Job 35:6

If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

35:1-8 Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of our sins or of our services! We have no reason to complain if we have not what we expect, but should be thankful that we have better than we deserve.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? - This should not be interpreted as designed to justify sin, or as saying that there is no evil in it, or that God does not regard it. That is not the point or scope of the remark of Elihu. His object is to show that God is not influenced in his treatment of his creatures as people are in their treatment of each other. He has no "interest" in being partial, or in treating them otherwise than they deserve. If they sin against him his happiness is not so marred that he is under any inducement to interpose "by passion," or in any other way than that which is "right."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. what doest—how canst thou affect Him?

unto him—that can hurt Him? (Jer 7:19; Pr 8:36).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Thy sins do him no hurt, and therefore thy righteousness brings him no benefit, as it follows.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him?.... Sin is expressly said to be against God, Psalm 51:4; it is contrary to his nature, as any opposites can be to each other: it is against his law, a breach and violation of it; and so against his supreme legislative power and authority, and a contempt of it; it is what he is angry with and is provoked by, being what he hates and abhors, and is abominable in his sight. But then he cannot be supposed to be so affected with it to be ruffled and discomposed, or his peace be disturbed, and his happiness in the least broke in upon; for affections are only attributed to him after the manner of men; much less is he so affected hereby as to be hurt or in danger of being destroyed, nor even of being dethroned: men can no more reach him by any hostile action of theirs, such as sin is, than they can reach the sun and stop its course, lessen its light or pluck it from its orbit. Or, "what canst thou work for him?" as Mr. Broughton; by way of atonement or satisfaction for sin? Nothing at all; see Job 7:20; but the other sense is best;

or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou unto him? As he is not hurt by a slight single sin, a failing or infirmity, an error or mistake, common to men, as the preceding word may signify; so not by greater sins, presumptuous ones, gross enormities, rebellions against God, overt acts of treason against the Almighty, and these multiplied and heaped up even unto heaven; for though by these the name of God is profaned and blasphemed, and he is dishonoured and despised, and his manifestative glory is eclipsed, or he has not the honour given him that is due unto him; yet his essential glory is untarnished, unsullied, and unhurt, no more than the sun by an eclipse; he is the same without any variableness or shadow of turning, as well as is over all blessed for ever. And, indeed, his manifestative glory in many instances receives a lustre, through his power, wisdom, and goodness, overruling the sins of men for the display of it; as the fall of the first Adam made way for the sending of Christ the Saviour, in which God has shown forth the exceeding riches of his grace; and as his mercy and grace are displayed in the pardon of sin, and his power and justice in the punishment of sin and sinners; and his patience and longsuffering in bearing with them.

Geneva Study Bible

If thou sinnest, what doest thou {d} against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?

(d) Neither does your sin hurt God, nor your justice profit him: for he will be glorified without you.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? Man's sins against God cannot injure him, diminish from his power, or lower his dignity. They can only injure the sinner himself. God does not punish them because they harm him, but because they are discords in the harmony of his moral universe. Or even if thy transgressions be multiplied; i.e. if thou persistest in a long course of sin, and addest "rebellion" to transgression, and self-complacency to rebellion, and "multipliest thy words against God" (Job 34:37) - even then, what doest thou unto him?.. what hurt dost thou inflict upon him? None. Job 35:6

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

5 Look towards heaven and see,

And behold the ethereal heights: they are high above thee.

6 If thou sinnest, what dost thou effect with Him?

And if thy transgressions are many, what doest thou to Him?

7 If thou art righteous, what dost thou give Him,

Or what doth He take from thy hand?

8 To man like thee thy godlessness availeth,

And to thee, a son of man, thy righteousness.

Towards heaven he is to direct his gaze, to obtain from the height of heaven a notion of the exaltation of God who dwells above the heavens. The combination הבּיט וראה is like Psalm 80:15 and freq. שׁחקים (שׁחק, Arab. sḥq, to rub in pieces, make thin, therefore the opposite of עבים) are the thin transparent strata of the atmosphere above the hanging clouds. מן after גּבהּ denotes the height that is on the opposite side to the beholder. From the exaltation of God it is then further inferred that it is impossible to exercise any human influence upon Him, by which He might suffer. The pointing wavers here between תּפעל (the common fut. form) and תּפעל(as a contraction of תּפעל after the form אזעם, Numbers 23:8). Human wrong or right doing neither diminishes nor increases His blessedness; injury or advantage is only on the side of man, from whom it proceeds. Others, whom his conduct affect, are not included in Job 35:8 : righteous or ungodly doing, Elihu means to say, as such and with its consequences, belongs solely to the doer himself, the man "like thee" (לאישׁ with Munach, כּמוך with Munach), the son of man, i.e., man, capable of evil as of good, and who always, after deciding in favour of the latter or the former, determines his fortune or misfortune, in distinction from God, who ever remains unchangeably the same in His perfect righteousness. What Elihu here says we have already heard from Eliphaz, Job 22:2., and Job even expresses himself similarly in Job 7:20; but to Elihu's mind it all becomes for Job new and powerful motives to quiet submission, for what objection should Job raise in justification of his complaints concerning his affliction against such sentiments as these, that goodness bears its reward and evil its punishment in itself, and that God's reward of goodness is not a work of indebtedness, nor His punishment of evil a work of necessity? Before such truth he must really hold his peace.