Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Satan isn't just saying a person values their skin; he's using a proverb implying someone will sacrifice another's "skin" (their well-being, possessions, even loved ones) to save their own. He's arguing Job only appeared patient because he still "slept in a whole skin," meaning his own person was untouched by pain, and therefore his piety wasn't genuine.
Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Satan, having been allowed by God to afflict Job, argues that Job's current piety is superficial because he has only lost property and children, not his own health or life. He uses the proverb "skin for skin" to suggest that any person, when truly threatened, will sacrifice everything to preserve their own physical well-being. Therefore, Satan implies, Job's steadfastness is not proof of genuine faith but merely self-preservation.
Satan throws down a gauntlet with a cryptic proverb. What does "skin for skin" truly mean, and why is it such a damning accusation against Job?
Satan uses the phrase "skin for skin" (a common proverb) to argue that Job's faithfulness is merely a transaction of self-interest.
A Transactional Faith
The core idea is that a person will give up anything – even the "skin" of others (their possessions, children, or even another person) – to save their own "skin" (their life and person). Satan implies that Job only endured his losses because his own life and body remained untouched. He's saying, "Job traded his 'outer' blessings for his 'inner' well-being, but if you touch his person, he'll fold."
The Ultimate Commodity
This proverb highlights how life itself is often seen as the ultimate commodity. People will sacrifice wealth, status, relationships, and even morality to preserve their own existence. Satan suggests Job's piety is no different – a calculated risk assessment where his own skin is the non-negotiable prize.
The Accuser isn't just interested in Job's downfall; he's on a mission to discredit the very nature of genuine devotion to God.
Satan's words are a direct assault on the possibility of selfless faith. He operates from a cynical worldview where everyone is ultimately self-serving.
Denying Sincerity
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By reducing Job's response to "skin for skin," Satan denies that Job could have any genuine love or loyalty to God. He argues that Job's previous faithfulness was conditional, a mere product of his comfortable circumstances. If Job truly loved God, he wouldn't need the reward of his own intact skin; his devotion would be its own reward.
The Test of Extremity
Satan's argument hinges on the idea that a test of true character only comes under extreme pressure. Losing property and children, while devastating, didn't touch Job's person. Satan is essentially saying, "You haven't seen Job's true colors yet. Wait until you inflict pain directly on him, and then watch him curse God to save himself."
Understand the original words
or be'ad or · Hebrew Idiom
An idiom suggesting a harsh, transactional worldview where one yields their external 'skin' (possessions or comforts) to preserve their 'life' (existence).
Jesus warns against greed, stating that a person's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions, directly challenging the notion that all one has is ultimately for their own life.
Matthew 16:26This passage highlights the supreme value of a person's soul over all worldly gain, contrasting with Satan's emphasis on the physical life and possessions.
John 10:11Jesus contrasts Himself as the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep with the hired hand who flees when danger comes, illustrating a self-sacrificing love that Satan questions in Job.
1 Corinthians 15:19The Apostle Paul emphasizes that if our hope in Christ is only for this life, we are of all people most to be pitied, underscoring a spiritual reality that transcends mere physical existence.
bensonJob 2:4: "And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life."
Job 2:4 . Skin for skin, &c. — The design of these words is plain, which was to detract from Job, and to diminish that honour and praise which God gave him, by pretending that he had done no more than the meanest men commonly do by the law of self-preservation. And it is equally clear that this was a proverbial speech then in use, to denote the great value in which life is held,…
clarkeJob 2:4: "And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life."
Skin for skin - That is, A man will part with all he has in the world to save his life; and he will part with all by piecemeal, till he has nothing left on earth, and even be thankful, provided his life be spared. Thou hast only destroyed his property; thou hast left him his life and his health. Thou hast not touched his flesh nor his bone; therefore he is patient and resigned. M…
Satan isn't just saying a person values their skin; he's using a proverb implying someone will sacrifice another's "skin" (their well-being, possessions, even loved ones) to save their own. He's arguing Job only appeared patient because he still "slept in a whole skin," meaning his own person was untouched by pain, and therefore his piety wasn't genuine.
Satan, having been allowed by God to afflict Job, argues that Job's current piety is superficial because he has only lost property and children, not his own health or life. He uses the proverb "skin for skin" to suggest that any person, when truly threatened, will sacrifice everything to preserve their own physical well-being. Therefore, Satan implies, Job's steadfastness is not proof of genuine faith but merely self-preservation.
Satan, having been allowed by God to afflict Job, argues that Job's current piety is superficial because he has only lost property and children, not his own health or life. He uses the proverb "skin for skin" to suggest that any person, when truly threatened, will sacrifice everything to preserve their own physical well-being. Therefore, Satan implies, Job's steadfastness is not proof of genuine faith but merely self-preservation.
"Then Satan answered the LORD and said, “Skin for skin! All that a man has he will give for his life." — Satan isn't just saying a person values their skin; he's using a proverb implying someone will sacrifice another's "skin" (their well-being, possessions, even loved ones) to save their own. He's argu…
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Last reviewed October 2026