Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Job 34:37 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 37. 37For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Job 34:37 closes the thought unit with the words “For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against….” Elihu supplies a reason through “For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against…” in support of Elihu Demands Correction and Accuses Job of Rebellion.
Read It With
- Job 34:31–34:37
Read Job 34:37 with 34:31–34:37. Read alone, “For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against…” could lose its speaker, the question or claim it develops, and the unit's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Elihu imagines a penitent response, asks whether Job should dictate repayment, and concludes that Job adds rebellion and multiplies words against God.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Elihu continues from Job 34:16–34:30: Elihu says the just ruler cannot be condemned, portrays God as impartial toward rich and poor, seeing hidden deeds, breaking the mighty, and hearing the afflicted. Job 34:31–34:37 now develops the next distinct movement: Elihu imagines a penitent response, asks whether Job should dictate repayment, and concludes that Job adds rebellion and multiplies words against God. Within that relationship, Job 34:37 closes the thought unit through “For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against….”
Read Job 34:31–37 together
Why these verses belong together: Job 34:31–34:37 follows the pinned KJV paragraphing and holds together one sustained speech movement: “Elihu Demands Correction and Accuses Job of Rebellion.” The next unit begins with a new stanza, question sequence, scene, speaker response, or rhetorical turn.
Verse 31. 31 Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more:
Verse 32. 32 That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.
Verse 33. 33 Should it be according to thy mind? he will recompense it, whether thou refuse, or whether thou choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest.
Verse 34. 34 Let men of understanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken unto me.
Verse 35. 35 Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom.
Verse 36. 36 My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because of his answers for wicked men.
Verse 37. 37 For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God.
What Remains True
Elihu imagines a penitent response, asks whether Job should dictate repayment, and concludes that Job adds rebellion and multiplies words against God. Elihu's confident proposal must be tested by its evidence, its account of Job, and its place in the received book rather than accepted because he claims insight. Job 34:37 carries that bounded truth through “For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against….”
How It Can Shape Life
- Evaluate Elihu's proposal in Job 34:31–34:37 by its accuracy, evidence, and effect on the sufferer; do not let claimed insight, urgency, age, or eloquence substitute for careful listening and bounded counsel. Preserve this unit-specific boundary in the action: The final accusation exceeds the evidence and is not the narrator's verdict; demanding confession from a sufferer can repeat the friends' error. The verse-specific evidence to retain is “For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against….”
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Job 34:31–34:37 — Elihu Demands Correction and Accuses Job of RebellionSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Job 34:31–34:37, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Job
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Job.xml, OSIS 34:31–34:37
Open the fixed Hebrew Job file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible First Edition Notes: Job
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006; current official PDF
Supports: Verse-level controls for Job's difficult Hebrew, syntax, older KJV language, textual issues, speech boundaries, and alternatives in Job 34:31–34:37.
Exact location: Official NET Job PDF, exact translator, study, and textual notes attached to Job 34:31–34:37
Open the official NET Job PDF ↗