Job 33:8-12

Elihu Rejects Job’s Plea of Innocence

33:8 “Indeed, you have said in my hearing ¹ 

(I heard the sound of the words!):

33:9 ² ‘I am pure, without transgression;

I am clean ³  and have no iniquity.

33:10 ⁴ Yet God ⁵  finds occasions ⁶  with me;

he regards me as his enemy!

33:11 ⁷ He puts my feet in shackles;

he watches closely all my paths.’

33:12 Now in this, you are not right – I answer you, ⁸ 

for God is greater than a human being. ⁹ 

Job 42:3-6

42:3 you asked, ¹⁰ 

‘Who is this who darkens counsel

without knowledge?’

But ¹¹  I have declared without understanding ¹² 

things too wonderful for me to know. ¹³ 

42:4 You said, ¹⁴ 

‘Pay attention, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you will answer me.’

42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye has seen you. ¹⁵ 

42:6 Therefore I despise myself, ¹⁶ 

and I repent in dust and ashes!

[33:8]  ¹ tn Heb “in my ears.”

[33:9]  ² sn See Job 9:21; 10:7; 23:7; 27:4; ch. 31.

[33:9]  ³ tn The word is a hapax legomenon; hap is from חָפַף (khafaf). It is used in New Hebrew in expressions like “to wash” the head. Cognates in Syriac and Akkadian support the meaning “to wash; to clean.”

[33:10]  ⁴ sn See Job 10:13ff.; 19:6ff.; and 13:24.

[33:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:10]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew means “frustrations” or “oppositions.” The RSV has “displeasure,” NIV “faults,” and NRSV “occasions.” Rashi chose the word found in Judg 14:4 – with metathesis – meaning “pretexts” (תֹּאֲנוֹת, to’anot); this is followed by NAB, NASB.

[33:11]  ⁷ sn See Job 13:27.

[33:12]  ⁸ tn The meaning of this verb is “this is my answer to you.”

[33:12]  ⁹ tc The LXX has “he that is above men is eternal.” Elihu is saying that God is far above Job’s petty problems.

[42:3]  ¹⁰ tn The expression “you asked” is added here to clarify the presence of the line to follow. Many commentators delete it as a gloss from Job 38:2. If it is retained, then Job has to be recalling God’s question before he answers it.

[42:3]  ¹¹ tn The word לָכֵן (lakhen) is simply “but,” as in Job 31:37.

[42:3]  ¹² tn Heb “and I do not understand.” The expression serves here in an adverbial capacity. It also could be subordinated as a complement: “I have declared [things that] I do not understand.”

[42:3]  ¹³ tn The last clause is “and I do not know.” This is also subordinated to become a dependent clause.

[42:4]  ¹⁴ tn This phrase, “you said,” is supplied in the translation to introduce the recollection of God’s words.

[42:5]  ¹⁵ sn This statement does not imply there was a vision. He is simply saying that this experience of God was real and personal. In the past his knowledge of God was what he had heard – hearsay. This was real.

[42:6]  ¹⁶ tn Or “despise what I said.” There is no object on the verb; Job could be despising himself or the things he said (see L. J. Kuyper, “Repentance of Job,” VT 9 [1959]: 91-94).