Job 5:14

5:14 They meet with darkness in the daytime,

and grope about in the noontime as if it were night.

Job 27:20

27:20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood;

at night a whirlwind carries him off.

Job 34:25

34:25 Therefore, he knows their deeds,

he overthrows them in the night

and they are crushed.

Job 36:20

36:20 Do not long for the cover of night

to drag people away from their homes.


sn God so confuses the crafty that they are unable to fulfill their plans – it is as if they encounter darkness in broad daylight. This is like the Syrians in 2 Kgs 6:18-23.

tn The verb מָשַׁשׁ (mashash) expresses the idea of groping about in the darkness. This is part of the fulfillment of Deut 28:29, which says, “and you shall grope at noonday as the blind grope in darkness.” This image is also in Isa 59:10.

sn The verse provides a picture of the frustration and bewilderment in the crafty who cannot accomplish their ends because God thwarts them.

tn Many commentators want a word parallel to “in the night.” And so we are offered בַּיּוֹם (bayyom, “in the day”) for כַמַּיִם (khammayim, “like waters”) as well as a number of others. But “waters” sometimes stand for major calamities, and so may be retained here. Besides, not all parallel structures are synonymous.

tn The direct object “them” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

tn The Hebrew term “night” is an accusative of time.

10 tn The meaning of this line is difficult. There are numerous suggestions for emending the text. Kissane takes the first verb in the sense of “oppress,” and for “the night” he has “belonging to you,” meaning “your people.” This reads: “Oppress not them that belong not to you, that your kinsmen may mount up in their place.”