare the people.
Hebrew Names Version
That the godless man may not reign, That there be no one to ensnare the people.
King James Version
That the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared.
English Standard Version
that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people.
New Century Version
He keeps the wicked from ruling and from trapping others.
Amplified Bible
"So that godless men would not rule Nor be snares for the people.
New American Standard Bible
"So that godless people would not rule, Nor be snares for the people.
World English Bible
That the godless man may not reign, That there be no one to ensnare the people.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Because the hypocrite doeth reigne, and because the people are snared.
Legacy Standard Bible
So that godless men would not ruleNor be snares of the people.
Berean Standard Bible
that godless men should not rule or lay snares for the people.
Contemporary English Version
But still, he punishes rulers who abuse their people.
Complete Jewish Bible
so that godless men will not become kings, and the people will not be lured into traps.
Darby Translation
That the ungodly man reign not, that the people be not ensnared.
Easy-to-Read Version
He keeps the wicked from ruling so that they will not bring harm to the people.
George Lamsa Translation
He sees to it that an impious and wicked man shall not reign over the people.
Good News Translation
There would be nothing that nations could do to keep godless oppressors from ruling them.
Lexham English Bible
so that godless human beings should not reign, nor those who ensnare the people.
Literal Translation
from the reigning of ungodly men, from being snares for the people.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For the wickednesse & synne of ye people, he maketh an ypocrite to reigne ouer the.
American Standard Version
That the godless man reign not, That there be none to ensnare the people.
Bible in Basic English
Three dots are used where it is no longer possible to be certain of the true sense of the Hebrew words, and for this reason no attempt has been made to put them into Basic English.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
That the godless man reign not, that there be none to ensnare the people.
King James Version (1611)
That the hypocrite raigne not, lest the people be ensnared.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Because the hypocrite doth raigne, because the people are snared.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
causing a hypocrite to be king, because of the waywardness of the people.
English Revised Version
That the godless man reign not, that there be none to ensnare the people.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Which makith `a man ypocrite to regne, for the synnes of the puple.
Update Bible Version
He makes king [the] godless man from among the seducers of the people.
Webster's Bible Translation
That the hypocrite may not reign, lest the people should be ensnared.
New King James Version
That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared.
New Living Translation
He prevents the godless from ruling so they cannot be a snare to the people.
New Life Bible
So men without God should not rule and should not be a trap for the people.
New Revised Standard
so that the godless should not reign, or those who ensnare the people.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
That impious men may not reign, nor be ensnarers of the people.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who maketh a man that is a hypocrite to reign for the sins of the people?
Revised Standard Version
that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people.
Young's Literal Translation
From the reigning of a profane man, From the snares of a people;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So that godless men would not rule Nor be snares of the people.

Contextual Overview

16 "If you have understanding, listen to this, hear what I have to say. 17 Do you really think that one who hates justice can govern? And will you declare guilty the supremely righteous One, 18 who says to a king, ‘Worthless man' and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,' 19 who shows no partiality to princes, and does not take note of the rich more than the poor, because all of them are the work of his hands? 20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night, people are shaken and they pass away. The mighty are removed effortlessly. 21 For his eyes are on the ways of an individual, he observes all a person's steps. 22 There is no darkness, and no deep darkness, where evildoers can hide themselves. 23 For he does not still consider a person, that he should come before God in judgment. 24 He shatters the great without inquiry, and sets up others in their place. 25 Therefore, he knows their deeds, he overthrows them in the night and they are crushed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Job 34:21, 1 Kings 12:28-30, 2 Kings 21:9, Psalms 12:8, Ecclesiastes 9:18, Hosea 5:11, Hosea 13:11, Micah 6:16, 2 Thessalonians 2:4-11, Revelation 13:3, Revelation 13:4, Revelation 13:11-14

Reciprocal: Job 17:8 - stir up Proverbs 11:9 - An hypocrite Luke 13:15 - Thou hypocrite

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing.
Genesis 12:12
When the Egyptians see you they will say, ‘This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will keep you alive.
Genesis 13:7
So there were quarrels between Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen. (Now the Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at that time.)
Genesis 34:5
When Jacob heard that Shechem had violated his daughter Dinah, his sons were with the livestock in the field. So Jacob remained silent until they came in.
Genesis 34:7
Now Jacob's sons had come in from the field when they heard the news. They were offended and very angry because Shechem had disgraced Israel by sexually assaulting Jacob's daughter, a crime that should not be committed.
Genesis 34:13
Jacob's sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor deceitfully when they spoke because Shechem had violated their sister Dinah.
Genesis 34:14
They said to them, "We cannot give our sister to a man who is not circumcised, for it would be a disgrace to us.
Genesis 34:18
Their offer pleased Hamor and his son Shechem.
Genesis 34:20
So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city,
Genesis 46:27
Counting the two sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, all the people of the household of Jacob who were in Egypt numbered seventy.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

That the hypocrite reign not,.... These words seem to be connected with Job 34:24, "he breaketh in pieces mighty men", c. the whole of Job 34:29 being read in a parenthesis or with the phrase "he hideth his face"; as God is said to be in the destruction of mighty wicked men, who oppress the poor, and cause their cry to come to God, to prevent the reign of an hypocrite, or however to shorten it. By "an hypocrite" is not meant a common hypocrite in religion, but an hypocrite in politics; who pretends to great humanity and goodness, to a tender care of the people, and a preservation of them in their rights and liberties, and promises to support and establish the constitution, and observe the laws of the nation, with a show of zeal for the religion professed in it. But when he has ascended the throne, and got the power into his hands, he throws off the mask and becomes a tyrant; and men of such a temper, either God does not suffer to ascend the throne, but if they do get on it through artifice and deceit, he suffers them not to continue, but deposes them, and cuts their reign short: and this he does

lest the people be ensnared; be brought into bondage, and lose their rights, privileges, and liberties; or lest they be drawn into sin by their precepts or examples. Some take the sense of the words to be, that God suffers not such to reign, but when he does it is because of the offences or sins of the people; he gives them such kings in his wrath, to punish them for their iniquities.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That the hypocrite reign not - All this is done to prevent wicked men from ruling over the people. The remarks of Elihu had had respect much to princes and kings, and he had shown that however great they were, they were in the hands of God, and were wholly at his disposal. He “now” says that the design of his dealings with them was to prevent their oppressing their fellow-men. The general scope of the remarks of Elihu is, that God is the universal Sovereign; that he has all people under his control, and that there are none so powerful as to be able to resist his will. The remark in this verse is thrown in, not as illustrating this general sentiment, but to show what was “in fact” the aim for which he thus interposed - to save people from being oppressed and crushed by those in authority.

Lest the people be ensnared - Hebrew “From their being snarers of the people.” He thrusts down the mighty, in order that they may not be left to take the people as wild beasts are taken in the toils. They were disposed to make use of their power to oppress others, but God interposes, and the people are saved. For a fuller view of this verse, see the remarks of Rosenmuller.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 34:30. That the hypocrite reign not — The Vulgate translates, Who causes a wicked man to reign because of the sins of the people. This was precisely the defense which Hegiage, the oppressive ruler of the Babylonian Irak, under the caliph Abdul Malec, made when he found the people in a state of insurrection. See at the end of the chapter. Job 34:37.


 
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