Bible Strands
Job 36:21
Be careful not to turn to iniquity, for this you have preferred to affliction.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Elihu addresses Job in the final phase of his speech, warning him before he shifts to praising God's sovereign power. He speaks to a suffering man who has been debating divine justice.
The words — הִשָּׁמֵר (Hi.sha.mer) commands the listener to "take heed," while אָוֶן ('A.ven) names the "wickedness" that must be avoided. The text states that the listener has already preferred this sin to the affliction he endures.
The thread — The danger of unconfessed sin blocking divine hearing appears in Psalms 66:18. The choice to endure hardship rather than pursue sin's fleeting gain aligns with Hebrews 11:25 and 1 Peter 3:17.
Why it lands — The verse requires a deliberate turn away from sin when suffering makes compromise tempting. It asks the reader to recognize that choosing iniquity over discipline is a fatal miscalculation.
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
Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
Cross-references
- Psalms 66:18 If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
- Hebrews 11:25 He chose to suffer oppression with God’s people rather than to experience the fleeting enjoyment of sin.
- 1 Peter 3:17 For it is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
- Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
- Job 35:3 For you ask, ‘What does it profit me, and what benefit do I gain apart from sin?’
- Ezekiel 14:4 Therefore speak to them and tell them that this is what the Lord GOD says: ‘When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling block before his face, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him according to his great idolatry,
- Daniel 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
- Daniel 6:10 Now when Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house, where the windows of his upper room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- Matthew 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
- Matthew 13:21 But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away.