Job 22:30
in Job 22He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
He will deliver even him that is not innocent: Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands.
KJV
He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
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This verse in Job 22
Commentary
11 notes on this verseHe shall deliver the island of the innocent - The word אי ai, which we translate island, is most probably the Arabic particle (Arabic) whosoever, whatsoever, any, whosoever he may be, as (Arabic) ai rajuli, whatsoever man he may be. And it is most probable that both words are Arabic, (Arabic) or (Arabic) any innocent, chaste, pure, or holy person; for the word has the same meaning both in Hebrew and Arabic.
This site's exposition
When men are brought low
on Job 22:29-30
The chapter's closing line carries a disputed Hebrew text. Gill and Delitzsch both note the widely discussed alternate rendering, he shall deliver him that is not innocent, by the pureness of thine hands. Eliphaz promises a deliverance he does not know he will need.
This site's exposition
He will deliver even one who is not innocent
Henry and Wesley read it that God will deliver even the guilty through the clean hands and prayers of a good man. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note the irony: Eliphaz and his companions were themselves delivered at last through Job's prayer in Job 42:7 and 8. Eliphaz foretells his rescue.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church2 voices
Still not only is interior humility of the affection and the intellect required for salvation, but exterior purity of works is also necessary, and so he then says, "The innocent will be saved." He shows by what merit he will be saved saying, "he will …
The innocent shall be saved, but he shall be saved by the cleanness of his hands. Which same sentence now if it be delivered touching the recompense of the kingdom of heaven, is supported by truth, in that whereas it is written concerning God, Who rendereth to every man according to his deeds, that man in the Last Inquest the justice of the Judge Eternal saveth, whom here His pitifulness sets free from impure deeds.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
14, 15 ) and by their prayers and their interest in heaven, Acts xxvii. Or, He shall deliver those that are not innocent, and they are delivered by the pureness of thy hands; as it may be read, and most probably. Note, A good man is a public good.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number+unbalanced-parens
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself? 3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect? 4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
He, &c. - God will have so great a respect to thy innocency, that for thy sake he will deliver those that belong to thee, or live with thee, or near thee, thought in themselves they be ripe for destruction. Their hands - By thy prayers proceeding from a pure heart and conscience.
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He shall deliver the island of the innocent,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The irony is strikingly exhibited in Eliphaz unconsciously uttering words which exactly answer to what happened at last: he and the other two were "delivered" by God accepting the intercession of Job for them (Job 42:7, 8).
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
He shall deliver the island of the innocent - Margin, “the innocent shall deliver the island.” Never was there a more unhappy translation than this; and it is quite clear that our translators had no intelligible idea of the meaning of the passage. What can be meant by “saving the island of the innocent?” The word rendered island (אי 'ı̂y) commonly means, indeed, an island, or a maritime country; see Isa 20:6, note. It is, however, used as a “negative” in 1Sa 4:21, in the name “I-chabod” - אי־כבוד 'ı̂y-kâbôd. “And she named the child I-chabod (margin, that is, “where is the glory?” or, there is “no glory”), saying, the glory is departed from Israel.” This sense is frequent in the Rabbinic Hebrew, where it is used as connected with an adjective in a privative sense, like the English “un.” It is probably an abbreviated form of (אין 'ayı̂n) “not, nothing;” and is used here as a “negative” to qualify the following word, “He shall deliver even him that is not innocent.” So it is rendered by the Chaldee, by Le Clerc, Rosenmuller, Gesenius, Noyes, and others. The Vulgate and the Septuagint render it, “He shall deliver the innocent.” The sense is, that the man who returns to God, and who is regarded by him as his friend, will be able to intercede for the guilty, and to save them from the punishment which they deserved. His prayers and intercessions will be heard in their behalf, and on his account layouts will be shown to them, even when they did not personally deserve them. This sentiment accords with that expressed in Gen 18:26, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes;” Eze 14:14, “Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, they should deliver but their own souls;” compare Eze 22:30; Jer 5:1. […]
The words behind it
6 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְֽמַלֵּ֥ט | yemalet | he will deliver | H4422 → | 95 times |
| אִֽי־ | ʾi- | not | H336 → | |
| נָקִ֑י | naki | an innocent [person] | H5355 → | 43 times |
| וְ֝נִמְלַ֗ט | venimlat | and he will be delivered | H4422 → | 95 times |
| בְּבֹ֣ר | bevor | by [the] cleanness of | H1252 → | |
| כַּפֶּֽיךָ׃ פ | kapeikha | hands your | H3709 → | 192 times |
יְֽמַלֵּ֥טhe will deliver
yemaletH4422 →95 times
אִֽי־not
ʾi-H336 →
נָקִ֑יan innocent [person]
nakiH5355 →43 times
וְ֝נִמְלַ֗טand he will be delivered
venimlatH4422 →95 times
בְּבֹ֣רby [the] cleanness of
bevorH1252 →
כַּפֶּֽיךָ׃ פhands your
kapeikhaH3709 →192 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 27:24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’
it leads to
- Acts 23:11
The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Take courage! As you have testified about Me in Jerusalem, so also you must testify in Rome.”
- 2 Timothy 4:16–17
At my first defense, no one stood with me, but everyone deserted me. May it not be charged against them.
- Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Genesis 19:29
So when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham, and He brought Lot out of the catastrophe that destroyed the cities where he had lived.
- Acts 9:15
“Go!” said the Lord. “This man is My chosen instrument to carry My name before the Gentiles and their kings, and before the people of Israel.
- Acts 23:11
Through
Psalms 18:20The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
it leads to
- Psalms 24:4
He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.
- Matthew 6:4
so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
- Psalms 58:11
Then men will say, “There is surely a reward for the righteous! There is surely a God who judges the earth!”
- Psalms 24:4
About Job
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Job; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XVI; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.