God 'opens their ears to discipline' and 'commands them to turn from iniquity,' suggesting that affliction opens the capacity for moral instruction. This verse emphasizes the transformative power of affliction in making people receptive to correction and capable of turning from wrongdoing. The image of opened ears suggests that suffering can penetrate defenses and make one capable of hearing what one previously could not hear. Elihu uses this image to suggest that Job's suffering serves this function—opening his ears to the correction that Elihu and the others have been attempting to provide. Yet the verse also raises questions: must suffering open one's ears in order for one to hear moral instruction? Can not reason and persuasion alone, without the intermediary of pain, achieve moral transformation? The verse seems to suggest that suffering is necessary for moral development, a claim that is both potentially true and deeply troubling.

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