Job 37:23 · Bible study
Job 37:23 Commentary: The Almighty's Unfathomable Justice
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Elihu declares God's infinite power and justice, affirming that He does not oppress. Explores the Hebrew verb 'afflict' vs.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The Almighty is beyond human comprehension; His power is vast, and His justice and righteousness are full; He never oppresses unjustly.
- Key words: Shaddai (Almighty), matsa (to find, reach), saggi (exalted), koach (power), mishpat (justice), tzedakah (righteousness), ye'anneh (afflicts/oppresses).
- Main debate: Does the final verb mean "He will not oppress" (so most versions) or "He will not answer" (i.e., gives no account of His actions)? The Masoretic pointing supports the former, while some ancient witnesses and modern scholars argue for the latter.
- Theological theme: The unity of divine sovereignty and justice: God's power never operates outside the bounds of His perfect righteousness.
- Best use: As a pastoral anchor in times of suffering, affirming that God's hidden purposes are never cruel, and we are free to trust without full understanding.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
The Almighty is beyond our reach; He is exalted in power! In His justice and great righteousness He does not oppress.
WEB World English Bible 2000
We can’t reach the Almighty. He is exalted in power. In justice and great righteousness, he will not oppress.
KJV King James Version 1769
Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Touchingthe Almighty, we cannot find him out: He is excellent in power; And in justice and plenteous righteousness he will not afflict.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
The Mighty! we have not found Him out, High in power and judgment, He doth not answer! And abundant in righteousness,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The Almighty, we cannot find him out: excellent in power, and in judgment, and in abundance of justice, he doth not afflict.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
We cannot find him worthily: he is great in strength, and in judgment, and in justice, and he is ineffable.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
El es Todopoderoso, al cual no alcanzamos, grande en potencia; y en juicio y en multitud de justicia no afligirá.
Não podemos alcançar ao Todo-Poderoso; ele é grande em poder; porém ele a ninguém oprime em juízo e grandeza de justiça.
Nous ne saurions parvenir jusqu’ au Tout-Puissant,
Den Allmächtigen aber können wir nicht finden, der so groß ist von Kraft; das Recht und eine gute Sache beugt er nicht.
Den Almachtige, Dien kunnen wij niet uitvinden; Hij is groot van kracht; doch door gericht en grote gerechtigheid verdrukt Hij niet.
l’Onnipotente noi non lo possiam scoprire. Egli è grande in forza, in equità, in perfetta giustizia; egli non opprime alcuno.
Przetoż boją się go ludzie; nie ma względu na żadnego, by też był i najmędrszy.
Вседержитель! мы не постигаем Его. Он велик силою, судом и полнотою правосудия. Он никого не угнетает.
論到全能者，我們不能 測度；他大有 能力，有公平 和大 義，必不 苦待人。
There is no searching out of the Ruler of all: his strength and his judging are great; he is full of righteousness, doing no wrong.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 37:23
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
All commentators agree that Job 37:23 asserts God's transcendence and moral perfection. The first two lines, "We can't reach the Almighty" and "He is exalted in power", stress that God's essence and purposes lie beyond human grasp (Clarke; Barnes). The third line pairs justice and righteousness with the claim that God "will not oppress" (WEB, KJV, ASV) or "does not afflict" (Geneva, Gill). The point of consensus is that God's sovereignty never operates without perfect justice. As the Cambridge Bible notes, "God's power is ever conjoined with righteousness, and He unjustly afflicts or oppresses none." Gill and Barnes add that this verse refutes Job's insinuation that God might pervert justice (cf. Job 8:3). The disputed reading of the final verb ("he will not answer") is a minority view, but the moral certainty that God does no wrong remains untouched.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Moral interpretation (will not oppress): The Masoretic verb points to 'afflict/oppress.' Many commentators (Clarke, Barnes, Cambridge, Gill) take this as an assertion that God never acts unjustly or cruelly.
- Non‑accountability interpretation (will not answer): Some exegetes read the verb as 'answer' (root ענה I), suggesting God does not give an account of His actions to human beings (cf. Job 33:13). This reading fits the surrounding theme of divine inscrutability.
What is clear: Whether understood as 'does not oppress' or 'does not answer,' the verse unambiguously affirms that God's power and justice are perfect and that He does no violence to His own character.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of 'find him out' | The phrase asserts that human beings cannot fully comprehend God's nature, ways, or judgments (see also Job 11:7). | Some traditions stress the epistemological limit, we cannot 'find' God's reasons at all; others hold that we can know God truly through revelation, but not exhaustively. |
| The final verb: 'afflict' vs 'answer' | Both readings affirm God's moral perfection: He does no wrong, and He owes no human an explanation. | Most English versions and commentators (Clarke, Barnes, Cambridge, Gill) read 'he will not afflict/oppress.' A minority, citing a possible confusion of roots (H6031 vs H6030), translate 'he does not answer' (i.e., gives no account of His dealings). The Masoretic Text supports the former. |
| Elihu's role in Job | Elihu speaks as a younger adviser who prepares Job for God's theophany, emphasizing God's justice in chastening. | Some see Elihu as a forerunner to God's own answer, providing a correct (if incomplete) theology; others argue that Elihu, like the friends, misrepresents God and is later rebuked (implicitly). Traditions vary on whether Elihu is a positive or negative figure. |
| Meaning of 'judgment' and 'righteousness' together | God's governance of the world includes both retributive justice (mishpat) and covenantal faithfulness (tzedakah). | Catholic and Orthodox readings often accentuate tzedakah as God's saving justice (cf. justification); Reformed traditions emphasize the forensic aspect of mishpat. Both affirm the pair as complementary. |
Historical & Cultural Context
This verse closes Elihu's fourth and final speech (Job 36:5, 37:24). The surrounding context describes an approaching thunderstorm: lightning, thunder, rain, and a clearing wind (vv. 21, 22). Elihu himself seems to be witnessing the storm he describes, and his language becomes abrupt and exclamatory. The phrase "The Almighty!" (Hebrew Shaddai) is a direct cry, perhaps evoked by the visual power of the storm itself. Barnes observes that the verse "accords with all that Elihu had said" and is spoken here as God is "seen approaching in visible splendor, encompassed with clouds and tempests." Lange's Commentary suggests that Elihu's descriptions of lightning and thunder are drawn directly from the storm that will soon serve as God's chariot for the theophany in Job 38. The verse thus functions as a hinge: it summarizes Elihu's message that God's power and justice are inseparable, and it prepares Job (and the reader) for the divine speeches that follow. Elihu's point, as reiterated from Job 36:5, is that God is mighty yet despises no one, a truth that the storm both reveals and presses home.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note a textual issue concerning the final verb in the Hebrew. The Masoretic Text vocalizes the verb as yᵉ‘anneh (he will afflict/oppress) from the root H6031. However, some manuscripts and early versions (including the Targum and a few Hebrew manuscripts) reflect a reading ya‘aneh (he will answer) from the root H6030. The difference is only a vowel change (pataḥ vs. qamets). Barnes records that some medieval Jewish commentators preferred the latter. Most modern commentators, following the Masoretic pointing, read “he will not afflict/oppress.” Jamieson-Fausset-Brown calls the alternative “a transcriber's correction” influenced by Job 33:13. No significant variants affect the surrounding words or the overall meaning of God's justice.
Reception History
Early Christian interpreters (e.g., Gregory the Great) read Job 37:23 as a confession of God's hidden justice, a theme woven into monastic meditation on divine providence. The medieval Glossa Ordinaria connected the verse to God's sovereignty over all human affairs. Reformers like Calvin and Luther cited this text to caution against prying into God's secret counsels. Matthew Henry (1710) used it to argue that even severe affliction comes from a just God and should quiet our complaints. In modern scholarship, attention has focused on the Elihu speeches themselves: whether Elihu's theology is endorsed by the final divine speech. Across traditions, the verse has served as a consolation for believers who cannot make sense of their suffering, trusting that the all‑powerful Judge acts rightly even when His ways are inscrutable.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- God Cannot Be Mastered. The opening phrase "We can't reach the Almighty" (Hebrew lo metsanuhu) confesses that no human intellect can fully grasp God's nature or reasons. This is not skepticism but humility before mystery.
- God's Power and Justice Are United. "Exalted in power" is yoked with "justice and great righteousness." Unlike human rulers, God never uses power to override what is right. His omnipotence is always moral.
- God Does Not Crush. The disputed final verb, "he will not oppress", means that even when God afflicts, it is never for the sake of mere cruelty or without purpose. He is neither tyrant nor answer-giver on demand.
Five-point outline
- The Creator Is Past Finding Out. Elihu echoes Job 11:7: we cannot fathom the limits of the Almighty.
- Power without Limit. God's strength is a given; the question is how He uses it. Justice and Righteousness in Full Measure. The word rov ("greatness") suggests abundance, God's justice is not stingy but overflowing.
- He Will Not Afflict Unjustly. The verb ye'anneh (from H6031) carries the sense of violent oppression, which God's character forbids.
- Therefore, Fear Him. The following verse (Job 37:24) draws the conclusion: reverence, not complaint, is the proper response.
Illustration hooks
- A courtroom. A judge is both powerful and just. People trust their case because they know the judge will not use authority to harm unfairly.
- A child questioning a parent. A small child cannot understand why a parent's decision is good. The child's trust is based on the parent's proven character, not on full understanding.
Questions your congregation is asking
- If God is powerful enough to stop suffering and just enough to care, why doesn't He intervene more often?
- Does this verse mean everything that happens to me is fair? How do I hold onto God's justice when life feels arbitrary?
Leading a Discussion
This small-group guide invites participants to reflect on Elihu's final word before God speaks. The verse insists that God is both beyond us and completely righteous. Use the questions below to move from observation to application.
Discussion questions
- Read Job 37:23 aloud. What stands out to you, God's power, His inaccessibility, or His justice?
- The Hebrew says literally, "The Almighty!, we have not found Him." Why does Elihu speak in exclamations here? What mood does this create?
- How does pairing "exalted in power" with "justice and great righteousness" guard against seeing God as arbitrary or harsh?
- The last phrase can be translated either "He will not oppress" or "He will not answer" (i.e., give an account). Which reading do you find more comforting, and why?
- Elihu describes a thunderstorm as he speaks. How does nature, weather, power, limits, help us understand God's character?
- Job has insisted on his innocence and demanded an answer from God. How does Elihu's statement challenge Job, and us?
- In what area of your life do you most need to trust that God is both mighty and just, even when you cannot trace His reasoning?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 8:3 | Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness? |
| Job 9:4 | God is wise in heart, and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against him and prospered? |
| Job 9:19 | If it is a matter of strength, behold, he is mighty! If of justice, ‘Who,’ says he, ‘will summon me?’ |
| Job 11:7 | “Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty? |
| Job 12:13 | “With God is wisdom and might. He has counsel and understanding. |
| Job 16:7 | But now, God, you have surely worn me out. You have made all my company desolate. |
| Job 16:17 | although there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure. |
| Job 26:14 | Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the Hebrew word means the Almighty will not answer questions about himself. He holds that Christians should not try to understand his being or purposes.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes emphasizes the dramatic context: God is approaching in visible splendor, surrounded by clouds and tempests. This terrifying display makes the point that the Almighty cannot be comprehended, and the original text reads better as an exclamation of awe. God's affliction is never harsh or undeserved.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Some read the word afflict as meaning to harm unfairly. Others understand it as meaning to force by violence. Christians who hold the first view say God will not oppress anyone.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Geneva Bible Notes notes that the Almighty cannot be fully known by humans. He displays great power judgment and abundance of justice while never causing harm.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes God is powerful enough to do anything yet does not abuse that power. He will not harm people without a just reason nor beyond what they can bear. You may find God through his works (Genesis) and in his Son. His love protects his people and brings hope through the resurrection.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes the word afflict means oppressively so as to twist judgment. He also says the phrase He answereth not is a correction added by a scribe from Job 33:13.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch highlight Elihu's contrast: the sun hidden by clouds can suddenly break through, so God's mysterious ways may suddenly be revealed. Gold comes from the north through human effort, but God's majesty is inaccessible. Therefore the right-minded fear Him, while He does not regard those proud of their own wisdom.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange points out that Elihu's description of God's majesty in the storm is not purely theological reflection. He argues the poet intended the thunderstorm out of which God will speak to Job to be already beginning during Elihu's speech, providing the immediate occasion and material for his vivid descriptions.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that the wind which cleanses the clouds after the flood also removes God’s darkness so his light can shine again. He believes God will not stay in anger forever and will eventually restore good weather.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley insists that God's perfect power and justice are inseparable; injustice would be a sign of weakness, not strength. He corrects the suggestion, which he sees in Job, that God might afflict someone without just cause.