Ayub 34:1--37:24
Konteks34:1 Elihu answered:
34:2 “Listen to my words, you wise men;
34:3 For the ear assesses 4 words
as the mouth 5 tastes food.
34:4 Let us evaluate 6 for ourselves what is right; 7
let us come to know among ourselves what is good.
34:5 For Job says, ‘I am innocent, 8
but God turns away my right.
34:6 Concerning my right, should I lie? 9
My wound 10 is incurable,
although I am without transgression.’ 11
34:7 What man is like Job,
who 12 drinks derision 13 like water!
34:8 He goes about 14 in company 15 with evildoers,
he goes along 16 with wicked men. 17
34:9 For he says, ‘It does not profit a man
when he makes his delight with God.’ 18
34:10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. 19
Far be it from 20 God to do wickedness,
from the Almighty to do evil.
34:11 For he repays a person for his work, 21
and according to the conduct of a person,
he causes the consequences to find him. 22
34:12 Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.
34:13 Who entrusted 23 to him the earth?
And who put him over 24 the whole world?
34:14 If God 25 were to set his heart on it, 26
and gather in his spirit and his breath,
34:15 all flesh would perish together
and human beings would return to dust.
34:16 “If you have 27 understanding, listen to this,
hear what I have to say. 28
that one who hates justice can govern? 30
And will you declare guilty
the supremely righteous 31 One,
34:18 who says to a king, 32 ‘Worthless man’ 33
and to nobles, ‘Wicked men,’
34:19 who shows no partiality to princes,
and does not take note of 34 the rich more than the poor,
because all of them are the work of his hands?
34:20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night, 35
people 36 are shaken 37 and they pass away.
The mighty are removed effortlessly. 38
34:21 For his eyes are on the ways of an individual,
he observes all a person’s 39 steps.
34:22 There is no darkness, and no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves. 40
34:23 For he does not still consider a person, 41
that he should come before God in judgment.
34:24 He shatters the great without inquiry, 42
and sets up others in their place.
34:25 Therefore, he knows their deeds,
he overthrows them 43 in the night 44
and they are crushed.
34:26 He strikes them for their wickedness, 45
in a place where people can see, 46
34:27 because they have turned away from following him,
and have not understood 47 any of his ways,
34:28 so that they caused 48 the cry of the poor
to come before him,
so that he hears 49 the cry of the needy.
34:29 But if God 50 is quiet, who can condemn 51 him?
If he hides his face, then who can see him?
Yet 52 he is over the individual and the nation alike, 53
34:30 so that the godless man should not rule,
and not lay snares for the people. 54
34:31 “Has anyone said to God,
‘I have endured chastisement, 55
but I will not act wrongly any more.
34:32 Teach me what I cannot see. 56
If I have done evil, I will do so no more.’
34:33 Is it your opinion 57 that God 58 should recompense it,
because you reject this? 59
But you must choose, and not I,
so tell us what you know.
34:34 Men of understanding say to me –
any wise man listening to me says –
34:35 that 60 Job speaks without knowledge
and his words are without understanding. 61
34:36 But 62 Job will be tested to the end,
because his answers are like those of wicked men.
34:37 For he adds transgression 63 to his sin;
in our midst he claps his hands, 64
and multiplies his words against God.”
35:1 Then Elihu answered:
35:2 “Do you think this to be 66 just:
when 67 you say, ‘My right before God.’ 68
35:3 But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’ 69
and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’ 70
35:4 I 71 will reply to you, 72
and to your friends with you.
35:5 Gaze at the heavens and see;
consider the clouds, which are higher than you! 73
35:6 If you sin, how does it affect God? 74
If your transgressions are many,
what does it do to him? 75
35:7 If you are righteous, what do you give to God,
or what does he receive from your hand?
35:8 Your wickedness affects only 76 a person like yourself,
and your righteousness only other people. 77
because of the excess of oppression; 79
they cry out for help
because of the power 80 of the mighty. 81
35:10 But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator,
who gives songs in the night, 82
35:11 who teaches us 83 more than 84 the wild animals of the earth,
and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
35:12 Then 85 they cry out – but he does not answer –
because of the arrogance of the wicked.
35:13 Surely it is an empty cry 86 – God does not hear it;
the Almighty does not take notice of it.
35:14 How much less, then,
when you say that you do not perceive him,
that the case is before him
and you are waiting for him! 87
35:15 And further, 88 when you say
that his anger does not punish, 89
and that he does not know transgression! 90
35:16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; 91
without knowledge he multiplies words.”
36:2 “Be patient 94 with me a little longer
and I will instruct you,
for I still have words to speak on God’s behalf. 95
36:3 With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively, 96
and to my Creator I will ascribe righteousness. 97
36:4 For in truth, my words are not false;
it is one complete 98 in knowledge
who is with you.
36:5 Indeed, God is mighty; and he does not despise people, 99
he 100 is mighty, and firm 101 in his intent. 102
36:6 He does not allow the wicked to live, 103
but he gives justice to the poor.
36:7 He does not take his eyes 104 off the righteous;
but with kings on the throne
he seats the righteous 105 and exalts them forever. 106
36:8 But if they are bound in chains, 107
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
36:9 then he reveals 108 to them what they have done, 109
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
36:10 And he reveals 110 this 111 for correction,
and says that they must turn 112 from evil.
36:11 If they obey and serve him,
they live out their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness. 113
36:12 But if they refuse to listen,
they pass over the river of death, 114
and expire without knowledge.
36:13 The godless at heart 115 nourish anger, 116
they do not cry out even when he binds them.
36:14 They die 117 in their youth,
and their life ends among the male cultic prostitutes. 118
36:15 He delivers the afflicted by 119 their 120 afflictions,
he reveals himself to them 121 by their suffering.
36:16 And surely, he drew you 122 from the mouth of distress,
to a wide place, unrestricted, 123
and to the comfort 124 of your table
filled with rich food. 125
36:17 But now you are preoccupied with the judgment due the wicked,
judgment and justice take hold of you.
36:18 Be careful that 126 no one entices you with riches;
do not let a large bribe 127 turn you aside.
36:19 Would your wealth 128 sustain you,
so that you would not be in distress, 129
even all your mighty efforts? 130
36:20 Do not long for the cover of night
to drag people away from their homes. 131
36:21 Take heed, do not turn to evil,
for because of this you have been tested 132 by affliction.
36:22 Indeed, God is exalted in his power;
who is a teacher 133 like him?
36:23 Who has prescribed his ways for him?
Or said to him, ‘You have done what is wicked’?
36:24 Remember to extol 134 his work,
which people have praised in song.
36:25 All humanity has seen it;
people gaze on it from afar.
36:26 “Yes, God is great – beyond our knowledge! 135
The number of his years is unsearchable.
36:27 He draws up drops of water;
they distill 136 the rain into its mist, 137
36:28 which the clouds pour down
and shower on humankind abundantly.
36:29 Who can understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion? 138
36:30 See how he scattered 139 his lightning 140 about him;
he has covered the depths 141 of the sea.
36:31 It is by these that he judges 142 the nations
and supplies food in abundance.
36:32 With his hands 143 he covers 144 the lightning,
and directs it against its target.
36:33 145 His thunder announces the coming storm,
the cattle also, concerning the storm’s approach.
37:1 At this also my heart pounds
and leaps from its place.
37:2 Listen carefully 146 to the thunder of his voice,
to the rumbling 147 that proceeds from his mouth.
37:3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
even his lightning to the far corners 148 of the earth.
37:4 After that a voice roars;
he thunders with an exalted voice,
and he does not hold back his lightning bolts 149
when his voice is heard.
37:5 God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways; 150
he does great things beyond our understanding. 151
37:6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall 152 to earth,’
and to the torrential rains, 153 ‘Pour down.’ 154
37:7 He causes everyone to stop working, 155
so that all people 156 may know 157 his work.
37:8 The wild animals go to their lairs,
and in their dens they remain.
37:9 A tempest blows out from its chamber,
icy cold from the driving winds. 158
37:10 The breath of God produces ice,
and the breadth of the waters freeze solid.
37:11 He loads the clouds with moisture; 159
he scatters his lightning through the clouds.
37:12 The clouds 160 go round in circles,
wheeling about according to his plans,
to carry out 161 all that he commands them
over the face of the whole inhabited world.
37:13 Whether it is for punishment 162 for his land,
or whether it is for mercy,
he causes it to find its mark. 163
37:14 “Pay attention to this, Job!
Stand still and consider the wonders God works.
37:15 Do you know how God commands them, 164
how he makes lightning flash in his storm cloud? 165
37:16 Do you know about the balancing 166 of the clouds,
that wondrous activity of him who is perfect in knowledge?
37:17 You, whose garments are hot
when the earth is still because of the south wind,
37:18 will you, with him, spread out 167 the clouds,
solid as a mirror of molten metal?
37:19 Tell us what we should 168 say to him.
We cannot prepare a case 169
because of the darkness.
37:20 Should he be informed that I want 170 to speak?
If a man speaks, surely he would be swallowed up!
37:21 But now, the sun 171 cannot be looked at 172 –
it is bright in the skies –
after a wind passed and swept the clouds away. 173
37:22 From the north he comes in golden splendor; 174
around God is awesome majesty.
37:23 As for the Almighty, 175 we cannot attain to him!
He is great in power,
but justice 176 and abundant righteousness he does not oppress.
37:24 Therefore people fear him,
for he does not regard all the wise in heart.” 177
[34:1] 1 sn 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).
[34:2] 2 tn Heb “give ear to me.”
[34:2] 3 tn The Hebrew word means “the men who know,” and without a complement it means “to possess knowledge.”
[34:3] 4 tn Or “examines; tests; tries; discerns.”
[34:3] 5 tn Or “palate”; the Hebrew term refers to the tongue or to the mouth in general.
[34:4] 6 sn Elihu means “choose after careful examination.”
[34:4] 7 tn The word is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) again, with the sense of what is right or just.
[34:5] 8 tn Heb “righteous,” but in this context it means to be innocent or in the right.
[34:6] 9 tn 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.
[34:6] 10 tn 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.
[34:6] 11 tn Heb “without transgression”; but this is parallel to the first part where the claim is innocence.
[34:7] 12 tn Heb “he drinks,” but coming after the question this clause may be subordinated.
[34:7] 13 tn 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. NAB).
[34:8] 14 tn The perfect verb with the vav (ו) consecutive carries the sequence forward from the last description.
[34:8] 15 tn The word חֶבְרַה (khevrah, “company”) is a hapax legomenon. But its meaning is clear enough from the connections to related words and this context as well.
[34:8] 16 tn The infinitive construct with the ל (lamed) preposition may continue the clause with the finite verb (see GKC 351 §114.p).
[34:8] 17 tn Heb “men of wickedness”; the genitive is attributive (= “wicked men”).
[34:9] 18 tn Gordis, however, takes this expression in the sense of “being in favor with God.”
[34:10] 19 tn Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”
[34:10] 20 tn For this construction, see Job 27:5.
[34:11] 21 tn Heb “for the work of man, he [= God] repays him.”
[34:11] 22 tn 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.
[34:13] 23 tn 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.
[34:13] 24 tn The preposition is implied from the first half of the verse.
[34:14] 25 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:14] 26 tc This is the reading following the Qere. The Kethib and the Syriac and the LXX 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.
[34:16] 27 tn The phrase “you have” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[34:16] 28 tn Heb “the sound of my words.”
[34:17] 29 tn 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.
[34:17] 30 tn 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.
[34:17] 31 tn 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.
[34:18] 32 tc 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 LXX, Vulgate, and Syriac. 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.
[34:18] 33 tn The word בְּלִיָּעַל (bÿliyya’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.”
[34:19] 34 tn 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. Joüon thinks it is a term of social distinction (Bib 18 [1937]: 207-8).
[34:20] 35 tn Dhorme transposes “in the middle of the night” with “they pass away” to get a smoother reading. But the MT 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,” Bib 30 [1949]: 79ff.).
[34:20] 36 tn R. Gordis (Job, 389) thinks “people” here mean the people who count, the upper class.
[34:20] 37 tn 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).
[34:20] 38 tn Heb “not by hand.” This means without having to use force.
[34:21] 39 tn Heb “his”; the referent (a person) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:22] 40 tn 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.”
[34:23] 41 tn 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 MT 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.
[34:24] 42 tn Heb “[with] no investigation.”
[34:25] 43 tn The direct object “them” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[34:25] 44 tn The Hebrew term “night” is an accusative of time.
[34:26] 45 tn 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,” ZAW 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 RSV does.
[34:26] 46 tn The text simply uses רֹאִים (ro’im): “[in the place where there are] seers,” i.e., spectators.
[34:27] 47 tn 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.
[34:28] 48 tn The verse begins with the infinitive construct of בּוֹא (bo’, “go”), showing the result of their impious actions.
[34:28] 49 tn The verb here is an imperfect; the clause is circumstantial to the preceding clause, showing either the result, or the concomitant action.
[34:29] 50 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:29] 51 tn 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.
[34:29] 52 tn 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 [NCBC], 222).
[34:29] 53 tn 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.”
[34:30] 54 tn 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.”
[34:31] 55 tn 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 MT is retained, an object has to be supplied, such as “chastisement” (so RSV, NASB) or “punishment” (NRSV). If not, then a different reading would be followed (e.g., “I was misguided” [NAB]; “I am guilty” [NIV]).
[34:32] 56 tn Heb “what I do not see,” more specifically, “apart from [that which] I see.”
[34:33] 57 tn Heb “is it from with you,” an idiomatic expression meaning “to suit you” or “according to your judgment.”
[34:33] 58 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[34:33] 59 tn 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.
[34:35] 60 tn Adding “that” in the translation clarifies Elihu’s indirect citation of the wise individuals’ words.
[34:35] 61 tn The Hiphil infinitive construct is here functioning as a substantive. The word means “prudence; understanding.”
[34:36] 62 tc The MT reads אָבִי (’avi, “my father”), which makes no sense. Some follow the KJV 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 LXX and the Syriac versions have “but” and “surely” respectively. Since this is the only
[34:37] 63 tn Although frequently translated “rebellion,” the basic meaning of this Hebrew term is “transgression.”
[34:37] 64 tc 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.
[35:1] 65 sn 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).
[35:2] 66 tn The line could be read as “do you reckon this for justice? Here “to be” is understood.
[35:2] 67 tn The word “when” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
[35:2] 68 tn The brief line could be interpreted in a number of ways. The MT 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 [NICOT], 463), “I will be right before God,” or “My just cause against God.”
[35:3] 69 tn The referent of “you” is usually understood to be God.
[35:3] 70 tn 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 [NCBC], 224). It could also be, “What do I gain without sin?”
[35:4] 71 tn The emphatic pronoun calls attention to Elihu who will answer these questions.
[35:4] 72 tn The Hebrew text adds, “with words,” but since this is obvious, for stylistic reasons it has not been included in the translation.
[35:5] 73 tn 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.).
[35:6] 74 tn Heb “him” (also in v. 7); the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[35:8] 76 tn The phrase “affects only” is supplied in the translation of this nominal sentence.
[35:8] sn 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.”
[35:8] 77 tn Heb “and to [or for] a son of man, your righteousness.”
[35:9] 78 tn The word “people” is supplied, because the sentence only has the masculine plural verb.
[35:9] 79 tn 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.”
[35:9] 80 tn Heb “the arm,” a metaphor for strength or power.
[35:9] 81 tn Or “of the many” (see HALOT 1172 s.v. I רַב 6.a).
[35:10] 82 tn There have been several attempts to emend the line, none of which are particularly helpful or interesting. H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 225) says, “It is a pity to rob Elihu of a poetic line when he creates one.”
[35:11] 83 tn The form in the text, the Piel participle from אָלַף (’alaf, “teach”) is written in a contracted form; the full form is מְאַלְּפֵנוּ (mÿ’allÿfenu).
[35:11] 84 tn Some would render this “teaches us by the beasts.” But Elihu is stressing the unique privilege humans have.
[35:12] 85 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) connects this verse to v. 11. “There” can be locative or temporal – and here it is temporal (= “then”).
[35:13] 86 tn Heb “surely – vanity, he does not hear.” The cry is an empty cry, not a prayer to God. Dhorme translates it, “It is a pure waste of words.”
[35:14] 87 sn The point is that if God does not listen to those who do not turn to him, how much less likely is he to turn to one who complains against him.
[35:15] 88 tn The expression “and now” introduces a new complaint of Elihu – in addition to the preceding. Here the verb of v. 14, “you say,” is understood after the temporal ki (כִּי).
[35:15] 89 tn The verb פָקַד (paqad) means “to visit” (also “to appoint; to muster; to number”). When God visits, it means that he intervenes in one’s life for blessing or cursing (punishing, destroying).
[35:15] 90 tn The word פַּשׁ (pash) is a hapax legomenon. K&D 12:275 derived it from an Arabic word meaning “belch,” leading to the idea of “overflow.” BDB 832 s.v. defines it as “folly.” Several define it as “transgression” on the basis of the versions (Theodotion, Symmachus, Vulgate). The RSV took it as “greatly heed,” but that is not exactly “greatly know,” when the text beyond that requires “not know at all.” The NIV has “he does not take the least notice of wickedness.”
[35:16] 91 tn The word הֶבֶל (hevel) means “vanity; futility; to no purpose.”
[36:1] 92 sn This very lengthy speech can be broken down into the following sections: the discipline of suffering (36:2-25), the work and wisdom of God (36:26–37:24).
[36:1] 93 tn The use of וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef) is with the hendiadys construction: “and he added and said,” meaning “and he said again, further.”
[36:2] 94 tn The verb כָּתַּר (kattar) is the Piel imperative; in Hebrew the word means “to surround” and is related to the noun for crown. But in Syriac it means “to wait.” This section of the book of Job will have a few Aramaic words.
[36:2] 95 tn The Hebrew text simply has “for yet for God words.”
[36:3] 96 tn Heb “I will carry my knowledge to-from afar.” The expression means that he will give a wide range to knowledge, that he will speak comprehensively.
[36:3] 97 tn This line gives the essence of all of Elihu’s speech – to give or ascribe righteousness to God against the charges of Job. Dhorme translates this “I will justify my Maker,” and that is workable if it carries the meaning of “declaring to be right.”
[36:4] 98 tn The word is תְּמִים (tÿmim), often translated “perfect.” It is the same word used of Job in 2:3. Elihu is either a complete stranger to modesty or is confident regarding the knowledge that he believes God has revealed to him for this situation. See the note on the heading before 32:1.
[36:5] 99 tn The object “people” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
[36:5] 100 tn The text simply repeats “mighty.”
[36:5] 101 tn The last two words are simply כֹּחַ לֵב (koakh lev, “strong in heart”), meaning something like “strong; firm in his decisions.”
[36:5] 102 tc There are several problems in this verse: the repetition of “mighty,” the lack of an object for “despise,” and the meaning of “strength of heart.” Many commentators reduce the verse to a single line, reading something like “Lo, God does not reject the pure in heart” (Kissane). Dhorme and Pope follow Nichols with: “Lo, God is mighty in strength, and rejects not the pure in heart.” This reading moved “mighty” to the first line and took the second to be בַּר (bar, “pure”).
[36:6] 103 tn Or “he does not keep the wicked alive.”
[36:7] 104 tc Many commentators accept the change of “his eyes” to “his right” (reading דִּינוֹ [dino] for עֵינָיו [’enayv]). There is no compelling reason for the change; it makes the line commonplace.
[36:7] 105 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the righteous) has been repeated from the first part of the verse for clarity.
[36:7] 106 tn Heb “he seats them forever and exalts them.” The last verb can be understood as expressing a logical consequence of the preceding action (cf. GKC 328 §111.l = “he seats them forever so that he exalts them”). Or the two verbs can be taken as an adverbial hendiadys whereby the first modifies the second adverbially: “he exalts them by seating them forever” or “when he seats them forever” (cf. GKC 326 §111.d). Some interpret this verse to say that God seats kings on the throne, making a change in subject in the middle of the verse. But it makes better sense to see the righteous as the subject matter throughout – they are not only protected, but are exalted.
[36:8] 107 tn Dhorme thinks that the verse is still talking about kings, who may be in captivity. But this diverts attention from Elihu’s emphasis on the righteous.
[36:9] 108 tn The verb נָגַד (nagad) means “to declare; to tell.” Here it is clear that God is making known the sins that caused the enslavement or captivity, so “reveal” makes a good interpretive translation.
[36:9] 109 tn Heb “their work.”
[36:10] 110 tn The idiom once again is “he uncovers their ear.”
[36:10] 111 tn The revelation is in the preceding verse, and so a pronoun must be added to make the reference clear.
[36:10] 112 tn The verb שׁוּב (shuv, “to turn; to return”) is one of the two major words in the OT for “repent” – to return from evil. Here the imperfect should be obligatory – they must do it.
[36:11] 113 tc Some commentators delete this last line for metrical considerations. But there is no textual evidence for the deletion; it is simply the attempt by some to make the meter rigid.
[36:12] 114 tn This is a similar expression to the one in Job 33:18, where the suggestion was made by many that it means crossing over the canal or river of death. Some retain the earlier interpretation of “perish by the sword” (cf. NIV).
[36:13] 115 tn The expression “godless [or hypocrite] in heart” is an intensification of the description. It conveys that they are intentionally godless. See Matt 23:28.
[36:13] 116 tn Heb “they put anger.” This is usually interpreted to mean they lay up anger, or put anger in their hearts.
[36:14] 117 tn The text expresses this with “their soul dies.”
[36:14] 118 tn Heb “among the male prostitutes” who were at the temple – the “holy ones,” with “holy” being used in that sense of “separated to that form of temple service.” So uncleanness and shame are some of the connotations of the reference. Some modern translations give the general sense only: “their life ends in shame” (NRSV); “and perish among the reprobate” (NAB); “die…after wasting their lives in immoral living” (NLT).
[36:15] 119 tn The preposition בּ (bet) in these two lines is not location but instrument, not “in” but “by means of.” The affliction and the oppression serve as a warning for sin, and therefore a means of salvation.
[36:15] 121 tn Heb “he uncovers their ear.”
[36:16] 122 tn The Hebrew verb means “to entice; to lure; to allure; to seduce,” but these have negative connotations. The English “to persuade; to draw” might work better. The verb is the Hiphil perfect of סוּת (sut). But the nuance of the verb is difficult. It can be equivalent to an English present expressing what God is doing (Peake). But the subject is contested as well. Since the verb usually has an evil connotation, there have been attempts to make the “plaza” the subject – “the wide place has led you astray” (Ewald).
[36:16] 123 tn Heb “a broad place where there is no cramping beneath [or under] it.”
[36:16] 124 tn The word נַחַת (nakhat) could be translated “set” if it is connected with the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest,” but then “to lay to rest, to set”). Kissane translates it “comfort.” Dhorme thinks it could come from נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”) or נָחַת (nakhat, “to descend”). But his conclusion is that it is a dittography after “under it” (p. 545).
[36:16] 125 tn Heb “filled with fat.”
[36:18] 126 tn The first expression is idiomatic: the text says, “because wrath lest it entice you” – thus, beware.
[36:18] 127 tn The word is כֹּפֶר (kofer), often translated “ransom,” but frequently in the sense of a bribe.
[36:19] 128 tn The form in the MT is “your cry (for help).” See J. E. Hartley (Job [NICOT], 472-73) and E. Dhorme (Job, 547-48) on the difficulties.
[36:19] 129 tn This part has only two words לֹא בְצָר (lo’ bÿtsar, “not in distress”). The negated phrase serves to explain the first colon.
[36:19] 130 tc For the many suggestions and the reasoning here, see the commentaries.
[36:20] 131 tn The meaning of this line is difficult. There are numerous suggestions for emending the text. Kissane takes the first verb in the sense of “oppress,” and for “the night” he has “belonging to you,” meaning “your people.” This reads: “Oppress not them that belong not to you, that your kinsmen may mount up in their place.”
[36:21] 132 tn Normally “tested” would be the translation for the Niphal of בָּחַר (bakhar). Although the Qal is employed here, the context favors “tested” rather than “chose.”
[36:22] 133 tn The word מוֹרֶה (moreh) is the Hiphil participle from יָרַה (yarah). It is related to the noun תּוֹרָה (torah, “what is taught” i.e., the law).
[36:24] 134 tn The expression is “that you extol,” serving as an object of the verb.
[36:26] 135 tn The last part has the verbal construction, “and we do not know.” This clause is to be used adverbially: “beyond our understanding.”
[36:27] 136 tn The verb means “to filter; to refine,” and so a plural subject with the drops of water as the subject will not work. So many read the singular, “he distills.”
[36:27] 137 tn This word עֵד (’ed) occurs also in Gen 2:6. The suggestion has been that instead of a mist it represents an underground watercourse that wells up to water the ground.
[36:29] 138 tn Heb “his booth.”
[36:30] 139 tn The word actually means “to spread,” but with lightning as the object, “to scatter” appears to fit the context better.
[36:30] 140 tn The word is “light,” but taken to mean “lightning.” Theodotion had “mist” here, and so most commentators follow that because it is more appropriate to the verb and the context.
[36:31] 142 tn The verb is יָדִין (yadin, “he judges”). Houbigant proposedיָזוּן (yazun, “he nourishes”). This has found wide acceptance among commentators (cf. NAB). G. R. Driver retained the MT but gave a meaning “enriches” to the verb (“Problems in the Hebrew text of Job,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 88ff.).
[36:32] 143 tn R. Gordis (Job, 422) prefers to link this word with the later Hebrew word for “arch,” not “hands.”
[36:32] 144 tn Because the image might mean that God grabs the lightning and hurls it like a javelin (cf. NLT), some commentators want to change “covers” to other verbs. Dhorme has “lifts” (נִשָּׂא [nissa’] for כִּסָּה [kissah]). This fit the idea of God directing the lightning bolts.
[36:33] 145 tn Peake knew of over thirty interpretations for this verse. The MT literally says, “He declares his purpose [or his shout] concerning it; cattle also concerning what rises.” Dhorme has it: “The flock which sniffs the coming storm has warned the shepherd.” Kissane: “The thunder declares concerning him, as he excites wrath against iniquity.” Gordis translates it: “His thunderclap proclaims his presence, and the storm his mighty wrath.” Many more could be added to the list.
[37:2] 146 tn The imperative is followed by the infinitive absolute from the same root to express the intensity of the verb.
[37:2] 147 tn The word is the usual word for “to meditate; to murmur; to groan”; here it refers to the low building of the thunder as it rumbles in the sky. The thunder is the voice of God (see Ps 29).
[37:3] 148 tn Heb “wings,” and then figuratively for the extremities of garments, of land, etc.
[37:4] 149 tn The verb simply has the pronominal suffix, “them.” The idea must be that when God brings in all the thunderings he does not hold back his lightning bolts either.
[37:5] 150 tn The form is the Niphal participle, “wonders,” from the verb פָּלָא (pala’, “to be wonderful; to be extraordinary”). Some commentators suppress the repeated verb “thunders,” and supply other verbs like “shows” or “works,” enabling them to make “wonders” the object of the verb rather than leaving it in an adverbial role. But as H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 236) notes, no change is needed, for one is not surprised to find repetition in Elihu’s words.
[37:5] 151 tn Heb “and we do not know.”
[37:6] 152 tn The verb actually means “be” (found here in the Aramaic form). The verb “to be” can mean “to happen, to fall, to come about.”
[37:6] 153 tn Heb “and [to the] shower of rain and shower of rains, be strong.” Many think the repetition grew up by variant readings; several Hebrew
[37:6] 154 tn Heb “Be strong.”
[37:7] 155 tn Heb “by the hand of every man he seals.” This line is intended to mean with the heavy rains God suspends all agricultural activity.
[37:7] 156 tc This reading involves a change in the text, for in MT “men” is in the construct. It would be translated, “all men whom he made” (i.e., all men of his making”). This is the translation followed by the NIV and NRSV. Olshausen suggested that the word should have been אֲנָשִׁים (’anashim) with the final ם (mem) being lost to haplography.
[37:7] 157 tn D. W. Thomas suggested a meaning of “rest” for the verb, based on Arabic. He then reads אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) for man, and supplies a ם (mem) to “his work” to get “that every man might rest from his work [in the fields].”
[37:9] 158 tn The “driving winds” reflects the Hebrew “from the scatterers.” This refers to the north winds that bring the cold air and the ice and snow and hard rains.
[37:11] 159 tn The word “moisture” is drawn from רִי (ri) as a contraction for רְוִי (rÿvi). Others emended the text to get “hail” (NAB) or “lightning,” or even “the Creator.” For these, see the various commentaries. There is no reason to change the reading of the MT when it makes perfectly good sense.
[37:12] 160 tn The words “the clouds” are supplied from v. 11; the sentence itself actually starts: “and it goes round,” referring to the cloud.
[37:12] 161 tn Heb “that it may do.”
[37:13] 162 tn Heb “rod,” i.e., a rod used for punishment.
[37:13] 163 tn This is interpretive; Heb “he makes find it.” The lightning could be what is intended here, for it finds its mark. But R. Gordis (Job, 429) suggests man is the subject – let him find what it is for, i.e., the fate appropriate for him.
[37:15] 164 tn The verb is בְּשׂוּם (bÿsum, from שִׂים [sim, “set”]), so the idea is how God lays [or sets] [a command] for them. The suffix is proleptic, to be clarified in the second colon.
[37:15] 165 tn Dhorme reads this “and how his stormcloud makes lightning to flash forth?”
[37:16] 166 tn As indicated by HALOT 618 s.v. מִפְלָשׂ, the concept of “balancing” probably refers to “floating” or “suspension” (cf. NIV’s “how the clouds hang poised” and J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 481-82, n. 2).
[37:18] 167 tn The verb means “to beat out; to flatten,” and the analogy in the next line will use molten metal. From this verb is derived the word for the “firmament” in Gen 1:6-8, that canopy-like pressure area separating water above and water below.
[37:19] 168 tn The imperfect verb here carries the obligatory nuance, “what we should say?”
[37:19] 169 tn The verb means “to arrange; to set in order.” From the context the idea of a legal case is included.
[37:20] 170 tn This imperfect works well as a desiderative imperfect.
[37:21] 171 tn The light here must refer to the sun in the skies that had been veiled by the storm. Then, when the winds blew the clouds away, it could not be looked at because it was so dazzling. Elihu’s analogy will be that God is the same – in his glory one cannot look at him or challenge him.
[37:21] 172 tn The verb has an indefinite subject, and so should be a passive here.
[37:21] 173 tn Heb “and cleaned them.” The referent is the clouds (v. 18), which has been supplied in the translation for clarity. There is another way of reading this verse: the word translated “bright” means “dark; obscured” in Syriac. In this interpretation the first line would mean that they could not see the sun, because it was darkened by the clouds, but then the wind came and blew the clouds away. Dhorme, Gray, and several others take it this way, as does the NAB.
[37:22] 174 tn The MT has “out of the north comes gold.” Left in that sense the line seems irrelevant. The translation “golden splendor” (with RV, RSV, NRSV, NIV) depends upon the context of theophany. Others suggest “golden rays” (Dhorme), the aurora borealis (Graetz, Gray), or some mythological allusion (Pope), such as Baal’s palace. Golden rays or splendor is what is intended, although the reference is not to a natural phenomenon – it is something that would suggest the glory of God.
[37:23] 175 tn The name “Almighty” is here a casus pendens, isolating the name at the front of the sentence and resuming it with a pronoun.
[37:23] 176 tn The MT places the major disjunctive accent (the atnach) under “power,” indicating that “and justice” as a disjunctive clause starting the second half of the verse (with ESV, NASB, NIV, NLT). Ignoring the Masoretic accent, NRSV has “he is great in power and justice.”
[37:24] 177 sn The phrase “wise of heart” was used in Job 9:4 in a negative sense.
