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Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

Job 31:24

"I have never trusted in riches. I never said even to pure gold, ‘You are my hope.'

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Covetousness;   Gold;   Hope;   Integrity;   Rich, the;   Temptation;   Thompson Chain Reference - False;   Riches, Earthly;   Security-Insecurity;   Trust in Riches;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Hope;   Riches;  

Dictionaries:

- Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Hope;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Job, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hope;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Gold;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Idolatry,;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Confidence;   Fine;   Gold;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
If I placed my confidence in goldor called fine gold my trust,
Hebrew Names Version
"If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, 'You are my confidence;'
King James Version
If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
English Standard Version
"If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence,
New Century Version
"I have not put my trust in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security.'
New English Translation
"If I have put my confidence in gold or said to pure gold, ‘You are my security!'
Amplified Bible
"If I have put my trust and confidence in gold, Or have declared fine gold my hope and assurance,
New American Standard Bible
"If I have put my confidence in gold, And called fine gold my trust,
World English Bible
"If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, 'You are my confidence;'
Geneva Bible (1587)
If I made gold mine hope, or haue sayd to the wedge of golde, Thou art my confidence,
Legacy Standard Bible
"If I have put my confidence in gold,And called fine gold my trust,
Berean Standard Bible
If I have put my trust in gold or called pure gold my security,
Contemporary English Version
I have never trusted the power of wealth,
Complete Jewish Bible
"If I made gold my hope, if I said to fine gold, ‘You are my security,'
Darby Translation
If I have made gold my hope, or said to the fine gold, My confidence!
George Lamsa Translation
If I have made gold my trust, or said about the precious stones, You are my confidence; or have said about fine gold, You are my hope;
Good News Translation
I have never trusted in riches
Lexham English Bible
"If I have made gold my trust, or I have called fine gold my security,
Literal Translation
If I have made gold my hope or have called fine gold my trust;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Haue I put my trust in golde? Or, haue I sayde to the fynest golde of all: thou art my cofidence?
American Standard Version
If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
Bible in Basic English
If I made gold my hope, or if I ever said to the best gold, I have put my faith in you;
JPS Old Testament (1917)
If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold: 'Thou art my confidence';
King James Version (1611)
If I haue made golde my hope, or haue said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Haue I put my trust in golde? or haue I sayde to the wedge of golde, thou art my confidence?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
If I made gold my treasure, and if too I trusted the precious stone;
English Revised Version
If I have made gold my hope, and have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
If Y gesside gold my strengthe, and if Y seide to purid gold, Thou art my trist;
Update Bible Version
If I have made gold my hope, And have said to the fine gold, [You are] my confidence;
Webster's Bible Translation
If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, [Thou art] my confidence;
New King James Version
"If I have made gold my hope, Or said to fine gold, "You are my confidence';
New Living Translation
"Have I put my trust in money or felt secure because of my gold?
New Life Bible
"If I have put my faith in gold and said fine gold is my trust,
New Revised Standard
"If I have made gold my trust, or called fine gold my confidence;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
If I made gold my stay, and, to precious metal, said, My confidence!
Douay-Rheims Bible
If I have thought gold my strength, and have said to fine gold: My confidence:
Revised Standard Version
"If I have made gold my trust, or called fine gold my confidence;
Young's Literal Translation
If I have made gold my confidence, And to the pure gold have said, `My trust,'
THE MESSAGE
"Did I set my heart on making big money or worship at the bank? Did I boast about my wealth, show off because I was well-off? Was I ever so awed by the sun's brilliance and moved by the moon's beauty That I let myself become seduced by them and worshiped them on the sly? If so, I would deserve the worst of punishments, for I would be betraying God himself.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"If I have put my confidence in gold, And called fine gold my trust,

Contextual Overview

24 "I have never trusted in riches. I never said even to pure gold, ‘You are my hope.' 25 I have been wealthy, but that didn't make me proud. I earned a lot of money, but that is not what made me happy. 26 I have never worshiped the bright sun or the beautiful moon. 27 I was never foolish enough to worship the sun and the moon. 28 This is also a sin that must be punished. If I had worshiped them, I would have been unfaithful to God All-Powerful. 29 "I have never been happy when my enemies were destroyed. I have never laughed at my enemies when bad things happened to them. 30 I have never let my mouth sin by cursing my enemies and wishing for them to die. 31 The people in my house know that I have never let anyone go hungry. 32 I always invited strangers into my home so that they would not have to sleep in the streets.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Genesis 31:1, Deuteronomy 8:12-14, Psalms 49:6, Psalms 49:7, Psalms 49:17, Psalms 52:7, Psalms 62:10, Proverbs 10:15, Proverbs 11:28, Proverbs 30:9, Mark 10:24, Luke 12:15, Colossians 3:5, 1 Timothy 6:10, 1 Timothy 6:17

Reciprocal: Esther 5:11 - the glory Psalms 10:3 - and blesseth Proverbs 18:11 - General Jeremiah 9:23 - rich Ezekiel 28:5 - and thine Hosea 12:8 - Yet Matthew 6:19 - General Matthew 19:23 - That Luke 12:19 - Soul Luke 18:23 - he was very sorrowful Galatians 6:14 - that I

Cross-References

Genesis 24:50
Then Laban and Bethuel answered, "We see that this is from the Lord , so there is nothing we can say to change it.
Genesis 28:5
So Isaac sent Jacob to Rebekah's brother in Paddan Aram. Jacob went to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean. Laban was the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.
Genesis 31:10
"I had a dream during the time when the animals were mating. I saw that the only male goats that were mating were the ones with stripes and spots.
Genesis 31:14
Rachel and Leah answered Jacob, "Our father has nothing to give us when he dies.
Genesis 31:15
He treated us like strangers. He sold us to you, and then he spent all the money that should have been ours.
Genesis 31:17
So Jacob prepared for the trip. He put his children and his wives on camels.
Genesis 31:29
I have the power to really hurt you. But last night the God of your father came to me in a dream. He warned me not to hurt you in any way.
Genesis 31:42
But the God of my ancestors, the God of Abraham and the Fear of Isaac, was with me. If God had not been with me, you would have sent me away with nothing. But he saw the trouble that I had and the work that I did, and last night God proved that I am right."
Genesis 40:5
One night both of the prisoners had a dream. The baker and the wine server each had his own dream, and each dream had its own meaning.
Genesis 41:1
Two years later Pharaoh dreamed that he was standing by the Nile River.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

If I have made gold my hope,.... Job here purges himself from idolatry in a figurative sense, as he afterwards does from it, taken in a literal sense; for covetousness is idolatry, and a covetous man is an idolater; he worships his gold and silver, placing his affections on them, and putting his trust and confidence in them, Ephesians 5:5; for to make gold the object or ground of hope is to place it in the room of God, who is the Hope of Israel, and in whom every good man should trust, and whom he should make his hope, Jeremiah 14:8; not gold on earth, but glory in heaven, is what the good man is hoping for; and not riches, but Christ and his righteousness, are the foundation of such an hope; to make gold our hope, is to have hope in this life, and to make a thing present the object of it; whereas true hope is of things not seen and future, and if only in this life good men have hope, they are of all most miserable; but they have in heavens better and a more enduring substance, and a better ground for hope of that substance, than worldly wealth and riches can give:

or have said to the fine gold, [thou art] my confidence; as bad men do, and good men are prone unto, and therefore to be cautioned against it,

Psalms 49:6; for this is not only to trust in uncertain riches, and in unsatisfying ones, but to put them in the stead of God, who is or ought to be the confidence of the ends of the earth: not gold, but the living God, who gives all things richly to enjoy, is to be trusted in; when men covet riches, and trust in them as their security from evil, and that they may live independent of the providence of God, it is virtually to deny it, and carries in it secret atheism; as well as such a confidence is destruction of the worship of God, and such a temper makes a man an unprofitable hearer, plunges him into errors and hurtful lusts, and endangers his everlasting happiness, Habakkuk 2:9; in later times the Romans worshipped the goddess "Pecunia", or money, as Austin z relates.

z De Civitate Dei, l. 4. c. 21.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If I have made gold my hope - That is, if I have put my trust in gold rather than in God; if I have fixed my affections with idolatrous attachment on riches rather than on my Maker. Job here introduces another class of sins, and says that his conscience did not charge him with guilt in respect to them. He had before spoken mainly of social duties, and of his manner of life toward the poor, the needy, the widow, and the orphan. He here turns to the duty which he owed to God, and says that his conscience did not charge him with idolatry in any form. He had indeed been rich, but he had not fixed his affections with idolatrous attachment on his wealth.

Or have said to fine gold - The word used here (כתם kethem) is the same which is employed in Job 28:16, to denote the gold of Ophir. It is used to express that which was most pure - from the verb כתם kâtham - to hide, to hoard, and then denoting that which was hidden, hoarded, precious. The meaning is, that he had not put his trust in that which was most sought after, and which was deemed of the highest value by people.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Job 31:24. Gold my hope — For the meaning of זהב zahab, polished gold, and כתם kethem, stamped gold, see on Job 28:15-17.


 
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