Bible Strands
Job 31:28
this would also be an iniquity to be judged, for I would have denied God on high.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Job speaks this declaration as part of his sworn oath of innocence, addressing his friends and God during a moment of rigorous self-examination. He lists specific moral failures he has actively avoided to prove his integrity before divine scrutiny.
The words — The Hebrew phrase עָוֹן פְּלִילִי ('a.Von pe.li.Li) translates literally to "iniquity calling for judgment." Job pairs this with the verb כִחַשְׁתִּי (khi.Chash.ti), meaning "I denied," to frame secret idolatry as a direct rejection of the sovereign God.
The thread — This judicial framing of hidden sin runs through Job 31:11, where Job labels the same act a heinous crime, and aligns with the divine verdict motif in Deuteronomy 17:2 and Psalm 50:6. The text consistently ties moral transgression to an inevitable divine reckoning.
Why it lands — The verse requires a reader to recognize that concealed compromises with false worship constitute a practical denial of God's authority. It demands unflinching self-assessment to ensure hidden conduct does not contradict professed allegiance.
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
This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 17:2 If a man or woman among you in one of the towns that the LORD your God gives you is found doing evil in the sight of the LORD your God by transgressing His covenant
- Job 31:11 For that would be a heinous crime, an iniquity to be judged.
- Psalms 50:6 And the heavens proclaim His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah
- Genesis 18:25 Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
- Deuteronomy 17:9 You are to go to the Levitical priests and to the judge who presides at that time. Inquire of them, and they will give you a verdict in the case.
- Joshua 24:23 “Now, therefore,” he said, “get rid of the foreign gods among you and incline your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”
- Joshua 24:27 And Joshua said to all the people, “You see this stone. It will be a witness against us, for it has heard all the words the LORD has spoken to us, and it will be a witness against you if you ever deny your God.”
- Judges 11:27 I have not sinned against you, but you have done me wrong by waging war against me. May the LORD, the Judge, decide today between the Israelites and the Ammonites.”
- Job 9:15 For even if I were right, I could not answer. I could only beg my Judge for mercy.
- Job 23:7 Then an upright man could reason with Him, and I would be delivered forever from my Judge.