“Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.”
My Notes
What Does Job 22:27 Mean?
"Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows." Eliphaz describes the restored prayer life: you'll pray and God will actually hear. The promise isn't just access to God but answered prayer — the certainty that your words reach divine ears and produce divine response. The hearing produces the paying of vows: because God answers, you fulfill the promises you made during your petition.
The sequence — pray, be heard, pay vows — traces the complete prayer cycle: petition (you bring the need), response (God hears and acts), and fulfillment (you honor the promises you made). The vow-paying proves the prayer was answered: you only pay a vow when the thing you vowed for has been delivered.
The phrase "he shall hear thee" (yishma'eka — he will listen to you) contrasts with Job's experience: Job has been crying out and feeling unheard (9:16, 13:22, 19:7). Eliphaz promises that the returned person will experience what Job currently lacks — a God who listens.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Do you believe God hears your prayers — genuinely, not theoretically?
- 2.What vows have you made during desperate prayer that you need to fulfill now that God has answered?
- 3.How does the pray-hear-pay cycle model the complete relationship between petition and gratitude?
- 4.What does Job's experience of unanswered prayer teach about the gap between Eliphaz's formula and reality?
Devotional
You'll pray. He'll hear. You'll pay your vows. The complete cycle of prayer: ask, receive, give thanks. Eliphaz describes what every person of faith longs for — the certainty that your prayers reach God and that God responds.
The 'he shall hear thee' is the promise Job is desperate for: throughout the book, Job has been screaming into what feels like silence. He prays and God doesn't answer. He calls and God doesn't respond. Eliphaz promises that the restored person gets what Job currently lacks — a listening God. The hearing that Job can't find becomes the promise of the restored life.
The 'pay thy vows' is the evidence of answered prayer: you made a vow during your desperation — 'God, if you do this, I'll do that.' The fact that you're paying the vow means God did His part. The vow-paying isn't the obligation. It's the celebration. It's the proof that the prayer was heard and the petition was granted.
Eliphaz's promise is true in principle — prayer IS heard, God DOES respond, vows ARE fulfilled. But the timing and mechanism aren't as clean as Eliphaz makes them. Job will eventually be restored (chapter 42). His prayers will eventually be answered. But not on Eliphaz's timeline and not through Eliphaz's formula of simple repentance producing immediate restoration.
Do you believe God hears your prayers — and when He answers, do you remember to pay your vows?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee,.... Strictly speaking, this is only true of God,…
Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him - God would then hear him, for he would be righteous. This was one of the blessings…
Methinks I can almost forgive Eliphaz his hard censures of Job, which we had in the beginning of the chapter, though…
pay thy vows In making requests in prayer it was customary to make a vow to sacrifice or offer unto the Lord if the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture