Job 1:9-12

1:9 Then Satan answered the Lord, “Is it for nothing that Job fears God? ¹  1:10 Have you ²  not made a hedge ³  around him and his household and all that he has on every side? You have blessed ⁴  the work of his hands, and his livestock ⁵  have increased ⁶  in the land. 1:11 But ⁷  extend your hand and strike ⁸  everything he has, and he will no doubt ⁹  curse you ¹⁰  to your face!”

1:12 So the Lord said to Satan, “All right then, ¹¹  everything he has is ¹²  in your power. ¹³  Only do not extend your hand against the man himself!” ¹⁴  So Satan went out ¹⁵  from the presence of the Lord. ¹⁶ 

Job 2:4-7

2:4 But ¹⁷  Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for ¹⁸  skin! ¹⁹  Indeed, a man will give up ²⁰  all that he has to save his life! ²¹  2:5 But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, ²²  and he will no doubt ²³  curse you to your face!”

2:6 So the Lord said to Satan, “All right, ²⁴  he is ²⁵  in your power; ²⁶  only preserve ²⁷  his life.”

Job’s Integrity in Suffering

2:7 So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord, and he afflicted ²⁸  Job with a malignant ulcer ²⁹  from the sole of his feet to the top of his head. ³⁰ 

Luke 22:31-32

22:31 “Simon, ³¹  Simon, pay attention! ³²  Satan has demanded to have you all, ³³  to sift you like wheat, ³⁴  22:32 but I have prayed for you, Simon, ³⁵  that your faith may not fail. ³⁶  When ³⁷  you have turned back, ³⁸  strengthen ³⁹  your brothers.”

Luke 22:1

Judas’ Decision to Betray Jesus

22:1 Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, ⁴⁰  which is called the Passover, was approaching.

Luke 3:5

3:5 Every valley will be filled, ⁴¹ 

and every mountain and hill will be brought low,

and the crooked will be made straight,

and the rough ways will be made smooth,

Revelation 2:10

2:10 Do not be afraid of the things you are about to suffer. The devil is about to have some of you thrown ⁴²  into prison so you may be tested, ⁴³  and you will experience suffering ⁴⁴  for ten days. Remain faithful even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown that is life itself. ⁴⁵ 

Revelation 12:9-11

12:9 So ⁴⁶  that huge dragon – the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world – was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 12:10 Then ⁴⁷  I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,

“The salvation and the power

and the kingdom of our God,

and the ruling authority ⁴⁸  of his Christ, ⁴⁹  have now come,

because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, ⁵⁰ 

the one who accuses them day and night ⁵¹  before our God,

has been thrown down.

12:11 But ⁵²  they overcame him

by the blood of the Lamb

and by the word of their testimony,

and they did not love their lives ⁵³  so much that they were afraid to die.

[1:9]  ¹ tn The Hebrew form has the interrogative ה (he) on the adverb חִנָּם (khinnam, “gratis”), a derivative either of the verb חָנַן (khanan, “to be gracious, show favor”), or its related noun חֵן (khen, “grace, favor”). The adverb has the sense of “free; gratis; gratuitously; for nothing; for no reason” (see BDB 336 s.v. חִנָּם). The idea is that Satan does not disagree that Job is pious, but that Job is loyal to God because of what he receives from God. He will test the sincerity of Job.

[1:10]  ² tn The use of the independent personal pronoun here emphasizes the subject of the verb: “Have you not put up a hedge.”

[1:10]  ³ tn The verb שׂוּךְ (sukh) means “to hedge or fence up, about” something (BDB 962 s.v. I שׂוּךְ). The original idea seems to have been to surround with a wall of thorns for the purpose of protection (E. Dhorme, Job, 7). The verb is an implied comparison between making a hedge and protecting someone.

[1:10]  ⁴ sn Here the verb “bless” is used in one of its very common meanings. The verb means “to enrich,” often with the sense of enabling or empowering things for growth or fruitfulness. See further C. Westermann, Blessing in the Bible and the Life of the Church (OBT).

[1:10]  ⁵ tn Or “substance.” The herds of livestock may be taken by metonymy of part for whole to represent possessions or prosperity in general.

[1:10]  ⁶ tn The verb פָּרַץ (parats) means “to break through.” It has the sense of abundant increase, as in breaking out, overflowing (see also Gen 30:30 and Exod 1:12).

[1:11]  ⁷ tn The particle אוּלָם (’ulam, “but”) serves to restrict the clause in relation to the preceding clause (IBHS 671-73 §39.3.5e, n. 107).

[1:11]  ⁸ tn The force of the imperatives in this sentence are almost conditional – if God were to do this, then surely Job would respond differently.

[1:11]  ⁹ sn The formula used in the expression is the oath formula: “if not to your face he will curse you” meaning “he will surely curse you to your face.” Satan is so sure that the piety is insincere that he can use an oath formula.

[1:11]  ¹⁰ tn See the comments on Job 1:5. Here too the idea of “renounce” may fit well enough; but the idea of actually cursing God may not be out of the picture if everything Job has is removed. Satan thinks he will denounce God.

[1:12]  ¹¹ tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) introduces a foundational clause upon which the following volitional clause is based.

[1:12]  ¹² tn The versions add a verb here: “delivered to” or “abandoned to” the hand of Satan.

[1:12]  ¹³ tn Heb “in your hand.” The idiom means that it is now Satan’s to do with as he pleases.

[1:12]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew word order emphatically holds out Job’s person as the exception: “only upon him do not stretch forth your hand.”

[1:12]  ¹⁵ tn The Targum to Job adds “with permission” to show that he was granted leave from God’s presence.

[1:12]  ¹⁶ sn So Satan, having received his permission to test Job’s sincerity, goes out from the Lord’s presence. But Satan is bound by the will of the Most High not to touch Job himself. The sentence gives the impression that Satan’s departure is with a certain eagerness and confidence.

[2:4]  ¹⁷ tn The form is the simply preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive. However, the speech of Satan is in contrast to what God said, even though in narrative sequence.

[2:4]  ¹⁸ tn The preposition בְּעַד (bÿ’ad) designates interest or advantage arising from the idea of protection for (“for the benefit of”); see IBHS 201-2 §11.2.7a.

[2:4]  ¹⁹ sn The meaning of the expression is obscure. It may come from the idea of sacrificing an animal or another person in order to go free, suggesting the expression that one type of skin that was worth less was surrendered to save the more important life. Satan would then be saying that Job was willing for others to die for him to go free, but not himself. “Skin” would be a synecdoche of the part for the whole (like the idiomatic use of skin today for a person in a narrow escape). The second clause indicates that God has not even scratched the surface because Job has been protected. His “skin” might have been scratched, but not his flesh and bone! But if his life had been put in danger, he would have responded differently.

[2:4]  ²⁰ tc The LXX has “make full payment, pay a full price” (LSJ 522 s.v. ἐκτίνω).

[2:4]  ²¹ tn Heb “Indeed, all that a man has he will give for his life.”

[2:5]  ²² sn The “bones and flesh” are idiomatic for the whole person, his physical and his psychical/spiritual being (see further H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 26-28).

[2:5]  ²³ sn This is the same oath formula found in 1:11; see the note there.

[2:6]  ²⁴ tn The particle הִנּוֹ (hinno) is literally, “here he is!” God presents Job to Satan, with the restriction on preserving Job’s life.

[2:6]  ²⁵ tn The LXX has “I deliver him up to you.”

[2:6]  ²⁶ tn Heb “hand.”

[2:6]  ²⁷ sn The irony of the passage comes through with this choice of words. The verb שָׁמַר (shamar) means “to keep; to guard; to preserve.” The exceptive clause casts Satan in the role of a savior – he cannot destroy this life but must protect it.

[2:7]  ²⁸ tn The verb is נָכָה (nakhah, “struck, smote”); it can be rendered in this context as “afflicted.”

[2:7]  ²⁹ sn The general consensus is that Job was afflicted with a leprosy known as elephantiasis, named because the rough skin and the swollen limbs are animal-like. The Hebrew word שְׁחִין (shÿkhin, “boil”) can indicate an ulcer as well. Leprosy begins with such, but so do other diseases. Leprosy normally begins in the limbs and spreads, but Job was afflicted everywhere at once. It may be some other disease also characterized by such a malignant ulcer. D. J. A. Clines has a thorough bibliography on all the possible diseases linked to this description (Job [WBC], 48). See also HALOT 1460 s.v. שְׁחִין.

[2:7]  ³⁰ tn Heb “crown.”

[22:31]  ³¹ tc The majority of mss (א A D W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï as well as several versional witnesses) begin this verse with an introductory comment, “and the Lord said,” indicating a change in the subject of discussion. But this is apparently a reading motivated by the need for clarity. Some of the best witnesses, along with a few others (Ì⁷⁵ B L T 1241 2542^c sy^s co), do not contain these words. The abrupt shift is the more difficult reading and thus more likely to be original.

[22:31]  ³² tn Grk “behold” (for “pay attention” see L&N 91.13).

[22:31]  ³³ sn This pronoun is plural in the Greek text, so it refers to all the disciples of which Peter is the representative.

[22:31]  ³⁴ sn Satan has demanded permission to put them to the test. The idiom “sift (someone) like wheat” is similar to the English idiom “to pick (someone) apart.” The pronoun you is implied.

[22:32]  ³⁵ sn Here and in the remainder of the verse the second person pronouns are singular, so only Peter is in view. The name “Simon” has been supplied as a form of direct address to make this clear in English.

[22:32]  ³⁶ sn That your faith may not fail. Note that Peter’s denials are pictured here as lapses, not as a total absence of faith.

[22:32]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[22:32]  ³⁸ tn Or “turned around.”

[22:32]  ³⁹ sn Strengthen your brothers refers to Peter helping to strengthen their faith. Jesus quite graciously restores Peter “in advance,” even with the knowledge of his approaching denials.

[22:1]  ⁴⁰ sn The Feast of Unleavened Bread was a week long celebration that followed the day of Passover, so one name was used for both feasts (Exod 12:1-20; 23:15; 34:18; Deut 16:1-8).

[3:5]  ⁴¹ sn The figurative language of this verse speaks of the whole creation preparing for the arrival of a major figure, so all obstacles to his approach are removed.

[2:10]  ⁴² tn Grk “is about to throw some of you,” but the force is causative in context.

[2:10]  ⁴³ tn Or “tempted.”

[2:10]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “experience persecution,” “will be in distress” (see L&N 22.2).

[2:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “crown of life,” with the genitive “of life” (τῆς ζωῆς, th" zwh") functioning in apposition to “crown” (στέφανον, stefanon): “the crown that consists of life.”

[12:9]  ⁴⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the war in heaven.

[12:10]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

[12:10]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “the right of his Messiah to rule.” See L&N 37.35.

[12:10]  ⁴⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[12:10]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” or “fellow Christians” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). The translation “fellow believer” would normally apply (L&N 11.23), but since the speaker(s) are not specified in this context, it is not clear if such a translation would be appropriate here. The more generic “brothers and sisters” was chosen to emphasize the fact of a relationship without specifying its type.

[12:10]  ⁵¹ tn Or “who accuses them continually.”

[12:11]  ⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[12:11]  ⁵³ sn They did not love their lives. See Matt 16:25; Luke 17:33; John 12:25.