13:7 Will you speak wickedly 1 on God’s behalf? 2
Will you speak deceitfully for him?
13:8 Will you show him partiality? 3
Will you argue the case 4 for God?
13:9 Would it turn out well if he would examine 5 you?
Or as one deceives 6 a man would you deceive him?
13:10 He would certainly rebuke 7 you
if you secretly 8 showed partiality!
13:11 Would not his splendor 9 terrify 10 you
and the fear he inspires 11 fall on you?
1 tn The construction literally reads “speak iniquity.” The form functions adverbially. The noun עַוְלָה (’avlah) means “perversion; injustice; iniquity; falsehood.” Here it is parallel to רְמִיָּה (rÿmiyyah, “fraud; deceit; treachery”).
2 tn The expression “for God” means “in favor of God” or “on God’s behalf.” Job is amazed that they will say false things on God’s behalf.
3 sn The idiom used here is “Will you lift up his face?” Here Job is being very sarcastic, for this expression usually means that a judge is taking a bribe. Job is accusing them of taking God’s side.
4 tn The same root is used here (רִיב, riv, “dispute, contention”) as in v. 6b (see note).
5 tn The verb חָפַר (khafar) means “to search out, investigate, examine.” In the conditional clause the imperfect verb expresses the hypothetical case.
6 tn Both the infinitive and the imperfect of תָּלַל (talal, “deceive, mock”) retain the ה (he) (GKC 148 §53.q). But for the alternate form, see F. C. Fensham, “The Stem HTL in Hebrew,” VT 9 (1959): 310-11. The infinitive is used here in an adverbial sense after the preposition.
7 tn The verbal idea is intensified with the infinitive absolute. This is the same verb used in v. 3; here it would have the sense of “rebuke, convict.”
8 sn The use of the word “in secret” or “secretly” suggests that what they do is a guilty action (31:27a).
9 sn The word translated “his majesty” or “his splendor” (שְׂאֵתוֹ, sÿ’eto) forms a play on the word “show partiality” (תִּשָּׂאוּן, tissa’un) in the last verse. They are both from the verb נָשַׂא (nasa’, “to lift up”).
10 tn On this verb in the Piel, see 7:14.
11 tn Heb “His dread”; the suffix is a subjective genitive.