104:29 When you ignore them, they panic. 1
When you take away their life’s breath, they die
and return to dust.
24:22 They will be imprisoned in a pit, 2
locked up in a prison,
and after staying there for a long time, 3 they will be punished. 4
1 tn Heb “you hide your face, they are terrified.”
2 tn Heb “they will be gathered [in] a gathering [as] a prisoner in a cistern.” It is tempting to eliminate אֲסֵפָה (’asefah, “a gathering”) as dittographic or as a gloss, but sound repetition is one of the main characteristics of the style of this section of the chapter.
3 tn Heb “and after a multitude of days.”
4 tn Heb “visited” (so KJV, ASV). This verse can mean to visit for good or for evil. The translation assumes the latter, based on v. 21a. However, BDB 823 s.v. פָּקַד B.Niph.2 suggests the meaning “visit graciously” here, in which case one might translate “they will be released.”