Job 33:24-33

33:24 and if ¹  God ²  is gracious to him and says,

‘Spare ³  him from going down

to the place of corruption,

I have found a ransom for him,’ ⁴ 

33:25 then his flesh is restored ⁵  like a youth’s;

he returns to the days of his youthful vigor. ⁶ 

33:26 He entreats God, and God ⁷  delights in him,

he sees God’s face ⁸  with rejoicing,

and God ⁹  restores to him his righteousness. ¹⁰ 

33:27 That person sings ¹¹  to others, ¹²  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ¹³ 

33:28 He redeemed my life ¹⁴ 

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Elihu’s Appeal to Job ¹⁵ 

33:29 “Indeed, God does all these things,

twice, three times, in his dealings ¹⁶  with a person,

33:30 to turn back his life from the place of corruption,

that he may be enlightened with the light of life.

33:31 Pay attention, Job – listen to me;

be silent, and I will speak.

33:32 If you have any words, ¹⁷  reply to me;

speak, for I want to justify you. ¹⁸ 

33:33 If not, you listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

[33:24]  ¹ tn This verse seems to continue the protasis begun in the last verse, with the apodosis coming in the next verse.

[33:24]  ² tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:24]  ³ tc The verb is either taken as an anomalous form of פָּדַע (pada’, “to rescue; to redeem,” or “to exempt him”), or it is emended to some similar word, like פָּרַע (para’, “to let loose,” so Wright).

[33:24]  ⁴ sn This verse and v. 28 should be compared with Ps 49:7-9, 15 (8-10, 16 HT) where the same basic vocabulary and concepts are employed.

[33:25]  ⁵ tc The word רֻטֲפַשׁ (rutafash) is found nowhere else. One suggestion is that it should be יִרְטַב (yirtav, “to become fresh”), connected to רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered [or moist]”). It is also possible that it was a combination of רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered”) and טָפַשׁ (tafash, “to grow fat”). But these are all guesses in the commentaries.

[33:25]  ⁶ tn The word describes the period when the man is healthy and vigorous, ripe for what life brings his way.

[33:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:26]  ⁸ tn Heb “his face”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:26]  ⁹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:26]  ¹⁰ tc Many commentators think this line is superfluous and so delete it. The RSV changed the verb to “he recounts,” making the idea that the man publishes the news of his victory or salvation (taking “righteousness” as a metonymy of cause).

[33:27]  ¹¹ tc The verb יָשֹׁר (yashor) is unusual. The typical view is to change it to יָשִׁיר (yashir, “he sings”), but that may seem out of harmony with a confession. Dhorme suggests a root שׁוּר (shur, “to repeat”), but this is a doubtful root. J. Reider reads it יָשֵׁיר (yasher) and links it to an Arabic word “confesses” (ZAW 24 [1953]: 275).

[33:27]  ¹² tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ¹³ tn The verb שָׁוָה (shavah) has the impersonal meaning here, “it has not been requited to me.” The meaning is that the sinner has not been treated in accordance with his deeds: “I was not punished according to what I deserved.”

[33:28]  ¹⁴ sn See note on “him” in v. 24.

[33:29]  ¹⁵ sn Elihu will repeat these instructions for Job to listen, over and over in painful repetition. See note on the heading to 32:1.

[33:29]  ¹⁶ tn The phrase “in his dealings” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[33:32]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “if there are words.”

[33:32]  ¹⁸ tn The infinitive construct serves as the complement or object of “I desire.” It could be rendered “to justify you” or “your justification, “namely, “that you be justified.”