Blessed indeed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
- KJV Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
- NKJV “Behold,happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.
- NASB ¶“Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines, So do not reject the discipline of the Almighty.
- NLT “But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the discipline of the Almighty when you 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
Eliphaz says happy is the one God corrects, so Job should not despise the Almighty's discipline. He frames Job's suffering as fatherly chastening to be welcomed.
Overview
Here Eliphaz offers a genuinely precious truth: God's discipline is a blessing, not to be resented. Hebrews later echoes this, that the Lord disciplines those he loves as sons. The flaw is in the application, for Job's ordeal is not corrective punishment for sin; yet the verse rightly teaches that, in Christ, hardship can be received as loving formation rather than mere wrath.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Jas 1:12Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him.
- Ps 94:12Blessed is the man You discipline, O LORD, and teach from Your law,
- Prov 3:11–12My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD, and do not loathe His rebuke;
- Rev 3:19Those I love, I rebuke and discipline. Therefore be earnest and repent.
- Jas 5:11See how blessed we consider those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen the outcome from the Lord. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
- Heb 12:5–11And you have forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons: “My son, do not take lightly the discipline of the Lord, and do not lose heart when He rebukes you.
- Jer 31:18I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf. Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 5:17 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.