“Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.”
My Notes
What Does Job 34:10 Mean?
Elihu — the younger friend who speaks after Job's three older companions — makes a declarative statement: "Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity." It's an absolute assertion of divine moral perfection.
Elihu's contribution to the debate adds nuance that Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar missed. He doesn't claim Job must be secretly guilty. Instead, he argues that God's justice is on a scale that humans cannot comprehend. Wickedness and iniquity are categorically impossible for God — not because of external constraints but because of his nature. It would be easier for water to flow uphill than for God to be unjust.
The phrase "men of understanding" (literally, "men of heart") addresses the audience — Elihu is appealing to wisdom, not emotion. He's asking thinking people to consider the logical impossibility of divine injustice. If God's nature is perfectly just, then whatever is happening to Job — however painful and inexplicable — is not injustice. It may be mysterious, but it cannot be wicked.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Can you hold onto the conviction that God doesn't do wickedness even when your circumstances seem to contradict it?
- 2.What's the difference between Elihu's approach and the simplistic theology of Job's other friends?
- 3.When you face unexplained suffering, do you tend to question God's character or hold the mystery?
- 4.How do you maintain trust in God's nature when the evidence seems to point otherwise?
Devotional
"Far be it from God" — this is the cry of someone who refuses to let God's character be impugned, even when the evidence seems damning. Elihu is essentially saying: I don't understand what's happening to Job, but I know this — God doesn't do wickedness. Period.
This is a faith position, not an intellectual one. Elihu isn't explaining Job's suffering. He's drawing a line: whatever the explanation turns out to be, it won't include divine injustice. He'd rather hold an unexplained mystery than accept an unjust God.
There's wisdom in this, even if it doesn't satisfy Job's immediate pain. When you're suffering and the only explanation seems to be that God is unfair, you face a choice: accept the explanation and lose God, or reject the explanation and keep the mystery. Elihu chooses the mystery.
This doesn't mean you can't ask questions or express pain — Job does both, and God affirms him for it. But underneath the questions, underneath the complaint, there can be a bedrock conviction: whatever this is, it's not wickedness. God cannot commit iniquity. I don't understand, but I won't let go of that.
Holding onto God's character when his actions seem contradictory isn't naive. It's the most demanding form of trust there is.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
For the work of a man will he render unto him,.... The reward of his work, as Ben Gersom interprets it, whether the work…
Therefore hearken unto me - Elihu proceeds now to reply to what he regarded as the erroneous sentiments of Job, and to…
Far be it from God - Rather, Wickedness, far be that from God; and from iniquity, the Almighty. The sense is…
The scope of Elihu's discourse to reconcile Job to his afflictions and to pacify his spirit under them. In order to this…
This charge of injustice Elihu rebuts, first, on the general ground of its impiety: God cannot be thought of as acting…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture