22:6 “For you took pledges 1 from your brothers
for no reason,
and you stripped the clothing from the naked. 2
22:2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit?
Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable? 3
28:15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it,
nor can its price be weighed out in silver.
58:7 I want you 4 to share your food with the hungry
and to provide shelter for homeless, oppressed people. 5
When you see someone naked, clothe him!
Don’t turn your back on your own flesh and blood! 6
2:1 My brothers and sisters, 18 do not show prejudice 19 if you possess faith 20 in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. 21
1 tn The verb חָבַל (khaval) means “to take pledges.” In this verse Eliphaz says that Job not only took as pledge things the poor need, like clothing, but he did it for no reason.
2 tn The “naked” here refers to people who are poorly clothed. Otherwise, a reading like the NIV would be necessary: “you stripped the clothes…[leaving them] naked.” So either he made them naked by stripping their garments off, or they were already in rags.
3 tn Some do not take this to be parallel to the first colon, taking this line as a statement, but the parallel expressions here suggest the question is repeated.
4 tn Heb “Is it not?” The rhetorical question here expects a positive answer, “It is!”
5 tn Heb “and afflicted [ones], homeless [ones] you should bring [into] a house.” On the meaning of מְרוּדִים (mÿrudim, “homeless”) see HALOT 633 s.v. *מָרוּד.
6 tn Heb “and from your flesh do not hide yourself.”
7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Grk “Answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “answered them.”
9 tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.
10 tn Grk “who.” The relative clause makes for awkward English style here, so the following clause was made coordinate with the conjunction “and” supplied in place of the Greek relative pronoun.
11 tn The participle παραγενόμενον (paragenomenon) is taken temporally.
12 tn Grk “and all.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.
13 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
14 tn Or “shirts” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.
15 tn Grk “and garments,” referring here to other types of clothing besides the tunics just mentioned.
16 tn The verb ἐποίει (epoiei) has been translated as a customary imperfect.
17 tn Grk “what is necessary for the body.”
18 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.
19 tn Or “partiality.”
20 tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.
21 tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.
22 tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.
23 tn Grk “is sown.”
24 tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”