Job 35:3 Meaning and Explanation
“For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? and, What profit shall I have, if I be cleansed from my sin?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Read Full Chapter →Elihu restates Job's complaint that righteousness seems to bring him no reward.
What Does Job 35:3 Mean?
Here Elihu spells out the words he has been answering. Job, worn down by grief, has wondered aloud whether goodness pays at all: if the righteous suffer like the wicked, what does cleanness from sin actually gain a person? It is the ancient ache of those who keep faith and still seem to lose, and it has risen from the floor of Job's despair.
The question deserves a tender hearing, for many have asked it. Yet to serve God only for profit is to misread who He is. Obedience is not a transaction but a response to His goodness, and its truest reward is God Himself. The Lord later says of His servants, 'they shall be mine... in that day when I make up my jewels' (Malachi 3:17) — the faithful are not overlooked, even when the account seems unpaid for a time.
Frequently Asked Questions About Job 35:3
What does Job 35:3 mean?
Elihu restates Job's complaint that righteousness seems to bring him no reward.