Job 34:31

“Surely it is meet to be said unto God, etc.] By any afflicted person under his chastising hand, and particularly by Job, for whom the advice and instructions in this verse and (<183432>Job 34:32) are designed: I have borne [chastisement]; the word “chastisement” is not in the text, but is very properly supplied, as it is by Jarchi and others; the affliction of God’s people is a fatherly chastisement, and should be considered and borne as such; and it becomes an afflicted good man to say, “I have borne and still do bear, and I am content yet to bear, the chastisement of the Lord; I am desirous to bear it willingly, cheerfully, and patiently, until he is pleased to remove it from me.” (see…”

“Job accordingly says so (Job 40:3-5; Mic 7:9; Lev 26:41). It was to lead him to this that Elihu was sent. Though no hypocrite, Job, like all, had sin; therefore through affliction he was to be brought to humble himself under God. All sorrow is a proof of the common heritage of sin, in which the godly shares; and therefore he ought to regard it as a merciful correction. UMBREIT and MAURER lose this by translating, as the Hebrew will bear, "Has any a right to say to God, I have borne chastisement and yet have not sinned?" (so Job 34:6). borne--namely, the penalty of sin, as in Lev 5:1, Lev 5:17. offend--literally, "to deal destructively or corruptly" (Neh 1:7).”

“Surely it is meet to be said unto God - It is evident that this verse commences a new strain of remark, and that it is designed particularly to bring Job to proper reflections in view of what had occurred. There has been, however, much diversity of opinion about the meaning of this and the following verses. Schultens enumerates no less than “fifteen” different interpretations which have been given of this verse. The “general” meaning seems to be, that a man who is afflicted ought to submit to God, and not to murmur or complain. He ought to suppose that there is some good reason for what God does, and to be resigned to his will, even where he cannot “see” the reason of his dispensations. The…”

“34:31 Why don’t people say? Elihu was indirectly asking, “Job, why won’t you admit it?””

“Job 33:27, Job 40:3-5, Job 42:6; Lev 26:41; Ezr 9:13, Ezr 9:14; Neh 9:33-38; Jer 31:18, Jer 31:19; Dan 9:7-14; Mic 7:9 Job 34:32”