21:23 “One man dies in his full vigor, 1
completely secure and prosperous,
21:32 And when he is carried to the tombs,
and watch is kept 2 over the funeral mound, 3
21:33 The clods of the torrent valley 4 are sweet to him;
behind him everybody follows in procession,
and before him goes a countless throng.
21:34 So how can you console me with your futile words?
Nothing is left of your answers but deception!” 5
1 tn The line has “in the bone of his perfection.” The word עֶצֶם (’etsem), which means “bone,” is used pronominally to express “the same, very”; here it is “in the very fullness of his strength” (see GKC 449 §139.g). The abstract תֹּם (tom) is used here in the sense of physical perfection and strengths.
2 tn The verb says “he will watch.” The subject is unspecified, so the translation is passive.
3 tn The Hebrew word refers to the tumulus, the burial mound that is erected on the spot where the person is buried.
4 tn The clods are those that are used to make a mound over the body. And, for a burial in the valley, see Deut 34:6. The verse here sees him as participating in his funeral and enjoying it. Nothing seems to go wrong with the wicked.
5 tn The word מָעַל (ma’al) is used for “treachery; deception; fraud.” Here Job is saying that their way of interpreting reality is dangerously unfaithful.