Job 36:7-9 New English Translation
7 He does not take his eyes[a] off the righteous;
but with kings on the throne
he seats the righteous[b] and exalts them forever.[c]
8 But if they are bound in chains,[d]
and held captive by the cords of affliction,
9 then he reveals[e] to them what they have done,[f]
and their transgressions,
that they were behaving proudly.
Footnotes
- Job 36:7 tc Many commentators accept the change of “his eyes” to “his right” (reading דִּינוֹ [dino] for עֵינָיו [ʿenayv]). There is no compelling reason for the change; it makes the line commonplace.
- Job 36:7 tn Heb “them”; the referent (the righteous) has been repeated from the first part of the verse for clarity.
- Job 36:7 tn Heb “he seats them forever and exalts them.” The last verb can be understood as expressing a logical consequence of the preceding action (cf. GKC 328 §111.l = “he seats them forever so that he exalts them”). Or the two verbs can be taken as an adverbial hendiadys whereby the first modifies the second adverbially: “he exalts them by seating them forever” or “when he seats them forever” (cf. GKC 326 §111.d). Some interpret this verse to say that God seats kings on the throne, making a change in subject in the middle of the verse. But it makes better sense to see the righteous as the subject matter throughout—they are not only protected, but are exalted.
- Job 36:8 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.
- Job 36:9 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.
- Job 36:9 tn Heb “their work.”
New English Translation (NET)
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