Job 34

Translator Notes

1. The standard speech-introduction formula. Elihu continues without any indication that Job has responded to the invitation of 33:32-33. Job's silence is itself significant — he does not rebut Elihu as he rebutted the three friends.

Translator Notes

1. Elihu broadens his audience: shim'u chakhamim ('hear, wise ones'). He is no longer addressing Job alone but appealing to a wider circle of sages — possibly the three friends, possibly a broader assembly, possibly a rhetorical audience. The yode'im ('those who know, the knowledgeable') in the parallel line forms a jury: Elihu wants his case judged by competent minds.

Translator Notes

1. This proverb appeared in Job 12:11 in Job's own mouth: 'Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food?' Elihu either borrows Job's saying or draws from a common wisdom tradition. By using Job's own proverb, Elihu implicitly invites Job to apply his own standard of discernment to what follows.

Translator Notes

1. The verb nivcharah ('let us choose') from bachar implies a deliberate, considered selection — not impulse but judgment. The mishpat ('justice, judgment, right ruling') is the object of choice: Elihu frames the discussion as a collective search for justice. The ned'ah beinenu mah tov ('let us know among ourselves what is good') invites communal discernment. Elihu positions himself not as a dictator of truth but as a participant in a shared inquiry.

Translator Notes

1. Elihu quotes Job's two-part claim: tsadaqti ('I am righteous') and El hesir mishpati ('God has removed my justice'). The first part echoes Job 27:6 ('I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go'). The second echoes Job 27:2 ('As God lives, who has taken away my justice'). Elihu accurately captures Job's position: I am innocent, and God has denied me the vindication I deserve.

Translator Notes

1. Elihu continues the quotation. The rhetorical question al mishpati akhazzev ('against my justice should I lie?') paraphrases Job's refusal to recant (27:4-5). The anush chitsi beli fasha ('my arrow-wound is incurable without transgression') captures Job's protest that his suffering (described as an arrow wound, echoing 6:4) has no cause in his behavior. Elihu presents the full force of Job's complaint before attempting to answer it.

Translator Notes

1. The image of drinking scorn like water recurs in Job 15:16 (Eliphaz: 'how much less one who drinks injustice like water'). Elihu may be consciously echoing Eliphaz while applying the image differently — not to humanity in general but to Job specifically. The shift from empathetic interlocutor (ch. 33) to accuser marks a tonal change in Elihu's rhetoric.

Translator Notes

1. The verb arach ('he travels, he journeys') le-chevrah ('for companionship') im po'alei aven ('with workers of iniquity') accuses Job of ideological companionship with the wicked — not that Job commits evil acts, but that his theology aligns him with those who deny God's justice. The parallel ve-lalekhet im anshei resha ('and to walk with men of wickedness') uses the metaphor of walking together, implying shared direction and shared conclusions. Elihu's argument: by saying 'God denies justice,' Job walks the same road as those who reject God entirely.

Translator Notes

1. The verb ratsah ('to be pleased with, to take delight in') here describes the human side of the relationship: taking pleasure in God, delighting in obedience. Elihu charges that Job has declared this delight worthless. The same question will be raised more subtly by the Adversary's original challenge in 1:9: 'Does Job fear God for nothing?' Elihu, without knowing it, is revisiting the book's foundational question.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The word chalilah derives from chalal ('to profane, to defile'). To say that God commits evil is to profane God — it violates the sacred nature of divinity itself. Elihu's argument is that Job's accusation is not merely incorrect but sacrilegious. This is stronger language than the friends used, but it rests on a different foundation: the friends accused Job of sin; Elihu accuses Job of theological error.

Translator Notes

1. The positive statement of divine justice: fo'al adam yeshallem lo ('a person's work he repays to him'). The verb shillem ('to repay, to complete, to make whole') implies exact correspondence between action and consequence. The parallel u-khe-orach ish yamtsi'ennu ('and according to a person's path he causes him to find') uses the metaphor of a road: the path you walk leads to the destination you reach. Elihu states retribution theology in its simplest form. The question, which Elihu does not fully address, is what to do when the evidence contradicts this principle — as it does in Job's case.

Translator Notes

1. The af omnam ('truly indeed, most certainly') is emphatic: El lo yarshi'a ('God does not act wickedly') uses the Hiphil of rasha — God does not cause wickedness, does not practice it, does not produce it. The parallel ve-Shaddai lo ye'avvet mishpat ('and the Almighty does not twist justice') uses the verb ivvet ('to twist, to pervert, to make crooked') — the same verb Bildad used in 8:3. Elihu and Bildad agree on this point, but Elihu will ground it differently: not in tradition but in cosmology.

Translator Notes

1. The verb paqad ('to appoint, to charge, to visit, to attend to') is rich with meaning — it can mean appointing someone to a task, visiting someone for judgment, or entrusting someone with responsibility. The rhetorical answer to both questions is 'no one' — God is self-appointed, self-authorized, and self-sustained.

Translator Notes

1. The pairing of ruach and neshamah echoes 33:4 and 32:8, creating a thematic chain: the spirit that gives Elihu authority to speak (32:8), that gives him life (33:4), could be withdrawn at any moment (34:14). Elihu's wisdom, his very existence, depends moment by moment on God's choice to sustain it.

Translator Notes

1. This is arguably the most theologically sophisticated moment in the Elihu speeches. The argument is not 'God is powerful and you should fear him' but 'God actively sustains all life by choice, and the continuation of existence is itself evidence of divine care.' This anticipates the theology of Paul in Acts 17:28 ('in him we live and move and have our being') and Colossians 1:17 ('in him all things hold together').

Translator Notes

1. Elihu pauses for emphasis: ve-im binah ('and if understanding') shim'ah zot ('hear this'). He is about to shift from cosmological argument to political theology — applying the principle of divine justice to the governance of nations and rulers. The ha'azinah le-qol millay ('give ear to the voice of my words') is a formal demand for attention, signaling that a new section of the argument begins.

Translator Notes

1. The word kabbir ('mighty, powerful, great') is rare, appearing mainly in Job. It describes God's overwhelming power combined with righteousness. Elihu's rhetorical question assumes that power and justice are inseparable in God — an assumption Job would challenge by pointing to his own experience.

Translator Notes

1. Elihu argues from lesser to greater: ha-amor le-melekh beliyya'al ('does one say to a king, worthless?'). Even human kings are not addressed with such contempt. The beliyya'al ('worthless, wicked, useless') is one of the harshest terms in Hebrew — it will later become a name for the ultimate adversary (Belial). If you would not say this to a human king, how much less to the divine King? The rasha el nedivim ('wicked to nobles') extends the point: you do not accuse rulers of wickedness to their faces. Job, in Elihu's view, has done exactly this to God.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase ma'aseh yadav ('the work of his hands') echoes Psalm 8:7 and Isaiah 64:7. Elihu's logic is: favoritism requires that some people matter more than others to the judge. But if the judge made all of them, no one has a prior claim on his attention. God's impartiality flows from his role as universal Creator.

Translator Notes

1. The verse describes divine judgment on the powerful: rega yamuthu ('in an instant they die') — death comes without warning. The va-chatsot lailah ('and at midnight') yigo'ashu am ('the people are shaken') echoes the tenth plague in Egypt (Exodus 12:29), when at midnight God struck down the firstborn. The ve-yasiru abbir lo ve-yad ('and they remove the mighty not by a hand') — the mighty are swept away without any visible human agency. God's justice operates directly, without intermediaries, without armies, without visible mechanism.

Translator Notes

1. The basis of divine judgment: ki einav al darkhei ish ('for his eyes are upon a person's ways'). God's vision is total — ve-khol tse'adav yireh ('and all his steps he sees'). Every movement, every decision, every path is observed. This answers Job's complaint that God is not paying attention (24:1): God sees everything. The question Job raises — then why does God not act? — is one Elihu addresses in the verses that follow.

Translator Notes

1. The ein choshekh ve-ein tsalmaveth ('there is no darkness and no death-shadow') lehissater sham po'alei aven ('for workers of iniquity to hide there'). The choshekh and tsalmaveth that Job invoked as a refuge (3:5, 10:21-22) are declared insufficient as hiding places from God. The verb hissater ('to hide oneself') from satar implies deliberate concealment — but no darkness is deep enough to escape God's vision. This counters Job's implicit suggestion that God cannot see what happens in the dark corners of the world.

Translator Notes

1. A difficult verse. The ki lo al ish yasim od ('for he does not place upon a person further') may mean: God does not need additional time or evidence to render judgment. The lahalokh el El ba-mishpat ('to go to God in judgment') suggests that the judicial process does not require prolonged investigation. God's knowledge is immediate and complete. The verse may also mean: God does not impose on anyone more than is right — he does not need to burden people with excessive scrutiny because he already knows everything.

Translator Notes

1. The verb yaro'a ('he shatters, he breaks') kabbirim ('mighty ones') lo cheqer ('without investigation, without limit') — God removes the powerful without needing a formal inquiry. His knowledge is already complete (v. 21). The parallel vayyaa'amed acherim tachtam ('and he stations others in their place') describes the replacement of rulers — one regime falls, another rises, all by divine action. This anticipates Daniel's theology of divine sovereignty over kingdoms.

Translator Notes

1. The laken yakkir ma'badeihem ('therefore he recognizes their works') — God's knowledge of human deeds is the basis for judgment. The ve-hafakh lailah ('and he overturns in the night') — the reversal comes suddenly, under cover of darkness, without warning. The ve-yiddakke'u ('and they are crushed') from daka ('to crush, to be pulverized') describes total destruction. Elihu's image of nighttime overthrow echoes the fall of Babylon (Isaiah 21:4, Daniel 5:30) and the Egyptian plague.

Translator Notes

1. The tachat resha'im ('in the place of wicked ones' or 'because of their wickedness') sefaqam ('he slaps them, he strikes them'). The verb safaq ('to slap, to strike, to clap') implies public humiliation — not secret judgment but open shaming. The bimqom ro'im ('in a place of observers, in the sight of onlookers') makes the judgment visible. God's justice, when it comes, is not hidden but public, serving as both punishment and warning.

Translator Notes

1. The reason for the public judgment: asher al ken saru me-acharav ('because they turned aside from after him') — they abandoned God's path. The ve-khol derakhav lo hiskilu ('and all his ways they did not consider') uses hiskil ('to consider, to understand, to act wisely') — they did not even attempt to understand God's requirements. Their sin was not mere failure but deliberate indifference.

Translator Notes

1. The tsa'aqah ('cry') is the Exodus word: when the oppressed cry out, God hears and acts. Elihu places God's justice in the framework of exodus theology: God is the liberator of the oppressed, and the oppressor's downfall is certain even if delayed.

Translator Notes

1. The verb yashqit ('he is quiet, he gives rest') from shaqat can mean both 'to be silent' and 'to give rest/peace.' Elihu may be saying: when God gives peace, who can make trouble? Or: when God is silent, who can condemn him? The ambiguity is likely intentional — both meanings are theologically valid.

Translator Notes

1. The purpose of divine intervention in governance: mi-melokh adam chanef ('from the reigning of a godless person'). God acts to prevent chanef ('godless, profane, hypocritical') rulers from holding power. The mi-moqeshei am ('from the snares of the people') — God prevents the population from being trapped by corrupt leadership. Elihu's political theology: God is active behind the scenes of human governance, removing tyrants and preventing the enslavement of the people.

Translator Notes

1. Elihu shifts to exhortation. The ki el El he-amar ('for to God has [anyone] said') nasati ('I have borne, I have carried') lo echbol ('I will not act corruptly') — this is the response Elihu thinks Job should give: an acknowledgment of suffering received and a commitment to further obedience. The verse is textually difficult; some read it as a statement ('surely one should say to God') and others as a question ('has anyone said to God?').

Translator Notes

1. The ideal response continues: bil'adei echezeh ('apart from what I see, beyond my sight') attah horeni ('you teach me'). The confession is: my vision is limited; show me what I cannot see on my own. The conditional im avel pa'alti ('if I have committed injustice') lo osif ('I will not continue') — if shown specific wrongdoing, the person commits to repentance. Elihu models the prayer Job should pray: one that acknowledges limited understanding and submits to divine instruction.

Translator Notes

1. This verse is among the most difficult in Job to translate. The Hebrew is compressed and ambiguous. The general sense is clear: Elihu challenges Job to either accept God's terms or articulate a better alternative. The phrase ve-lo ani ('and not I') distances Elihu from the decision — he is facilitator, not judge.

Translator Notes

1. Elihu appeals to his wider audience: anshei levav ('people of heart/understanding') yomeru li ('will say to me') — the wise will confirm his argument. The ve-gever chakham shome'a li ('and a wise man listening to me') reinforces the appeal: wisdom recognizes wisdom. Elihu is confident that competent judges will rule in his favor.

Translator Notes

1. The verdict Elihu expects from the wise: Iyov lo veda'at yedabber ('Job speaks not with knowledge'). The u-devarav lo vehaskeil ('and his words are not with understanding'). This is a blunt assessment, but it is also a quotation of what Elihu thinks the wise will say — he attributes the verdict to them rather than pronouncing it himself. The words lo veda'at ('without knowledge') will be echoed almost exactly by God in 38:2 ('who is this who darkens counsel with words without knowledge?'), suggesting that Elihu's diagnosis, if not his prescription, is correct.

Translator Notes

1. This is Elihu's harshest verse. The avi ('my father' or 'my wish, would that') yibbachen Iyov ('let Job be tested') ad netsach ('to the end, to the limit, forever') — Elihu wishes prolonged testing on Job. The al teshuvot be-anshei aven ('because of answers among men of wickedness') accuses Job of speaking like the wicked. This outburst has troubled commentators who see Elihu as a mediating figure — here he sounds more like the friends at their worst. Some scholars read avi as 'my father' (an invocation of God) rather than 'my wish,' softening it to a prayer rather than a curse.

Translator Notes

1. Elihu's closing accusation: ki yosif al chattato ('for he adds to his sin') fesha ('rebellion') — Job's initial suffering may not have been caused by sin, but his response to it (accusing God) compounds the problem. The beinenu yispoq ('among us he claps') — the clapping of hands is a gesture of mockery or contempt (Lamentations 2:15, Nahum 3:19). The ve-yerev amarav la-El ('and he multiplies his words against God') is the final charge: Job talks too much against God. Elihu ends his second speech on a note of frustration, having moved from empathetic engagement (ch. 33) to outright exasperation. His argument that God cannot be unjust is theologically sound; his characterization of Job's response as mockery and rebellion is less defensible.