If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;
Parallel translations
- WEB if I have seen the sun when it shined, or the moon moving in splendor,
- BSB if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,
- NKJV If I have observed the sun when it shines, Or the moon moving in brightness,
- NASB If I have looked at the sun when it shone, Or the moon going in splendor,
- NLT “Have I looked at the sun shining in the skies, or the moon walking down its silver pathway,
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 swears he never looked at the shining sun or the moon in splendor with idolatrous longing. He guarded against worshiping the heavenly bodies.
Overview
Job denies being drawn to worship the sun and moon, a common form of idolatry in the ancient world. By refusing to revere created lights, he honored the Creator alone. This anticipates the first commandment's demand for exclusive worship of God, fulfilled in the gospel where worship is directed to the Father through Christ, the true Light by whom the sun and moon themselves were made.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ezek 8:16And he brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house, and, behold, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs toward the temple of the LORD, and their faces toward the east; and they worshipped the sun toward the east.
- Deut 4:19And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
- Deut 17:3And hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them, either the sun, or moon, or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded;
- 2 Kgs 23:5And he put down the idolatrous priests, whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense in the high places in the cities of Judah, and in the places round about Jerusalem; them also that burned incense unto Baal, to the sun, and to the moon, and to the planets, and to all the host of heaven.
- Jer 8:2And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
- 2 Kgs 23:11And he took away the horses that the kings of Judah had given to the sun, at the entering in of the house of the LORD, by the chamber of Nathanmelech the chamberlain, which was in the suburbs, and burned the chariots of the sun with fire.
- Jer 44:17But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
- Gen 1:16–18And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
- Deut 11:16Take heed to yourselves, that your heart be not deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;
- Ps 8:3–4When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
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 31:26 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.