who said to God, ‘Depart from us;’ and, ‘What can the Almighty do for us?’
Parallel translations
- KJV Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
- BSB They said to God, ‘Depart from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’
- 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 21:14–15They tell God, ‘Depart from us, for we don’t want to know about your ways.
- Rom 1:28Even as they refused to have God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting;
- Ps 4:6Many say, “Who will show us any good?” Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
- Job 21:10Their bulls breed without fail. Their cows calve, and don’t miscarry.
- Mal 3:14You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God;’ and ‘What profit is it that we have followed his instructions, and that we have walked mournfully before Yahweh of Armies?
- Matt 8:29Behold, they cried out, saying, “What do we have to do with you, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
- Isa 30:11Get out of the way. Turn aside from the path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.”
- Matt 8:34Behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus. When they saw him, they begged that he would depart from their borders.
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 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.