Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.
Parallel translations
- WEB How much less when you say you don’t see him. The cause is before him, and you wait for him!
- BSB How much less, then, when you say that you do not see Him, that your case is before Him and you must wait for Him,
- NKJV Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him.
- NASB “How much less when you say you do not look at Him, The case is before Him, and you must wait for Him!
- NLT You say you can’t see him, but he will bring justice if you will only wait.
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 says it is even less likely God will respond when Job claims he cannot see Him, yet urges Job to lay his cause before God and wait. Patient trust is required.
Overview
Elihu addresses Job's complaint that he cannot perceive God, arguing this makes Job's case harder, yet he counsels that the cause is before God and Job must wait on Him. The exhortation to bring one's case to God and wait patiently is a recurring biblical posture (Ps. 27:14; 37:7). It anticipates the assurance that those who wait on the Lord in Christ are never put to shame.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Job 9:11Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.
- Isa 54:17No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.
- Isa 30:18And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
- Job 19:7Behold, I cry out of wrong, but I am not heard: I cry aloud, but there is no judgment.
- Job 23:8–10Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
- Job 23:3Oh that I knew where I might find him! that I might come even to his seat!
- Job 9:19If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?
- Mic 7:7–9Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.
- Ps 27:12–14Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
- Ps 97:2Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
- Ps 37:5–6Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.
- Ps 62:8Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
- Ps 62:5My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him.
- Ps 77:5–10I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
- Isa 50:10Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God.
- Rom 8:33–34Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 35:14 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.