They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’
Parallel translations
- WEB who said to God, ‘Depart from us;’ and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’
- KJV Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
- NKJV They said to God, ‘Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?’
- NASB “They said to God, ‘Go away from us!’ And ‘What can the Almighty do to them?’
- NLT For they said to God, ‘Leave us alone! What can the Almighty do to us?’
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
Eliphaz quotes the wicked telling God to depart and questioning what the Almighty could do for them. He describes their proud rejection of God.
Overview
Echoing Job's own earlier description of the wicked (Job 21:14-15), Eliphaz characterizes the ungodly by their dismissal of God. Ironically, he uses Job's words against him, implying Job shares their attitude. The verse accurately depicts the heart of rebellion, but Eliphaz wrongly assigns that heart to Job, who in fact desperately seeks God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Job 21:14–15Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.
- Rom 1:28Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
- Ps 4:6Many ask, “Who can show us the good?” Shine the light of Your face upon us, O LORD.
- Job 21:10Their bulls breed without fail; their cows bear calves and do not miscarry.
- Mal 3:14You have said, ‘It is futile to serve God. What have we gained by keeping His requirements and walking mournfully before the LORD of Hosts?
- Matt 8:29“What do You want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have You come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
- Isa 30:11Get out of the way; turn off the road. Rid us of the Holy One of Israel!”
- Matt 8:34Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 22:17 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.