ESTUDIO DEL CAPÍTULO
Job 35 — Elihu on Righteousness and God's Transcendence
Elihu answers Job's claim that his righteousness brings no profit, arguing that human conduct does not add to or subtract from God, and that unanswered cries stem from pride, not God's indifference.
Escritura
- 1.Prosiguió Eliú en su razonamiento, y dijo:Moreover Elihu answered and said,
- 2.¿Piensas que es cosa recta lo que has dicho: Más justo soy yo que Dios?Thinkest thou this to be thy right, Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God's,
- 3.Porque dijiste: ¿Qué ventaja sacaré de ello? ¿O qué provecho tendré de no haber pecado?That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee? And, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?
- 4.Yo te responderé razones, Y a tus compañeros contigo.I will answer thee, And thy companions with thee.
- 5.Mira a los cielos, y ve, Y considera que las nubes son más altas que tú.Look unto the heavens, and see; And behold the skies, which are higher than thou.
- 6.Si pecares, ¿qué habrás logrado contra él? Y si tus rebeliones se multiplicaren, ¿qué le harás tú?If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him? And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
- 7.Si fueres justo, ¿qué le darás a él? ¿O qué recibirá de tu mano?If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand?
- 8.Al hombre como tú dañará tu impiedad, Y al hijo de hombre aprovechará tu justicia.Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; And thy righteousness may profit a son of man.
- 9.A causa de la multitud de las violencias claman, Y se lamentan por el poderío de los grandes.By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
- 10.Y ninguno dice: ¿Dónde está Dios mi Hacedor, Que da cánticos en la noche,But none saith, Where is God my Maker, Who giveth songs in the night,
- 11.Que nos enseña más que a las bestias de la tierra, Y nos hace sabios más que a las aves del cielo?Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?
- 12.Allí clamarán, y él no oirá, Por la soberbia de los malos.There they cry, but none giveth answer, Because of the pride of evil men.
- 13.Ciertamente Dios no oirá la vanidad, Ni la mirará el Omnipotente.Surely God will not hear an empty cry, Neither will the Almighty regard it.
- 14.¿Cuánto menos cuando dices que no haces caso de él? La causa está delante de él; por tanto, aguárdale.How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not, The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!
- 15.Mas ahora, porque en su ira no castiga, Ni inquiere con rigor,But now, because he hath not visited in his anger, Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;
- 16.Por eso Job abre su boca vanamente, Y multiplica palabras sin sabiduría.Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity; He multiplieth words without knowledge.
Qué significa este pasaje
Elihu opens by challenging Job's claim that his righteousness outweighs God's (vv. 1–4). He quotes Job's earlier complaint—cited in Job 34:9 and echoed here in v. 3—that there is no advantage in being upright. Elihu does not deny suffering; he reframes the dispute by insisting the argument must be settled between Job and his friends in light of who God actually is.
In vv. 5–8 Elihu directs Job's gaze upward: the skies are higher than he is. If Job sins, what does that accomplish against the Almighty? If Job is righteous, what does that give Him? Human wickedness and righteousness affect other human beings (v. 8), not God's essential standing. The point is not that morality is pointless but that the measure of piety is not the measurable benefit it brings back to the offerer.
The closing section (vv. 9–16) addresses unanswered prayer. The oppressed cry out under the arm of the mighty, yet no one asks where the Maker is, the One who 'giveth songs in the night' (v. 10). When cries go unanswered, the cause is the pride of evil men (v. 12), not God's deafness. Elihu concludes that Job's real offense is speaking 'without knowledge' (v. 16), accusing God of injustice while the case lies open before Him.
Contexto
Chapter 35 continues the third of Elihu's four speeches (chs. 32–37). In the surrounding dialogue Job has repeatedly defended his innocence and questioned whether piety pays (cf. Job 34:9, restated by Elihu in 35:3). Elihu's method here is to strip away Job's transactional reasoning and replace it with a view of God grounded in His transcendence—the heavens are 'higher than thou' (v. 5), echoing the question God later asks in Job 38:2 about darkening counsel 'without knowledge.'
The chapter concludes by attributing Job's words to vanity and lack of knowledge (35:16), setting up Elihu's final discourse (chs. 36–37) where he will press Job to consider God's disciplinary purpose rather than His absence.
Palabras clave del original
- H6030 The verb ʿāna appears in v. 1 with the gloss 'said' and is widely used in Job for both speaking and heeding; its presence here marks Elihu's turn to take up Job's argument directly.
- H5532 The noun sākan underlies Elihu's word 'advantage' in v. 3, carrying the sense of profit or benefit that Job had denied piety.
- H5027 The imperative 'look' (habbēṭ) in v. 5 invites Job to fix his gaze upward; the related root nābaṭ means to scan or look intently, framing Elihu's appeal as a deliberate act of attention.
Versículos relacionados
- Job 34:9 Elihu is responding to the very claim he quotes here—that 'it profiteth a man nothing' to delight himself with God. Job 35:3 echoes this charge, showing Elihu engaging Job's own words.
- Job 9:11 Elihu's claim in v. 14—that Job says 'thou beholdest him not'—parallels Job's earlier confession that God passes by unseen. Elihu uses Job's own language against his conclusion.
- Psalms 42:8 Elihu's phrase 'giveth songs in the night' (v. 10) connects with the psalmist's claim that God's song is with him 'in the night.' Both texts locate genuine worship amid suffering, contrasting with the cries that go unanswered in Job 35:12.
- Job 38:2 Elihu's final charge that Job multiplies words 'without knowledge' (35:16) anticipates God's own rebuke to Job in 38:2 about darkening counsel with words without knowledge, linking Elihu's speech to the divine discourse that follows.
Preguntas frecuentes
Why does Elihu say human righteousness does not 'give' God anything (v. 7)?
Elihu's point is that God's standing does not depend on what humans offer. Righteousness affects other people (v. 8), not God's essence. The text uses this to dismantle Job's calculus of personal benefit rather than to deny that piety matters at all.
What does 'giveth songs in the night' mean in v. 10?
It describes God as the source of praise even in dark seasons. Elihu laments that the oppressed cry out but do not turn to ask where this God is, contrasting unanswered cries (v. 12) with the One who supplies song in affliction.
Is Elihu accusing Job of sin in chapter 35?
Elihu does not charge Job with a specific wrongdoing; he accuses him of speaking 'without knowledge' (v. 16). The offense is verbal and theological—charging God with injustice—rather than a list of sins, and it sets up the divine speeches in chs. 38–41.