Bible Strands
Job 22:30
He will deliver even one who is not innocent, rescuing him through the cleanness of your hands.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Eliphaz addresses Job in his third speech, asserting that God rescues the lowly when the righteous intercede. He immediately follows this by claiming God will deliver even the guilty through the righteous person’s own standing.
The words — The text highlights יְֽמַלֵּ֥ט (ye.ma.Let), meaning “he will deliver,” and נָקִ֑י (na.Ki), meaning “an innocent person.” It pairs these with כַּפֶּֽי/ךָ (ka.Pei./kha), literally “your hands,” to describe the claimed mechanism of rescue.
The thread — The theme of deliverance through righteous intercession appears in Job 42:7, where God rebukes Eliphaz for misrepresenting His word. It parallels Genesis 18:26, where God spares a city for the sake of righteous individuals, and James 5:15, which links faithful prayer to restoration.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to test whether divine rescue operates on human merit or God’s sovereign choice. It demands that intercession be evaluated against the reality that God’s deliverance is not mechanically bound to the intercessor’s status.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
Cross-references
- Job 42:7 After the LORD had spoken these words to Job, He said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and your two friends. For you have not spoken about Me accurately, as My servant Job has.
- James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
- Genesis 18:26 So the LORD replied, “If I find fifty righteous ones within the city of Sodom, on their account I will spare the whole place.”
- Psalms 18:20 The LORD has rewarded me according to my righteousness; He has repaid me according to the cleanness of my hands.
- Acts 27:24 and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’
- Malachi 1:9 “But ask now for God’s favor. Will He be gracious? Since this has come from your hands, will He show you favor?” asks the LORD of Hosts.
- Psalms 24:4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear deceitfully.
- Matthew 17:19 Afterward the disciples came to Jesus privately and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
- Isaiah 58:12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins; you will restore the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of the Breach, Restorer of the Streets of Dwelling.
- Jeremiah 5:1 “Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem. Look now and take note; search her squares. If you can find a single person, anyone who acts justly, anyone who seeks the truth, then I will forgive the city.