Job 17:4
New International Version
You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph.

New Living Translation
You have closed their minds to understanding, but do not let them triumph.

English Standard Version
Since you have closed their hearts to understanding, therefore you will not let them triumph.

Berean Standard Bible
You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore You will not exalt them.

King James Bible
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.

New King James Version
For You have hidden their heart from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them.

New American Standard Bible
“For You have kept their hearts away from understanding; Therefore You will not exalt them.

NASB 1995
“For You have kept their heart from understanding, Therefore You will not exalt them.

NASB 1977
“For Thou hast kept their heart from understanding; Therefore Thou wilt not exalt them.

Legacy Standard Bible
For You have hidden their heart from insight, Therefore You will not exalt them.

Amplified Bible
“But You [Lord] have closed their hearts to understanding, Therefore You will not exalt them [by giving a verdict against me].

Christian Standard Bible
You have closed their minds to understanding, therefore you will not honor them.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
You have closed their minds to understanding, therefore You will not honor them.

American Standard Version
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: Therefore shalt thou not exalt them.

Contemporary English Version
My friends won't really listen, all because of you, and so you must be the one to prove them wrong.

English Revised Version
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You have closed their minds so that they cannot understand. That is why you will not honor them.

Good News Translation
You have closed their minds to reason; don't let them triumph over me now.

International Standard Version
"Because you're the one who closed their hearts to compassion; therefore, you won't let them triumph.

Majority Standard Bible
You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore You will not exalt them.

NET Bible
Because you have closed their minds to understanding, therefore you will not exalt them.

New Heart English Bible
For you have hidden their heart from understanding, Therefore you shall not exalt them.

Webster's Bible Translation
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding: therefore shalt thou not exalt them.

World English Bible
For you have hidden their heart from understanding, therefore you will not exalt them.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
For You have hidden their heart from understanding, "" Therefore You do not exalt them.

Young's Literal Translation
For their heart Thou hast hidden From understanding, Therefore Thou dost not exalt them.

Smith's Literal Translation
For thou didst hide their heart from understanding; for this thou wilt not exalt them.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Thou hast set their heart far from understanding, therefore they shall not be exalted.

Catholic Public Domain Version
You have set their heart far from discipline; therefore, they will not be praised.

New American Bible
You darken their minds to knowledge; therefore you will not exalt them.

New Revised Standard Version
Since you have closed their minds to understanding, therefore you will not let them triumph.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For thou hast hid their heart from understanding; therefore they shall exalt themselves in their deception.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Because you have hidden their heart from understanding, therefore they shall be exalted in their deception
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
For Thou hast hid their heart from understanding; Therefore shalt Thou not exalt them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For thou hast hid their heart from wisdom; therefore thou shalt not exalt them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Job Prepares for Death
3Give me, I pray, the pledge You demand. Who else will be my guarantor? 4 You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore You will not exalt them. 5If a man denounces his friends for a price, the eyes of his children will fail.…

Cross References
Isaiah 44:18
They do not comprehend or discern, for He has shut their eyes so they cannot see and closed their minds so they cannot understand.

Romans 11:8
as it is written: “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that could not see, and ears that could not hear, to this very day.”

2 Corinthians 4:4
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Matthew 13:14-15
In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: ‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

John 12:40
“He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, so that they cannot see with their eyes, and understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.”

Isaiah 6:9-10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’ / Make the hearts of this people calloused; deafen their ears and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.”

Deuteronomy 29:4
Yet to this day the LORD has not given you a mind to understand, eyes to see, or ears to hear.

Jeremiah 5:21
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.

Ezekiel 12:2
“Son of man, you are living in a rebellious house. They have eyes to see but do not see, and ears to hear but do not hear, for they are a rebellious house.

Mark 4:12
so that, ‘they may be ever seeing but never perceiving, and ever hearing but never understanding; otherwise they might turn and be forgiven.’”

Acts 28:26-27
‘Go to this people and say, “You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.” / For this people’s heart has grown callous; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn, and I would heal them.’

1 Corinthians 2:14
The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Proverbs 28:5
Evil men do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD comprehend fully.

Psalm 81:12
So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

Isaiah 29:10
For the LORD has poured out on you a spirit of deep sleep. He has shut your eyes, O prophets; He has covered your heads, O seers.


Treasury of Scripture

For you have hid their heart from understanding: therefore shall you not exalt them.

2 Samuel 15:31
And one told David, saying, Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom. And David said, O LORD, I pray thee, turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.

2 Samuel 17:14
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel. For the LORD had appointed to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring evil upon Absalom.

2 Chronicles 25:16
And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.

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Cause Closed Exalt Heart Hearts Hid Hidden Honour Kept Minds Triumph Understanding Wilt Wisdom
Job 17
1. Job appeals from men to God
6. The unmerciful dealing of men with the afflicted may astonish,
9. but not discourage the righteous
11. His hope is not in life, but in death














You have closed
The phrase "You have closed" suggests an active divine intervention. In the Hebrew text, the word used is "סָתַם" (satham), which means to shut or stop up. This implies a deliberate act by God, indicating His sovereignty over human understanding. In the context of Job, this reflects the belief that God has the ultimate authority to grant or withhold wisdom. It serves as a reminder of the limitations of human intellect without divine enlightenment.

their minds
The term "minds" in Hebrew is "לֵב" (lev), often translated as heart, which in ancient Hebrew thought encompasses not just emotions but also intellect and will. This holistic view of the heart as the center of thought and decision-making highlights the depth of the divine action. By closing their "minds," God is affecting their ability to perceive and understand truth, emphasizing the need for divine revelation to truly comprehend spiritual matters.

to understanding
The word "understanding" is derived from the Hebrew "תְּבוּנָה" (tevunah), which refers to insight or discernment. This is not merely intellectual knowledge but a deeper, spiritual comprehension. In the wisdom literature of the Bible, understanding is often portrayed as a gift from God, essential for living a righteous life. The lack of understanding here signifies a spiritual blindness, a condition that can only be remedied by divine intervention.

therefore
This conjunction serves as a logical connector, indicating a consequence or result. It underscores the cause-and-effect relationship between the closing of the mind and the subsequent lack of exaltation. In the narrative of Job, it reflects the principle that spiritual insight and humility before God are prerequisites for being lifted up or honored by Him.

You will not exalt them
The phrase "You will not exalt them" speaks to the outcome of their closed minds. The Hebrew root "רוּם" (rum) means to lift up or elevate. In the biblical context, exaltation is often associated with divine favor and blessing. This statement serves as a sobering reminder that without understanding and humility, one cannot expect to receive God's exaltation. It reinforces the theme of divine justice and the importance of aligning oneself with God's wisdom to be truly elevated in His sight.

(4) Their heart.--i.e., the heart of his friends.

Verse 4. - For thou hast hid their heart from understanding. My so-called friends will certainly not undertake for me, since thou hast blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts against me. Therefore shalt thou not exalt them. God will not exalt those who are without understanding.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
You have closed
צָפַ֣נְתָּ (ṣā·p̄an·tā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6845: To hide, to hoard, reserve, to deny, to protect, to lurk

their minds
לִ֭בָּם (lib·bām)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

to understanding;
מִּשָּׂ֑כֶל (miś·śā·ḵel)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7922: Intelligence, success

therefore
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

You will not
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

exalt them.
תְרֹמֵֽם׃ (ṯə·rō·mêm)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 7311: To be high actively, to rise, raise


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OT Poetry: Job 17:4 For you have hidden their heart (Jb)
Job 17:3
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