Should I lie against my right? my wound is incurable without transgression.
I
Job 27:4-6 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit…
wound.
Job 6:4 For the arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God do set themselves in array against me.
Job 16:13 His archers compass me round about, he cleaveth my reins asunder, and doth not spare; he poureth out my gall upon the ground.
My wound is incurable,
Job describes his suffering as beyond healing, which underscores the depth of his affliction. This phrase can be seen as a metaphor for the intense physical and emotional pain he is experiencing. In the historical context, diseases and wounds were often seen as divine punishment or trials. The incurability of his wound highlights the severity of his situation, similar to the lamentations found in Jeremiah 15:18, where the prophet questions why his pain is perpetual and his wound incurable.
though I am without transgression.
Job insists on his innocence, which is a central theme in the book. This claim of being without transgression is significant because it challenges the retributive justice theology of his time, which held that suffering was a direct result of sin. Job's assertion parallels the righteousness attributed to figures like Noah and Daniel, who were also considered blameless in their generations (Ezekiel 14:14). This phrase also foreshadows the sinless nature of Christ, who suffered despite being without sin, as described in 1 Peter 2:22.
• Elihu repeats Job’s insistence that he has spoken truthfully about his integrity (Job 27:4-6; Job 13:18).
• Job’s friends implied hidden sin (Job 4:7-9), yet Job has consistently denied deceit, echoing David’s plea in Psalm 7:3-5.
• Scripture commends honest self-examination (1 Samuel 12:3-5) but also warns that only God sees perfectly (1 John 3:20).
• Elihu’s question nudges listeners to weigh Job’s claims against God’s infallible judgment (Proverbs 21:2).
• The language paints suffering that feels terminal—physical, emotional, and social (Job 30:17, 26-31).
• Similar cries appear in Jeremiah 15:18 and Psalm 38:2-8, where righteous sufferers feel crushed beyond healing yet still confess God’s sovereignty.
• Elihu underscores how pain can distort perception, tempting even the upright to conclude their hurt will never end (2 Corinthians 1:8-10).
• Job earlier professed, “My hands are pure” (Job 16:17), reflecting his blameless lifestyle (Job 1:1).
• Yet Elihu hears danger: claiming sinlessness before God risks elevating personal righteousness over divine holiness (Job 34:9-12; Romans 3:10-12).
• Scripture distinguishes between living uprightly and being utterly sinless; only Christ fulfills the latter (Hebrews 4:15).
• Elihu’s rebuttal anticipates God’s later response, where the Lord affirms Job’s integrity yet humbles him to silence (Job 38–42).
Elihu quotes Job to spotlight a tension: a righteous man insists on his honesty and perceives his suffering as incurable, concluding he is free of transgression. While Scripture honors Job’s integrity, it also reminds us that unsearchable wisdom belongs to God alone. True comfort and vindication rest not in protesting innocence but in trusting the just and compassionate Lord who ultimately heals and vindicates His servants (James 5:11).
(6) Should I lie against my right?--Comp. Job 27:2-6.My wound is incurable.--Literally, my arrow, i.e., the arrow which hath wounded me. (See Job 16:11; Job 17:1, &c.)
Without transgression.--That is to say, on my part. (See Job 16:17.) Some understand the former clause, "Notwithstanding my right, I am accounted a liar," but the Authorised Version is more probably right.
Verse 6. - Should I lie against my right? This was an essential portion of Job's argument (see Job 27:4). Against the theory of his secret heinous wickedness put forward by his "comforters," he maintained consistently his freedom from conscious deliberate opposition to the will of God, and refused to make the confessions which they suggested or required, on the ground that they would have been untrue - in making them he would have "lied against his right." In this certainly Job "sinned not." But it was essential to the theory of Elihu, no less than to that of Eliphaz and his friends, that Job was suffering on account of past iniquity, whether he were being punished for it in anger or chastised for it in love (see Job 33:17, 27). My wound (literally, my arrow; comp. Job 6:4) is incurable without transgression; i.e. without my having committed any transgression to account for it.