23:16 Indeed, God has made my heart faint; 1
the Almighty has terrified me.
27:2 “As surely as God lives, 2 who has denied me justice, 3
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter 4 –
35:13 Surely it is an empty cry 5 – God does not hear it;
the Almighty does not take notice of it.
34:10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. 6
Far be it from 7 God to do wickedness,
from the Almighty to do evil.
34:12 Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,
and the Almighty does not pervert justice.
1 tn The verb הֵרַךְ (kherakh) means “to be tender”; in the Piel it would have the meaning “to soften.” The word is used in parallel constructions with the verbs for “fear.” The implication is that God has made Job fearful.
2 tn The expression חַי־אֵל (khay-’el) is the oath formula: “as God lives.” In other words, the speaker is staking God’s life on the credibility of the words. It is like saying, “As truly as God is alive.”
3 tn “My judgment” would here, as before, be “my right.” God has taken this away by afflicting Job unjustly (A. B. Davidson, Job, 187).
4 tn The verb הֵמַר (hemar) is the Hiphil perfect from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”) and hence, “to make bitter.” The object of the verb is “my soul,” which is better translated as “me” or “my life.”
3 tn Heb “surely – vanity, he does not hear.” The cry is an empty cry, not a prayer to God. Dhorme translates it, “It is a pure waste of words.”
4 tn Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”
5 tn For this construction, see Job 27:5.