Job 13:24

13:24 Why do you hide your face

and regard me as your enemy?

Job 33:10

33:10 Yet God finds occasions with me;

he regards me as his enemy!


sn The anthropomorphism of “hide the face” indicates a withdrawal of favor and an outpouring of wrath (see Ps 30:7 [8]; Isa 54:8; Ps 27:9). Sometimes God “hides his face” to make himself invisible or aloof (see 34:29). In either case, if God covers his face it is because he considers Job an enemy – at least this is what Job thinks.

sn See Job 10:13ff.; 19:6ff.; and 13:24.

tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn The Hebrew means “frustrations” or “oppositions.” The RSV has “displeasure,” NIV “faults,” and NRSV “occasions.” Rashi chose the word found in Judg 14:4 – with metathesis – meaning “pretexts” (תֹּאֲנוֹת, toanot); this is followed by NAB, NASB.