“O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift my face to you, my God! For our iniquities have climbed higher than our heads, and our guilt extends to the heavens.
40:4 “Indeed, I am completely unworthy 2 – how could I reply to you?
I put 3 my hand over my mouth to silence myself. 4
42:6 Therefore I despise myself, 5
and I repent in dust and ashes!
3:3 That is why the rains have been withheld,
and the spring rains have not come.
Yet in spite of this you are obstinate as a prostitute. 6
You refuse to be ashamed of what you have done.
8:12 Are they ashamed because they have done such disgusting things?
No, they are not at all ashamed!
They do not even know how to blush!
So they will die just like others have died. 7
They will be brought to ruin when I punish them,
says the Lord.
31:19 For after we turned away from you we repented.
After we came to our senses 8 we beat our breasts in sorrow. 9
We are ashamed and humiliated
because of the disgraceful things we did previously.’ 10
9:7 “You are righteous, 15 O Lord, but we are humiliated this day 16 – the people 17 of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you. 9:8 O LORD, we have been humiliated 18 – our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors – because we have sinned against you.
12:2 Many of those who sleep
in the dusty ground will awake –
some to everlasting life,
and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence. 19
1:1 From Paul, 40 an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you, 41 and for those in Laodicea, and for those who have not met me face to face. 42
1 tn Heb “I said.”
2 tn The word קַלֹּתִי (qalloti) means “to be light; to be of small account; to be unimportant.” From this comes the meaning “contemptible,” which in the causative stem would mean “to treat with contempt; to curse.” Dhorme tries to make the sentence a conditional clause and suggests this meaning: “If I have been thoughtless.” There is really no “if” in Job’s mind.
3 tn The perfect verb here should be classified as an instantaneous perfect; the action is simultaneous with the words.
4 tn The words “to silence myself” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Or “despise what I said.” There is no object on the verb; Job could be despising himself or the things he said (see L. J. Kuyper, “Repentance of Job,” VT 9 [1959]: 91-94).
6 tn Heb “you have the forehead of a prostitute.”
7 tn Heb “They will fall among the fallen.”
8 tn For this meaning of the verb see HAL 374 s.v. יָדַע Nif 5 or W. L. Holladay, Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon, 129. REB translates “Now that I am submissive” relating the verb to a second root meaning “be submissive.” (See HALOT 375 s.v. II יָדַע and J. Barr, Comparative Philology and the Text of the Old Testament, 19-21, for evidence for this verb. Other passages cited with this nuance are Judg 8:16; Prov 10:9; Job 20:20.)
9 tn Heb “I struck my thigh.” This was a gesture of grief and anguish (cf. Ezek 21:12 [21:17 HT]). The modern equivalent is “to beat the breast.”
10 tn Heb “because I bear the reproach of my youth.” For the plural referents see the note at the beginning of v. 18.
11 tn Heb “and your mouth will not be open any longer.”
12 tn Heb “when I make atonement for you for all which you have done.”
13 tn Heb “ways.”
14 tn Heb “Let it be known.”
15 tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”
16 tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”
17 tn Heb “men.”
18 tn Heb “to us (belongs) shame of face.”
19 sn This verse is the only undisputed reference to a literal resurrection found in the Hebrew Bible.
20 tn Grk “came to himself” (an idiom).
21 tn Grk “bread,” but used figuratively for food of any kind (L&N 5.1).
22 sn In the confession “I have sinned” there is a recognition of wrong that pictures the penitent coming home and “being found.”
23 sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God.
24 tn According to BDAG 342 s.v. ἐνωπιον 4.a, “in relation to ἁμαρτάνειν ἐ. τινος sin against someone Lk 15:18, 21 (cf. Jdth 5:17; 1 Km 7:6; 20:1).”
25 tn Or “make me.” Here is a sign of total humility.
26 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the son’s decision to return home. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.
27 tn Grk “a long way off from [home].” The word “home” is implied (L&N 85.16).
28 tn Or “felt great affection for him,” “felt great pity for him.”
29 tn Grk “he fell on his neck,” an idiom for showing special affection for someone by throwing one’s arms around them. The picture is of the father hanging on the son’s neck in welcome.
30 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the son) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
31 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
32 sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God. 1st century Judaism tended to minimize use of the divine name out of reverence.
33 sn The younger son launches into his confession just as he had planned. See vv. 18-19.
34 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
35 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
36 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
37 tn Or “grumbling”; Grk “were complaining, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
38 tn Or “accepts,” “receives.” This is not the first time this issue has been raised: Luke 5:27-32; 7:37-50.
39 tn The expression “for the display of” is an attempt to convey in English the force of the Greek preposition εἰς (eis) in this context.
40 tn Grk “Paul.” The word “from” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to indicate the sender of the letter.
41 tn Or “I want you to know how hard I am working for you…”
42 tn Grk “as many as have not seen my face in the flesh.”