Job 10:2

10:2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn ¹  me;

tell me ²  why you are contending ³  with me.’

Job 13:22-23

13:22 Then call, ⁴  and I will answer,

or I will speak, and you respond to me.

13:23 How many are my ⁵  iniquities and sins?

Show me my transgression and my sin. ⁶ 

Job 42:2-6

42:2 “I know that you can do all things;

no purpose of yours can be thwarted;

42:3 you asked, ⁷ 

‘Who is this who darkens counsel

without knowledge?’

But ⁸  I have declared without understanding ⁹ 

things too wonderful for me to know. ¹⁰ 

42:4 You said, ¹¹ 

‘Pay attention, and I will speak;

I will question you, and you will answer me.’

42:5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,

but now my eye has seen you. ¹² 

42:6 Therefore I despise myself, ¹³ 

and I repent in dust and ashes!

Job 42:1

Job’s Confession

42:1 Then Job answered the Lord:

Colossians 4:3-4

4:3 At the same time pray ¹⁴  for us too, that ¹⁵  God may open a door for the message ¹⁶  so that we may proclaim ¹⁷  the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains. ¹⁸  4:4 Pray that I may make it known as I should. ¹⁹ 

[10:2]  ¹ tn The negated jussive is the Hiphil jussive of רָשַׁע (rasha’); its meaning then would be literally “do not declare me guilty.” The negated jussive stresses the immediacy of the request.

[10:2]  ² tn The Hiphil imperative of יָדַע (yada’) would more literally be “cause me to know.” It is a plea for God to help him understand the afflictions.

[10:2]  ³ tn The verb is רִיב (riv), meaning “to dispute; to contend; to strive; to quarrel” – often in the legal sense. The precise words chosen in this verse show that the setting is legal. The imperfect verb here is progressive, expressing what is currently going on.

[13:22]  ⁴ tn The imperatives in the verse function like the future tense in view of their use for instruction or advice. The chiastic arrangement of the verb forms is interesting: imperative + imperfect, imperfect + imperative. The imperative is used for God, but the imperfect is used when Job is the subject. Job is calling for the court to convene – he will be either the defendant or the prosecutor.

[13:23]  ⁵ tn The pronoun “my” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied here in the translation.

[13:23]  ⁶ sn Job uses three words for sin here: “iniquities,” which means going astray, erring; “sins,” which means missing the mark or the way; and “transgressions,” which are open rebellions. They all emphasize different kinds of sins and different degrees of willfulness. Job is demanding that any sins be brought up. Both Job and his friends agree that great afflictions would have to indicate great offenses – he wants to know what they are.

[42:3]  ⁷ tn The expression “you asked” is added here to clarify the presence of the line to follow. Many commentators delete it as a gloss from Job 38:2. If it is retained, then Job has to be recalling God’s question before he answers it.

[42:3]  ⁸ tn The word לָכֵן (lakhen) is simply “but,” as in Job 31:37.

[42:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “and I do not understand.” The expression serves here in an adverbial capacity. It also could be subordinated as a complement: “I have declared [things that] I do not understand.”

[42:3]  ¹⁰ tn The last clause is “and I do not know.” This is also subordinated to become a dependent clause.

[42:4]  ¹¹ tn This phrase, “you said,” is supplied in the translation to introduce the recollection of God’s words.

[42:5]  ¹² sn This statement does not imply there was a vision. He is simply saying that this experience of God was real and personal. In the past his knowledge of God was what he had heard – hearsay. This was real.

[42:6]  ¹³ tn Or “despise what I said.” There is no object on the verb; Job could be despising himself or the things he said (see L. J. Kuyper, “Repentance of Job,” VT 9 [1959]: 91-94).

[4:3]  ¹⁴ tn Though προσευχόμενοι (proseucomenoi) is an adverbial participle related to the previous imperative, προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite), it is here translated as an independent clause due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[4:3]  ¹⁵ tn The ἵνα (Jina) clause has been rendered as substantival here, indicating the content of the prayer rather than the purpose for it. These two ideas are very similar and difficult to differentiate in this passage, but the conjunction ἵνα following a verb of praying is generally regarded as giving the content of the prayer.

[4:3]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “that God may open for us a door of the word to speak the mystery of Christ.” The construction in Greek is somewhat awkward in this clause. The translation attempts to simplify this structure somewhat and yet communicate exactly what Paul is asking for.

[4:3]  ¹⁷ tn Or “so that we may speak.”

[4:3]  ¹⁸ tn Or “in prison.”

[4:4]  ¹⁹ tn The phrase begins with the ἵνα (Jina) clause and is subordinate to the imperative προσκαρτερεῖτε (proskartereite) in v. 2. The reference to the idea that Paul must make it known indicates that this clause is probably best viewed as purpose and not content, like the ἵνα of v. 3. It is the second purpose stated in the context; the first is expressed through the infinitive λαλῆσαι (lalhsai) in v. 3. The term “pray” at the beginning of the sentence is intended to pick up the imperative of v. 3.