Job 22:21 (KJV)

What does Job 22:21 mean?

Job 22:21 urges the listener to become familiar with God and live in harmony with Him, promising that this will lead to peace and good things in life. The verse presents a simple cause-and-effect: knowing God brings inner calm and positive outcomes.

In this verse, Eliphaz is speaking to Job during their ongoing debate about suffering and righteousness. Eliphaz is encouraging Job to turn toward God, suggesting that Job’s troubles would end if he made peace with God. The verse reflects Eliphaz’s belief that a right relationship with God naturally leads to blessing and well-being.

The Hebrew behind Job 22:21

• "Acquaint" (סָכַן, sakan): This word often means to become familiar with or accustomed to someone. Here, it suggests more than just knowing about God—it points to building a relationship or making oneself at home with God.
• "Peace" (שָׁלֵם, shalem): This word carries the sense of completeness, wholeness, or being at rest. Eliphaz is not just talking about the absence of conflict, but a deep, settled harmony that comes from being right with God.
• "Good" (טוֹב, tov): This word means good in a broad sense—things that are beneficial, pleasant, or desirable. Eliphaz is promising that positive things will follow from this relationship.
• "Come" (בּוֹא, bo): This is a common word for arriving or happening. The idea is that good will actively come into one’s life as a result of being at peace with God.

Why Job 22:21 matters

• Job 22:21 helps clarify that Eliphaz sees suffering as a result of being distant from God, and blessing as a result of turning toward Him, which is a key theme in the friends’ arguments throughout the book.
• The verse highlights the difference between knowing about God and truly being in relationship with Him, using a word that suggests closeness and familiarity.
• Understanding the original words shows that "peace" here means a deep sense of wholeness, not just a lack of trouble, which adds depth to what Eliphaz is urging Job to seek.