34:34 Men of understanding say to me –
any wise man listening to me says –
37:7 He causes everyone to stop working, 1
so that all people 2 may know 3 his work.
34:8 He goes about 4 in company 5 with evildoers,
he goes along 6 with wicked men. 7
34:10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. 8
Far be it from 9 God to do wickedness,
from the Almighty to do evil.
1 tn Heb “by the hand of every man he seals.” This line is intended to mean with the heavy rains God suspends all agricultural activity.
2 tc This reading involves a change in the text, for in MT “men” is in the construct. It would be translated, “all men whom he made” (i.e., all men of his making”). This is the translation followed by the NIV and NRSV. Olshausen suggested that the word should have been אֲנָשִׁים (’anashim) with the final ם (mem) being lost to haplography.
3 tn D. W. Thomas suggested a meaning of “rest” for the verb, based on Arabic. He then reads אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) for man, and supplies a ם (mem) to “his work” to get “that every man might rest from his work [in the fields].”
1 tn The perfect verb with the vav (ו) consecutive carries the sequence forward from the last description.
2 tn The word חֶבְרַה (khevrah, “company”) is a hapax legomenon. But its meaning is clear enough from the connections to related words and this context as well.
3 tn The infinitive construct with the ל (lamed) preposition may continue the clause with the finite verb (see GKC 351 §114.p).
4 tn Heb “men of wickedness”; the genitive is attributive (= “wicked men”).
1 tn Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”
2 tn For this construction, see Job 27:5.