Job 37:24
in Job 37Therefore, men fear Him, for He is not partial to the wise in heart.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Men do therefore fear him: He regardeth not any that are wise of heart.
KJV
Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.
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This verse in Job 37
Commentary
9 notes on this verseTherefore men will fear Him, and all who seem to themselves to be wise, will not dare to contemplate Him. Eliu in this place calls those who are strong of understanding 'men.' And we must note that he says not, 'And wise men will not dare to contemplate Him,' but, They who seem to themselves to be wise. By which words, namely, he implies those who are skilful, but arrogant.
This site's exposition
The Almighty is beyond our reach
on Job 37:23-24
Elihu ends with a confession: “The Almighty is beyond our reach”. Henry reads this as sound doctrine even where Elihu's application to Job has been harsh. The Lord answers out of the whirlwind in the next verse, so Elihu's word is the last human word before God speaks.
This site's exposition
not partial to the wise in heart
Gregory the Dialogist reads the wise in heart as those who only seem wise to themselves. Adam Clarke adds that whatever good is in a man comes from God alone. With this verse Elihu's speech ends.
The record, by era
The Medieval Church1 voice
This is the reason why his praise is dreadful, and so he then says, "Therefore men," no matter how powerful they are, "will fear him" because of the greatness of his power, "and they will not dare to contemplate him," i.e., presume to know him …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He regards the prayer of the humble, but not the policies of the crafty. No, the foolishness of God is wiser than men, 1 Cor. i. (7.) From all this it is easy to infer that, since God is great, he is greatly to be feared; nay, because he is gracious and will not afflict, men do therefore fear him, for there is forgiveness with him, that he may be feared, Ps. cxxx.
1 ), these were, as afterwards on Mount Sinai, the proper prefaces to command attention and awe. How Elihu was himself affected, and desired to affect Job, with the appearance of God's glory in the thunder and lightning (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-citation-number
Men do therefore fear him,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
Men do therefore - Therefore men, אנשים anashim, wretched, miserable, ignorant, sinful men, should fear him. He respecteth not any - No man is valuable in his sight on account of his wisdom; for what is his wisdom when compared with that of the Omniscient? Whatever good is in man, God alone is the author of it. Let him, therefore, that glorieth, glory in the Lord. Thus ends the speech of Elihu; a speech of a widely different description, on the whole, from that of the three friends of Job who had spoken so largely before him.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Men do therefore fear him - There is reason why they should fear him, or why they should treat him with reverence. He respecteth not any that are wise of heart - He pursues his own plans, and forms and executes his own counsels. He is not dependent upon the suggestions of people, and does not listen to their advice. In his schemes he is original and independent, and people should therefore regard him with profound veneration. This is the sum of all that Elihu had to say - that God was original and independent; that he did not ask counsel of people in his dealings; that he was great, and glorious, and inscrutable in his plans; and that people therefore should bow before him with profound submission and adoration. It was to be presumed that he was wise and good in all that he did, and to this independent and almighty Sovereign man ought to submit his understanding and his heart. Having illustrated and enforced this sentiment, Elihu, overwhelmed with the awful symbols of the approaching Deity, is silent, and God is introduced to close the controversy.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| לָ֭כֵן | lakhen | <to> therefore | H3651 → | 771 times |
| יְרֵא֣וּהוּ | yereuhu | they fear him | H3372 → | 315 times |
| אֲנָשִׁ֑ים | ʾanashim | people | H582 → | 566 times |
| לֹֽא־ | lo'- | not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| יִ֝רְאֶ֗ה | yireh | he sees | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | any | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| חַכְמֵי־ | chakhmei- | [people] wise of | H2450 → | 138 times |
| לֵֽב׃ פ | lev | heart | H3820 → | 595 times |
לָ֭כֵן<to> therefore
lakhenH3651 →771 times
יְרֵא֣וּהוּthey fear him
yereuhuH3372 →315 times
אֲנָשִׁ֑יםpeople
ʾanashimH582 →566 times
לֹֽא־not
lo'-H3808 →5168 times
יִ֝רְאֶ֗הhe sees
yirehH7200 →1300 times
כָּל־any
kol-H3605 →5413 times
חַכְמֵי־[people] wise of
chakhmei-H2450 →138 times
לֵֽב׃ פheart
levH3820 →595 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
Matthew 10:28Do 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.
it leads to
- Luke 12:4–5
I tell you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more.
- Isaiah 8:12–13
“Do not call conspiracy everything these people regard as conspiracy. Do not fear what they fear; do not live in dread.
- Revelation 2:10
Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will suffer tribulation for ten days. Be faithful…
- James 4:12
There is only one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
- Ecclesiastes 8:12–13
Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.
- Luke 12:4–5
Through
Romans 2:4Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?
it leads to
- 2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise as some understand slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish but everyone to come to repentance.
- Isaiah 30:18
Therefore the LORD longs to be gracious to you; therefore He rises to show you compassion, for the LORD is a just God. Blessed are all who wait for Him.
- Exodus 34:6
Then the LORD passed in front of Moses and called out: “The LORD, the LORD God, is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in loving devotion and faithfulness,
- 2 Peter 3:9
About Job
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Gregory the Dialogist, Morals on the Book of Job, Book XXVII; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Job.