Job 35:7

KJV

If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?

KJV (with Strong's)

If thou be righteous {H6663}, what givest {H5414} thou him? or what receiveth {H3947} he of thine hand {H3027}?

Complete Jewish Bible

If you are righteous, what do you give him? What benefit does he get from you?

Berean Standard Bible

If you are righteous, what do you give Him, or what does He receive from your hand?

American Standard Version

If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand?

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Job 35:7, articulated by Elihu, serves as a profound rhetorical challenge to Job's self-justifying laments, asserting God's absolute and inherent self-sufficiency and independence from all human action. Elihu argues that human righteousness, while morally imperative and beneficial for individuals and society, does not augment God's intrinsic glory, power, or being, nor does human sin diminish Him. This verse powerfully underscores the infinite qualitative distinction between the finite creature and the infinite Creator, emphasizing that God's justice and dealings are never motivated by a need to receive anything from His creation.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** Job 35:7 is situated within Elihu's third discourse, which spans [Job 35:1-16](/job/35 "Job 35 - Elihu's Third Speech"). Elihu, the youngest and most articulate of Job's interlocutors, positions himself as a divinely inspired mediator, aiming to correct both Job's perceived self-righteousness and the inadequate theological frameworks of the three friends. Unlike Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who often accuse Job of specific hidden sins, Elihu's primary objective is to vindicate God's character, wisdom, and justice, even when His ways appear inscrutable to human understanding. In the preceding verses ([Job 35:1-3](/job/35-1-3 "Job 35:1-3 - Elihu's Accusation Against Job")), Elihu directly confronts Job's complaint that his blamelessness has yielded no discernible advantage, implying God is indifferent or unresponsive to human piety. Verse 7 specifically addresses and refutes this transactional mindset by highlighting God's inherent independence, thereby laying the theological groundwork for Elihu's subsequent arguments regarding God's sovereign justice and His benevolent, though often mysterious, engagement with humanity.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The book of Job is set in the ancient Near East, a region characterized by diverse religious beliefs concerning the interaction between deities and humanity. Many ancient cultures conceived of their gods as dependent on human worship, sacrifices, and obedience for their sustenance, power, or even their very existence. In such a transactional worldview, human actions could directly influence a deity's status, favor, or even survival. Elihu's declaration in [Job 35:7](/job/35-7 "Job 35:7 - God's Self-Sufficiency") stands in stark contrast to these prevalent ancient Near Eastern perspectives, asserting a radically different understanding of the divine. The God of Israel, as revealed throughout the Old Testament, is uniquely self-existent (aseity) and not reliant on human contributions or external validation. This concept of divine independence distinguishes the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from the anthropomorphic and often needy deities of surrounding polytheistic cultures, emphasizing His singular and transcendent nature.
* **Key Themes:** This verse profoundly contributes to several pivotal themes within the book of Job and broader biblical theology. Foremost is the theme of **God's Absolute Self-Sufficiency (Aseity)**. Elihu's rhetorical questions underscore that God lacks nothing and gains nothing from human actions, whether righteous or wicked. This directly challenges Job's transactional thinking about divine justice and the perceived "profit" of piety. Secondly, it highlights **Human Insignificance (in relation to God's essence)**. While human actions are profoundly significant for individuals, their communities, and in God's redemptive plan, they do not impact God's intrinsic being or glory. Our righteousness is for our own benefit and for glorifying God, not as a means to "give" Him something He needs or lacks. This theme resonates with other biblical affirmations of God's independence, such as [Psalm 50:12](/psalm/50-12 "Psalm 50:12 - God Owns Everything"). Thirdly, the verse informs the **Nature of Divine Justice**. Elihu attempts to explain that God's justice operates on a plane far above human transactional thinking. God does not reward or punish based on a need to receive from humanity, but according to His righteous character and sovereign will, as perfectly encapsulated in [Deuteronomy 32:4](/deuteronomy/32-4 "Deuteronomy 32:4 - God's Perfect Justice").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **givest (Hebrew, _nâthan'_):** This primitive root, meaning "to give, put, make, appoint," is employed here to imply a contribution, offering, or bestowal. Elihu's rhetorical question, "what givest thou him?", challenges the notion that human righteousness could be a gift or offering that God *needs* or *benefits* from in a way that alters His inherent being or status. It highlights the theological absurdity of a finite creature "giving" something essential to the infinite, self-existent Creator. The verb emphasizes the act of providing something to another.
* **receiveth (Hebrew, _lâqach'_):** Meaning "to take, receive, get, seize," this verb further emphasizes the transactional aspect of the relationship Elihu is refuting. The phrase "what receiveth he of thine hand?" directly questions any idea that God is a recipient of human actions in a way that fulfills a deficiency in Him. It underscores God's complete independence and self-sufficiency, negating any human capacity to provide something God lacks or to make Him more complete or glorious than He already is.
* **hand (Hebrew, _yâd'_):** While literally referring to the physical appendage, _yâd_ frequently functions metaphorically in Hebrew to represent power, agency, capability, effort, or possession. "Of thine hand" thus signifies human effort, action, or capability. Elihu's question uses this imagery to forcefully assert that nothing produced by human effort or righteousness can be "received" by God as if He were in need or could be improved by it. It points to the futility of attempting to provide for the One who provides all things.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?":** Elihu posits a hypothetical scenario where Job is indeed righteous, as Job himself claims and believes. He immediately follows this premise with a penetrating rhetorical question designed to expose the flawed underlying assumption that human righteousness could somehow *add* to God. The implicit answer is "nothing." God is not dependent on human good deeds for His glory, power, or existence. Our righteousness, when genuine, is for our own spiritual benefit, for the good of others, and ultimately to glorify God by reflecting His character, but it is never a means to "give" Him something He needs or lacks.
* **"or what receiveth he of thine hand?":** This parallel rhetorical question reinforces the first, using slightly varied phrasing to emphasize the same fundamental point. It challenges the notion that God *receives* anything from human actions or efforts ("of thine hand") in a way that implies a transactional dependency or a fulfillment of divine need. The implied answer, again, is "nothing." God is entirely self-sufficient, the ultimate source and giver of all good things, not a recipient who gains from human contributions. This highlights the vast ontological gap between Creator and creature.

#### Literary Devices
Elihu masterfully employs several potent literary devices in [Job 35:7](/job/35-7 "Job 35:7 - God's Self-Sufficiency") to underscore his profound theological point. The most prominent is **Rhetorical Question**. By posing "what givest thou him?" and "or what receiveth he of thine hand?", Elihu does not genuinely seek an answer from Job but rather uses these questions to assert an undeniable truth: the answer is "nothing." This device powerfully engages the listener, compelling them to confront the logical and theological conclusion of God's absolute independence and self-sufficiency. Furthermore, there is an element of subtle **Anthropomorphism** in the phrasing "receiveth he of thine hand," as it momentarily attributes human actions (receiving, taking from a hand) to God. However, this anthropomorphism is immediately subverted and negated by the rhetorical nature of the question itself, which highlights the *inability* of humans to truly "give" anything to God that He needs or for God to "receive" in a way that implies deficiency. Finally, the verse employs striking **Parallelism** through its two closely related rhetorical questions. This structural repetition, with slightly varied phrasing, reinforces the central idea of God's self-sufficiency, making the argument even more emphatic, memorable, and rhetorically compelling.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Job 35:7 stands as a profound declaration of God's absolute aseity – His inherent self-existence and independence from all creation. This truth is foundational to understanding God's sovereignty, justice, and grace. If God needs nothing from humanity, then His actions towards us, whether in judgment or blessing, are not motivated by self-interest, a need to gain something, or a reaction to a perceived deficit. Instead, they flow purely from His righteous character, sovereign will, and boundless love. This understanding liberates us from a performance-based relationship with God, where we might mistakenly believe our good deeds add to His glory or our sins diminish His power. It reorients our perspective from a transactional mindset to one of humble worship, grateful reception of His unmerited favor, and joyful obedience that stems from love, not obligation to fill a divine need.

* [Psalm 16:2](/psalm/16-2 "My Goodness Extends Not to You")
* [Acts 17:24-25](/acts/17-24-25 "God Does Not Need Human Hands")
* [Romans 11:35-36](/romans/11-35-36 "Who Has Given to God First?")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Job 35:7 offers a crucial and humbling corrective to any human tendency towards self-righteousness or a transactional view of our relationship with the Divine. It reminds us that our most righteous acts, while pleasing to God when done in faith and love, do not add to His intrinsic glory, power, or essential being. We are not doing God a favor by being obedient; rather, our obedience is for our own good, for the benefit of others, and ultimately to reflect His glory to a watching world. This verse calls us to deeply examine our motivations for obedience and service: do we serve God out of a misguided belief that we are "giving" Him something He needs, or out of a heart of profound love, gratitude, and reverence for His inherent majesty, sovereign grace, and unmerited favor? Understanding God's complete self-sufficiency should deepen our trust in His perfect justice and unwavering sovereignty, even when His ways seem inscrutable or our circumstances inexplicable. It underscores that any good we receive, especially the gift of salvation, is purely a benevolent act of His will, not a reward for something we have earned or provided.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How does understanding God's absolute self-sufficiency (aseity) transform your perspective on your own good deeds, acts of service, or spiritual disciplines?**
* **In what subtle or overt ways might we fall into the trap of thinking our actions "add" to God's glory or that He "needs" something from us to be complete?**
* **How does the truth that God needs nothing from us deepen your appreciation for His unmerited grace and the incomparable gift of salvation?**
* **If God is not dependent on human actions for His essence, what then should be our primary and most compelling motivation for living a righteous and devoted life?**

### FAQ
**Does Job 35:7 imply that our righteousness doesn't matter to God or is irrelevant?**

Answer: Not at all. Elihu's profound point in [Job 35:7](/job/35-7 "Job 35:7 - God's Self-Sufficiency") is not that human righteousness is irrelevant or inconsequential, but rather that it does not affect God's *intrinsic being* or *self-sufficiency*. Our righteousness matters immensely to God because it reflects His holy character, brings glory to His name, and is the expected fruit of a genuine relationship with Him, as articulated in passages like [Ephesians 2:10](/ephesians/2-10 "Ephesians 2:10 - Created for Good Works"). It matters profoundly for our own spiritual well-being, for the flourishing of our communities, and for our witness in a world that desperately needs to see God's character reflected. What Elihu corrects is the erroneous notion that God *needs* our righteousness or that our good deeds somehow complete Him or add to His inherent glory. God is glorified *through* our righteousness, but He is not dependent on it for His existence, power, or majesty. He commands and delights in righteousness for our benefit and for the unfolding of His redemptive plan, not because He has a deficit that we must fill.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Job 35:7 powerfully articulates God's absolute self-sufficiency in the Old Testament context, this truth finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the person and redemptive work of Jesus Christ. If God needs nothing from humanity, then the Incarnation—God becoming flesh in Jesus ([John 1:14](/john/1-14 "John 1:14 - The Word Became Flesh"))—was not an act born of divine necessity or deficiency, but of pure, unmerited grace and boundless love. Christ's sacrificial death on the cross was not a payment God *needed* to receive to be complete or to satisfy some lack within Himself, but the ultimate demonstration of His righteous character and His willingness to provide salvation for a humanity that could give Him nothing to earn it ([Romans 5:8](/romans/5-8 "Romans 5:8 - God Demonstrates His Love")). Jesus, as the perfect and spotless Lamb of God ([John 1:29](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God")), offered Himself not because God was lacking, but because humanity was utterly lost, spiritually bankrupt, and utterly incapable of providing its own righteousness to God ([Isaiah 64:6](/isaiah/64-6 "Isaiah 64:6 - Our Righteousness is Filthy Rags")). Thus, the self-sufficient God, who needs nothing from us, freely gave His only Son, who became everything for us, so that we might receive from Him the righteousness we could never give ([2 Corinthians 5:21](/2_corinthians/5-21 "2 Corinthians 5:21 - Christ Became Our Righteousness")). This profound truth underscores that salvation is entirely a gift, flowing from God's perfect, independent, and overflowing nature, not from any human contribution or merit.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Proverbs 9:12

If thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself: but [if] thou scornest, thou alone shalt bear [it].

Psalms 16:2

[O my soul], thou hast said unto the LORD, Thou [art] my Lord: my goodness [extendeth] not to thee;

Job 22:2

Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?

Job 22:3

[Is it] any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or [is it] gain [to him], that thou makest thy ways perfect?

Luke 17:10

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.

Romans 11:35

Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?

1 Chronicles 29:14

But who [am] I, and what [is] my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things [come] of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.