36:7 He does not take his eyes 1 off the righteous;
but with kings on the throne
he seats the righteous 2 and exalts them forever. 3
36:8 But if they are bound in chains, 4
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
36:9 then he reveals 5 to them what they have done, 6
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
36:10 And he reveals 7 this 8 for correction,
and says that they must turn 9 from evil.
36:11 If they obey and serve him,
they live out their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness. 10
36:12 But if they refuse to listen,
they pass over the river of death, 11
and expire without knowledge.
36:13 The godless at heart 12 nourish anger, 13
they do not cry out even when he binds them.
36:14 They die 14 in their youth,
and their life ends among the male cultic prostitutes. 15
36:15 He delivers the afflicted by 16 their 17 afflictions,
he reveals himself to them 18 by their suffering.
36:16 And surely, he drew you 19 from the mouth of distress,
to a wide place, unrestricted, 20
and to the comfort 21 of your table
filled with rich food. 22
1 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.
2 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the righteous) has been repeated from the first part of the verse for clarity.
3 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.
4 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.
7 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.
8 tn Heb “their work.”
10 tn The idiom once again is “he uncovers their ear.”
11 tn The revelation is in the preceding verse, and so a pronoun must be added to make the reference clear.
12 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.
13 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.
16 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).
19 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.
20 tn Heb “they put anger.” This is usually interpreted to mean they lay up anger, or put anger in their hearts.
22 tn The text expresses this with “their soul dies.”
23 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).
25 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.
26 tn Heb “his.”
27 tn Heb “he uncovers their ear.”
28 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).
29 tn Heb “a broad place where there is no cramping beneath [or under] it.”
30 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).
31 tn Heb “filled with fat.”