If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

JOB 35:6KJV
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Job 35:6 (KJV)

What does Job 35:6 mean?

Job 35:6 asks whether a person’s sin actually harms God or affects Him directly, even if those sins are many. The verse points out that human wrongdoing does not injure God Himself or change His nature.

In this verse, Elihu is speaking to Job during their debate about suffering and justice. Elihu challenges the idea that human actions, whether sinful or righteous, have a direct impact on God’s well-being. The verse is meant to highlight the vast difference between God and people, emphasizing that God is not diminished or threatened by human failings.

The Hebrew behind Job 35:6

  • "sinnest" (חָטָא, chata’): This word means to miss the mark or to do wrong. Here, it stresses the idea of personal failure, but Elihu’s point is that such failure does not reach or harm God.
  • "doest" (פָּעַל, pa‘al): This verb means to do, make, or accomplish. Elihu uses it to question what effect, if any, human sin actually has on God.
  • "transgressions" (פֶּשַׁע, pesha‘): This word refers to rebellious acts or willful breaking of boundaries. The use of this term underlines the seriousness of the wrongdoing being discussed.
  • "multiplied" (רָבָה, rabah): This means to become many or increase. Elihu’s argument is that even if a person’s rebellious acts grow in number, they still do not harm God Himself.
  • "doest" (עָשָׂה, ‘asah): Another verb for doing or making, reinforcing the question of what effect human actions really have on God.

Why Job 35:6 matters

  • Job 35:6 clarifies that God’s greatness and character are not threatened or lessened by human sin, which corrects the idea that God is vulnerable to human actions.
  • The verse helps frame the larger discussion in Job about suffering and divine justice, reminding readers that God’s relationship to human behavior is not like human relationships.
  • Elihu’s point here sets up a contrast for later verses, where he will discuss how human actions do have consequences, but those consequences are primarily for people themselves and their communities, not for God’s own being.

Where else these words appear

“multiplied” Hebrew H7231 · used in 17 verses

  • Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
  • Psalms 38:19 But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.
  • Isaiah 22:9 Ye have seen also the breaches of the city of David, that they are many: and ye gathered together the waters of the lower pool.

“doest” Hebrew H6466 · used in 55 verses

  • Exodus 15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
  • Psalms 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
  • Psalms 125:5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.

“transgressions” Hebrew H6588 · used in 90 verses

  • Genesis 31:36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
  • Psalms 51:3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
  • Lamentations 1:14 The yoke of my transgressions is bound by his hand: they are wreathed, and come up upon my neck: he hath made my strength to fall, the Lord hath delivered me into their hands, from whom I am not able to rise up.