Job 33:27
He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
Study Note
Study Note
Elihu's portrait of divine restoration — 'he looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; he will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light' — presents confession as the key to divine mercy. The willingness to say 'it profited me not' is an admission that sin's supposed advantage has been exposed as illusory, echoing the prodigal's 'I perish with hunger' (Luke 15:17) as the moment of truth that enables return. The immediate divine response — 'he will deliver his soul from going into the pit' — presents divine mercy as attentive and responsive to the minimal movement of honest self-assessment. 1 John 1:9's 'if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins' and Proverbs 28:13's 'whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy' provide canonical parallels to this Elihan insight.
Other Translations
He singeth before men, and saith, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, And it profited me not:
He looketh on men, and saith, `I sinned, And uprightness I have perverted, And it hath not been profitable to me.
He makes a song, saying, I did wrong, turning from the straight way, but he did not give me the reward of my sin.
Cross References
And Aaron said unto Moses, Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have …
For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the …
For he hath said, It profiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.
I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as …
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.
For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his goings.
Surely after that I was turned, I repented; and after that I was instructed, I smote upon my thigh: I …
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself thus; Thou hast chastised me, and I was chastised, as a bullock unaccustomed …
Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill …