Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’ And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?
Parallel translations
- WEB Who says to a king, ‘Vile!’ or to nobles, ‘Wicked!’?
- KJV Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? and to princes, Ye are ungodly?
- BSB who says to kings, ‘You are worthless!’ and to nobles, ‘You are wicked,’
- NASB Who says to a king, ‘You worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘You wicked one’;
- NLT For he says to kings, ‘You are wicked,’ and to nobles, ‘You are unjust.’
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
Elihu points out that even kings and nobles can be rightly called wicked. It shows that God answers to no human authority.
Overview
Elihu observes that God may justly rebuke kings as 'vile' and nobles as 'wicked,' something no mere human could presume to do. The point underscores God's supreme authority over all earthly rulers. Since God judges even the highest human powers, it is unthinkable that He Himself could be unjust-a sovereignty ultimately vested in Christ, King of kings (Revelation 19:16).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Exod 22:28“You shall not blaspheme God, nor curse a ruler of your people.
- Prov 17:26Also to punish the righteous is not good, nor to flog officials for their integrity.
- Rom 13:7Therefore give everyone what you owe: if you owe taxes, pay taxes; if customs, then customs; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.
- Acts 23:3Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
- Acts 23:5Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
- Jude 1:8Yet in the same way, these also in their dreaming defile the flesh, despise authority, and slander celestial beings.
- 2 Pet 2:10but chiefly those who walk after the flesh in the lust of defilement, and despise authority. Daring, self-willed, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries;
- 1 Pet 2:17Honor all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
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 34:18 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
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