“Who confronts him with his actions, And who repays him for what he has done?
Parallel translations
- WEB Who shall declare his way to his face? Who shall repay him what he has done?
- KJV Who shall declare his way to his face? and who shall repay him what he hath done?
- BSB Who denounces his behavior to his face? Who repays him for what he has done?
- NKJV Who condemns his way to his face? And who repays him for what he has done?
- NLT No one criticizes them openly or pays them back for what they have done.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Job asks who dares to confront the powerful wicked man to his face or repay him for his deeds. In this life, no one holds him accountable.
Overview
Job observes that the prosperous wicked often escape human accountability; no one rebukes or punishes them. This deepens the problem he raises. Yet Scripture assures that what no human court achieves, God will accomplish, for He will repay each according to his deeds (Rom 2:6), ensuring that no evil finally goes unanswered.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Deut 7:10and repays those who hate him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack to him who hates him. He will repay him to his face.
- Gal 2:11But when Peter came to Antioch, I resisted him to his face, because he stood condemned.
- Rom 12:19Don’t seek revenge yourselves, beloved, but give place to God’s wrath. For it is written, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will repay, says the Lord.”
- Isa 59:13transgressing and denying Yahweh, and turning away from following our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
- Job 41:11Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Everything under the heavens is mine.
- Jer 2:33–35How well you prepare your way to seek love! Therefore you have even taught the wicked women your ways.
- Mark 6:18For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
- Acts 24:25As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, “Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you.”
- Jas 2:13For judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
- Ps 50:21You have done these things, and I kept silent. You thought that I was just like you. I will rebuke you, and accuse you in front of your eyes.
- Job 21:19You say, ‘God lays up his iniquity for his children.’ Let him recompense it to himself, that he may know it.
- 1 Kgs 21:19–24You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “Have you killed and also taken possession?”’ You shall speak to him, saying, ‘Yahweh says, “In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth, dogs will lick your blood, even yours.”’”
- 2 Sam 12:7–12Nathan said to David, “You are the man. This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you out of the hand of Saul.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Job's cry for a mediator who can lay his hand on both God and man, and his confidence that 'my Redeemer lives' and will stand on the earth, reaches forward to Jesus the living Redeemer.
How Job 21:31 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.