Job 13:23
How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Job isn't just admitting he's a sinner; he's audaciously asking God to itemize his transgressions. He knows he has sins, but he's crying out, "If my suffering is due to specific offenses, then tell me exactly what they are so I can understand!" This isn't a passive confession but a plea for clarity, showing he's open to knowing the why behind his pain if it can be traced to a specific fault he can grasp.
Job is directly addressing God here, frustrated by his friends' constant accusations that his immense suffering must be punishment for hidden, grave sins. He's pleading for divine clarity, wanting God to reveal the specific charges against him so he can understand why he's enduring such agony. This cry comes as Job continues to defend his integrity while acknowledging his humanity, seeking an honest indictment from the One he believes holds his fate.
Ever felt like you're being punished, but you don't know why? Job is there, expressing that exact anguish.
Job isn't just saying, 'Oops, I messed up.' He's in deep pain because he feels God's hand is against him, yet he can't see the specific sins that warrant such intense suffering. He's saying, 'If I'm truly guilty of something so terrible, please, God, reveal it to me. Give me the indictment so I can understand why this is happening.' It's a cry for clarity in the midst of overwhelming, unexplained pain.
Job claims innocence, yet he confesses sin. How do these two seemingly opposite ideas fit together?
This is where Job gets really interesting. He's not denying he's a sinner – that would be a lie. The Bible is clear: 'There is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins' (Ecclesiastes 7:20). Job knows he's not perfect. However, he's asserting that the magnitude and nature of his suffering don't align with the sins he's aware of. He confesses his sinfulness in general, but pleads for God to specify the particular transgressions that have brought such catastrophic judgment upon him.
Understand the original words
avon · Hebrew Noun
Moral failure, perversity, or guilt resulting from a violation of God’s law. It denotes a twisting of the right way and carries the weight of accountability before a holy Judge.
chatta'ah · Hebrew Noun
To miss the mark of God's standard of holiness; a failure to fulfill one's duty to God or neighbor. It describes falling short of the moral perfection required by a righteous God.
pesha · Hebrew Noun
A willful rebellion or revolt against authority, specifically against the commands or covenant of God. It implies a breach of trust and a conscious turning away from God's revealed will.
This verse echoes Job's plea for God to search him and know his heart, revealing any hidden sin. It shows a desire for divine insight into one's own inner life and failings.
Jeremiah 17:9This passage highlights the deceitfulness of the human heart, suggesting why Job might genuinely not be aware of the depth of his own sin. It provides context for his plea for God to reveal what he cannot see himself.
1 Corinthians 11:31-32Paul's encouragement to 'examine ourselves' before communion mirrors Job's request. It underscores the importance of self-awareness and accountability before God, even when the reasons for His discipline aren't immediately clear.
Romans 3:23This foundational verse states that all have sinned and fall short of God's glory. It supports Job's underlying confession that he is a sinner, even as he questions the specific reasons for his intense suffering.
clarkeJob 13:23: "How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin."
How many are mine iniquities - Job being permitted to begin first, enters immediately upon the subject; and as it was a fact that he was grievously afflicted, and this his friends asserted was in consequence of grievous iniquities, he first desires to have them specified. What are the specific charges in this indictment? To say I must be a sinner to be thus afflicted, is saying nothing; tell me what…
ellicottJob 13:23: "How many are mine iniquities and sins? make me to know my transgression and my sin."
(23) How many are mine iniquities? —We must be careful to note that alongside with Job’s claim to be righteous there is ever as deep a confession of personal sin, thus showing that the only way in which we can understand his declarations is in the light of His teaching who convicts of sin before He convinces of righteousness.
Job isn't just admitting he's a sinner; he's audaciously asking God to itemize his transgressions. He knows he has sins, but he's crying out, "If my suffering is due to specific offenses, then tell me exactly what they are so I can understand!" This isn't a passive confession but a plea for clarity, showing he's open to knowing the why behind his pain if it can be traced to a specific fault he can grasp.
Job is directly addressing God here, frustrated by his friends' constant accusations that his immense suffering must be punishment for hidden, grave sins. He's pleading for divine clarity, wanting God to reveal the specific charges against him so he can understand why he's enduring such agony. This cry comes as Job continues to defend his integrity while acknowledging his humanity, seeking an honest indictment from the One he believes holds his fate.
Job is directly addressing God here, frustrated by his friends' constant accusations that his immense suffering must be punishment for hidden, grave sins. He's pleading for divine clarity, wanting God to reveal the specific charges against him so he can understand why he's enduring such agony. This cry comes as Job continues to defend his integrity while acknowledging his humanity, seeking an honest indictment from the One he believes holds his fate.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Job 13:23 is available in the Sola app.
"How many are my iniquities and my sins? Make me know my transgression and my sin." — Job isn't just admitting he's a sinner; he's audaciously asking God to itemize his transgressions. He knows he has sins, but he's crying out, "If my suffering is due to specific offenses, then tell…
