Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t let riches entice you to wrath, neither let the great size of a bribe turn you aside.
- KJV Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.
- NKJV Because there is wrath, beware lest He take you away with one blow; For a large ransom would not help you avoid it.
- NASB “Beware that wrath does not entice you to mockery; And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
- NLT But watch out, or you may be seduced by wealth. Don’t let yourself be bribed into sin.
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 warns Job not to let riches entice him to wrath or a large bribe turn him aside. He cautions against being corrupted in suffering.
Overview
Elihu urges Job to beware lest anger or the lure of wealth and bribes lead him astray under pressure. The warning guards against letting affliction tempt one into bitterness or compromise. Scripture consistently warns that the love of money and unchecked anger corrupt the heart (1 Tim. 6:10; Eph. 4:26-27), calling instead for the integrity that the Spirit cultivates in Christ's followers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Job 33:24to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’
- Eph 5:6Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
- Rom 1:18The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
- Rom 2:5But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.
- Ps 49:7–8No man can possibly redeem his brother or pay his ransom to God.
- Ps 110:5The Lord is at Your right hand; He will crush kings in the day of His wrath.
- Ps 2:5Then He rebukes them in His anger, and terrifies them in His fury:
- 1 Tim 2:6who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time.
- Ps 39:10Remove Your scourge from me; I am perishing by the force of Your hand.
- Isa 14:6It struck the peoples in anger with unceasing blows; it subdued the nations in rage with relentless persecution.
- Ps 2:12Kiss the Son, lest He be angry and you perish in your rebellion, when His wrath ignites in an instant. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him.
- Matt 3:7But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
- Heb 2:3how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? This salvation was first announced by the Lord, was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,
- Ezek 24:16“Son of man, behold, I am about to take away the desire of your eyes with a fatal blow. But you must not mourn or weep or let your tears flow.
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 36:18 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
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.