Job 9:22
It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Job’s statement, "It is all one," isn't a general observation about God's indifference. Instead, he's emphasizing that in this life, the observable outcome for both the blameless and the wicked can appear the same – destruction. This challenges the common assumption that God always makes a clear, immediate distinction in suffering based on righteousness.
Job is in the midst of a heated debate with his friends, who insist that suffering is always a sign of God's judgment on sin. Job, however, feels God's actions are indiscriminate, destroying both the innocent and the guilty without apparent reason, a stark contrast to his friends' theological framework. He declares this belief as a central, undeniable point in his argument against their simplistic view of divine justice.
Job is wrestling with a deeply unsettling idea: God might be treating everyone the same. But what does that really mean?
Job declares, 'It is all one; therefore I say, “He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.”'
This isn't just a casual observation; it’s the core of his argument against his friends' view. They believed that suffering was a clear sign of God’s judgment on wickedness. If you suffered, you must be guilty. If you prospered, you must be righteous.
But Job sees something different. He observes that calamity, whether it’s sudden disaster or the general hardship of life, seems to strike good people and bad people alike. It feels indiscriminate. This makes him question the simple cause-and-effect relationship his friends propose.
Job insists that he is saying this, not as an accusation, but as a conclusion drawn from painful observation. What does this distinction reveal?
Job's statement, 'therefore I say,' is crucial. It highlights that this conclusion about God's seemingly indiscriminate destruction is something he has arrived at through intense personal wrestling and observation.
Understand the original words
rasha · Hebrew Adjective/Noun
In a biblical context, it often refers to a moral deviation or a perversion of justice, characterizing those who act in rebellion against God’s established standards of righteousness.
This passage echoes Job's sentiment, stating that 'one event happens to them all' – both the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad – suggesting a shared earthly destiny that Job observes.
Luke 13:1-5Jesus directly addresses the idea that suffering is always a direct consequence of sin, referencing similar catastrophic events where innocent and guilty perished together, aligning with Job's observation that God's judgment isn't always immediately discernible in earthly afflictions.
Romans 3:22-23While Job's statement focuses on the indiscriminate nature of earthly suffering, this passage broadens the scope to the spiritual realm, declaring that *all* have sinned and fall short of God's glory, creating a universal condition before Him, regardless of outward circumstances.
Jeremiah 24:1-10This prophetic vision uses the analogy of good and bad figs to illustrate how God deals with His people; though distinct in their ultimate fate, both groups faced shared temporal judgment and exile, mirroring Job's point that present calamities don't always distinguish between the righteous and the wicked.
barnesJob 9:22: "This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked."
This is one thing, therefore I said it - This may mean, "it is all the same thing. It makes no difference whether a man be righteous or wicked. God treats them substantially alike; he has one and the same rule on the subject. Nothing can be argued certainly about the character of a man from the divine dealings with him here." This was the point in dispute, this the position that Job maintained - that G…
wesleyJob 9:22: "This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked."
9:22 This - In the other things which you have spoken of God's greatness, and justice, I do not contend with you, but this one thing I do, and must affirm against you. He - God sends afflictions promiscuously upon good and bad men.
Job’s statement, "It is all one," isn't a general observation about God's indifference. Instead, he's emphasizing that in this life, the observable outcome for both the blameless and the wicked can appear the same – destruction. This challenges the common assumption that God always makes a clear, immediate distinction in suffering based on righteousness.
Job is in the midst of a heated debate with his friends, who insist that suffering is always a sign of God's judgment on sin. Job, however, feels God's actions are indiscriminate, destroying both the innocent and the guilty without apparent reason, a stark contrast to his friends' theological framework. He declares this belief as a central, undeniable point in his argument against their simplistic view of divine justice.
Job is in the midst of a heated debate with his friends, who insist that suffering is always a sign of God's judgment on sin. Job, however, feels God's actions are indiscriminate, destroying both the innocent and the guilty without apparent reason, a stark contrast to his friends' theological framework. He declares this belief as a central, undeniable point in his argument against their simplistic view of divine justice.
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 9:22 is available in the Sola app.
"It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’" — Job’s statement, "It is all one," isn't a general observation about God's indifference. Instead, he's emphasizing that in this life, the observable outcome for both the blameless and the wicked can *…
