Job 35
1 Moreover Elihu answered and said, Thinkest thou this to be right, that thou saidst, My righteousness is more than God’s?
2 For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?
3 I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.
4 Look unto the heavens, and see: and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.
5 If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
6 If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thy hand?
7 Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art: and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.
8 By reason of the multitude of oppressions they cry out: they cry for help by reason of the arm of the mighty.
9 Yet none saith, Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;
10 Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?
11 There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men.
12 Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it.
13 Although thou sayest thou seest him not, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.
14 For God speaketh once, yea twice, though man perceive it not.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
16 Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
17 That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
18 He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain;
20 So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat.
21 His flesh is consumed away, that it cannot be seen; and his bones that were not seen stick out.
22 Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers.
23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:
24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
25 His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth:
26 He shall pray unto God, and he will be favorable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness.
27 He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
28 He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.
29 Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
Job 35 Commentary
Chapter Overview
Job 35 continues Elihu’s reply after his defense of divine justice in Job 34. Elihu addresses two claims he believes are present in Job’s speeches: that Job has treated his own righteousness as more important than God’s righteousness, and that faithful living has brought him no visible advantage.
Elihu answers by pointing to God’s greatness above the heavens. Human sin cannot overthrow God, and human righteousness does not supply something He lacks. Yet conduct still matters: wickedness harms people, righteousness benefits them, and every action remains before God. The chapter then considers oppressed people who cry for relief, the pride that can corrupt prayer, and the need to trust God when He cannot be seen.
Has Job Claimed to Be More Righteous Than God?
Elihu asks whether Job thinks it right to say, “My righteousness is more than God’s.” Job never uses those exact words. He has insisted that the accusations against him are false, and he has sometimes spoken as though his innocence and God’s treatment of him cannot be reconciled. Elihu is drawing out what he sees as the implication of Job’s argument rather than quoting a precise statement.
That implication deserves examination. A sufferer may rightly deny false guilt while still speaking wrongly about God’s motives or justice. Job’s integrity concerning the friends’ charges does not make every conclusion in his lament correct. God will later challenge Job’s limited understanding without accepting the friends’ explanation of his suffering.
At the same time, Elihu should represent Job carefully. Job has not abandoned God or ceased seeking a hearing. His appeal in Job 23 shows that he still expects truth and justice to be found with God. Strong correction should address actual words and implications without turning them into a position the speaker does not hold.
What Profit Is There in Righteousness?
Elihu also recalls Job’s question about the advantage of righteousness. Job has observed that wicked people may prosper and that his own integrity did not protect him from disaster. In Job 21, he challenged the friends’ claim that earthly circumstances always reveal a person’s moral standing.
Job’s observation is valid: faithfulness is not a contract guaranteeing health, wealth, family security, or public honor. The opening chapters prove that a righteous person may suffer while remaining faithful. Any theology promising automatic earthly prosperity would repeat the friends’ central error.
Yet pain can push the question too far. If righteousness is measured only by immediate personal advantage, devotion becomes transactional. Faith asks not only, “What did obedience obtain for me?” but also, “Is God worthy, is truth good, and does love of neighbor matter when obedience is costly?” Job’s endurance has already demonstrated more faith than his anguished calculations sometimes recognize.
Look to the Heavens
Elihu tells Job to look upward at the heavens and clouds, which are higher than he is. The image emphasizes the distance between the Creator’s greatness and human limitation. Job sees a narrow portion of reality, while God governs a creation far beyond Job’s knowledge.
This anticipates God’s speeches beginning in Job 38, where questions about earth, sea, stars, weather, and animals expand Job’s vision. Creation does not give a simple explanation for each loss, but it reminds Job that providence includes wisdom and purposes larger than the courtroom he wishes to enter. Divine transcendence should produce humility, not silence honest prayer.
God Is Not Dependent on Human Beings
Elihu asks what multiplied sins can do to God and what human righteousness can give Him. God is not injured in the same vulnerable way that one creature injures another, nor is He enriched as though He lacked resources until someone obeyed. His being and blessedness do not depend upon human performance.
This truth corrects spiritual pride. No one places God in debt through righteous conduct. Obedience is a fitting response to life, breath, mercy, and every gift already received from Him, not a contribution that makes the Almighty more complete.
God’s independence must not be confused with indifference. Elihu immediately says that wickedness hurts another person and righteousness profits the “son of man.” Violence, deceit, exploitation, mercy, justice, and generosity have real social consequences, and God remains morally concerned with the people those actions affect.
Sin, Righteousness, and Other People
Wickedness does not remain private. The cries in the next verse arise because the “arm of the mighty” has been used against weaker people. Abuse of power damages neighbors, families, workers, communities, and future generations.
Righteousness likewise has outward fruit. In Job 29 and Job 31, Job describes defending the poor, assisting widows, welcoming strangers, treating servants fairly, and investigating injustice. Such conduct did not add to God’s resources, but it brought protection and relief to people made by God.
This keeps devotion from becoming isolated spirituality. A person cannot claim to honor the Maker while ignoring how choices affect those who bear His image. Faithfulness includes worship, but also truthful speech, mercy, justice, generosity, and restraint in the use of power.
The Cry of the Oppressed
Elihu recognizes a world filled with oppression. People cry out because the powerful use their strength against them. His observation agrees with the broader witness of Job: injustice exists, victims suffer, and earthly power often protects wrongdoers for a time.
He then says that none asks, “Where is God my maker, who giveth songs in the night?” His point appears to be that pain may produce a demand for relief without producing humble reliance upon God. People can desire the removal of suffering while remaining uninterested in the One who gives life, wisdom, and hope.
That warning is legitimate when applied through self-examination. Prayer can become an attempt to use God rather than seek Him. A person may want rescue from consequences while refusing repentance for his own wrong or fellowship with the Deliverer.
But Elihu’s language becomes too sweeping if he means oppressed people generally go unanswered because they do not seek God correctly. Job has repeatedly addressed God, and Job 34 affirmed that God hears the afflicted. Counselors should not explain delayed relief by assuming hidden pride in victims whose hearts they cannot see.
Songs in the Night and Unanswered Prayer
The description of God giving “songs in the night” is one of the chapter’s most memorable lines. Night represents grief, danger, uncertainty, and the hours when suffering feels most isolating. God can give remembrance, prayer, courage, and even praise while circumstances remain dark.
A song in the night is not denial. It does not require a sufferer to call pain pleasant or pretend that unanswered questions have disappeared. Job’s laments show that faithful speech may include tears, protest, and longing alongside continued engagement with God.
Elihu says God does not hear “vanity” or regard empty cries arising from pride. Scripture does warn that hypocrisy and cherished wickedness corrupt prayer. Still, delayed relief does not prove that a prayer is vain. Job’s prologue reveals reasons for his suffering that no earthly speaker knows, warning readers against turning a possible principle into a universal diagnosis.
Trust When God Cannot Be Seen
Elihu’s strongest counsel is, “Although thou sayest thou seest him not, yet judgment is before him; therefore trust thou in him.” Job has searched in every direction without perceiving God’s presence. Elihu does not deny that experience; he argues that invisibility is not the same as absence.
“Judgment is before him” means the case remains with God. The evidence is not lost, justice has not ceased to exist, and the final verdict does not belong to the friends. Job cannot control the timing of the hearing, but he can place his cause before the Judge who sees what human observers miss.
Waiting is not passive resignation to evil. It is the refusal to make present darkness the final definition of God’s character or one’s story. God will eventually speak, correct false accounts, and publicly distinguish Job from the friends in Job 42.
Elihu’s Final Charge
In the canonical closing verses, Elihu argues that God’s delayed response does not mean He is unaware of Job’s excessive words. He concludes that Job has opened his mouth in vain and multiplied words without knowledge. God will later use similar language, so Job’s understanding and speech truly require correction.
Yet Elihu again speaks with more certainty than his position warrants. He can identify places where Job’s lament has crossed into accusation, but he does not know the heavenly background, the purpose of the test, or the timing of God’s answer. A true criticism does not make the critic’s whole explanation complete.
Important Questions
Does Job 35 teach that human behavior does not matter to God? No. God is not dependent upon human beings and cannot be enriched or diminished as a creature can. The chapter also states that wickedness harms people and righteousness benefits them, and both remain morally significant before God.
Why does Elihu say some oppressed people are not answered? He emphasizes pride and cries that seek relief without seeking the Maker. That is a possible spiritual condition, but Job’s story warns readers not to assume it explains every delayed answer or every sufferer.
What does it mean to trust God when He cannot be seen? It means placing the unresolved case before Him, continuing in truth and obedience, and refusing to treat present silence as proof that God is absent, unjust, or finished with the matter.
Application
Job 35 calls believers to examine whether devotion is based only on visible reward. Righteousness is not a payment made to control God; it is a faithful response to Him that brings real good to other people.
The chapter also teaches caution when interpreting unanswered prayer. Pride and hypocrisy are real, but so are innocent suffering and divine purposes hidden from observers. Compassion listens carefully and avoids converting a general truth into an accusation.
Finally, the chapter offers a durable practice for seasons of divine hiddenness: remember that the case is still before God. He remains the Maker who can give songs in the night, the Judge who sees every wrong, and the Lord whose silence never means that truth has ceased to matter.