Job 34:21

Job 34:21 For his eyes [are] upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.

Ver. 21. For his eyes are upon the ways of man] God’s providence (like a well drawn picture, that eyeth each one in the room) observeth all things; he seeth cause enough thus to proceed in judgment against a person or people, though we see it not. And although one man knoweth not another, nor doth any man well know himself; yet God, following, as it were, all men hard at the heels, doth with his eyes narrowly observe and mark what way every one walketh in, he seeth all his goings: let not men, therefore, please themselves in their sinful practices, as if God saw them not, because for a time they escape unpunished; Saeculi laetitia est impunita nequitia; but sin and punishment are tied together with chains of adamant, and cannot long be asunder.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

God's omniscience and omnipotence enable Him to execute immediate justice. He needs not to be long on the "watch," as Job thought (Job 7:12; Ch2 16:9; Jer 32:19).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

(21) His eyes are upon the ways of man.—He is not only just and mighty, but He is also all-wise; He cannot therefore err.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21–24. This just rule of God operates unfailingly, being guided by infallible insight.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. By whom may be meant chiefly profane sinners that are abandoned to a vicious course of life, and make a trade of sin, or that the common course of their lives; though secret sinners, and even professors of religion, hypocrites, who in a more private manner live in sin, come under this name, Mat 7:23; such may endeavour to hide themselves through shame and fear, but all in vain and to no purpose; there is no screening themselves and their actions from the all-seeing eye of God, and from his wrath and vengeance. "No darkness" of any sort can hide them, not the thick clouds of the heavens, nor the darkness of the night; nor is there any darkness in God that can obstruct his sight of them; nor are they able to cast any mist before his eyes, or use any colourings, pretences, and excuses he cannot see through. "Nor shadow of death": the grossest and thickest darkness; nor is even the grave itself an hiding place for sinners, from whence they will be raised to receive the just deserts of their sins. See Job 10:21. Now from the omniscience of God, and his clear uninterrupted sight of all persons and their actions, inward and outward, Elihu argues to the justice of God, who therefore cannot do anything amiss through ignorance, error, or mistake.

. Now from the omniscience of God, and his clear uninterrupted sight of all persons and their actions, inward and outward, Elihu argues to the justice of God, who therefore cannot do anything amiss through ignorance, error, or mistake.

Job 34:23

job 34:23

job 34:23

job 34:23For he will not lay upon man more than right,.... Neither in a way of duty, his law being holy, just, and good, not any of his commandments grievous, but all his precepts concerning all things right, his yoke easy and his burden light; nor in a way of punishment, always punishing then less than their iniquities deserve; nor in a way of chastisement, suffering nothing to befall his people but what is common to men; and he is faithful to bear them up under it and through it, and to make a way to escape out of it: or the phrase, "than right", being a supplement, may be left out, and the words be connected with what follows,

that he should enter into judgment with God; and the sense is, either that God does not put it on man to go again into judgment with him; he does not suffer him to have a cause heard over again, to appeal from God or to him to have a second hearing; nor is anything to be got by it, he is in one mind, and none can turn him or reverse or get reversed any sentence of his; and therefore it was a piece of weakness in Job to insist so much as he did to have a hearing of his cause before him, since he could not expect there would be any alteration made in his favour: or, as Mr. Broughton reads it, "it is not for men to purpose to enter into judgment before the Omnipotent"; such a purpose is vain, he can never carry his cause against him; it is a piece of weakness to pretend to litigate a point with him: or the sense is, he puts no more on man than to come to him in judgment, so Schultens; he has appointed a person and time to judge the world in righteousness, and all must appear before his tribunal; and everything, thought, word and action, will then and there be brought into an account, and righteous judgment will pass; and therefore, since he has fixed such a method of proceeding, and requires no other, he can never be charged with injustice.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For his eyes are upon the ways of man - None can escape from his notice; compare Psa 139:2-3.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

This is added as the reason of the judgments mentioned in the foregoing verse, God doth not afflict nor destroy either princes or people unjustly, no, nor out of his mere pleasure and absolute sovereignty, (to which Job seemed to impute his calamities,) but for their sins, which God sees exactly, although they use all possible arts and tricks to hide them from him. Therefore no man hath cause to complain of God, but of himself, for all that he may suffer in the world.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

-For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. Elihu proceeds to a fresh argument. The omniscience of God is a security against his acting unjustly. He knows exactly each man"s powers, capacities, temperament, temptations, circumstances He can exactly me, sure each man"s due, and will assuredly mete it out to each without partiality or prejudice.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For - God doth not destroy either prince or people unjustly, no nor out of his mere pleasure, but for their sins, which he sees exactly, although they use all possible arts to hide them.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

21 For His eyes are upon the ways of each one,

And He seeth all his steps.

22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death

Wherein the workers of iniquity might hide themselves.

23 For He needeth not long to regard a man

That he may enter into judgment with God.

As the preceding strophe showed that God's creative order excludes all partiality, so this strophe shows that His omniscience qualifies Him to be an impartial judge. He sees everything, nothing can escape His gaze; He sees through man without being obliged to wait for the result of a judicial investigation. שׂים with על does not here signify: to lay upon (Saad., Gecat.), but as Job 37:15, and as with אל (Job 34:14) or בּ (Job 23:6); to direct one's attention (supply לבּו, Job 1:8) towards anything; the fut. has here a modal signification; עוד is used as e.g., Gen 46:29 : again and again, continuously; and in the clause expressive of purpose it is אל־אל (instead of אליו, a very favourite combination used throughout the whole book, Job 5:8; Job 8:5; Job 13:3, and so on) from the human standpoint: He, the all-seeing One, needs not to observe him long that he should enter into judgment with God - He knows him thoroughly before any investigation takes place, which is not said without allusion to Job's vehement longing to be able to appear before God's tribunal.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

For God's eyes are upon a person's ways

God's "eyes" represent his sight. The phrase "a person's ways" is an idiom for what he does and how he lives. AT: "For God watches everything a person does" (See: Metonymy and Idiom)

he sees all his steps

This means that he always knows where the person is and where he is going. AT: "he sees him wherever he goes" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

no darkness, no thick gloom

The words "thick gloom" mean basically the same thing as, and intensify, the word "darkness." (See: Doublet)

in judgment

"so he may judge him" or "to be judged"

translationWords

darkness

iniquity

judge

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.