Because there is wrath, beware lest he take thee away with his stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t let riches entice you to wrath, neither let the great size of a bribe turn you aside.
- BSB Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray.
- 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 33:24Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
- Eph 5:6Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.
- Rom 1:18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
- Rom 2:5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;
- Ps 49:7–8None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him:
- Ps 110:5The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.
- Ps 2:5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
- 1 Tim 2:6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.
- Ps 39:10Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
- Isa 14:6He who smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, he that ruled the nations in anger, is persecuted, and none hindereth.
- Ps 2:12Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
- Matt 3:7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
- Heb 2:3How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
- Ezek 24:16Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down.
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.