Elihu on admitting wrong in Job 34:31?
What does Elihu suggest about acknowledging wrongdoing in Job 34:31?

Setting the Verse in Front of Us

“Suppose someone says to God, ‘I have endured my punishment; I will offend no more.’” (Job 34:31)


What Elihu Is Getting At

• Elihu pictures a worshiper who finally speaks honestly to God.

• He urges a three-part response when we recognize sin:

– Admit: “I have endured my punishment” — acknowledge divine discipline as deserved.

– Renounce: “I will offend no more” — resolve to stop repeating the wrong.

– (implied in v. 32) Request insight — welcome God’s correction so the hidden fault is exposed.


Key Ideas Wrapped Up in the Confession

• Ownership: no blaming circumstances or others (cf. Genesis 3:12–13 for the opposite approach).

• Submission: accepting God’s verdict instead of arguing innocence (compare Psalm 51:4).

• Repentance: turning from sin, not merely feeling regret (Proverbs 28:13; Acts 3:19).


How This Fits the Wider Biblical Pattern

Psalm 32:5 — “Then I acknowledged my sin to You… and You forgave the guilt of my sin.”

1 John 1:9 — “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Isaiah 66:2 — God looks to the one “who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at My word.”


Practical Takeaways for Today

• Speak plainly with God; He already knows the truth.

• Accept His discipline as an expression of fatherly love (Hebrews 12:5–7).

• Ask Him to uncover what you “cannot see,” then commit, by His grace, to “do so no more.”


A Summing-Up Sentence

Elihu teaches that genuine acknowledgment of wrongdoing involves confessing guilt, submitting to God’s just correction, and pledging to forsake the sin going forward.

How can Job 34:31 guide us in confessing our sins to God?
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