Old Testament Commentary - Job 35

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 35 Elihu contrasts weakness of man and the power of God—Our wickedness hurts other men, and our righteousness helps them—Man should trust in the Lord.
1 ELIHU spake moreover, and said, 2 Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God's? 3 For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?
4 I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee. 5 Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou. 6 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
7 If thou be ^arighteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? 8 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man. 9 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make the oppressed to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty.		1^a Prov. 9:12
10 But none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth ^asongs in the night; 11 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven? 12 There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.		10^a Ps. 77:6
13 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it. 14 Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.
15 But now, because it is not so, he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth it not in great extremity: 16 Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge^a.	16^a he multiplieth words without knowledge So often he who presumes to judge another makes statements which do will apply to themselves. This seems to be the nature of Job's 'friends'. Rather than to comfort Job in his afflictions, they continue to but find fault with Job, continually going on about that it is caused by you 'wickedness' Job and you must repent. Job has repeated that he has checked himself and has found no such great sin upon which the afflictions are based, but Job's 'friends' are determined that Job is a sinner and must repent. So pestered many who so persecuted the Prophet Joseph Smith. Even a number of his closest associates, sometimes when things just did not go smoothly for them, they did at some time turn against the prophet and blame him.