18:6 The light in his tent grows dark;
his lamp above him is extinguished. 1
38:2 “Who is this 2 who darkens counsel 3
with words without knowledge?
3:9 Let its morning stars 4 be darkened;
let it wait 5 for daylight but find none, 6
nor let it see the first rays 7 of dawn,
1 tn The LXX interprets a little more precisely: “his lamp shall be put out with him.”
2 tn The demonstrative pronoun is used here to emphasize the interrogative pronoun (see GKC 442 §136.c).
3 sn The referent of “counsel” here is not the debate between Job and the friends, but the purposes of God (see Ps 33:10; Prov 19:21; Isa 19:17). Dhorme translates it “Providence.”
3 tn Heb “the stars of its dawn.” The word נֶשֶׁף (neshef) can mean “twilight” or “dawn.” In this context the morning stars are in mind. Job wishes that the morning stars – that should announce the day – go out.
4 tn The verb “wait, hope” has the idea of eager expectation and preparation. It is used elsewhere of waiting on the
5 tn The absolute state אַיִן (’ayin, “there is none”) is here used as a verbal predicate (see GKC 480 §152.k). The concise expression literally says “and none.”
6 sn The expression is literally “the eyelids of the morning.” This means the very first rays of dawn (see also Job 41:18). There is some debate whether it refers to “eyelids” or “eyelashes” or “eyeballs.” If the latter, it would signify the flashing eyes of a person. See for the Ugaritic background H. L. Ginsberg, The Legend of King Keret (BASORSup), 39; see also J. M. Steadman, “‘Eyelids of Morn’: A Biblical Convention,” HTR 56 (1963): 159-67.