Job 33:26-33

33:26 He entreats God, and God ¹  delights in him,

he sees God’s face ²  with rejoicing,

and God ³  restores to him his righteousness. ⁴ 

33:27 That person sings ⁵  to others, ⁶  saying:

‘I have sinned and falsified what is right,

but I was not punished according to what I deserved. ⁷ 

33:28 He redeemed my life ⁸ 

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Elihu’s Appeal to Job ⁹ 

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

twice, three times, in his dealings ¹⁰  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, ¹¹  reply to me;

speak, for I want to justify you. ¹² 

33:33 If not, you listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

[33:26]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:26]  ² tn Heb “his face”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:26]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:26]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Heb “to men.”

[33:27]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ sn See note on “him” in v. 24.

[33:29]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn The phrase “in his dealings” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation for clarification.

[33:32]  ¹¹ tn Heb “if there are words.”

[33:32]  ¹² 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.”