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Commentary on Job 27 verses 7–10
Job having solemnly protested the satisfaction he had in his integrity, for the further clearing of himself, here expresses the dread he had of being found a hypocrite.
I. He tells us how he startled at the thought of it, for he looked upon the condition of a hypocrite and a wicked man to be certainly the most miserable condition that any man could be in (Job 27:7): Let my enemy be as the wicked, a proverbial expression, like that (Dan 4:19), The dream be to those that hate thee. Job was so far from indulging himself in any wicked way, and flattering himself in it, that, if he might have leave to wish the greatest evil he could think of to the worst enemy he had in the world, he would wish him the portion of a wicked man, knowing that worse he could not wish him. Not that we may lawfully wish any man to be wicked, or that any man who is not wicked should be treated as wicked; but we should all choose to be in the condition of a beggar, an out-law, a galley-slave, any thing, rather that in the condition of the wicked, though in ever so much pomp and outward prosperity.
II. He gives us the reasons of it.
1.Because the hypocrite's hopes will not be crowned (Job 27:8): For what is the hope of the hypocrite? Bildad had condemned it (Job 8:13, Job 8:14), and Zophar (Job 11:20), and Job here concurs with them, and reads the death of the hypocrite's hope with as much assurance as they had done; and this fitly comes in as a reason why he would not remove his integrity, but still hold it fast. Note, The consideration of the miserable condition of wicked people, and especially hypocrites, should engage us to be upright (for we are undone, for ever undone, if we be not) and also to get the comfortable evidence of our uprightness; for how can we be easy if the great concern lie at uncertainties? Job's friends would persuade him that all his hope was but the hope of the hypocrite, Job 4:6. "Nay," says he, "I would not, for all the world, be so foolish as to build upon such a rotten foundation; for what is the hope of the hypocrite?" See here, (1.) The hypocrite deceived. He has gained, and he has hope; this is his bright side. It is allowed that he has gained by his hypocrisy, has gained the praise and applause of men and the wealth of this world. Jehu gained a kingdom by his hypocrisy and the Pharisees many a widow's house. Upon this gain he builds his hope, such as it is. He hopes he is in good circumstances for another world, because he finds he is so for this, and he blesses himself in his own way. (2.) The hypocrite undeceived. He will at last see himself wretchedly cheated; for, [1.] God shall take away his soul, sorely against his will. Luk 12:20, Thy soul shall be required of thee. God, as the Judge, takes it away to be tried and determined to its everlasting state. He shall then fall into the hands of the living God, to be dealt with immediately. [2.] What will his hope be then? It will be vanity and a lie; it will stand him in no stead. The wealth of this world, which he hoped in, he must leave behind him, Psa 49:17. The happiness of the other world, which he hoped for, he will certainly miss of. He hoped to go to heaven, but he will be shamefully disappointed; he will plead his external profession, privileges, and performances, but all his pleas will be overruled as frivolous: Depart from me, I know you not. So that, upon the whole, it is certain that a formal hypocrite, with all his gains and all his hopes, will be miserable in a dying hour.
2.Because the hypocrite's prayer will not be heard (Job 27:9): Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him? No, he will not; it cannot be expected he should. If true repentance come upon him, God will hear his cry and accept him (Isa 1:18); but, if he continue impenitent and unchanged, let him not think to find favour with God. Observe, (1.) Trouble will come upon him, certainly it will. Troubles in the world often surprise those that are most secure of an uninterrupted prosperity. However, death will come, and trouble with it, when he must leave the world and all his delights in it. The judgment of the great day will come; fearfulness will surprise the hypocrites, Isa 33:14. (2.) Then he will cry to God, will pray, and pray earnestly. Those who in prosperity slighted God, either prayed not at all or were cold and careless in prayer, when trouble comes will make their application to him and cry as men in earnest. But, (3.) Will God hear him then? In the troubles of this life, God has told us that he will not hear the prayers of those who regard iniquity in their hearts (Psa 66:19) and set up their idols there (Eze 14:4), nor of those who turn away their ear from hearing the law, Pro 28:9. Get you to the gods whom you have served, Jdg 10:14. In the judgment to come, it is certain, God will not hear the cry of those who lived and died in their hypocrisy. Their doleful lamentations will all be unpitied. I will laugh at your calamity. Their importunate petitions will all be thrown out and their pleas rejected. Inflexible justice cannot be biassed, nor the irreversible sentence revoked. See Mat 7:22, Mat 7:23; Luk 13:26, and the case of the foolish virgins, Mat 25:11.
3.Because the hypocrite's religion is neither comfortable nor constant (Job 27:10): Will he delight himself in the Almighty? No, not at any time (for his delight is in the profits of the world and the pleasures of the flesh, more than in God), especially not in the time of trouble. Will he always call upon God? No, in prosperity he will not call upon God, but slight him; in adversity he will not call upon God but curse him; he is weary of his religion when he gets nothing by it, or is in danger of losing. Note, (1.) Those are hypocrites who, though they profess religion, neither take pleasure in it nor persevere in it, who reckon their religion a task and a drudgery, a weariness, and snuff at it, who make use of it only to serve a turn, and lay it aside when the turn is served, who will call upon God while it is in fashion, or while the pang of devotion lasts, but leave it off when they fall into other company, or when the hot fit is over. (2.) The reason why hypocrites do not persevere in religion is because they have no pleasure in it. Those that do not delight in the Almighty will not always call upon him. The more comfort we find in our religion the more closely we shall cleave to it. Those who have no delight in God are easily inveigled by the pleasures of sense, and so drawn away from their religion; and they are easily run down by the crosses of this life, and so driven away from their religion, and will not always call upon God.
What hope, he says, does the impious have, even though he has lived so far? With what sort of assurance does he expect any salvation from God like that by which I trust to be saved? How will he confidently invoke God, after falling into misfortune, as if his prayers should be really heard?
16. For he that is overcome by the love of earthly things, in no degree delights himself in God. The soul indeed can never exist without its delight, for it delights itself either in things below or in things above, and in proportion as it is employed with higher devotion towards those above, it grows deadened with the greater loathing towards those below, and as it glows with a keener interest for those below, it cools in proportion with an accursed illsensibility from those above. For both cannot possibly .be loved together and alike. Hence the Apostle John, well knowing that amongst the thorns of worldly attachments the crop of heavenly charity can never shoot, before he produces the seeds of the love eternal, with the holy hand of the word eradicates from the hearts of his hearers the thorns of worldly affections, in the words, Love not the world, neither the tleings that are in the world. And he directly subjoins, If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [1 John 2, 15] As if he said in express terms; ‘Both these loves cannot contain themselves in one and the same heart, nor does the crop of charity from Above shoot in that heart, wherein the thorns of gratification down below kill it.’ And he reckons up all the prickles arising from that gratification below, saying, For all that is in the world is the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, which is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof. [v. 16. 17.] And so the’ hypocrite cannot delight himself in God,’ because heavenly desires never spring forth in his mind, seeing surely that the thorns ofea11hly love overlay it. Of whom it is fitly added;
Will he always call upon God?
17. For it is then that the hypocrite’ calls upon God,’ when the wretchedness of earthly circumstances wrings him hard. For when in this world he has obtained the carrying out of the good fortune sought for, his Maker, Who vouchsafed him this same good fortune, he asks not for; But because, as we said before, the art of those that teach should be, that in their hearers’ minds they should first aim to destroy what is wrong, and afterwards to preach what is right; (lest the hearts that are full of evil things should not contain the good seed of holy preaching, whence it is said to Jeremiah, See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down and to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant. [Jer. 1, 10] For it is first bidden him that he should pull down, and afterwards that he should build, first to pluck up, and afterwards to plant; because the foundation of rightful truth is not laid, except the edifice of error be first pulled down;) blessed Job after that he had mane the case of the Universal Church his answer to the statements of his friends as if in opposition to words of heretics, and that by a manifold rejoinder he had destroyed their pride, describes himself henceforth to teach; that is, that he might be plainly seen in those things which he added to plant what is right, but in those that he premised to have plucked up what is wrong.
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SUMMARY
Job 27:10 presents a profound rhetorical challenge from Job, serving as a powerful counter-argument to his friends' accusations and a definitive statement on the nature of true piety versus superficial religiosity. Through these pointed questions, Job asserts that a truly wicked person cannot genuinely delight in the Almighty nor consistently call upon God. Their "faith," if present, is opportunistic and fleeting, prompted only by crisis and quickly abandoned, contrasting sharply with the steadfast, heartfelt devotion that characterizes the righteous, even amidst profound suffering.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Job 27:10 masterfully employs several Literary Devices to convey its profound message. The most prominent is the Rhetorical Question, used twice in quick succession. These questions are not posed to elicit information but to make an emphatic assertion, implying a clear and undeniable negative answer: "No, he will not!" This device powerfully underscores Job's conviction about the inherent inability of the wicked to maintain a genuine, consistent relationship with God. Furthermore, the verse utilizes Parallelism, specifically a form of synonymous or complementary parallelism, where the second question ("will he always call upon God?") reinforces and expands upon the first ("Will he delight himself in the Almighty?"). Both questions speak to the same underlying theme of the wicked's flawed relationship with God, one focusing on internal disposition (delight) and the other on external consistency (calling upon). There is also a strong Implied Contrast at play. By describing what the wicked will not do, Job implicitly highlights what the righteous do do, and by extension, what he himself has done despite his suffering. This contrast serves to defend Job's own integrity, as he has indeed continued to delight in God and call upon Him, even in his darkest hours. Finally, a subtle Irony is present: Job, who is suffering unjustly, maintains his devotion, while the wicked, who may be prospering, cannot maintain theirs, revealing the true nature of their hearts.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 27:10 delves into a foundational theological truth: the nature of true worship and relationship with God. It asserts that genuine faith is not merely a set of external actions or a desperate cry in times of trouble, but a consistent, internal disposition of delight and dependence. This aligns with the broader biblical emphasis on the heart's condition as paramount to one's standing before God. The wicked's inability to "delight in the Almighty" or "always call upon God" reveals a spiritual emptiness, a fundamental self-centeredness that precludes true communion. God desires a relationship rooted in love, joy, and sincere devotion, not just utility or fear. This verse thus serves as a powerful diagnostic tool, prompting self-examination about the authenticity and consistency of one's own walk with God, challenging superficial religiosity and calling for a deeper, more abiding connection that finds its ultimate satisfaction in God Himself.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 27:10 serves as a profound mirror for self-reflection, challenging us to examine the true nature and consistency of our relationship with God. Do we genuinely delight in the Almighty, finding our deepest satisfaction and joy in His character, His presence, and His sovereign will, regardless of our circumstances? Or is our "faith" primarily a transactional exchange, a utilitarian appeal for help when trouble strikes, quickly forgotten when ease returns? This verse calls us to cultivate a steadfast, heartfelt devotion that transcends situational piety. True spiritual integrity is demonstrated not just in our ability to cry out to God in distress, but in our consistent, joyful pursuit of Him in all seasons of life—in prosperity as well as adversity. It encourages us to move beyond mere religious observance to a deep, abiding, and joyful communion with the Divine, reflecting the enduring faith that Job himself exemplified, even in his darkest hours.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the rhetorical questions in Job 27:10?
Answer: The rhetorical questions in Job 27:10 ("Will he delight himself in the Almighty? will he always call upon God?") are highly significant because they imply a resounding "No." Their purpose is not to solicit an answer but to make an emphatic assertion. Job uses them to highlight the fundamental difference between the wicked and the righteous. He is asserting that a wicked person, by their very nature and spiritual disposition, cannot genuinely find joy in God or consistently engage in sincere prayer. This serves to underscore the superficiality and opportunism of the wicked's "piety," contrasting it with the deep, enduring devotion of the righteous.
How does this verse relate to Job's own suffering and defense?
Answer: This verse is a crucial part of Job's defense of his own integrity. Throughout the book, Job's friends accuse him of hidden sin, implying he is wicked and therefore deserving of his suffering. By posing these rhetorical questions, Job implicitly contrasts himself with the wicked. Despite his immense and inexplicable suffering, Job has not ceased to delight in God (even in his wrestling and lament) nor has he stopped calling upon Him. His perseverance in seeking God, even when God seems hidden or hostile, is the very proof of his righteousness, directly refuting his friends' simplistic retribution theology. Job's own life stands as a living testament to the truth that a righteous person will delight in the Almighty and will always call upon God, even from the ash heap of despair.
Does "delight in the Almighty" mean always feeling happy?
Answer: No, "delight in the Almighty" (from the Hebrew ʻânag') does not mean always feeling happy or experiencing emotional euphoria. Rather, it signifies finding deep satisfaction, contentment, and pleasure in God's character, presence, and sovereign will. It's a profound disposition of the heart that finds its ultimate fulfillment in God Himself, independent of external circumstances. For Job, delighting in the Almighty meant maintaining a foundational trust and orientation towards God even amidst profound grief, pain, and bewilderment. It is a settled conviction and a spiritual joy that can coexist with sorrow, struggle, and lament, as exemplified by Job's own wrestling yet persistent faith throughout his ordeal (e.g., Job 1:21).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Job 27:10, with its profound questions about genuine delight in God and consistent prayer, finds its ultimate fulfillment and answer in Jesus Christ. Jesus perfectly embodied the one who truly delighted in the Almighty and always called upon God. His entire life was an unbroken communion with the Father; His "food" was to do the will of Him who sent Him, demonstrating a perfect delight in God's purpose and character. He consistently withdrew to lonely places and prayed, showing an unwavering and joyful dependence on the Father, even in the face of immense pressure and impending suffering. Unlike the wicked described by Job, whose devotion is fleeting and self-serving, Jesus's devotion was steadfast, eternal, and perfectly selfless. Furthermore, through Christ, humanity is now empowered to truly delight in the Almighty and call upon God consistently. Because of His atoning sacrifice, we are given a new heart and the Spirit of adoption by which we can cry, "Abba, Father!" (Galatians 4:6). Our access to God's throne of grace is now unhindered (Hebrews 4:16), enabling us to cultivate the very delight and consistent prayer life that Job longed for and that the wicked could never achieve. In Christ, the questions of Job 27:10 are answered with a resounding "Yes" for all who are united with Him, as we are conformed to His image and empowered by His Spirit to live lives of genuine devotion.