said, e.g., Job 10:13-17; and Job 33:10 are his own words, Job 13:24, ותחשׁבני לאויב לך; Job 19:11, ויחשׁבני לו כצריו; Job 30:21, תהפך לאכזר לי. In like manner, Job 33:11 is a verbatim quotation from Job 13:27; ישׁם is poetic contracted fut. for ישׂים rof .. It is a principal trait of Job's speeches which Elihu here makes prominent: his maintenance of his own righteousness at the expense of the divine justice. In Job 33:12 he first of all refutes this צשּׁק נפשׁו מאלהים in general. The verb צדק does not here signify to be righteous, but to be in the right (as Job 11:2; Job 13:18) - the prevailing signification in Arabic (sadaqa, to speak the truth, be truthful). זאת (with Munach, not Dechâ) is acc. adv.: herein, in this case, comp. on Job 19:26. רבה מן is like Deu 14:24 (of the length of the way exceeding any one's strength), but used, as nowhere else, of God's superhuman greatness; the Arabic version has the preposition Arab. ‛an in this instance for מן. God is too exalted to enter into a defence of Himself against such vainglorying interwoven with accusations against Him. And for this reason Elihu will enter the lists for God.

Verses 13-18

Job 33:13-18 13 Why hast thou contended against Him,
That He answereth not concerning all His doings? 14 Yet no-in one way God speaketh,
And in two, only one perceiveth it not. 15 In the dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falleth upon men,
In slumberings upon the bed: 16 Then He openeth the ear of men,
And sealeth admonition for them, 17 That He may withdraw man from mischief,
And hide pride from man; 18 That He may keep back his soul from the pit,
And his life from the overthrow of the sword.