Bible Strands
Job 8:3
Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Bildad addresses Job in a rhetorical challenge, posing two direct questions about divine justice immediately after asserting that Job’s children died for their own rebellion.
The words — The Hebrew יְעַוֵּת (ye‘avvet) literally means “to pervert” or “to twist,” repeated twice to modify mishpāṭ (justice) and ṣedeq (righteousness).
The thread — The text’s claim that God does not twist justice appears in Genesis 18:25, Deuteronomy 32:4, and 2 Chronicles 19:7, where divine judgment is consistently described as untwisted and perfect.
Why it lands — The verse states that God’s character cannot contradict His own standard of right, then asks the reader to stop interpreting suffering as evidence of divine unfairness.
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
Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
Cross-references
- 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 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; all His ways are just. A God of faithfulness without injustice, righteous and upright is He.
- 2 Chronicles 19:7 And now, may the fear of the LORD be upon you. Be careful what you do, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribery.”
- Job 34:10 Therefore listen to me, O men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wrong, and from the Almighty to act unjustly.
- Ezekiel 33:20 Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ But I will judge each of you according to his ways, O house of Israel.”
- Daniel 9:14 Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.
- Romans 3:4 Certainly not! Let God be true and every man a liar. As it is written: “So that You may be proved right when You speak and victorious when You judge.”
- Job 4:17 ‘Can a mortal be more righteous than God, or a man more pure than his Maker?
- Job 9:2 “Yes, I know that it is so, but how can a mortal be righteous before God?
- Job 10:3 Does it please You to oppress me, to reject the work of Your hands and favor the schemes of the wicked?