36:8 But if they are bound in chains, 1
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
36:9 then he reveals 2 to them what they have done, 3
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
36:10 And he reveals 4 this 5 for correction,
and says that they must turn 6 from evil.
36:11 If they obey and serve him,
they live out their days in prosperity
and their years in pleasantness. 7
1 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.
2 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.
3 tn Heb “their work.”
4 tn The idiom once again is “he uncovers their ear.”
5 tn The revelation is in the preceding verse, and so a pronoun must be added to make the reference clear.
6 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.
7 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.