Job 9:29
If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?
Original Language Analysis
אֶרְשָׁ֑ע
If I be wicked
H7561
אֶרְשָׁ֑ע
If I be wicked
Strong's:
H7561
Word #:
2 of 6
to be (causatively, do or declare) wrong; by implication, to disturb, violate
לָמָּה
H4100
לָמָּה
Strong's:
H4100
Word #:
3 of 6
properly, interrogative what? (including how? why? when?); but also exclamation, what! (including how!), or indefinitely what (including whatever, and
זֶּ֝֗ה
H2088
Historical Context
The retribution theology Job's friends espouse—righteousness brings prosperity, sin brings suffering—dominated ancient Near Eastern thought. Job's question exposes this system's moral bankruptcy: if the innocent suffer anyway, why pursue righteousness? This philosophical crisis drove Israel toward understanding grace, substitution, and future resurrection rather than strict earthly retribution. The book of Job prepared Israel for the gospel by demolishing works-righteousness.
Questions for Reflection
- How does Job's question expose the inadequacy of any righteousness-by-works system?
- What motivates your pursuit of holiness—desire for blessing, fear of punishment, or love for God?
Analysis & Commentary
If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain? (אָנֹכִי אֶרְשָׁע לָמָּה־זֶּה הֶבֶל אִיגָע, anokhi ersha lamah-zeh hevel iga)—Job's logic is devastating: if God has already condemned me as wicked (rasha, רָשָׁע), why should I continue striving for righteousness? The phrase 'labour I in vain' uses hevel (הֶבֶל, 'vanity' or 'breath') from Ecclesiastes—meaningless, futile effort. The verb 'labour' (yaga, יָגַע) means to toil, work to exhaustion, struggle.
Job poses the moral hazard inherent in his situation: if righteousness brings no vindication and suffering comes regardless of behavior, what motivation remains for godliness? This isn't abandoning righteousness but exposing the friends' theology's bankruptcy. If suffering always indicates sin (as they claim), and the innocent suffer anyway (as Job experiences), then morality becomes meaningless. This question anticipates Paul's argument in Romans: justification must be by faith, not works, because no one can achieve righteousness sufficient for vindication (Romans 3:20-24). Job glimpses the need for a righteousness outside himself.