Job 34:32 · Bible study
Job 34:32 Commentary: A Prayer for Hidden Sins to Be Revealed
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Elihu’s counsel: a repentant prayer asking God to teach unseen faults. Explore its meaning for suffering, humility, and turning from sin.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A prayer of humble repentance, acknowledging hidden sin and resolving to turn from it with God’s help.
- Key words: ‘Teach me’ (hōrēnī, imperative of yārâ), ‘see’ (chāzâ, perceive), ‘iniquity’ (ʿāvel, unrighteousness), ‘do no more’ (’ōsîp, Hiphil imperfect of yāsaph, to add).
- Main debate: Whether this prayer is an accusation against Job (you must have hidden sin) or a general model for the afflicted (Barnes, Gill).
- Theological theme: Human finitude and dependence on divine revelation for self-knowledge leading to repentance.
- Best use: A penitential prayer for those who want to examine themselves honestly before God, especially in times of trial.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Teach me what I cannot see; if I have done wrong, I will not do it again.’
WEB World English Bible 2000
Teach me that which I don’t see. If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’?
KJV King James Version 1769
That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
That which I see not teach thou me: If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Besides that which I see, shew Thou me, If iniquity I have done--I do not add?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
What I see not, teach thou me; if I have done wrong, I will do so no more?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
If I have erred, teach thou me: if I have spoken iniquity, I will add no more.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Enséñame tú lo que yo no veo: que si hice mal, no lo haré más.
Ensina-me o que não vejo; se fiz alguma maldade, nunca mais a farei?
Montre-moi ce que je ne vois pas;
Habe ich's nicht getroffen, so lehre du mich' s besser; habe ich Unrecht gehandelt, ich will's nicht mehr tun.”
Behalve wat ik zie, leer Gij mij; heb ik onrecht gewrocht, ik zal het niet meer doen.
mostrami tu quel che non so vedere; se ho agito perversamente, non lo farò più”?
Nadto jeźlibym czego nie baczył, ty mię naucz; jeźlim nieprawość popełnił, nie uczynię tego więcej.
А чего я не знаю, Ты научи меня; и если я сделал беззаконие, больше не буду.
我所看 不明的，求你 指教我；我若 作了 孽，必不 再作？
...
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Job 34:32
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions read this verse as a model of humble repentance. Barnes describes it as ‘language becoming every one who is afflicted’ who does not see the reason for their trial. Gill understands the request ‘teach me what I see not’ as a plea for God to point out hidden sins, especially those causing discipline. The resolve ‘if I have done iniquity, I will do no more’ is, for Gill, a sincere repentance from ‘capital crimes’ while acknowledging ongoing infirmity. Matthew Henry sees Elihu putting ‘better words’ into Job’s mouth, directing him to accept chastisement. All agree the verse presents the proper posture before God: admitting limited sight, asking for instruction, and promising amendment. The shared conviction is that this prayer belongs in every sufferer’s lips.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse expresses a sincere request for divine teaching about unknown sin and a commitment to forsake it, regardless of whether Job is guilty.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| The prayer’s function in Elihu’s speech | It presents a proper human response to God when suffering: humility, confession, and resolve to change. | Some see it as a direct charge that Job has committed hidden sins (Gill, Matthew Henry), while others view it as a general lesson about the posture all afflicted people should adopt (Barnes). |
| The meaning of ‘I will do no more’ | It expresses a commitment to stop sinning if sin has been committed. | The verse ends with a question mark in several translations (WEB, YLT), opening the possibility that the prayer is hesitant or ironic. Most commentators read it as a firm resolve. |
| Applicability to Job | Elihu intends the prayer to be relevant to Job’s situation. | Is the prayer appropriate given Job’s earlier claim of innocence? The friends have pressed for specific sin; Elihu concedes the possibility but insists on humility. Matthew Henry says Elihu ‘puts better words into his mouth.’ Others see it as a misdiagnosis of Job’s suffering. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Elihu speaks in Job 32, 37 as a younger friend who has waited before speaking. He claims to speak from God’s Spirit (Job 32:8) and offers a perspective the other friends missed: suffering can be a divine discipline meant to instruct and purify. In Job 34, Elihu defends God’s absolute justice, insisting that God cannot do wrong and that Job’s complaints are groundless.
The cultural context includes the widespread belief in divine retribution: all suffering was assumed to be caused by sin, often unknown to the sufferer. Psalms like 19:12 and 139:23, 24 reflect this concern with ‘hidden errors.’ Elihu places on Job’s lips a prayer that fits this worldview: admitting that one does not see all one’s faults and asking God to reveal them. The phrase ‘teach me’ (hōrēnī) echoes the prayer of Psalm 25:4, 5, where the psalmist asks God to show his ways.
The literary context of Job 34 is crucial. Elihu has just described God’s sovereignty: he gives quietness, he hides his face, and no one can challenge him (vv.29, 30). Then he introduces the hypothetical prayer of one who acknowledges having borne chastisement (v.31). Verse 32 follows as the petition proper: ‘teaching me what I do not see’ and vowing to repent. Elihu is not necessarily accusing Job of specific hidden sins, but insisting that the correct response to suffering is humility and openness to correction, not self-justification.
Textual Notes
Reception History
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Acknowledging our blindness. ‘Teach me that which I don’t see.’ We are limited in our self-knowledge. Even the faithful have blind spots.
- Asking God to teach. Only God can reveal what we cannot perceive about ourselves. This is an act of trust and submission.
- Resolving to change. ‘If I have done iniquity, I will do it no more.’ The prayer includes a concrete decision to turn from sin.
Five-point outline
- Admitting that I do not know all my faults
- Recognizing that God alone can reveal them
- Humbly asking for that revelation
- Holding my life open to correction
- Committing to repentance as the goal of suffering
Illustration hooks
- A driver’s blind spot: you cannot see the car beside you, but you trust the mirror. God’s Word acts like that mirror for our hidden sins.
- A doctor who runs tests a patient did not ask for, discovering an early disease. Suffering can be that diagnostic tool.
- A friend who points out a pattern of behavior you had not noticed. Elihu is that friend for Job.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How can I know if there are hidden sins in my life that need repenting of?
- Is every trial a sign that God is showing me something wrong?
- What does it mean to pray ‘teach me’ when I feel defensively innocent?
Leading a Discussion
This verse, placed on Job’s lips by Elihu, models the posture of humble teachability before God. It invites the sufferer to consider that suffering may reveal truths about themselves they would not otherwise see.
Discussion questions
- What does Elihu want Job to say in this verse? Read Job 34:31, 32 together.
- Why do you think Elihu frames this as a prayer rather than an accusation?
- What does the request ‘teach me what I do not see’ assume about our ability to know our own sin?
- Psalm 19:12 asks, ‘Who can discern his errors?’ How does Job 34:32 answer that question?
- In what situations do you find it hardest to ask God to show you your hidden faults?
- How does the promise ‘I will do it no more’ demonstrate true repentance?
- How might this verse shape the way we pray during times of trial or suffering?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 10:2 | I will tell God, ‘Do not condemn me. Show me why you contend with me. |
| Job 33:27 | He sings before men, and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it didn’t profit me. |
| Job 35:11 | who teaches us more than the animals of the earth, and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’ |
| Psalms 19:12 | Who can discern his errors? Forgive me from hidden errors. |
| Psalms 25:4 | Show me your ways, Yahweh. Teach me your paths. |
| Psalms 25:5 | Guide me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation. I wait for you all day long. |
| Psalms 32:8 | I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you shall go. I will counsel you with my eye on you. |
| Psalms 139:23 | Search me, God, and know my heart. Try me, and know my thoughts. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the phrase refers to things the person does not yet understand. He says the speaker asks God to show him what he does not know and to tell him where he has sinned so he can stop it.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that when afflicted, a person should not complain or accuse God but pray for God to reveal the hidden sins that brought the trial. This humble admission of possible error, expressed in the prayer to show what he does not see, puts him in a state to truly benefit from his suffering.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the word he appears twice in these verses to show emphasis. It also points out that the speaker asks God to teach things he cannot see if he has sinned.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note reads this as a prayer of humble submission: if the speaker is blind to his own sin, he asks God to open his eyes. And if he has indeed done wrong, he pledges to stop immediately. It is the language of one who trusts God's correction over his own judgment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill suggests two possible meanings for the prayer "teach me what I see not": either understanding God's hidden purposes in affliction, or recognizing secret sins that have escaped notice. He also clarifies the conditional confession refers only to a deliberate, serious offense, not everyday weaknesses, since no one lives without sin.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
Jamieson Fausset Brown notes that Christians have understood this passage to mean God knows every detail of a person’s life. They also hold that such knowledge leads people to fear the Lord. You may find hope in the resurrection.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil and Delitzsch note that when God brings peace after punishing the wicked, no one can condemn Him because his justice becomes clear. If he hides his face in anger, no one can see him.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry notes that Elihu advises Job to admit he spoke unwise words instead of insisting he was right. He believes Job should humble himself before God for his sins and accept the punishment he has already suffered.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that even the sins we cannot detect ourselves need to be brought to light by God. His focus is on the limitation of human self-awareness: we need God to actively show us the faults we fail to see, not just forgive the ones we confess.