16:13 his archers 1 surround me.
Without pity 2 he pierces 3 my kidneys
and pours out my gall 4 on the ground.
32:41 I will sharpen my lightning-like sword,
and my hand will grasp hold of the weapon of judgment; 5
I will execute vengeance on my foes,
and repay those who hate me! 6
32:2 My teaching will drop like the rain,
my sayings will drip like the dew, 7
as rain drops upon the grass,
and showers upon new growth.
7:12 If a person 8 does not repent, God sharpens his sword 9
and prepares to shoot his bow. 10
1 tn The meaning of “his archers” is supported for רַבָּיו (rabbayv) in view of Jer 50:29. The LXX, Syriac, Vulgate, Targum Job, followed by several translations and commentators prefer “arrows.” They see this as a more appropriate figure without raising the question of who the archers might be (see 6:4). The point is an unnecessary distinction, for the figure is an illustration of the affliction that God has brought on him.
2 tn Heb “and he does not pity,” but the clause is functioning adverbially in the line.
3 tn The verb פָּלַח (palakh) in the Piel means “to pierce” (see Prov 7:23). A fuller comparison should be made with Lam 3:12-13.
4 tn This word מְרֵרָתִי (mÿrerati, “my gall”) is found only here. It is close to the form in Job 13:26, “bitter things.” In Job 20:14 it may mean “poison.” The thought is also found in Lam 2:11.
5 tn Heb “judgment.” This is a metonymy, a figure of speech in which the effect (judgment) is employed as an instrument (sword, spear, or the like), the means, by which it is brought about.
6 tn The Hebrew term שָׂנֵא (sane’, “hate”) in this covenant context speaks of those who reject Yahweh’s covenant overtures, that is, who disobey its stipulations (see note on the word “rejecting” in Deut 5:9; also see Deut 7:10; 2 Chr 19:2; Ps 81:15; 139:20-21).
7 tn Or “mist,” “light drizzle.” In some contexts the term appears to refer to light rain, rather than dew.
8 tn Heb “If he”; the referent (a person who is a sinner) has been specified in the translation for clarity. The subject of the first verb is understood as the sinner who fails to repent of his ways and becomes the target of God’s judgment (vv. 9, 14-16).
9 tn Heb “if he does not return, his sword he sharpens.” The referent (God) of the pronominal subject of the second verb (“sharpens”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
10 tn Heb “his bow he treads and prepares it.” “Treading the bow” involved stepping on one end of it in order to string it and thus prepare it for battle.