^32:1So these three men refused to answer¹ Job further, because he was righteous in his² own eyes. ^32:2Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry.³ He was angry⁴ with Job for justifying⁵ himself rather than God.⁶^32:3With Job’s⁷ three friends he was also angry, because they could not find⁸ an answer, and so declared Job guilty.⁹^32:4Now Elihu had waited before speaking¹⁰ to Job, because the others¹¹ were older than he was. ^32:5But when Elihu saw¹² that the three men had no further reply,¹³ he became very angry.

Elihu Claims Wisdom

^32:6So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite spoke up:¹⁴

“I am young,¹⁵ but you are elderly;

that is why I was fearful,¹⁶

and afraid to explain¹⁷ to you what I know.

^32:7I said to myself, ‘Age¹⁸ should speak,¹⁹

and length of years²⁰ should make wisdom known.’

^32:8But it is a spirit in people,

the breath²¹ of the Almighty,

that makes them understand.

^32:9It is not the aged²² who are wise,

nor old men who understand what is right.

^32:10Therefore I say, ‘Listen²³ to me.

I, even I, will explain what I know.’

^32:11Look, I waited for you to speak;²⁴

I listened closely to your wise thoughts,²⁵ while you were searching for words.

^32:12Now I was paying you close attention,²⁶

yet²⁷ there was no one proving Job wrong,²⁸

not one of you was answering his statements!

^32:13So do not say,²⁹ ‘We have found wisdom!

God will refute³⁰ him, not man!’

^32:14Job³¹ has not directed³² his words to me,

and so I will not reply to him with your arguments.³³

Job’s Friends Failed to Answer³⁴

^32:15“They are dismayed³⁵ and cannot answer any more;

they have nothing left to say.³⁶

^32:16And I have waited.³⁷ But because they do not speak,

because they stand there and answer no more,

^32:17I too will answer my part,

I too will explain what I know.

^32:18For I am full of words,

and the spirit within me³⁸ constrains me.³⁹

^32:19Inside I am like wine which has no outlet,⁴⁰

like new wineskins⁴¹ ready to burst!

^32:20I will speak,⁴² so that I may find relief;

I will open my lips, so that I may answer.

^32:21I will not show partiality to anyone,⁴³

nor will I confer a title⁴⁴ on any man.

^32:22for I do not know how to give honorary titles,⁴⁵

if I did,⁴⁶ my Creator would quickly do away with me.⁴⁷

Elihu Invites Job’s Attention

^33:1“But now, O Job, listen to my words,

and hear¹ everything I have to say!²

^33:2See now, I have opened³ my mouth;

my tongue in my mouth has spoken.⁴

^33:3My words come from the uprightness of my heart,⁵

and my lips will utter knowledge sincerely.⁶

^33:4The Spirit of God has made me,

and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.⁷

^33:5Reply to me, if you can;

set your arguments⁸ in order before me

and take your stand!

^33:6Look, I am just like you in relation to God;

I too have been molded⁹ from clay.

^33:7Therefore no fear of me should terrify you,

nor should my pressure¹⁰ be heavy on you.¹¹

Elihu Rejects Job’s Plea of Innocence

^33:8“Indeed, you have said in my hearing¹²

(I heard the sound of the words!):

^33:9¹³ ‘I am pure, without transgression;

I am clean¹⁴ and have no iniquity.

^33:10¹⁵ Yet God¹⁶ finds occasions¹⁷ with me;

he regards me as his enemy!

^33:11¹⁸ He puts my feet in shackles;

he watches closely all my paths.’

^33:12Now in this, you are not right—I answer you,¹⁹

for God is greater than a human being.²⁰

^33:13Why do you contend against him,

that he does not answer all a person’s²¹ words?

Elihu Disagrees With Job’s View of God

^33:14“For God speaks, the first time in one way,

the second time in another,

though a person does not perceive²² it.

^33:15In a dream, a night vision,

when deep sleep falls on people

as they sleep in their beds.

^33:16Then he gives a revelation²³ to people,

and terrifies them with warnings,²⁴

^33:17to turn a person from his sin,²⁵

and to cover a person’s pride.²⁶

^33:18He spares a person’s life from corruption,²⁷

his very life from crossing over²⁸ the river.

^33:19Or a person is chastened²⁹ by pain on his bed,

and with the continual strife of his bones,³⁰

^33:20so that his life loathes food,

and his soul rejects appetizing fare.³¹

^33:21His flesh wastes away from sight,

and his bones, which were not seen,

are easily visible.³²

^33:22He³³ draws near to the place of corruption,

and his life to the messengers of death.³⁴

^33:23If there is an angel beside him,

one mediator³⁵ out of a thousand,

to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness;³⁶

^33:24and if³⁷ God³⁸ is gracious to him and says,

‘Spare³⁹ him from going down

to the place of corruption,

I have found a ransom for him,’⁴⁰

^33:25then his flesh is restored⁴¹ like a youth’s;

he returns to the days of his youthful vigor.⁴²

^33:26He entreats God, and God⁴³ delights in him,

he sees God’s face⁴⁴ with rejoicing,

and God⁴⁵ restores to him his righteousness.⁴⁶

^33:27That person sings⁴⁷ to others,⁴⁸ saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved.⁴⁹

^33:28He redeemed my life⁵⁰

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Elihu’s Appeal to Job⁵¹

^33:29“Indeed, God does all these things,

twice, three times, in his dealings⁵² with a person,

^33:30to turn back his life from the place of corruption,

that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

^33:31Pay attention, Job—listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

^33:32If you have any words,⁵³ reply to me;

speak, for I want to justify you.⁵⁴

^33:33If not, you listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Elihu’s Second Speech⁵⁵

^34:1Elihu answered:

^34:2“Listen to my words, you wise men;

hear¹ me, you learned men.²

^34:3For the ear assesses³ words

as the mouth⁴ tastes food.

^34:4Let us evaluate⁵ for ourselves what is right;⁶

let us come to know among ourselves what is good.

^34:5For Job says, ‘I am innocent,⁷

but God turns away my right.

^34:6Concerning my right, should I lie?⁸

My wound⁹ is incurable,

although I am without transgression.’¹⁰

^34:7What man is like Job,

who¹¹ drinks derision¹² like water!

^34:8He goes about¹³ in company¹⁴ with evildoers,

he goes along¹⁵ with wicked men.¹⁶

^34:9For he says, ‘It does not profit a man

when he makes his delight with God.’¹⁷

God is Not Unjust

^34:10“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.¹⁸

Far be it from¹⁹ God to do wickedness,

from the Almighty to do evil.

^34:11For he repays a person for his work,²⁰

and according to the conduct of a person,

he causes the consequences to find him.²¹

^34:12Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,

and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

^34:13Who entrusted²² to him the earth?

And who put him over²³ the whole world?

^34:14If God²⁴ were to set his heart on it,²⁵

and gather in his spirit and his breath,

^34:15all flesh would perish together

and human beings would return to dust.

God Is Impartial and Omniscient

^34:16“If you have²⁶ understanding, listen to this,

hear what I have to say.²⁷

^34:17Do you really think²⁸

that one who hates justice can govern?²⁹

And will you declare guilty

the supremely righteous³⁰ One,

^34:18who says to a king,³¹ ‘Worthless man’³²

and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,’

^34:19who shows no partiality to princes,

and does not take note of³³ the rich more than the poor,

because all of them are the work of his hands?

^34:20In a moment they die, in the middle of the night,³⁴

people³⁵ are shaken³⁶ and they pass away.

The mighty are removed effortlessly.³⁷

^34:21For his eyes are on the ways of an individual,

he observes all a person’s³⁸ steps.

^34:22There is no darkness, and no deep darkness,

where evildoers can hide themselves.³⁹

^34:23For he does not still consider a person,⁴⁰

that he should come before God in judgment.

^34:24He shatters the great without inquiry,⁴¹

and sets up others in their place.

^34:25Therefore, he knows their deeds,

he overthrows them⁴² in the night⁴³

and they are crushed.

^34:26He strikes them for their wickedness,⁴⁴

in a place where people can see,⁴⁵

^34:27because they have turned away from following him,

and have not understood⁴⁶ any of his ways,

^34:28so that they caused⁴⁷ the cry of the poor

to come before him,

so that he hears⁴⁸ the cry of the needy.

^34:29But if God⁴⁹ is quiet, who can condemn⁵⁰ him?

If he hides his face, then who can see him?

Yet⁵¹ he is over the individual and the nation alike,⁵²

^34:30so that the godless man should not rule,

and not lay snares for the people.⁵³

Job Is Foolish to Rebel

^34:31“Has anyone said to God,

‘I have endured chastisement,⁵⁴

but I will not act wrongly any more.

^34:32Teach me what I cannot see.⁵⁵

If I have done evil, I will do so no more.’

^34:33Is it your opinion⁵⁶ that God⁵⁷ should recompense it,

because you reject this?⁵⁸

But you must choose, and not I,

so tell us what you know.

^34:34Men of understanding say to me—

any wise man listening to me says—

^34:35that⁵⁹ Job speaks without knowledge

and his words are without understanding.⁶⁰

^34:36But⁶¹ Job will be tested to the end,

because his answers are like those of wicked men.

^34:37For he adds transgression⁶² to his sin;

in our midst he claps his hands,⁶³

and multiplies his words against God.”

Elihu’s Third Speech⁶⁴

^35:1Then Elihu answered:

^35:2“Do you think this to be¹ just:

when² you say, ‘My right before God.’³

^35:3But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’⁴

and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’⁵

^35:4I⁶ will reply to you,⁷

and to your friends with you.

^35:5Gaze at the heavens and see;

consider the clouds, which are higher than you!⁸

^35:6If you sin, how does it affect God?⁹

If your transgressions are many,

what does it do to him?¹⁰

^35:7If you are righteous, what do you give to God,

or what does he receive from your hand?

^35:8Your wickedness affects only¹¹ a person like yourself,

and your righteousness only other people.¹²

^35:9“People¹³ cry out

because of the excess of oppression;¹⁴

they cry out for help

because of the power¹⁵ of the mighty.¹⁶

^35:10But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator,

who gives songs in the night,¹⁷

^35:11who teaches us¹⁸ more than¹⁹ the wild animals of the earth,

and…

Read in Logos

This passage has been shortened. Keep reading Job 32–37 in Logos

Footnotes

79 There are now four speeches from another friend of Job, Elihu. But Job does not reply to any of these, nor does the Lord. The speeches show a knowledge of the debate that has gone on, but they take a different approach entirely. Elihu’s approach is that suffering is a discipline from God, to teach his people. In other words, Job was suffering to vindicate God’s confidence in him. His speeches are an interesting part of the book, but they too are irrelevant to Job’s actual case. In the first speech, there is a short introduction (32:1–5), and then the speech proper with these sections: Elihu will speak because his youth is wiser (32:6–14), and his friends arguments failed (32:15–22); he calls for Job’s attention (33:1–7), claims Job’s case is wrong (33:8–13), and Job’s argument that God does not answer is false (33:14–28), and then makes an appeal to Job (33:29–33). It becomes evident that Elihu correctly identified Job’s determination to maintain his integrity at God’s expense as the primary problem in at least the latter stages of the dialogues (32:1–3; 34:37; 35:16; cf. 38:2; 40:8; 42:3). Elihu was respectful of his elders (32:4), but remained uninfected by their error (32:14). He sought to maintain impartiality (32:21–22) and to offer true wisdom (33:33), believed like Job that a mediator existed (33:23–24), and desired Job’s vindication (33:32). In addition, Elihu focused on vindicating God’s actions (34:12; 35:10–11; 36:2–3, 22–26) and announced the coming theophany (37:1–5, 22). It appears that he was not included in the divine condemnation of Job’s friends (42:7–9) and was excluded from Job’s prayer of intercession (42:8–10)—both perhaps implying divine approval of his behavior and words.
1 The form is the infinitive construct (“answer”) functioning as the object of the preposition; the phrase forms the complement of the verb “they ceased to answer” (= “they refused to answer further”).
2 The , , and Symmachus have “in their eyes.” This is adopted by some commentators, but it does not fit the argument.
3 The verse begins with וַיִּחַר אַף (vayyikhar ’af, “and the anger became hot”), meaning Elihu became very angry.
4 The second comment about Elihu’s anger comes right before the statement of its cause. Now the perfect verb is used: “he was angry.”
5 The explanation is the causal clause עַל־צַדְּקוֹ נַפְשׁוֹ (’al-tsaddéqo nafsho, “because he justified himself”). It is the preposition with the Piel infinitive construct with a suffixed subjective genitive.
6 The and Latin versions soften the expression slightly by saying “before God.”
7 Heb “his”; the referent (Job) has been specified in the translation to indicate whose friends they were.
8 The perfect verb should be given the category of potential perfect here.
9 This is one of the eighteen “corrections of the scribes” (tiqqune sopherim); it originally read, “and they declared God [in the wrong].” The thought was that in abandoning the debate they had conceded Job’s point.
10 This reading requires repointing the word בִּדְבָרִים (bidbarim, “with words”) to בְּדָבְּרָם (bédabbéram, “while they spoke [with Job]”). If the is retained, it would mean “he waited for Job with words,” which while understandable is awkward.
11 Heb “they”; the referent (the other friends) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 The first clause beginning with a vav (ו) consecutive and the preterite can be subordinated to the next similar verb as a temporal clause.
13 Heb “that there was no reply in the mouth of the three men.”
14 Heb “answered and said.”
15 The text has “small in days.”
16 The verb זָחַלְתִּי (zakhalti) is found only here in the OT, but it is found in a ninth century Aramaic inscription as well as in Biblical Aramaic. It has the meaning “to be timid” (see H. H. Rowley, Job [], 208).
17 The Piel infinitive with the preposition (מֵחַוֹּת, mekhavvot) means “from explaining.” The phrase is the complement: “explain” what Elihu feared.
18 Heb “days.”
19 The imperfect here is to be classified as an obligatory imperfect.
20 Heb “abundance of years.”
21 This is the word נְשָׁמָה (néshamah, “breath”); according to Gen 2:7 it was breathed into Adam to make him a living person (“soul”). With that divine impartation came this spiritual understanding. Some commentators identify the רוּחַ (ruakh) in the first line as the Spirit of God; this “breath” would then be the human spirit. Whether Elihu knew that much, however, is hard to prove.
22 The has “the great” or “the many,” meaning great in years according to the parallelism.
23 In most Hebrew this imperative is singular, and so addressed to Job. But two Hebrew and the versions have the plural. Elihu was probably addressing all of them.
24 Heb “for your words.”
25 The word means “understanding.” It refers to the faculty of perception and comprehension; but it also can refer to what that produces, especially when it is in the plural (see Ps 49:4). See R. Gordis, Job, 368. Others translate it “reasonings,” “arguments,” etc.
26 The verb again is from בִּין (bin, “to perceive; to understand”); in this stem it means to “to pay close attention.”
27 The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) has a deictic force here, calling attention to the thought that is now presented.
28 The participle מוֹכִיחַ (mokhiakh) is from the verb יָכַח (yakhakh) that has been used frequently in the book of Job. It means “to argue; to contend; to debate; to prove; to dispute.” The usage of the verb shows that it can focus on the beginning of an argument, the debating itself, or the resolution of the conflict. Here the latter is obviously meant, for they did argue and contend and criticize—but could not prove Job wrong.
29 Heb “lest you say.” R. Gordis (Job, 368) calls this a breviloquence: “beware lest [you say].” He then suggests the best reading for their quote to be, “We have attained wisdom, but only God can refute him, not man.” H. H. Rowley (Job [], 209) suggests the meaning is a little different, namely, that they are saying they have found wisdom in Job, and only God can deal with it. Elihu is in effect saying that they do not need God, for he is quite capable for this.
30 The root is נָדַף (nadaf, “to drive away; to drive off”). Here it is in the abstract sense of “succeed in doing something; confound,” and so “refute; rebut.” Dhorme wants to change the meaning of the word with a slight emendation in the text, deriving it from אָלַף (’alaf, “instruct”) the form becoming יַלְּפֶנוּ (yalléfenu) instead of יִדְּפֶנּוּ (yiddéfenu), obtaining the translation “God will instruct us.” This makes a smoother reading, but does not have much support for it.
31 Heb “he”; the referent (Job) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 The verb עַרַךְ (’arakh) means “to arrange in order; to set forth; to direct; to marshal.” It is used in military contexts for setting the battle array; it is used in legal settings for preparing the briefs.
33 Heb “your words.”
34 Elihu now will give another reason why he will speak—the arguments of these friends failed miserably. But before he gets to his argument, he will first qualify his authority.
35 The verb חַתּוּ (khattu) is from חָתַת (khatat) which means “to be terrified.” But here it stresses the resulting dilemma. R. Gordis (Job, 369) renders it, “they are shattered, beaten in an argument.”
36tn Heb “words have moved away from them,” meaning words are gone from them, they have nothing left to say.
37 Some commentators take this as a question: “And shall [or must] I wait because they do not speak?” (A. B. Davidson, R. Gordis). But this is not convincing because the silence of the friends is the reason for him to speak, not to wait.
38 Heb “the spirit of my belly.”
39 The verb צוּק (tsuq) means “to constrain; to urge; to press.” It is used in Judg 14:17; 16:16 with the sense of wearing someone down with repeated entreaties. Elihu cannot withhold himself any longer.
40 Heb “in my belly I am like wine that is not opened” (a Niphal imperfect), meaning sealed up with no place to escape.
41 The Hebrew text has כְּאֹבוֹת חֲדָשִׁים (ké’ovot khadashim), traditionally rendered “like new wineskins.” But only here does the phrase have this meaning. The has “smiths” for “new,” thus “like smith’s bellows.” A. Guillaume connects the word with an Arabic word for a wide vessel for wine shaped like a cup (“Archaeological and philological note on Job 32:19,” 93 [1961]: 147–50). Some have been found in archaeological sites. The poor would use skins, the rich would use jars. The key to putting this together is the verb at the end of the line, יִבָּקֵעַ (yibbaqea’, “that are ready to burst”). The point of the statement is that Elihu is bursting to speak, and until now has not had the opening.
42 The cohortative expresses Elihu’s resolve to speak.
43 The idiom is “I will not lift up the face of a man.” Elihu is going to show no favoritism, but speak his mind.
44 The verb means “to confer an honorary title; to give a mark of distinction,” but it is often translated with the verb “flatter.” Elihu will not take sides, he will not use pompous titles.
45 The construction uses a perfect verb followed by the imperfect. This is a form of subordination equivalent to a complementary infinitive (see §120.c).
46 The words “if I did” are supplied in the translation to make sense out of the two clauses.
47 Heb “quickly carry me away.”
1 Heb “give ear,” the Hiphil denominative verb from “ear.”
2 Heb “hear all my words.”
3 The perfect verbs in this verse should be classified as perfects of resolve: “I have decided to open … speak.”
4 H. H. Rowley (Job [], 210) says, “The self-importance of Elihu is boundless, and he is the master of banality.” He adds that whoever wrote these speeches this way clearly intended to expose the character rather than exalt him.
5 This expression is unusual; R. Gordis (Job, 371) says it can be translated, “the purity of my heart [is reflected] in my words,” but that is far-fetched and awkward. So there have been suggestions for emending יֹשֶׁר (yosher, “uprightness”). Kissane’s makes the most sense if a change is desired: “shall reveal” (an Arabic sense of yasher), although Holscher interpreted “shall affirm” (yasher, with a sense). Dhorme has “my heart will repeat” (יָשׁוּר, yashur), but this is doubtful. If Kissane’s view is taken, it would say, “my heart will reveal my words.” Some commentators would join “and knowledge” to this colon, and read “words of knowledge”—but that requires even more emendations.
6 More literally, “and the knowledge of my lips they will speak purely.”
7 Some commentators want to put this verse after v. 6, while others omit the verse entirely. Elihu is claiming here that he is inspired by God. The verb תְּחַיֵּנִי (tékhayyeni) is the Piel imperfect of the verb “to live.” It can mean “gives me life,” but it can also me “quickens me, enlivens me.”
8 The Hebrew text does not contain the term “arguments,” but this verb has been used already for preparing or arranging a defense.
9 The verb means “nipped off,” as a potter breaks off a piece of clay when molding a vessel.
10 The noun means “my pressure; my burden” in the light of the verb אָכֲף (’akhaf, “to press on; to grip tightly”). In the parallel passages the text used “hand” and “rod” in the hand to terrify. The has “hand” here for this word. But simply changing it to “hand” is ruled out because the verb is masculine.
12 Heb “in my ears.”
14 The word is a ; hap is from חָפַף (khafaf). It is used in New Hebrew in expressions like “to wash” the head. Cognates in and Akkadian support the meaning “to wash; to clean.”
16 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17 The Hebrew means “frustrations” or “oppositions.” The has “displeasure,” “faults,” and “occasions.” Rashi chose the word found in Judg 14:4—with metathesis—meaning “pretexts” (תֹּאֲנוֹת, to’anot); this is followed by , .
19 The meaning of this verb is “this is my answer to you.”
20 The has “he that is above men is eternal.” Elihu is saying that God is far above Job’s petty problems.
21 The has “all his words.” This must refer to “man” in the previous verse. But many wish to change it to “my words,” since it would be summarizing Job’s complaint to God.
22 The and the have “and he does not repeat it,” a reading of the text as it is, according to E. Dhorme (Job, 403). But his argument is based on another root with this meaning—a root which does not exist (see L. Dennefeld, 48 [1939]: 175). The verse is saying that God does speak to man.
23 The idiom is “he uncovers the ear of men.” This expression means “inform” in Ruth 4:4; 1 Sam 20:2, etc. But when God is the subject it means “make a revelation” (see 1 Sam 9:15; 2 Sam 7:27).
24 Heb “and seals their bonds.” The form of the present translation, “and terrifies them with warnings,” is derived only by emending the text. Aquila, the , , and Job have “their correction” for “their bond,” which is what the used. But the , Aquila, and the have “terrifies” for the verb. This involves a change in pointing from יָחְתֹּם (yakhtom) to יְחִתֵּם (yékhittem). The has “appearances of fear” instead of “bonds.” The point of the verse seems to be that by terrifying dreams God makes people aware of their ways.
25 The simply has מַעֲשֶׂה (ma’aseh, “deed”). The has “from his iniquity” which would have been מֵעַוְלָה (me’avlah). The two letters may have dropped out by haplography. The is workable, but would have to mean “[evil] deeds.”
26 Here too the sense of the is difficult to recover. Some translations took it to mean that God hides pride from man. Many commentators changed יְכַסֶּה (yékhasseh, “covers”) to יְכַסֵּחַ (yékhasseakh, “he cuts away”), or יְכַלֶּה (yékhalleh, “he puts an end to”). The various emendations are not all that convincing.
27 A number of interpreters and translations take this as “the pit” (see Job 17:14; cf. , , , ).
28 Here is another difficult line. The verb normally means “to pass through; to pass over,” and so this word would normally mean “from passing through [or over].” The word שֶׁלַח (shelakh) does at times refer to a weapon, but most commentators look for a parallel with “the pit [or corruption].” One suggestion is שְׁאוֹלָה (shé’olah, “to Sheol”), proposed by Duhm. Dhorme thought it was שַׁלַח (shalakh) and referred to the passageway to the underworld (see M. Tsevat, 4 [1954]: 43; and Svi Rin, 7 [1963]: 25). See discussion of options in IV שֶׁלַח. The idea of crossing the river of death fits the idea of the passage well, although the reading “to perish by the sword” makes sense and was followed by the .
29 The has the passive form, and so a subject has to be added: “[a man] is chastened.” The has the active form, indicating “[God] chastens,” but the object “a man” has to be added. It is understandable why the thought this was active, within this sequence of verbs; and that is why it is the inferior reading.
30 The Kethib “the strife of his bones is continual,” whereas the Qere has “the multitude of his bones are firm.” The former is the better reading in this passage. It indicates that the pain is caused by the ongoing strife.
31 Heb “food of desire.” The word “rejects” is not in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
32 Heb “are laid bare.” This is the Qere reading; the Kethib means “bare height.” Gordis reverses the word order: “his bones are bare [i.e., crushed] so that they cannot be looked upon.” But the sense of that is not clear.
33 Heb “his soul [נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh, “life”] draws near.”
34 The uses the Hiphil participle, “to those who cause death.” This seems to be a reference to the belief in demons that brought about death, an idea not mentioned in the Bible itself. Thus many proposals have been made for this expression. Hoffmann and Budde divide the word into לְמוֹ מֵתִּים (lémo metim) and simply read “to the dead.” Dhorme adds a couple of letters to get לִמְקוֹם מֵתִּים (limqom metim, “to the place [or abode] of the dead”).
35 The verse is describing the way God can preserve someone from dying by sending a messenger (translated here as “angel”), who could be human or angelic. This messenger will interpret/mediate God’s will. By “one … out of a thousand” Elihu could have meant either that one of the thousands of messengers at God’s disposal might be sent or that the messenger would be unique (see Eccl 7:28; and cp. Job 9:3).
36 This is a smoother reading. The has “to tell to a man his uprightness,” to reveal what is right for him. The translated this word “duty”; the choice is adopted by some commentaries. However, that is too far from the text, which indicates that the angel/messenger is to call the person to uprightness.
37 This verse seems to continue the protasis begun in the last verse, with the apodosis coming in the next verse.
38 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 The verb is either taken as an anomalous form of פָּדַע (pada’, “to rescue; to redeem,” or “to exempt him”), or it is emended to some similar word, like פָּרַע (para’, “to let loose,” so Wright).
40 This verse and v. 28 should be compared with Ps 49:7–9, 15 (8–10, 16 ) where the same basic vocabulary and concepts are employed.
41 The word רֻטֲפַשׁ (rutafash) is found nowhere else. One suggestion is that it should be יִרְטַב (yirtav, “to become fresh”), connected to רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered [or moist]”). It is also possible that it was a combination of רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered”) and טָפַשׁ (tafash, “to grow fat”). But these are all guesses in the commentaries.
42 The word describes the period when the man is healthy and vigorous, ripe for what life brings his way.
43 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
44 Heb “his face”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This is usually taken to mean that as a worshiper this individual comes into the presence of the Lord in prayer, and in the sanctuary he sees God’s face, i.e., he sees the evidence of God’s presence.
45 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
46 Many commentators think this line is superfluous and so delete it. The changed the verb to “he recounts,” making the idea that the man publishes the news of his victory or salvation (taking “righteousness” as a metonymy of cause).
47 The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” ( 24 [1953]: 275).
48 Heb “to men.”
49 The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”
50 See note on “him” in v. .
51 Elihu will repeat these instructions for Job to listen, over and over in painful repetition. See note on the heading to .
52 The phrase “in his dealings” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.
53 Heb “if there are words.”
54 The infinitive construct serves as the complement or object of “I desire.” It could be rendered “to justify you” or “your justification, “namely, “that you be justified.”
55 This speech of Elihu focuses on defending God. It can be divided into these sections: Job is irreligious (2–9), God is just (10–15), God is impartial and omniscient (16–30), Job is foolish to rebel (31–37).
1 Heb “give ear to me.”
2 The Hebrew word means “the men who know,” and without a complement it means “to possess knowledge.”
3 Or “examines; tests; tries; discerns.”
4 Or “palate”; the Hebrew term refers to the tongue or to the mouth in general.
5 Elihu means “choose after careful examination.”
6 The word is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) again, with the sense of what is right or just.
7 Heb “righteous,” but in this context it means to be innocent or in the right.
8 The verb is the Piel imperfect of כָּזַב (kazav), meaning “to lie.” It could be a question: “Should I lie [against my right?]—when I am innocent. If it is repointed to the Pual, then it can be “I am made to lie,” or “I am deceived.” Taking it as a question makes good sense here, and so emendations are unnecessary.
9 The Hebrew text has only “my arrow.” Some commentators emend that word slightly to get “my wound.” But the idea could be derived from “arrows” as well, the wounds caused by the arrows. The arrows are symbolic of God’s affliction.
10 Heb “without transgression”; but this is parallel to the first part where the claim is innocence.
11 Heb “he drinks,” but coming after the question this clause may be subordinated.
12 The scorn or derision mentioned here is not against Job, but against God. Job scorns God so much, he must love it. So to reflect this idea, Gordis has translated it “blasphemy” (cf. ).
13 The perfect verb with the vav (ו) consecutive carries the sequence forward from the last description.
14 The word חֶבְרַה (khevrah, “company”) is a . But its meaning is clear enough from the connections to related words and this context as well.
15 The infinitive construct with the ל (lamed) preposition may continue the clause with the finite verb (see §114.p).
16 Heb “men of wickedness”; the genitive is attributive (= “wicked men”).
17 Gordis, however, takes this expression in the sense of “being in favor with God.”
18 Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”
19 For this construction, see Job 27:5.
20 Heb “for the work of man, he [= God] repays him.”
21 Heb “he causes it to find him.” The text means that God will cause a man to find (or receive) the consequences of his actions.
22 The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit; to appoint; to number.” Here it means “to entrust” for care and governing. The implication would be that there would be someone higher than God—which is what Elihu is repudiating by the rhetorical question. No one entrusted God with this.
23 The preposition is implied from the first half of the verse.
24 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
25 This is the reading following the Qere. The Kethib and the and the suggest a reading יָשִׂים (yasim, “if he [God] recalls”). But this would require leaving out “his heart,” and would also require redividing the verse to make “his spirit” the object. It makes better parallelism, but may require too many changes.
26 The phrase “you have” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
27 Heb “the sound of my words.”
28 The force of הַאַף (ha’af) is “Is it truly the case?” The point is being made that if Job were right God could not be judging the world.
29 The verb חָבַשׁ (khavash) has the basic idea of “to bind,” as in binding on the yoke, and then in the sense of subduing people under authority (cf. Assyrian absanu). The imperfect verb here is best expressed with the potential nuance.
30 The two words could be taken separately, but they seem to form a fine nominal hendiadys, because the issue is God’s justice. So the word for power becomes the modifier.
31 Heb “Does one say,” although some smooth it out to say “Is it fit to say?” For the reading “who says,” the form has to be repointed to הַאֹמֵר (ha’omer) meaning, “who is the one saying.” This reading is supported by the , , and . Also it seems to flow better with the following verse. It would be saying that God is over the rulers and can rebuke them. The former view is saying that no one rebukes kings, much less Job rebuking God.
32 The word בְּלִיָּעַל (béliyya’al) means both “worthless” and “wicked.” It is common in proverbial literature, and in later writings it became a description of Satan. It is usually found with “son of.”
33 The verb means “to give recognition; to take note of” and in this passage with לִפְנֵי (lifne, “before”) it means to show preferential treatment to the rich before the poor. The word for “rich” here is an unusual word, found parallel to “noble” (Isa 32:2). P. thinks it is a term of social distinction ( 18 [1937]: 207–8).
34 Dhorme transposes “in the middle of the night” with “they pass away” to get a smoother reading. But the emphasizes the suddenness by putting both temporal ideas first. E. F. Sutcliffe leaves the order as it stands in the text, but adds a verb “they expire” after “in the middle of the night” (“Notes on Job, textual and exegetical,” 30 [1949]: 79ff.).
35 R. Gordis (Job, 389) thinks “people” here mean the people who count, the upper class.
36 The verb means “to be violently agitated.” There is no problem with the word in this context, but commentators have made suggestions for improving the idea. The proposal that has the most to commend it, if one were inclined to choose a new word, is the change to יִגְוָעוּ (yigva’u, “they expire”; so Ball, Holscher, Fohrer, and others).
37 Heb “not by hand.” This means without having to use force.
38 Heb “his”; the referent (a person) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 The construction of this colon uses the Niphal infinitive construct from סָתַר (satar, “to be hidden; to hide”). The resumptive adverb makes this a relative clause in its usage: “where the evildoers can hide themselves.”
40 Heb “for he does not put upon man yet.” This has been given a wide variety of interpretations, all of which involve a lot of additional thoughts. The word עוֹד (’od, “yet, still”) has been replaced with מוֹעֵד (mo’ed, “an appointed time,” Reiske and Wright), with the ם (mem) having dropped out by haplography. This makes good sense. If the is retained, the best interpretation would be that God does not any more consider (from “place upon the heart”) man, that he might appear in judgment.
41 Heb “[with] no investigation.”
42 The direct object “them” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
43 The Hebrew term “night” is an accusative of time.
44 Heb “under wicked men,” or “under wickednesses.” J. C. Greenfield shows that the preposition can mean “among” as well (“Prepositions B Tachat in Jes 57:5,” 32 [1961]: 227). That would allow “among wicked men.” It could also be “instead of” or even “in return for [their wickedness]” which is what the does.
45 The text simply uses רֹאִים (ro’im): “[in the place where there are] seers,” i.e., spectators.
46 The verb הִשְׂכִּילוּ (hiskilu) means “to be prudent; to be wise.” From this is derived the idea of “be wise in understanding God’s will,” and “be successful because of prudence”—i.e., successful with God.
47 The verse begins with the infinitive construct of בּוֹא (bo’, “go”), showing the result of their impious actions.
48 The verb here is an imperfect; the clause is circumstantial to the preceding clause, showing either the result, or the concomitant action.
49 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
50 The verb in this position is somewhat difficult, although it does make good sense in the sentence—it is just not what the parallelism would suggest. So several emendations have been put forward, for which see the commentaries.
51 The line simply reads “and over a nation and over a man together.” But it must be the qualification for the points being made in the previous lines, namely, that even if God hides himself so no one can see, yet he is still watching over them all (see H. H. Rowley, Job [], 222).
52 The word translated “alike” (Heb “together”) has bothered some interpreters. In the reading taken here it is acceptable. But others have emended it to gain a verb, such as “he visits” (Beer), “he watches over” (Duhm), “he is compassionate” (Kissane), etc. But it is sufficient to say “he is over.”
53 This last verse is difficult because it is unbalanced and cryptic. Some have joined the third line of v. 29 with this entire verse to make a couplet. But the same result is achieved by simply regarding this verse as the purpose of v. 29. But there still are some words that must be added. In the first colon, “[he is over the nations] … preventing from ruling.” And in the second colon, “laying” has to be supplied before “snares.”
54 The Hebrew text has only “I lift up” or “I bear” (= I endure). The reading “I have been led astray” is obtained by changing the vowels to read a passive. If the is retained, an object has to be supplied, such as “chastisement” (so , ) or “punishment” (). If not, then a different reading would be followed (e.g., “I was misguided” []; “I am guilty” []).
55 Heb “what I do not see,” more specifically, “apart from [that which] I see.”
56 Heb “is it from with you,” an idiomatic expression meaning “to suit you” or “according to your judgment.”
57 Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
58 There is no object on the verb, and the meaning is perhaps lost. The best guess is that Elihu is saying Job has rejected his teaching.
59 Adding “that” in the translation clarifies Elihu’s indirect citation of the wise individuals’ words.
60 The Hiphil infinitive construct is here functioning as a substantive. The word means “prudence; understanding.”
61 The reads אָבִי (’avi, “my father”), which makes no sense. Some follow the and emend the word to make a verb “I desire” or use the noun “my desire of it.” Others follow an Arabic word meaning “entreat, I pray” (cf. ESV, “Would that Job were tried”). The and the versions have “but” and “surely” respectively. Since this is the only support, albeit weak, it may be the best choice. In this sense Elihu would be saying that because of Job’s attitude God will continue to test him.
62 Although frequently translated “rebellion,” the basic meaning of this Hebrew term is “transgression.”
63 If this reading stands, it would mean that Job shows contempt, meaning that he mocks them and accuses God. It is a bold touch, but workable. Of the many suggested emendations, Dhorme alters some of the vowels and obtains a reading “and casts doubt among us,” and then takes “transgression” from the first colon for the complement. Some commentators simply delete the line.
64 This short speech falls into two sections: Elihu refutes Job’s claim that goodness avails nothing (35:2–8), asserting that when the cry of the afflicted goes unanswered they have not learned their lesson (35:9–16).
1 The line could be read as “do you reckon this for justice? Here “to be” is understood.
2 The word “when” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
3 The brief line could be interpreted in a number of ways. The simply has “my right from God.” It could be “I am right before God,” “I am more just/right than God” (identifying the preposition as a comparative min (מִן); cf. J. E. Hartley, Job [], ), “I will be right before God,” or “My just cause against God.”
4 The referent of “you” is usually understood to be God.
5 The Hebrew text merely says, “What do I gain from my sin?” But Job has claimed that he has not sinned, and so this has to be elliptical: “more than if I had sinned” (H. H. Rowley, Job [], 224). It could also be, “What do I gain without sin?”
6 The emphatic pronoun calls attention to Elihu who will answer these questions.
7 The Hebrew text adds, “with words,” but since this is obvious, for stylistic reasons it has not been included in the translation.
8 The preposition is taken here as a comparative min (מִן). The line could also read “that are high above you.” This idea has appeared in the speech of Eliphaz (22:12), Zophar (11:7ff.), and even Job (9:8ff.).
9 Heb “him” (also in v. 7); the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
11 The phrase “affects only” is supplied in the translation of this nominal sentence. According to Strahan, “Elihu exalts God’s greatness at the cost of His grace, His transcendence at the expense of His immanence. He sets up a material instead of a spiritual stand of profit and loss. He does not realize that God does gain what He desires most by the goodness of men, and loses what He most loves by their evil.”
12 Heb “and to [or for] a son of man, your righteousness.”
13 The word “people” is supplied, because the sentence only has the masculine plural verb.
14 The final noun is an abstract plural, “oppression.” There is no reason to change it to “oppressors” to fit the early versions. The expression is literally “multitude of oppression.”
15 Heb “the arm,” a metaphor for strength or power.
16 Or “of the many” (see I רַב 6.a).
17 There have been several attempts to emend the line, none of which are particularly helpful or interesting. H. H. Rowley (Job [], 225) says, “It is a pity to rob Elihu of a poetic line when he creates one.”
18 The form in the text, the Piel participle from אָלַף (’alaf, “teach”) is written in a contracted form; the full form is מְאַלְּפֵנוּ (mé’alléfenu).
19 Some would render this “teaches us by the beasts.” But Elihu is stressing the unique privilege humans have.

Cross references

11 See Job 9:34 and 13:21.
13 See Job 9:21; 10:7; 23:7; 27:4; ch. 31.
15 See Job 10:13ff.; 19:6ff.; and 13:24.
18 See Job 13:27.
10 See Job 7:20.

Job 32–37

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Elihu’s First Speech79