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Job 9:22

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¶ This [is] one [thing], therefore I said [it], He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

This is one {H259} thing, therefore I said {H559} it, He destroyeth {H3615} the perfect {H8535} and the wicked {H7563}.

So I say it's all the same -he destroys innocent and wicked alike.

It is all the same, and so I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’

It is all one; therefore I say, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.

Commentary

In Job 9:22, we hear Job's deeply anguished and provocative declaration, a direct challenge to the conventional wisdom of his friends who insisted that suffering was solely a consequence of sin. Here, Job asserts that God, in His overwhelming power, indiscriminately brings calamity upon both the righteous and the wicked, making no apparent distinction between them in their earthly experience.

Context

This verse comes from Job's second response to his friends, specifically following Bildad's speech in Chapter 8. Bildad had confidently asserted that God's justice ensures the wicked perish and the righteous prosper. Job, however, is grappling with his own severe and inexplicable suffering, which contradicts this simplistic view. He acknowledges God's immense, incomprehensible power (Job 9:4-10), but feels this power is exercised in a way that appears arbitrary and unjust from a human perspective. He sees himself, a man described as "perfect and upright" in Job 1:1, being destroyed alongside those who are truly wicked.

Key Themes

  • The Problem of Suffering: Job 9:22 directly confronts the age-old question of why good people suffer. Job's statement is a raw expression of his inability to reconcile God's justice with his personal experience.
  • Divine Sovereignty and Human Perception: While Job affirms God's absolute power and control over all things, he struggles profoundly with how that power is exercised. From his limited human viewpoint, God's actions seem to lack a clear moral distinction between the innocent and the guilty.
  • Job's Despair and Accusation: This is a statement born of deep despair and a sense of injustice. Job is not offering a theological treatise but voicing his bitter observation that calamity strikes both the righteous and the unrighteous alike. This perspective challenges the rigid retribution theology held by his friends.

Linguistic Insights

  • The word translated "perfect" is the Hebrew tam (תָּם), which signifies integrity, blamelessness, or completeness, rather than sinless perfection. It refers to a person of upright character, as Job himself was described.
  • "Destroyeth" (יִכְלֶה - yikhleh) implies bringing to an end, consuming, or finishing. It conveys a sense of comprehensive ruin or devastation, aligning with Job's experience of losing everything.

Practical Application

Job 9:22 offers important insights for those wrestling with faith and suffering:

  • Validation of Honest Doubt: This verse reminds us that it is permissible to voice our deepest questions and frustrations to God, even when they challenge conventional understanding of His justice. The book of Job validates honest lament.
  • Limited Human Perspective: Job's statement reflects his current, pain-filled perspective. The book of Job ultimately reveals that God's ways are often beyond human comprehension, as highlighted in passages like Isaiah 55:8-9, where God declares His thoughts are higher than ours.
  • Distinction in Eternity: While earthly calamities may seem to strike indiscriminately, the Bible consistently teaches that God does make a distinction between the righteous and the wicked, especially in ultimate judgment and eternal destiny (Malachi 3:18). Job's immediate observation was true for his earthly experience, but not for God's ultimate justice.
  • Suffering is Not Always Punishment: Job's experience profoundly challenges the idea that all suffering is a direct punishment for sin. This verse underscores the complexity of suffering, which can serve various purposes beyond retribution, such as character refinement (Romans 5:3-5) or demonstrating faith.
Note: If the commentary doesn’t appear instantly, please allow 2–5 seconds for it to load. It is generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash (May 20, 2025) using a prompt focused on Biblical fidelity over bias. While the insights have been consistently reliable, we encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit.

Please note that only the commentary section is AI-generated — the main Scripture and cross-references are stored on the site and are from trusted and verified sources.

Cross-References

  • Ecclesiastes 9:1 (3 votes)

    ¶ For all this I considered in my heart even to declare all this, that the righteous, and the wise, and their works, [are] in the hand of God: no man knoweth either love or hatred [by] all [that is] before them.

  • Ecclesiastes 9:3 (3 votes)

    This [is] an evil among all [things] that are done under the sun, that [there is] one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness [is] in their heart while they live, and after that [they go] to the dead.

  • Luke 13:2 (2 votes)

    And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?

  • Luke 13:4 (2 votes)

    Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

  • Ezekiel 21:3 (2 votes)

    And say to the land of Israel, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I [am] against thee, and will draw forth my sword out of his sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.

  • Ezekiel 21:4 (2 votes)

    Seeing then that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of his sheath against all flesh from the south to the north:

  • Job 10:8 (2 votes)

    ¶ Thine hands have made me and fashioned me together round about; yet thou dost destroy me.