Job 36

Elihu also continued, and said,

“Bear with me a little, and I will show you; for I still have something to say on God’s behalf.

I will get my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

For truly my words are not false. One who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

“Behold, God is mighty, and doesn’t despise anyone. He is mighty in strength of understanding.

He doesn’t preserve the life of the wicked, but gives justice to the afflicted.

He doesn’t withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne, he sets them forever, and they are exalted.

If they are bound in fetters, and are taken in the cords of afflictions,

then he shows them their work, and their transgressions, that they have behaved themselves proudly.

He also opens their ears to instruction, and commands that they return from iniquity.

If they listen and serve him, they will spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.

But if they don’t listen, they will perish by the sword; they will die without knowledge.

“But those who are godless in heart lay up anger. They don’t cry for help when he binds them.

They die in youth. Their life perishes among the unclean.

He delivers the afflicted by their affliction, and opens their ear in oppression.

Yes, he would have allured you out of distress, into a wide place, where there is no restriction. That which is set on your table would be full of fatness.

“But you are full of the judgment of the wicked. Judgment and justice take hold of you.

Don’t let riches entice you to wrath, neither let the great size of a bribe turn you aside.

Would your wealth sustain you in distress, or all the might of your strength?

Don’t desire the night, when people are cut off in their place.

Take heed, don’t regard iniquity; for you have chosen this rather than affliction.

Behold, God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?

Who has prescribed his way for him? Or who can say, ‘You have committed unrighteousness’?

“Remember that you magnify his work, about which men have sung.

All men have looked on it. Man sees it afar off.

Behold, God is great, and we don’t know him. The number of his years is unsearchable.

For he draws up the drops of water, which distill in rain from his vapor,

which the skies pour down and which drop on man abundantly.

Indeed, can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds and the thunderings of his pavilion?

Behold, he spreads his light around him. He covers the bottom of the sea.

For by these he judges the people. He gives food in abundance.

He covers his hands with the lightning, and commands it to strike the mark.

Its noise tells about him, and the livestock also, concerning the storm that comes up.

Chapter overviewAI-generated

Overview.
This chapter presents Elihu’s continuation of his discourse, emphasizing God’s sovereign justice, wisdom, and power in ordering human affairs and nature. He portrays God as one who uses affliction to instruct and deliver the humble, while warning the unrepentant of judgment. The chapter blends theological reflection with observations of the natural world as evidence of divine authority and care.

Flow.

Elihu calls for attention, asserting that his words come from divine insight and aim to uphold God’s righteousness (vv. 1–4).
He describes God’s justice in human affairs: judging the wicked, sustaining the righteous, and using suffering to bring about repentance (vv. 5–12).
He contrasts the fate of the obedient and disobedient, then turns to Job directly, warning him against clinging to wealth or rejecting correction (vv. 13–21).
Finally, he extols God’s incomparable greatness in creation—particularly in weather and storm—as signs of his sovereign rule and wisdom (vv. 22–33).

Connections.
Following chapter 35, in which Elihu argues that God is beyond human fairness claims and often uses suffering to awaken souls, chapter 36 strengthens this view by framing affliction as purposeful and pedagogical. Elihu deepens the connection between God’s moral governance and his revelation in nature, a theme that prepares for chapter 37, where divine majesty in the storm becomes a prelude to God’s self-revelation in chapters 38–41. The movement from moral order to cosmic rule sets the stage for the Lord’s imminent address.

What it teaches.
God governs the world with perfect justice and knowledge, using trials not merely as punishment but as means of instruction and deliverance for the afflicted who will listen (WCF 5.7). He is sovereign over both human destiny and natural phenomena, revealing his wisdom and power in the order of creation (WCF 4.1, BC 13). Elihu underscores that no person can compel God to justify his ways, for he acts without error and cannot be charged with injustice (WCF 3.5). His discipline aims at restoration, but rejection leads to destruction, reflecting the Reformed understanding of divine providence and human responsibility (HC LD 10).

Apply.
Affliction may be God’s means of drawing attention to hidden pride, calling for openness to correction rather than defense of self.

AI-generated. Not a substitute for Scripture, your pastor, or the confessions.