who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands?
Elihu is answering Job's charge that God has treated him unfairly. His argument starts from God's greatness. No rank and no fortune can buy favour from the One who stands above every ruler. That raises a hard question for a man who had lost everything. If God shows no favour to the rich, what did Job's wealth ever prove? And what does his ruin prove now?
Where the verse sits in Elihu's argument
Elihu is defending God's character step by step. He starts from what nobody would dare say to a human king, and turns it on what Job had said about God.
Samuel RidoutIn these verses Elihu reminds Job of the dignity and greatness of God. If it is wrong to question the uprightness of a king, to call him worthless, who will dare to charge the All-just with evil? He looks upon princes and paupers alike, and all are the work of His hands. Their life hangs upon His will; in a moment He can cut them off — will we think of such a One as fickle, uncertain or unfair?
Why God cannot be swayed by rank
No one speaks rudely to a king. Yet Job had spoken carelessly about the God who stands far above every king.
William KellyNo one would dare speak a disrespectful word to a king or a prince. What then is it to speak wrongly of Him who is infinitely higher than the highest? He shows no partiality, and He does not know the rich before the poor, since all are the work of His hands. Death comes in a moment. At midnight a people is shaken and passes away. The mighty are removed, and no human hand does it… He is sovereign, and also just and merciful. Nation or man makes no difference, for He is above both.
The point aimed straight at Job
Job had been a wealthy man. Elihu's words cut both ways for him. His wealth had never bought him special treatment. His pain was no proof that God was unfair.
Leslie M. GrantHe "shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor" (v.19). Job had been rich, but he should have observed that God did not favour him above others who were poor. In fact, he imagines that God showed partiality by allowing him to suffer rather than others. But this only exposed his lack of discernment. However, all men are "the work of His hands." God is engaged in a very wise work in dealing with every individual.
What "the work of His hands" means for rich and poor
God gives one reason for His impartiality: He made them all. That single fact lands differently on the poor man and on the rich man.
William KellyHow little is the difference in the essentials! They come into the world alike, and alike they stand when the world passes away. "The rich and the poor meet together; the LORD is the Maker of them all." The poor man has a right to remember this, and the rich man ought not to forget it.
The same principle in the New Testament
One writer lists the places where the New Testament picks this verse up.
Frederick W GrantJob 34:19, referred to in Romans 2:11; Ephesians 6:9; Colossians 3:25.
What it means for anyone with power over others
The New Testament aims this truth at the strong, not the weak. It speaks to employers and masters, and tells them who is watching.
W. W. FeredayMasters are then urged to remember that their Master is in heaven, and that "there is no partiality with Him." He notes threatening and oppression. The cry of the poor and needy comes up in His ears, and He will repay it in the coming day. I believe this verse should read, "their Master and yours is in the heavens." That adds an important point. Both master and servant answer to the one Lord, and they will stand together at the same judgment seat.
Summary
- Height — God's impartiality flows from His greatness. He is infinitely higher than the highest, so no rank on earth stands close enough to Him to earn favour.
- Hands — Prince and pauper are alike the work of His hands. The poor man may hold on to that; the rich man dare not forget it.
- Breath — Life hangs on His will. In a moment He can cut anyone off, and no human hand topples the mighty.
- Job — His wealth never bought him special treatment. His suffering proves nothing against God. He mistook God's dealings for partiality, and that only exposed his lack of discernment.
- Judgment — The New Testament says the same thing to people with power. Their Master is in heaven. He notes oppression, and master and servant will stand together at the same judgment seat.