Job 35:8

8 Your wickedness [affects] a person like yourself, and your righteousness [affects] humans.

Job 35:8 Meaning and Commentary

Job 35:8

Thy wickedness [may hurt] a man as thou [art]
But not God: a man may hurt himself by his wickedness; his body, by bringing various diseases upon it, through debauchery and intemperance; his family and estate, by wasting it; his soul, for every sin is a wrong and injury to a man's soul, and exposes it to ruin and destruction: and sin does even a good man harm, since it breaks in upon his peace, and hinders his communion with God; and the wickedness of men may harm others like themselves, frail, mortal, sinful creatures, and easily led aside by ill examples; as well as there are many sins which do injury to the persons, families, and estates of others, as murder, adultery, theft and since sin is harmful to others, God resents it, and punishes for it, though, strictly speaking, it cannot harm him in the sense before given;

and thy righteousness [may profit] the son of man;
may profit a man himself ((See Gill on Job 35:3)), and others, but neither for justification before God; but godliness is profitable to a man's self, both for this life and that to come, and good works are profitable to other men; for what reasons they are to be performed and maintained, see ( 1 Timothy 4:8 ) ( Titus 3:8 Titus 3:14 ) . Some are of real and direct profit to men, as acts of beneficence to them, and all as being examples to them; but then no works of righteousness can be profitable to God, they adding nothing to him; which is what Elihu undertook to answer to.

Job 35:8 In-Context

6 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And [if] your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?
7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand?
8 Your wickedness [affects] a person like yourself, and your righteousness [affects] humans.
9 "Because of [the] multitude of oppressions, they cry out; they cry for help because of [the] arm of [the] mighty.
10 But no one says, 'Where [is] God my Maker, [who] gives songs in the night,
Scripture quotations marked (LEB) are from the Lexham English Bible. Copyright 2012 Logos Bible Software. Lexham is a registered trademark of Logos Bible Software.