1 sn “These things” refers to the affliction that God had brought on Job. They were concealed by God from the beginning.
2 sn The meaning of the line is that this was God’s purpose all along. “These things” and “this” refer to the details that will now be given in the next few verses.
3 sn The contradiction between how God had provided for and cared for Job’s life and how he was now dealing with him could only be resolved by Job with the supposition that God had planned this severe treatment from the first as part of his plan.
4 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).
5 tn Some would render this “teaches us by the beasts.” But Elihu is stressing the unique privilege humans have.
