Job 35:1--37:24 
Context35:1 Then Elihu answered:
35:2 “Do you think this to be 2 just:
when 3 you say, ‘My right before God.’ 4
35:3 But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’ 5
and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’ 6
and to your friends with you.
35:5 Gaze at the heavens and see;
consider the clouds, which are higher than you! 9
35:6 If you sin, how does it affect God? 10
If your transgressions are many,
what does it do to him? 11
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 12 a person like yourself,
and your righteousness only other people. 13
because of the excess of oppression; 15
they cry out for help
because of the power 16 of the mighty. 17
35:10 But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator,
who gives songs in the night, 18
35:11 who teaches us 19 more than 20 the wild animals of the earth,
and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’
35:12 Then 21 they cry out – but he does not answer –
because of the arrogance of the wicked.
35:13 Surely it is an empty cry 22 – 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! 23
35:15 And further, 24 when you say
that his anger does not punish, 25
and that he does not know transgression! 26
35:16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; 27
without knowledge he multiplies words.”
36:2 “Be patient 30 with me a little longer
and I will instruct you,
for I still have words to speak on God’s behalf. 31
36:3 With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively, 32
and to my Creator I will ascribe righteousness. 33
36:4 For in truth, my words are not false;
it is one complete 34 in knowledge
who is with you.
36:5 Indeed, God is mighty; and he does not despise people, 35
he 36 is mighty, and firm 37 in his intent. 38
36:6 He does not allow the wicked to live, 39
but he gives justice to the poor.
36:7 He does not take his eyes 40 off the righteous;
but with kings on the throne
he seats the righteous 41 and exalts them forever. 42
36:8 But if they are bound in chains, 43
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
36:9 then he reveals 44 to them what they have done, 45
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
36:10 And he reveals 46 this 47 for correction,
and says that they must turn 48 from evil.
36:11 If they obey and serve him,
they live out their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness. 49
36:12 But if they refuse to listen,
they pass over the river of death, 50
and expire without knowledge.
36:13 The godless at heart 51 nourish anger, 52
they do not cry out even when he binds them.
36:14 They die 53 in their youth,
and their life ends among the male cultic prostitutes. 54
36:15 He delivers the afflicted by 55 their 56 afflictions,
he reveals himself to them 57 by their suffering.
36:16 And surely, he drew you 58 from the mouth of distress,
to a wide place, unrestricted, 59
and to the comfort 60 of your table
filled with rich food. 61
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 62 no one entices you with riches;
do not let a large bribe 63 turn you aside.
36:19 Would your wealth 64 sustain you,
so that you would not be in distress, 65
even all your mighty efforts? 66
36:20 Do not long for the cover of night
to drag people away from their homes. 67
36:21 Take heed, do not turn to evil,
for because of this you have been tested 68 by affliction.
36:22 Indeed, God is exalted in his power;
who is a teacher 69 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 70 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! 71
The number of his years is unsearchable.
36:27 He draws up drops of water;
they distill 72 the rain into its mist, 73
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? 74
36:30 See how he scattered 75 his lightning 76 about him;
he has covered the depths 77 of the sea.
36:31 It is by these that he judges 78 the nations
and supplies food in abundance.
36:32 With his hands 79 he covers 80 the lightning,
and directs it against its target.
36:33 81 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 82 to the thunder of his voice,
to the rumbling 83 that proceeds from his mouth.
37:3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,
even his lightning to the far corners 84 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 85
when his voice is heard.
37:5 God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways; 86
he does great things beyond our understanding. 87
37:6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall 88 to earth,’
and to the torrential rains, 89 ‘Pour down.’ 90
37:7 He causes everyone to stop working, 91
so that all people 92 may know 93 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. 94
37:10 The breath of God produces ice,
and the breadth of the waters freeze solid.
37:11 He loads the clouds with moisture; 95
he scatters his lightning through the clouds.
37:12 The clouds 96 go round in circles,
wheeling about according to his plans,
to carry out 97 all that he commands them
over the face of the whole inhabited world.
37:13 Whether it is for punishment 98 for his land,
or whether it is for mercy,
he causes it to find its mark. 99
37:14 “Pay attention to this, Job!
Stand still and consider the wonders God works.
37:15 Do you know how God commands them, 100
how he makes lightning flash in his storm cloud? 101
37:16 Do you know about the balancing 102 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 103 the clouds,
solid as a mirror of molten metal?
37:19 Tell us what we should 104 say to him.
We cannot prepare a case 105
because of the darkness.
37:20 Should he be informed that I want 106 to speak?
If a man speaks, surely he would be swallowed up!
37:21 But now, the sun 107 cannot be looked at 108 –
it is bright in the skies –
after a wind passed and swept the clouds away. 109
37:22 From the north he comes in golden splendor; 110
around God is awesome majesty.
37:23 As for the Almighty, 111 we cannot attain to him!
He is great in power,
but justice 112 and abundant righteousness he does not oppress.
37:24 Therefore people fear him,
for he does not regard all the wise in heart.” 113
1 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).
2 tn The line could be read as “do you reckon this for justice? Here “to be” is understood.
3 tn The word “when” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.
4 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.”
5 tn The referent of “you” is usually understood to be God.
6 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?”
7 tn The emphatic pronoun calls attention to Elihu who will answer these questions.
8 tn The Hebrew text adds, “with words,” but since this is obvious, for stylistic reasons it has not been included in the translation.
9 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.).
10 tn Heb “him” (also in v. 7); the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn The phrase “affects only” is supplied in the translation of this nominal sentence.
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.”
13 tn Heb “and to [or for] a son of man, your righteousness.”
14 tn The word “people” is supplied, because the sentence only has the masculine plural verb.
15 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.”
16 tn Heb “the arm,” a metaphor for strength or power.
17 tn Or “of the many” (see HALOT 1172 s.v. I רַב 6.a).
18 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.”
19 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).
20 tn Some would render this “teaches us by the beasts.” But Elihu is stressing the unique privilege humans have.
21 tn The adverb שָׁם (sham, “there”) connects this verse to v. 11. “There” can be locative or temporal – and here it is temporal (= “then”).
22 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.”
23 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.
24 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).
25 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).
26 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.”
27 tn The word הֶבֶל (hevel) means “vanity; futility; to no purpose.”
28 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).
29 tn The use of וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef) is with the hendiadys construction: “and he added and said,” meaning “and he said again, further.”
30 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.
31 tn The Hebrew text simply has “for yet for God words.”
32 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.
33 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.”
34 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.
35 tn The object “people” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.
36 tn The text simply repeats “mighty.”
37 tn The last two words are simply כֹּחַ לֵב (koakh lev, “strong in heart”), meaning something like “strong; firm in his decisions.”
38 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”).
39 tn Or “he does not keep the wicked alive.”
40 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.
41 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the righteous) has been repeated from the first part of the verse for clarity.
42 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.
43 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.
44 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.
45 tn Heb “their work.”
46 tn The idiom once again is “he uncovers their ear.”
47 tn The revelation is in the preceding verse, and so a pronoun must be added to make the reference clear.
48 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.
49 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.
50 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).
51 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.
52 tn Heb “they put anger.” This is usually interpreted to mean they lay up anger, or put anger in their hearts.
53 tn The text expresses this with “their soul dies.”
54 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).
55 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.
56 tn Heb “his.”
57 tn Heb “he uncovers their ear.”
58 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).
59 tn Heb “a broad place where there is no cramping beneath [or under] it.”
60 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).
61 tn Heb “filled with fat.”
62 tn The first expression is idiomatic: the text says, “because wrath lest it entice you” – thus, beware.
63 tn The word is כֹּפֶר (kofer), often translated “ransom,” but frequently in the sense of a bribe.
64 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.
65 tn This part has only two words לֹא בְצָר (lo’ bÿtsar, “not in distress”). The negated phrase serves to explain the first colon.
66 tc For the many suggestions and the reasoning here, see the commentaries.
67 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.”
68 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.”
69 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).
70 tn The expression is “that you extol,” serving as an object of the verb.
71 tn The last part has the verbal construction, “and we do not know.” This clause is to be used adverbially: “beyond our understanding.”
72 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.”
73 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.
74 tn Heb “his booth.”
75 tn The word actually means “to spread,” but with lightning as the object, “to scatter” appears to fit the context better.
76 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.
77 tn Heb “roots.”
78 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.).
79 tn R. Gordis (Job, 422) prefers to link this word with the later Hebrew word for “arch,” not “hands.”
80 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.
81 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.
82 tn The imperative is followed by the infinitive absolute from the same root to express the intensity of the verb.
83 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).
84 tn Heb “wings,” and then figuratively for the extremities of garments, of land, etc.
85 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.
86 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.
87 tn Heb “and we do not know.”
88 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.”
89 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
90 tn Heb “Be strong.”
91 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.
92 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.
93 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].”
94 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.
95 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.
96 tn The words “the clouds” are supplied from v. 11; the sentence itself actually starts: “and it goes round,” referring to the cloud.
97 tn Heb “that it may do.”
98 tn Heb “rod,” i.e., a rod used for punishment.
99 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.
100 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.
101 tn Dhorme reads this “and how his stormcloud makes lightning to flash forth?”
102 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).
103 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.
104 tn The imperfect verb here carries the obligatory nuance, “what we should say?”
105 tn The verb means “to arrange; to set in order.” From the context the idea of a legal case is included.
106 tn This imperfect works well as a desiderative imperfect.
107 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.
108 tn The verb has an indefinite subject, and so should be a passive here.
109 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.
110 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.
111 tn The name “Almighty” is here a casus pendens, isolating the name at the front of the sentence and resuming it with a pronoun.
112 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.”
113 sn The phrase “wise of heart” was used in Job 9:4 in a negative sense.
