Job 34:23 | KD | STEP | Job 34:21-23 21 For His eyes are upon the ways of each one, And He seeth all his steps. 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death Wherein the workers of iniquity might hide themselves. 23 For He needeth not long to regard a man That he may enter into judgment with God. As the preceding strophe showed that God’s creative order excludes all partiality, so this strophe shows that His omniscience qualifies Him to be an impartial judge. He sees everything, nothing can escape His gaze; He sees through man without being obliged to wait for the result of a judicial investigation. שׂים with על does not here signify: to lay upon (Saad., Gecat.), but as , and as with אל ( ) or בּ ( ); to direct one’s attention (supply לבּו, ) towards anything; the fut . has here a modal signification; עוד is used as e.g., : again and again, continuously; and in the clause expressive of purpose it is אל־אל (instead of אליו, a very favourite combination used throughout the whole book, ; ; , and so on) from the human standpoint: He, the all-seeing One, needs not to observe him long that he should enter into judgment with God - He knows him thoroughly before any investigation takes place, which is not said without allusion to Job’s vehement longing to be able to appear before God’s tribunal.

‏ Job 34:23

Job 34:21-23 21 For His eyes are upon the ways of each one,

And He seeth all his steps. 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death

Wherein the workers of iniquity might hide themselves. 23 For He needeth not long to regard a man

That he may enter into judgment with God.

As the preceding strophe showed that God’s creative order excludes all partiality, so this strophe shows that His omniscience qualifies Him to be an impartial judge. He sees everything, nothing can escape His gaze; He sees through man without being obliged to wait for the result of a judicial investigation. שׂים with על does not here signify: to lay upon (Saad., Gecat.), but as Job 37:15, and as with אל (Job 34:14) or בּ (Job 23:6); to direct one’s attention (supply לבּו, Job 1:8) towards anything; the fut. has here a modal signification; עוד is used as e.g., Gen 46:29 : again and again, continuously; and in the clause expressive of purpose it is אל־אל (instead of אליו, a very favourite combination used throughout the whole book, Job 5:8; Job 8:5; Job 13:3, and so on) from the human standpoint: He, the all-seeing One, needs not to observe him long that he should enter into judgment with God - He knows him thoroughly before any investigation takes place, which is not said without allusion to Job’s vehement longing to be able to appear before God’s tribunal.