Indeed, God is mighty, but He despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Behold, God is mighty, and doesn’t despise anyone. He is mighty in strength of understanding.
- KJV Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: he is mighty in strength and wisdom.
- NKJV “Behold, God is mighty, but despises no one; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
- NASB “Behold, God is mighty but does not reject anyone; He is mighty in strength of understanding.
- NLT “God is mighty, but he does not despise anyone! He is mighty in both power and understanding.
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 is mighty yet despises no one, and is mighty in strength of understanding. His power is matched by wisdom and care.
Overview
Elihu beautifully balances God's might with His mercy: He is powerful but does not despise the lowly. Combined with His perfect understanding, this portrays a God whose strength never overrides His justice or compassion. This anticipates the gospel revelation of a mighty God who draws near to the humble and does not break the bruised reed (Isa. 42:3; Matt. 12:20).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Ps 22:24For He has not despised or detested the torment of the afflicted. He has not hidden His face from him, but has attended to his cry for help.
- Ps 138:6Though the LORD is on high, He attends to the lowly; but the proud He knows from afar.
- Jer 10:12The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding.
- Ps 147:5Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.
- Job 37:23The Almighty is beyond our reach; He is exalted in power! In His justice and great righteousness He does not oppress.
- Jer 32:19the One great in counsel and mighty in deed, whose eyes are on all the ways of the sons of men, to reward each one according to his ways and according to the fruit of his deeds.
- Job 12:13–16Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His.
- Job 26:12–14By His power He stirred the sea; by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
- Job 31:13If I have rejected the cause of my manservant or maidservant when they made a complaint against me,
- Job 9:14How then can I answer Him or choose my arguments against Him?
- Job 10:3Does it please You to oppress me, to reject the work of Your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked?
- Job 9:19If it is a matter of strength, He is indeed mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him?
- Ps 99:4The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- 1 Cor 1:24–28but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
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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 36:5 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.