I would give account of all my steps; I would approach Him like a prince.)—
Parallel translations
- WEB I would declare to him the number of my steps. as a prince would I go near to him.
- KJV I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.
- NKJV I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.
- NASB “I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince, I would approach Him.
- NLT For I would tell him exactly what I have done. I would come before him like a prince.
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 says he would give God an account of his every step and approach him like a prince. He would come before God with confidence and dignity.
Overview
Job pictures himself reporting all his conduct to God and drawing near with the bearing of a prince rather than a culprit. This expresses his confidence that an honest accounting would clear him. Though such boldness must be tempered by humility before the Almighty, the gospel grants believers a true confidence to draw near to God's throne, not through their own merit but through Christ, who gives access with boldness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 13:15Though He slay me, I will hope in Him. I will still defend my ways to His face.
- Eph 3:12In Him and through faith in Him we may enter God’s presence with boldness and confidence.
- Heb 4:15–16For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who was tempted in every way that we are, yet was without sin.
- Ps 19:12Who can discern his own errors? Cleanse me from my hidden faults.
- 1 Jn 3:19–21And by this we will know that we belong to the truth, and will assure our hearts in His presence:
- Gen 32:28Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with men, and you have prevailed.”
- Job 42:3–6You asked, ‘Who is this who conceals My counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
- Job 9:3If one wished to contend with God, he could not answer Him one time out of a thousand.
- Job 29:25I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.
- Job 14:16For then You would count my steps, but would not keep track of my sin.
- Job 1:3and he owned 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys, and a very large number of servants. Job was the greatest man of all the people of the East.
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 31:37 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.