Job 34:31

ADMIT YOU ARE A DIRTY SINNER; OR DIE!

In these final verses of the chapter, in spite of several of them being very obscure, or even unintelligible, it is clear enough that Elihu's prescription for Job is simple enough: "Either admit your wickedness, or we hope God will punish you to death." It is quite obvious that in Elihu, Satan played his last card against Job, ... AND LOST!

"For hath any said unto God, I have borne chastisement,

I will not offend anymore:

That which I see not, teach thou me:

I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?

Shall his recompense be as thou wilt, that thou refuseth it?

For thou must choose, and not I:

Therefore speak what thou knowest.

Men of understanding will say unto me,

Yea, every wise man that heareth me:

Job speaketh without knowledge,

And his words are without wisdom.

Would that Job were tried unto the end,

Because of his answering like wicked men.

For he addeth rebellion unto his sin;

He clappeth his hands among us,

And multiplieth his words against God."

" Job 34:28-33 are replete with difficulty, and the LXX omitted them entirely."[23] Also, Driver noted that, "These verses, as a whole, are unintelligible, or at least very ambiguous; and, in view of the extreme uncertainty of the remainder, insoluble."[24]

Taking our text as it stands in our version, it teaches that Elihu blasts Job: "because he has not admitted his sin" (Job 34:31-32); and also because he has not allowed his friends to prescribe his punishment, but has insisted on refusing it (Job 34:33). Elihu in Job 34:34 moves to rally the whole community (that assembly of onlookers flattered by Elihu as `wise men') against Job, calling upon them to approve his verdict that Job is not only a terrible sinner but an ignoramus also (Job 34:34-35).

"Would that Job were tried to the end" (Job 34:36), Elihu by this is calling on the assembly to ratify his verdict that Job must either confess his wickedness, or they favor God's putting him to death. He even gave three reasons to support his appeal: (1) Job answers like a wicked man (Job 34:36); (2) he has added rebellion against God to his sin (Job 34:37); and (3) he multiplies his words against God (Job 34:37).

With the whole community coming together under Elihu's extremely bitter and antagonistic speech, and presumably favoring Elihu's evil accusations against Job, we may well presume that the greatest pressure that Satan could possibly have brought against Job reached its climax in this vituperative, disgusting, egotistical and satanic assault upon Job's integrity. We praise God that Job found the grace to sit in silent contempt and repudiation of his evil speech, not deigning to take the slightest notice of it.