Job 35:7
in Job 35If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand?
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand?
KJV
If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?
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This verse in Job 35
Commentary
10 notes on this verseIf you look at the heavens and contemplate the clouds, you will understand that you sinned. And what do you need to do? It is necessary that you approach the high priest and implore him to offer a victim for you. "If any one does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and he is the expiation of our sins." If you will do this, you will dissolve your numerous sins.
This site's exposition
Look to the heavens and see
on Job 35:5-8
Satan asked at 1:9 whether Job's piety was paid, Elihu asks whether God is paid, and both hold that righteousness cannot bind the Most High. Delitzsch finds the answer's weight in verse 8, where wickedness affects only “a man like yourself”, so sin and virtue land on neighbors.
This site's exposition
what do you give Him
Matthew Henry turns the question around. A righteous man owes his righteousness to God, so he can demand nothing from Him. John Gill says the same, that all the righteousness any creature has comes from God.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
These words mean, you will do no wrong to him, and you will not be more useful to him by being righteous. In fact, he said, "If I have sinned, what shall I be able to do?" What shall I do to you? Elihu says, Why did you say that? Does God care about the fact that you sinned, as if he is the victim of an injustice or as if he is suffering damage?
The Medieval Church2 voices
He begins from what he had said last, showing that God cannot be helped or harmed by our good and evil works, and this is so because of his high character. So he says, "If you sin," against yourself or God, "what harm will you …
A commentator
Gregory the DialogistMorals on the Book of Job, Book XXVI · Written before 604.
proposed
Look unto the heaven, and see, and behold the sky, that it is higher than thou. If thou hast sinned, what wilt thou hurt Him? If thine iniquities have been multiplied, what wilt thou do against Him? If, moreover, thou hast acted justly, what wilt thou give Him, or what will He receive of thy hand? Although these words ought not to have been said to blessed Job, who knew greater truths, yet the things, which are said, are true, namely, that neither do our sins hurt God, nor our good deeds assist Him. Whence he followed, and added, (ver. 8.) Thine iniquity will hurt a man that is like thee, and thy righteousness will profit the son of man. But amongst these things we must carefully notice that which he says, Look into the heavens, and see, and behold the sky, that it is higher than thou. For from speaking in this way he doubtless signifies, that Job should consider, how much less he could either benefit, or injure, God by his conduct, since he could neither benefit, nor injure, the loftiness of the heaven, or of the sky. For although we can understand by the heaven, or the sky, the heavenly powers, who are ever steadily gazing on the sight of the Godhead, (in order that, when we behold that the angelic spirits are still far distant from us, we may acknowledge how far we are distant below, from the Creator and Lord of spirits Himself,) yet nothing prevents our understanding by them in this place the material substance of heaven and sky. For if we look attentively at outward things, we are recalled by their very means to inward things. For the wonderful works of the visible creation, are the footsteps of our Creator. For we cannot as yet behold Him Himself; but we are yet tending to a sight of Him, if we admire Him in these things which He has made. […]
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?.... All righteousness is of God that any creatures have.
Our religion brings no accession at all to his felicity. He is so far from being beholden to us that we are beholden to him for making us righteous and accepting our righteousness; and therefore we can demand nothing from him, nor have any reason to complain if we have not what we expect, but to be thankful that we have better than we deserve.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Elihu like Eliphaz (Job 22:2, 3, 12) shows that God is too exalted in nature to be susceptible of benefit or hurt from the righteousness or sin of men respectively; it is themselves that they benefit by righteousness, or hurt by sin. behold the clouds, which are higher than thou--spoken with irony.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? - The same sentiment substantially as in the previous verses. It is, that God is supreme and independent. He does not desire such benefits from the services of his friends and is not so dependent on them; as to be induced to interpose in their favor, in any way beyond what is strictly proper.
The words behind it
9 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| צָ֭דַקְתָּ | tzadakta | you have been righteous | H6663 → | 41 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| תִּתֶּן־ | titen- | do you give | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| ל֑וֹ | lo | to him | ||
| א֥וֹ | ʾo | or | H176 → | 321 times |
| מַה־ | mah- | what? | H4100 → | 752 times |
| מִיָּדְךָ֥ | miyadekha | from hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יִקָּֽח׃ | yikach | does he receive | H3947 → | 966 times |
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
צָ֭דַקְתָּyou have been righteous
tzadaktaH6663 →41 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
תִּתֶּן־do you give
titen-H5414 →2011 times
ל֑וֹto him
lo
א֥וֹor
ʾoH176 →321 times
מַה־what?
mah-H4100 →752 times
מִיָּדְךָ֥from hand your
miyadekhaH3027 →1618 times
יִקָּֽח׃does he receive
yikachH3947 →966 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
Luke 17:10So you also, when you have done everything commanded of you, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
it leads to
- Job 22:2–3
“Can a man be of use to God? Can even a wise man benefit Him?
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- 1 Corinthians 9:16–17
Yet when I preach the gospel, I have no reason to boast, because I am obligated to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!
- 1 Peter 5:5–6
Young men, in the same way, submit yourselves to your elders. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:9–10
For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
- Job 35:6–7
If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? If you multiply your transgressions, what do you do to Him?
- Job 22:2–3
Through
Romans 11:35“Who has first given to God, that God should repay him?”
it leads to
- Job 41:11
Who has given to Me that I should repay him? Everything under heaven is Mine.
- Job 41:11
Through
Psalms 16:2I said to the LORD, “You are my Lord; apart from You I have no good thing.”
it leads to
- Psalms 73:25
Whom have I in heaven but You? And on earth I desire no one besides You.
- Psalms 31:14
But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.”
- Psalms 73:25
About Job

This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Job; 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 XXVI; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON JOB 35:6; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, FRAGMENTS ON JOB 24.15-16 and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.
