Discovery BoxJob 36:3 
Context36:3 With my knowledge I will speak comprehensively, 1
and to my Creator I will ascribe righteousness. 2
Job 36:8-13
Context36:8 But if they are bound in chains, 3
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
36:9 then he reveals 4 to them what they have done, 5
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
36:10 And he reveals 6 this 7 for correction,
and says that they must turn 8 from evil.
36:11 If they obey and serve him,
they live out their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness. 9
36:12 But if they refuse to listen,
they pass over the river of death, 10
and expire without knowledge.
36:13 The godless at heart 11 nourish anger, 12
they do not cry out even when he binds them.
1 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.
2 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.”
3 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.
4 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.
5 tn Heb “their work.”
6 tn The idiom once again is “he uncovers their ear.”
7 tn The revelation is in the preceding verse, and so a pronoun must be added to make the reference clear.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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).
11 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.
12 tn Heb “they put anger.” This is usually interpreted to mean they lay up anger, or put anger in their hearts.
