Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Apparent injustice » Sometimes attributed to God
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
growing old and becoming powerful?
and punished every morning.
In my futile life I have seen everything: there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil.
Everything is the same for everyone: there is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as for the one who takes an oath, so for the one who fears an oath.
even if I bring a case against You.
Yet, I wish to contend with You:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the treacherous live at ease?
“But you say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Now listen, house of Israel: Is it My way that is unfair? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
Injustice » Sometimes attributed to God
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
growing old and becoming powerful?
and punished every morning.
In my futile life I have seen everything: there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil.
Everything is the same for everyone: there is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as for the one who takes an oath, so for the one who fears an oath.
even if I bring a case against You.
Yet, I wish to contend with You:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the treacherous live at ease?
“But you say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Now listen, house of Israel: Is it My way that is unfair? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
Partiality » Sometimes attributed to God
and You do not listen
or cry out to You about violence
and You do not save?
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
growing old and becoming powerful?
and punished every morning.
In my futile life I have seen everything: there is a righteous man who perishes in spite of his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in spite of his evil.
Everything is the same for everyone: there is one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner; as for the one who takes an oath, so for the one who fears an oath.
even if I bring a case against You.
Yet, I wish to contend with You:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the treacherous live at ease?
“But you say, ‘The Lord’s way isn’t fair.’ Now listen, house of Israel: Is it My way that is unfair? Instead, isn’t it your ways that are unfair?
Philosophy » Philosophical inductions and deductions relating to God and his providence
However, if I were you, I would appeal to God and would present my case to Him. He does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number. He gives rain to the earth and sends water to the fields. read more.
He sets the lowly on high, and mourners are lifted to safety. He frustrates the schemes of the crafty so that they achieve no success. He traps the wise in their craftiness so that the plans of the deceptive are quickly brought to an end. They encounter darkness by day, and they grope at noon as if it were night. He saves the needy from their sharp words and from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. See how happy the man is God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. For He crushes but also binds up; He strikes, but His hands also heal. He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven. In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle, from the power of the sword.
He sets the lowly on high, and mourners are lifted to safety. He frustrates the schemes of the crafty so that they achieve no success. He traps the wise in their craftiness so that the plans of the deceptive are quickly brought to an end. They encounter darkness by day, and they grope at noon as if it were night. He saves the needy from their sharp words and from the clutches of the powerful. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts its mouth. See how happy the man is God corrects; so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty. For He crushes but also binds up; He strikes, but His hands also heal. He will rescue you from six calamities; no harm will touch you in seven. In famine He will redeem you from death, and in battle, from the power of the sword.
I will say to God: Do not declare me guilty! Let me know why You prosecute me. Is it good for You to oppress, to reject the work of Your hands, and favor the plans of the wicked? Do You have eyes of flesh, or do You see as a human sees? read more.
Are Your days like those of a human, or Your years like those of a man, that You look for my wrongdoing and search for my sin, even though You know that I am not wicked and that there is no one who can deliver from Your hand? Your hands shaped me and formed me. Will You now turn around and destroy me? Please remember that You formed me like clay. Will You now return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and wove me together with bones and tendons. You gave me life and faithful love, and Your care has guarded my life. Yet You concealed these [thoughts] in Your heart; I know that this was Your hidden plan: if I sin, You would notice, and would not acquit me of my wrongdoing. If I am wicked, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am filled with shame and aware of my affliction. If I am proud, You hunt me like a lion and again display Your miraculous power against me. You produce new witnesses against me and multiply Your anger toward me. Hardships assault me, wave after wave. Why did You bring me out of the womb? I should have died and never been seen. I wish I had never existed but had been carried from the womb to the grave. Are my days not few? Stop [it]! Leave me alone, so that I can smile a little before I go to a land of darkness and gloom, never to return.
Are Your days like those of a human, or Your years like those of a man, that You look for my wrongdoing and search for my sin, even though You know that I am not wicked and that there is no one who can deliver from Your hand? Your hands shaped me and formed me. Will You now turn around and destroy me? Please remember that You formed me like clay. Will You now return me to dust? Did You not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me with skin and flesh, and wove me together with bones and tendons. You gave me life and faithful love, and Your care has guarded my life. Yet You concealed these [thoughts] in Your heart; I know that this was Your hidden plan: if I sin, You would notice, and would not acquit me of my wrongdoing. If I am wicked, woe to me! And even if I am righteous, I cannot lift up my head. I am filled with shame and aware of my affliction. If I am proud, You hunt me like a lion and again display Your miraculous power against me. You produce new witnesses against me and multiply Your anger toward me. Hardships assault me, wave after wave. Why did You bring me out of the womb? I should have died and never been seen. I wish I had never existed but had been carried from the womb to the grave. Are my days not few? Stop [it]! Leave me alone, so that I can smile a little before I go to a land of darkness and gloom, never to return.
The tents of robbers are safe, and those who provoke God are secure; God's power provides this. But ask the animals, and they will instruct you; [ask] the birds of the sky, and they will tell you. Or speak to the earth, and it will instruct you; let the fish of the sea inform you. read more.
Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind. Doesn't the ear test words as the palate tastes food? Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His. Whatever He tears down cannot be rebuilt; whoever He imprisons cannot be released. When He withholds the waters, everything dries up, and when He releases them, they destroy the land. True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. He leads counselors away barefoot and makes judges go mad. He releases the bonds put on by kings and ties a cloth around their waists. He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows established leaders. He deprives trusted advisers of speech and takes away the elders' good judgment. He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the strong. He reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deepest darkness into the light. He makes nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges nations, then leads them away. He deprives the world's leaders of reason, and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? The life of every living thing is in His hand, as well as the breath of all mankind. Doesn't the ear test words as the palate tastes food? Wisdom is found with the elderly, and understanding comes with long life. Wisdom and strength belong to God; counsel and understanding are His. Whatever He tears down cannot be rebuilt; whoever He imprisons cannot be released. When He withholds the waters, everything dries up, and when He releases them, they destroy the land. True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His. He leads counselors away barefoot and makes judges go mad. He releases the bonds put on by kings and ties a cloth around their waists. He leads priests away barefoot and overthrows established leaders. He deprives trusted advisers of speech and takes away the elders' good judgment. He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the strong. He reveals mysteries from the darkness and brings the deepest darkness into the light. He makes nations great, then destroys them; He enlarges nations, then leads them away. He deprives the world's leaders of reason, and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.
But I tell you that you are wrong in this [matter], since God is greater than man. Why do you take Him to court for not answering anything a person asks? For God speaks time and again, but a person may not notice it. read more.
In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber on [their] beds, He uncovers their ears at that time and terrifies them with warnings, in order to turn a person [from his] actions and suppress his pride. God spares his soul from the Pit, his life from crossing the river [of death]. A person may be disciplined on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones, so that he detests bread, and his soul [despises his] favorite food. His flesh wastes away to nothing, and his unseen bones stick out. He draws near the Pit, and his life to the executioners. If there is an angel on his side, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what is right for him and to be gracious to him and say, "Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom," then his flesh will be healthier than in his youth, and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor. He will pray to God, and God will delight in him. That man will behold His face with a shout of joy, and God will restore his righteousness to him. He will look at men and say, "I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will continue to see the light." God certainly does all these things two or three times to a man in order to turn him back from the Pit, so he may shine with the light of life.
In a dream, a vision in the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they slumber on [their] beds, He uncovers their ears at that time and terrifies them with warnings, in order to turn a person [from his] actions and suppress his pride. God spares his soul from the Pit, his life from crossing the river [of death]. A person may be disciplined on his bed with pain and constant distress in his bones, so that he detests bread, and his soul [despises his] favorite food. His flesh wastes away to nothing, and his unseen bones stick out. He draws near the Pit, and his life to the executioners. If there is an angel on his side, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what is right for him and to be gracious to him and say, "Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom," then his flesh will be healthier than in his youth, and he will return to the days of his youthful vigor. He will pray to God, and God will delight in him. That man will behold His face with a shout of joy, and God will restore his righteousness to him. He will look at men and say, "I have sinned and perverted what was right; yet I did not get what I deserved. He redeemed my soul from going down to the Pit, and I will continue to see the light." God certainly does all these things two or three times to a man in order to turn him back from the Pit, so he may shine with the light of life.
Prosperity » Of the wicked, general references to
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
even if I bring a case against You.
Yet, I wish to contend with You:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the treacherous live at ease?
They have also excelled in evil matters.
They have not taken up cases,
such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper,
and they have not defended the rights of the needy.
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
well-rooted
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.
Tents » Called » Tabernacles
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
By faith he stayed as a foreigner in the land of promise, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, coheirs of the same promise.
Theft » The wicked » May, for a season, prosper in
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
Wicked people » Prosperity of
Davidic.Do not be agitated by evildoers;
do not envy those who do wrong.
do not envy those who do wrong.
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
and the happiness of the godless has lasted only a moment?
Although a sinner commits crime a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I also know that it will go well with God-fearing people, for they are reverent before Him. However, it will not go well with the wicked, and they will not lengthen their days like a shadow, for they are not reverent before God.
I have seen a wicked, violent man well-rooted like a flourishing native tree. Then I passed by and noticed he was gone; I searched for him, but he could not be found.
So now we consider the arrogant to be fortunate. Not only do those who commit wickedness prosper, they even test God and escape.”
Why do You force me to look at injustice? Why do You tolerate wrongdoing? Oppression and violence are right in front of me. Strife is ongoing, and conflict escalates. This is why the law is ineffective and justice never emerges. For the wicked restrict the righteous; therefore, justice comes out perverted.
I have seen a fool taking root, but I immediately pronounced a curse on his home. His children are far from safety. They are crushed at the [city] gate, with no one to defend [them]. The hungry consume his harvest, even taking it out of the thorns. The thirsty pant for his children's wealth.
He knows the day of darkness is at hand.
His possessions
the full weight of misery
Why do the wicked continue to live, growing old and becoming powerful? Their children are established while they are still alive, and their descendants, before their eyes. Their homes are secure and free of fear; no rod from God [strikes] them. read more.
Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about, singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute. They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.
Their bulls breed without fail; their cows calve and do not miscarry. They let their little ones run around like lambs; their children skip about, singing to the tambourine and lyre and rejoicing at the sound of the flute. They spend their days in prosperity and go down to Sheol in peace.
For one can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless also pass away. Then they leave their wealth to others. Their graves are their eternal homes, their homes from generation to generation, though they have named estates after themselves. But despite [his] assets, man will not last; he is like the animals that perish. read more.
This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, for He will take me. Selah
This is the way of those who are arrogant, and of their followers, who approve of their words. Selah Like sheep they are headed for Sheol; Death will shepherd them. The upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will waste away in Sheol, far from their lofty abode. But God will redeem my life from the power of Sheol, for He will take me. Selah
For I envied the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. They have an easy time until they die, and their bodies are well-fed. They are not in trouble like others; they are not afflicted like most people. read more.
Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge out from fatness; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. They mock, and they speak maliciously; they arrogantly threaten oppression. They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth. Therefore His people turn to them and drink in their overflowing waters. They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High know everything?" Look at them-the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth. Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? For I am afflicted all day long, and punished every morning. If I had decided to say these things [aloud], I would have betrayed Your people. When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless until I entered God's sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny. Indeed You put them in slippery places; You make them fall into ruin. How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terrors. Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, You will despise their image. When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, I was a fool and didn't understand; I was an unthinking animal toward You.
Therefore, pride is their necklace, and violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge out from fatness; the imaginations of their hearts run wild. They mock, and they speak maliciously; they arrogantly threaten oppression. They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth. Therefore His people turn to them and drink in their overflowing waters. They say, "How can God know? Does the Most High know everything?" Look at them-the wicked! They are always at ease, and they increase their wealth. Did I purify my heart and wash my hands in innocence for nothing? For I am afflicted all day long, and punished every morning. If I had decided to say these things [aloud], I would have betrayed Your people. When I tried to understand all this, it seemed hopeless until I entered God's sanctuary. Then I understood their destiny. Indeed You put them in slippery places; You make them fall into ruin. How suddenly they become a desolation! They come to an end, swept away by terrors. Like one waking from a dream, Lord, when arising, You will despise their image. When I became embittered and my innermost being was wounded, I was a fool and didn't understand; I was an unthinking animal toward You.
A stupid person does not know, a fool does not understand this: though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish, they will be eternally destroyed.
You will be righteous, Lord, even if I bring a case against You. Yet, I wish to contend with You: Why does the way of the wicked prosper? [Why] do the treacherous live at ease? You planted them, and they have taken root. They have grown and produced fruit. You are ever on their lips, but far from their conscience.
[Your] eyes are too pure to look on evil, and You cannot tolerate wrongdoing. So why do You tolerate those who are treacherous? Why are You silent while one who is wicked swallows up one who is more righteous than himself? You have made mankind like the fish of the sea, like marine creatures that have no ruler. The Chaldeans pull them all up with a hook, catch them in their dragnet, and gather them in their fishing net; that is why they are glad and rejoice. read more.
That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet and burn incense to their fishing net, for by these things their portion is rich and their food plentiful. Will they therefore empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy?
That is why they sacrifice to their dragnet and burn incense to their fishing net, for by these things their portion is rich and their food plentiful. Will they therefore empty their net and continually slaughter nations without mercy?
The wicked » Causes of failure in » Prosperity of
and those who provoke God are secure;
God’s power provides this.
even if I bring a case against You.
Yet, I wish to contend with You:
Why does the way of the wicked prosper?
Why do all the treacherous live at ease?
They have also excelled in evil matters.
They have not taken up cases,
such as the case of the fatherless, so they might prosper,
and they have not defended the rights of the needy.
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
well-rooted
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.