33:24 and if 1 God 2 is gracious to him and says,
‘Spare 3 him from going down
to the place of corruption,
I have found a ransom for him,’ 4
33:25 then his flesh is restored 5 like a youth’s;
he returns to the days of his youthful vigor. 6
1 tn This verse seems to continue the protasis begun in the last verse, with the apodosis coming in the next verse.
2 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 tc The verb is either taken as an anomalous form of פָּדַע (pada’, “to rescue; to redeem,” or “to exempt him”), or it is emended to some similar word, like פָּרַע (para’, “to let loose,” so Wright).
4 sn This verse and v. 28 should be compared with Ps 49:7-9, 15 (8-10, 16 HT) where the same basic vocabulary and concepts are employed.
5 tc The word רֻטֲפַשׁ (rutafash) is found nowhere else. One suggestion is that it should be יִרְטַב (yirtav, “to become fresh”), connected to רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered [or moist]”). It is also possible that it was a combination of רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered”) and טָפַשׁ (tafash, “to grow fat”). But these are all guesses in the commentaries.
6 tn The word describes the period when the man is healthy and vigorous, ripe for what life brings his way.