Job 36:8
New International Version
But if people are bound in chains, held fast by cords of affliction,

New Living Translation
If they are bound in chains and caught up in a web of trouble,

English Standard Version
And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction,

Berean Standard Bible
And if men are bound with chains, caught in cords of affliction,

King James Bible
And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;

New King James Version
And if they are bound in fetters, Held in the cords of affliction,

New American Standard Bible
“And if they are bound in shackles, And are caught in the snares of misery,

NASB 1995
“And if they are bound in fetters, And are caught in the cords of affliction,

NASB 1977
“And if they are bound in fetters, And are caught in the cords of affliction,

Legacy Standard Bible
And if they are bound in fetters, And are caught in the cords of affliction,

Amplified Bible
“And if they are bound in bonds [of adversity], And held by cords of affliction,

Christian Standard Bible
If people are bound with chains and trapped by the cords of affliction,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
If people are bound with chains and trapped by the cords of affliction,

American Standard Version
And if they be bound in fetters, And be taken in the cords of afflictions;

Contemporary English Version
But when people are prisoners of suffering and pain, *

English Revised Version
And if they be bound in fetters, and be taken in the cords of affliction;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
However, if righteous people are bound in chains and tangled in ropes of misery,

Good News Translation
But if people are bound in chains, suffering for what they have done,

International Standard Version
"If they're bound in chains, caught in ropes of affliction,

Majority Standard Bible
And if men are bound with chains, caught in cords of affliction,

NET Bible
But if they are bound in chains, and held captive by the cords of affliction,

New Heart English Bible
If they are bound in fetters, and are taken in the cords of afflictions,

Webster's Bible Translation
And if they are bound in fetters, and are held in cords of affliction;

World English Bible
If they are bound in fetters, and are taken in the cords of afflictions,
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And if prisoners in chains "" They are captured with cords of affliction,

Young's Literal Translation
And if prisoners in fetters They are captured with cords of affliction,

Smith's Literal Translation
And they being bound in fetters shall be taken in the cords of affliction.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And if they shall be in chains, and be bound with the cords of poverty :

Catholic Public Domain Version
And, if they are in captivity, or are bound with the chains of poverty,

New American Bible
If they are bound with fetters, held fast by bonds of affliction,

New Revised Standard Version
And if they are bound in fetters and caught in the cords of affliction,
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And if they be bound in chains, then they go down through destruction to poverty.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And if are they bound in chains, they descend by corruption to poverty
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And if they be bound in fetters, And be holden in cords of affliction;

Brenton Septuagint Translation
But they that are bound in fetters shall be holden in cords of poverty.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elihu Declares God's Justice and Power
7He does not take His eyes off the righteous, but He enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever. 8And if men are bound with chains, caught in cords of affliction, 9then He tells them their deeds and how arrogantly they have transgressed.…

Cross References
Psalm 107:10-14
Some sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, prisoners in affliction and chains, / because they rebelled against the words of God and despised the counsel of the Most High. / He humbled their hearts with hard labor; they stumbled, and there was no one to help. ...

Isaiah 42:7
to open the eyes of the blind, to bring prisoners out of the dungeon and those sitting in darkness out from the prison house.

Isaiah 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners,

Psalm 68:6
God settles the lonely in families; He leads the prisoners out to prosperity, but the rebellious dwell in a sun-scorched land.

Jeremiah 30:11
For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD. Though I will completely destroy all the nations to which I have scattered you, I will not completely destroy you. Yet I will discipline you justly, and will by no means leave you unpunished.”

Jeremiah 31:18-19
I have surely heard Ephraim’s moaning: ‘You disciplined me severely, like an untrained calf. Restore me, that I may return, for You are the LORD my God. / After I returned, I repented; and after I was instructed, I struck my thigh in grief. I was ashamed and humiliated because I bore the disgrace of my youth.’

Lamentations 3:31-33
For the Lord will not cast us off forever. / Even if He causes grief, He will show compassion according to His abundant loving devotion. / For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men.

Hosea 6:1
Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us to pieces, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bind up our wounds.

Zechariah 9:11-12
As for you, because of the blood of My covenant, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. / Return to your stronghold, O prisoners of hope; even today I declare that I will restore to you double.

Acts 12:6-7
On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison. / Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.

Acts 16:25-26
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. / Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.

Romans 6:16-18
Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? / But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed. / You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.

Romans 7:23-25
But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. / What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? / Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10
We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. / Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead. / He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He will deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,

2 Corinthians 12:7-10
or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. / Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. / But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me. ...


Treasury of Scripture

And if they be bound in fetters, and be held in cords of affliction;

if

Job 13:27
Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet.

Job 19:6
Know now that God hath overthrown me, and hath compassed me with his net.

Job 33:18,19
He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword…

cords

Proverbs 5:22
His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

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Affliction Afflictions Bound Captured Caught Chains Cords Fast Fetters Held Holden Prisoned Prisoners Trouble
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Affliction Afflictions Bound Captured Caught Chains Cords Fast Fetters Held Holden Prisoned Prisoners Trouble
Job 36
1. Elihu shows how God is just in his ways
16. How Job's sins hinder God's blessings
24. God's works are to be magnified














And if men are bound with chains
The phrase "bound with chains" evokes a vivid image of captivity and restraint. In the Hebrew context, the word for "chains" (עֲבוֹת, 'avoth) can refer to physical bindings or metaphorically to spiritual or moral constraints. Historically, chains were used to imprison or enslave, symbolizing a loss of freedom and autonomy. In the spiritual sense, this can represent the bondage of sin or the consequences of turning away from God. Theologically, this phrase suggests that God allows such binding as a means of correction or discipline, drawing individuals back to Him. It reflects the conservative Christian belief in God's sovereignty and His use of trials to refine and restore His people.

caught in cords of affliction
The term "caught" implies being ensnared or trapped, suggesting a lack of escape or control over one's circumstances. The "cords of affliction" (חֶבֶל, chevel) can be understood as the trials and sufferings that entangle a person. In ancient times, cords were used for various purposes, including binding and measuring, symbolizing both restriction and judgment. Affliction, in this context, is not merely physical suffering but encompasses emotional and spiritual distress. From a conservative Christian perspective, this phrase underscores the belief that God uses affliction to teach, correct, and ultimately bring about spiritual growth and dependence on Him. It serves as a reminder of the redemptive purpose behind suffering, encouraging believers to trust in God's wisdom and timing.

Verse 8. - And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction. On the other hand, there are doubtless cases where the righteous suffer adversity - are even "bound in fetters," and "holden in cords of affliction" (Genesis 39:20; Jeremiah 40:1: Daniel 3:21; Matthew 14:3; Acts 12:6; Acts 16:24; Acts 24:27, etc.). But even here God's vigilance is not relaxed. On the contrary, he watches with the utmost care over their afflictions, apportioning them according to the needs of each, and making every possible effort, by means of them, to work their reformation (see the two following verses).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And if
וְאִם־ (wə·’im-)
Conjunctive waw | Conjunction
Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not

men are bound
אֲסוּרִ֥ים (’ă·sū·rîm)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural
Strong's 631: To yoke, hitch, to fasten, to join battle

with chains,
בַּזִּקִּ֑ים (baz·ziq·qîm)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 2131: What leaps forth, flash of fire, a burning arrow, a bond

caught
יִ֝לָּכְד֗וּן (yil·lā·ḵə·ḏūn)
Verb - Nifal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 3920: To catch, to capture, occupy, to choose, to cohere

in cords
בְּחַבְלֵי־ (bə·ḥaḇ·lê-)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 2256: A rope, a measuring line, a district, inheritance, a noose, a company, a throe, ruin

of affliction,
עֹֽנִי׃ (‘ō·nî)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6040: Affliction, poverty


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OT Poetry: Job 36:8 If they are bound in fetters (Jb)
Job 36:7
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