Job 35:13
in Job 35Surely God does not listen to empty pleas, and the Almighty does not take note of it.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Surely God will not hear an empty cry, Neither will the Almighty regard it.
KJV
Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.
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This verse in Job 35
Commentary
11 notes on this verseFor God will not hear without reason, and the Almighty will behold the causes of men one by one. We must observe that two points are stated: both that He does not hear without reason him, who cries to Him, and yet regards his sufferings; and pretends not to hear his cry, and still is not ignorant what each one suffers. Let no one, then, who is not speedily heard, believe that he is not cared for by God's providence.
This site's exposition
There they cry out, but He does not answer
on Job 35:12-13
Elihu explains the silence: “There they cry out, but He does not answer, because of the pride of evil men”. Henry notes Elihu grants real oppression and explains why one cry goes unheard, since pride corrupts the prayer. Wesley reads verse 13 as a general rule for all men.
This site's exposition
does not listen to empty pleas
Albert Barnes calls an empty plea a hollow, heartless prayer. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown tie it to the cry of verse 12 and apply it in some measure to Job's own cries. Gregory the Dialogist adds that God may delay His answer and still see what each man bears.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Because of the pride of humanity," that is, they are reproved for the pride and arrogance that they show before their neighbors. And God will not hear the vain cries of proud people.
The Medieval Church1 voice
So that one does not believe that God hears all people indiscriminately he says, "For not in vain," without reason, "will God hear," because he hears some and not others for a very just reason. He expresses this reason saying, "and the Almighty will regard …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): God will not hear vanity, that is, the hypocritical prayer, which is a vain prayer, coming out of feigned lips. It is a vanity to think that God should hear it, who searches the heart and requires truth in the inward part. 14 Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Surely God will not hear vanity,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Surely God will not hear vanity - A vain, hollow, heartless petition. The object of Elihu here is to account for the reason why sufferers are not relieved - having his eye, doubtless, on the case of Job as one of the most remarkable of the kind. The solution which he here gives of the difficulty is, that it is not consistent for God to hear a prayer where there is no sincerity.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
But the reason is that the innocent sufferers often do not humbly seek God for succor; so to their "pride" is to be laid the blame of their ruin; also because (Job 35:13-16) they, as Job, instead of waiting God's time in pious trust, are prone to despair of His justice, when it is not immediately visible (Job 33:19-26).
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
vanity--that is, cries uttered in an unhumbled spirit, Job 35:12, which applies in some degree to Job's cries; still more to those of the wicked (Job 27:9;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
Surely God will not hear vanity - He will not attend to such vain cries; they cry from their oppressions, but they cry not to God.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
There they cry out And see that there the poor cry out because of the pride of those who oppress them, and He does not answer, for..
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
Surely you who say Surely you, whose cry comes only because of Him, and you say and cry that you do not see Him to debate with Him.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 5 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אַךְ־ | ʾakhosha- | surely | H389 → | 161 times |
| שָׁ֭וְא | shav' | emptiness | H7723 → | 53 times |
| לֹא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִשְׁמַ֥ע׀ | yishma' | he hears | H8085 → | 1159 times |
| אֵ֑ל | ʾel | God | H410 → | 241 times |
| וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗י | veshadai | and [the] Almighty | H7706 → | 48 times |
| לֹ֣א | lo' | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יְשׁוּרֶֽנָּה׃ | yeshurenah | he observes it | H7789 → | 15 times |
אַךְ־surely
ʾakhosha-H389 →161 times
שָׁ֭וְאemptiness
shav'H7723 →53 times
לֹא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִשְׁמַ֥ע׀he hears
yishma'H8085 →1159 times
אֵ֑לGod
ʾelH410 →241 times
וְ֝שַׁדַּ֗יand [the] Almighty
veshadaiH7706 →48 times
לֹ֣אnot
lo'H3808 →5168 times
יְשׁוּרֶֽנָּה׃he observes it
yeshurenahH7789 →15 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
Proverbs 15:29The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
it leads to
- Proverbs 15:8
The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 9:31
We know that God does not listen to sinners, but He does listen to the one who worships Him and does His will.
- Psalms 145:18–19
The LORD is near to all who call on Him, to all who call out to Him in truth.
- Proverbs 15:8
Through
James 4:3And when you do ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may squander it on your pleasures.
it leads to
- 1 John 5:14
And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
- 1 John 3:22
and we will receive from Him whatever we ask, because we keep His commandments and do what is pleasing in His sight.
- 1 John 5:14
Through
Isaiah 1:15When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; even though you multiply your prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.
it leads to
- Micah 3:4
Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Proverbs 1:28
Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Micah 3:4
Through
Proverbs 15:8The sacrifice of the wicked is detestable to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.
it leads to
- Proverbs 15:29
The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
- Proverbs 15:29
About Job
This page draws on 9 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); Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON JOB 35:12-13; Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XXVI; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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.