Job 5:17

“Therefore, ¹  blessed ²  is the man whom God corrects, ³  so do not despise the discipline ⁴  of the Almighty. ⁵ 

"Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

"Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

"But consider the joy of those corrected by God! Do not despise the chastening of the Almighty when you sin.

"So, what a blessing when God steps in and corrects you! Mind you, don't despise the discipline of Almighty God!

Truly, that man is happy who has training from the hand of God: so do not let your heart be shut to the teaching of the Ruler of all.

"How happy is the one whom God reproves; therefore do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.

"Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.

“Therefore, ¹  blessed ²  is the man whom God corrects, ³  so do not despise the discipline ⁴  of the Almighty. ⁵ 

¹ tn The particle “therefore” links this section to the preceding; it points this out as the logical consequence of the previous discussion, and more generally, as the essence of Job’s suffering.

² tn The word אַשְׁרֵי (’ashre, “blessed”) is often rendered “happy.” But “happy” relates to what happens. “Blessed” is a reference to the heavenly bliss of the one who is right with God.

³ tn The construction is an implied relative clause. The literal rendering would simply be “the man God corrects him.” The suffix on the verb is a resumptive pronoun, completing the use of the relative clause. The verb יָכַח (yakhakh) is a legal term; it always has some sense of a charge, dispute, or conflict. Its usages show that it may describe a strife breaking out, a charge or quarrel in progress, or the settling of a dispute (Isa 1:18). The derived noun can mean “reproach; recrimination; charge” (13:6; 23:4). Here the emphasis is on the consequence of the charge brought, namely, the correction.

⁴ tn The noun מוּסַר (musar) is parallel to the idea of the first colon. It means “discipline, correction” (from יָסַר, yasar). Prov 3:11 says almost the same thing as this line.

⁵ sn The name Shaddai occurs 31 times in the book. This is its first occurrence. It is often rendered “Almighty” because of the LXX and some of the early fathers. The etymology and meaning of the word otherwise remains uncertain, in spite of attempts to connect it to “mountains” or “breasts.”