King James Version
What Does Job 17:4 Mean?
“For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.”
Job 17:4 · KJV
Context
2
Are there not mockers with me? and doth not mine eye continue in their provocation? continue: Heb. lodge
3
Lay down now, put me in a surety with thee; who is he that will strike hands with me?
4
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.
5
He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail.
6
He hath made me also a byword of the people; and aforetime I was as a tabret. aforetime: or, before them
Commentary
KJV Study CommentaryFor thou hast hid their heart from understanding (כִּי־לִבָּם צָפַנְתָּ מִשָּׂכֶל, ki-libbam tsafanta mi-sakel)—Job addresses God directly: tsafanta (you have hidden/concealed) indicates divine agency in his friends' blindness. Sakel (understanding/insight/wisdom) is the discernment they lack despite their verbose arguments. This echoes Isaiah 6:9-10 and anticipates Jesus's teaching on spiritual blindness (Matthew 13:13-15).
Therefore shalt thou not exalt them (עַל־כֵּן לֹא תְרוֹמֵם, al-ken lo teromem)—Teromem (exalt, lift up) means vindication or honor. Job prophesies that God will not honor his friends' false theology—a prophecy fulfilled in 42:7-9 when God rebukes them and requires Job's intercession for their forgiveness.
Therefore shalt thou not exalt them (עַל־כֵּן לֹא תְרוֹמֵם, al-ken lo teromem)—Teromem (exalt, lift up) means vindication or honor. Job prophesies that God will not honor his friends' false theology—a prophecy fulfilled in 42:7-9 when God rebukes them and requires Job's intercession for their forgiveness.
KJV Study — Public Domain
Historical & Cultural Context
Ancient Near Eastern wisdom traditions valued elders and counselors as bearers of divine insight. Job's shocking claim—that God has hidden truth from these respected friends—overturns conventional authority. God's later vindication of Job (42:7) confirms that orthodoxy without compassion is spiritual blindness.
Reflection Questions
- When has religious certainty actually concealed truth rather than revealed it?
- How do we discern between Spirit-given understanding and merely human religious wisdom?
- What does Job 42:7 teach about God's priority: correct doctrine or honest wrestling?
Original Language Analysis
Hebrew · 8 wordsכִּֽי1 of 8
H3588(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
לִ֭בָּם2 of 8
“their heart”
H3820the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything
צָפַ֣נְתָּ3 of 8
“For thou hast hid”
H6845to hide (by covering over); by implication, to hoard or reserve; figuratively to deny; specifically (favorably) to protect, (unfavorably) to lurk
עַל5 of 8
H5921above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
כֵּ֝֗ן6 of 8
H3651properly, set upright; hence (figuratively as adjective) just; but usually (as adverb or conjunction) rightly or so (in various applications to manner
לֹ֣א7 of 8
H3808not (the simple or abs. negation); by implication, no; often used with other particles
תְרֹמֵֽם׃8 of 8
“therefore shalt thou not exalt”
H7311to be high actively, to rise or raise (in various applications, literally or figuratively)
Study Guide
Historical Context
This verse is found in the book of Job. Understanding the historical and cultural background helps illuminate its meaning for the original audience and for us today.
Theological Significance
Job 17:4 contributes to our understanding of God's character and His relationship with humanity. Consider how this verse connects to the broader themes of Scripture.
Cross-References
Verses related to Job 17:4 from Treasury of Scripture Knowledge