📖 Job — Chapter 34 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Job 34:1 Furthermore Elihu answered and said,
Job 34:2 Hear my words, O ye wise men; and give ear unto me, ye that have knowledge.
Job 34:3 For Rthe ear trieth words, as the Tmouth tasteth meat.
Job 34:4 Let us Rchoose to us judgment: let us know among ourselves what is good.
Job 34:5 For Job hath said, I am righteous: and RGod hath taken away my judgment.
Job 34:6 Should I lie against my right? Tmy Rwound is incurable without transgression.
Job 34:7 RWhat man is like Job, who drinketh up scorning like water?
Job 34:8 Which goeth in company with the workers of iniquity, and walketh with wicked men.
Job 34:9 For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should Rdelight himself with God.
Job 34:10 Therefore hearken unto me ye Tmen of Runderstanding: far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
Job 34:11 For Rthe work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
Job 34:12 Yea, Rsurely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.
Job 34:13 RWho hath given him a charge over the earth? or who hath disposed Tthe whole world?
Job 34:14 If he Rset his heart upon Tman, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
Job 34:15 RAll flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
Job 34:16 If now thou hast understanding, hear this: hearken to the voice of my words.
Job 34:17 Shall Reven he that hateth right Tgovern? and wilt thou condemn him that is most just?
Job 34:18 Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? and to princes, Ye are ungodly?
Job 34:19 How much less to him that Raccepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.
Job 34:20 In Ra moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and Tthe mighty shall be taken away without hand.
Job 34:21 RFor his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
Job 34:22 There is no darkness, Rnor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
Job 34:23 For Rhe will not lay upon man more than right; that he should Tenter into judgment with God.
Job 34:24 He shall Rbreak in pieces mighty men without Tnumber, and set others in their stead.
Job 34:25 Therefore Rhe knoweth their works, and he overturneth them in the night, so that they are Tdestroyed.
Job 34:26 He striketh them as wicked men in the Topen sight of others;
Job 34:27 Because they Rturned back from Thim, and would not consider any of his ways:
Job 34:28 So that Rthey cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.
Job 34:29 RWhen he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only:
Job 34:30 RThat the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared.
Job 34:31 Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
Job 34:32 That Rwhich I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.
Job 34:33 RShould it be Taccording to thy mind? he will recompense it, whether thou refuse, or whether thou choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest.
Job 34:34 Let men Tof Runderstanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken unto me.
Job 34:35 RJob hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.
Job 34:36 RTMy desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because of his answers for wicked men.
Job 34:37 For he addeth Rrebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 34:1–15 — Elihu defends divine justice
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Elihu asks listeners to test words and insists that God does not act wickedly or pervert judgment. He also characterizes Job's speech sharply. His affirmation of God's justice does not settle every question about Job's circumstances. Readers should distinguish the principle being defended from the speaker's interpretation of the person before him.
Key Truth: Test both the principle and its application.
Check What You Remember
1. What does Elihu compare testing words with? (Job 34:3)
Find it in Job 34:3 (KJV).
2. What does he deny God will do? (Job 34:10)
Find it in Job 34:10 (KJV).
3. To what would all flesh return without God's breath? (Job 34:15)
Find it in Job 34:15 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 34:16–30 — No partiality before God
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Elihu describes God seeing people's ways, overturning rulers, and hearing the poor. Rich and poor are the work of his hands, so status does not shield wrongdoing. These themes underline accountability and the dignity of those oppressed. They do not give a human speaker complete knowledge of the timing or cause of every event.
Key Truth: Let God's impartiality shape your care for others.
Check What You Remember
1. Does God regard the rich above the poor? (Job 34:19)
Find it in Job 34:19 (KJV).
2. Why are both rich and poor related to him? (Job 34:19)
Find it in Job 34:19 (KJV).
3. Whose cry does he hear? (Job 34:28)
Find it in Job 34:28 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Job 34:31–37 — A call to learn and a harsh conclusion
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Elihu proposes a prayer asking to be taught unseen wrongdoing and to cease it. He then accuses Job of speech without knowledge and added rebellion. The prayer offers a useful posture for any reader, but the accusation remains part of Elihu's argument. We must not convert it into the narrator's proof that the original suffering was deserved.
Key Truth: Seek correction without inventing the cause of suffering.
Check What You Remember
1. What does the proposed prayer ask God to teach? (Job 34:32)
Find it in Job 34:32 (KJV).
2. What does it promise concerning iniquity? (Job 34:32)
Find it in Job 34:32 (KJV).
3. What does Elihu say Job's words lack? (Job 34:35)
Find it in Job 34:35 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Psalms 139:23 — The psalm asks God to search the heart.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can you ask to be taught while remaining careful about accusations against others?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. How does Elihu frame the listeners’ task of discernment?
2. What does Elihu explicitly deny about God’s judgment?
3. Why does Elihu say God does not favour princes or the rich?
4. What response to correction does Elihu propose?
5. Who makes the closing charge that Job adds rebellion to sin?
Notes
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