Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore men revere him. He doesn’t regard any who are wise of heart.”
- BSB Therefore, men fear Him, for He is not partial to the wise in heart.”
- NKJV Therefore men fear Him; He shows no partiality to any who are wise of heart.”
- NASB “Therefore people fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart.”
- NLT No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence.”
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
Because God is so great, people rightly revere him, and he pays no special regard to the self-styled wise. True wisdom begins in the fear of the LORD.
Overview
Elihu concludes that the fitting response to God's majesty is reverent fear, and that human cleverness earns no privileged standing before him. This echoes the wisdom theme that fearing God, not self-confident reasoning, is the path of understanding (Job 28:28). It prepares Job and the reader for the humbling encounter about to come.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Matt 10:28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
- 1 Cor 1:26For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
- Isa 5:21Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
- Ps 130:4But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.
- Rom 2:4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?
- Matt 11:25–26At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.
- Job 5:13He taketh the wise in their own craftiness: and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong.
- Jer 32:39And I will give them one heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children after them:
- Jer 33:9And it shall be to me a name of joy, a praise and an honour before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that I do unto them: and they shall fear and tremble for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it.
- Eccl 9:11I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favour to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.
- 1 Cor 3:19For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
- Luke 12:4–5And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.
- Hos 3:5Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.
- Rom 11:20–22Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:
- Luke 10:21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
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 37:24 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.