The Meaning of Job 34:26 Explained

Job 34:26

KJV: He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others;

YLT: As wicked He hath stricken them, In the place of beholders.

Darby: He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others,

ASV: He striketh them as wicked men In the open sight of others;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He striketh  them as  wicked men  in the open  sight  of others; 

What does Job 34:26 Mean?

Context Summary

Job 34:1-37 - The Almighty Must Be Just
Elihu stands in Job 34:10 as God's apologist. God's absolute and impartial justice is at all times a matter of untold comfort. There will be no cause of ultimate complaint, but from the lips of the holiest beings in the universe, most able to pass an opinion, the cry will ascend, "Great and marvelous are thy works, O Lord God the Almighty. Righteous and true are thy ways, thou King of the ages"¦. Thy righteous acts have been made manifest," Revelation 15:3-4, r.v.
Ponder those last words. God's righteous acts have not yet been made manifest; it is therefore foolish and wrong to pass judgment upon an unfinished program. Wait, mortal man, until, at the great white throne, God shall unfold His inner reasons. If it is not fit to say to a king, "Thou art vile," how much less to Him who lives through the ages, while the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away without hand! [source]

Chapter Summary: Job 34

1  Elihu accuses Job for charging God with injustice
10  God omnipotent cannot be unjust
31  Man must humble himself unto God
34  Elihu reproves Job

What do the individual words in Job 34:26 mean?

As wicked [men] He strikes them in the open sight of others
תַּֽחַת־ רְשָׁעִ֥ים סְפָקָ֗ם בִּמְק֥וֹם רֹאִֽים

רְשָׁעִ֥ים  wicked  [men] 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
סְפָקָ֗ם  He  strikes  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: סָפַק 
Sense: to clap, slap.
בִּמְק֥וֹם  in  the  open 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מָקֹום  
Sense: standing place, place.
רֹאִֽים  sight  of  others 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.