My words shall utter the uprightness of my heart. That which my lips know they shall speak sincerely.
Parallel translations
- KJV My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.
- BSB My words are from an upright heart, and my lips speak sincerely what I know.
- NKJV My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge.
- NASB “My words are from the integrity of my heart, And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.
- NLT I speak with all sincerity; I speak the truth.
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
God promises a land flowing with milk and honey but says He will not go up among them, lest His holiness consume the stiff-necked people. The gift without the Giver is no comfort.
Overview
God's reluctance to dwell among a sinful people reveals the danger of His holy presence to sinners. The promise of abundance is overshadowed by the threatened withdrawal of God Himself. This dilemma, how a holy God can dwell among sinners, finds its answer in the atonement and ultimately in Christ, Immanuel, God with us.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Job 27:4surely my lips shall not speak unrighteousness, neither shall my tongue utter deceit.
- 1 Th 2:3–4For our exhortation is not of error, nor of uncleanness, nor in deception.
- Prov 20:15There is gold and abundance of rubies; but the lips of knowledge are a rare jewel.
- Job 6:28Now therefore be pleased to look at me, for surely I shall not lie to your face.
- Prov 15:2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of fools gush out folly.
- Prov 15:7The lips of the wise spread knowledge; not so with the heart of fools.
- Prov 8:7–8For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
- Ps 37:30–31The mouth of the righteous talks of wisdom. His tongue speaks justice.
- Job 38:2“Who is this who darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
- Job 36:3–4I will get my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.
- Job 15:2“Should a wise man answer with vain knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 33:3 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.