Job 10:7

10:7 although you know ¹  that I am not guilty,

and that there is no one who can deliver ² 

out of your hand?

Job 16:17

16:17 although ³  there is no violence in my hands

and my prayer is pure.

Job 16:21

16:21 and ⁴  he contends with God on behalf of man

as a man ⁵  pleads ⁶  for his friend.

Job 23:4-7

23:4 I would lay out my case ⁷  before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

23:5 I would know with what words ⁸  he would answer me,

and understand what he would say to me.

23:6 Would he contend ⁹  with me with great power?

No, he would only pay attention to me. ¹⁰ 

23:7 There ¹¹  an upright person

could present his case ¹²  before him,

and I would be delivered forever from my judge.

Job 27:5

27:5 I will never ¹³  declare that you three ¹⁴  are in the right;

until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!

Job 31:31-37

31:31 if ¹⁵  the members of my household ¹⁶  have never said, ¹⁷ 

‘If only there were ¹⁸  someone

who has not been satisfied from Job’s ¹⁹  meat!’ –

31:32 But ²⁰  no stranger had to spend the night outside,

for I opened my doors to the traveler ²¹  –

31:33 if ²²  I have covered my transgressions as men do, ²³ 

by hiding ²⁴  iniquity in my heart, ²⁵ 

31:34 because I was terrified ²⁶  of the great multitude, ²⁷ 

and the contempt of families terrified me,

so that I remained silent

and would not go outdoors – ²⁸ 

Job’s Appeal

31:35 “If only I had ²⁹  someone to hear me!

Here is my signature – ³⁰ 

let the Almighty answer me!

If only I had an indictment ³¹ 

that my accuser had written. ³² 

31:36 Surely ³³  I would wear it proudly ³⁴  on my shoulder,

I would bind ³⁵  it on me like a crown;

31:37 I would give him an accounting of my steps;

like a prince I would approach him.

Job 40:2

40:2 “Will the one who contends ³⁶  with the Almighty correct him? ³⁷ 

Let the person who accuses God give him an answer!”

Job 40:4-5

40:4 “Indeed, I am completely unworthy ³⁸  – how could I reply to you?

I put ³⁹  my hand over my mouth to silence myself. ⁴⁰ 

40:5 I have spoken once, but I cannot answer;

twice, but I will say no more.” ⁴¹ 

Job 40:8

40:8 Would you indeed annul ⁴²  my justice?

Would you declare me guilty so that you might be right?

Job 40:1

Job’s Reply to God’s Challenge

40:1 Then the Lord answered Job:

Job 3:20

Longing for Death ⁴³ 

3:20 “Why does God ⁴⁴  give ⁴⁵  light to one who is in misery, ⁴⁶ 

and life to those ⁴⁷  whose soul is bitter,

[10:7]  ¹ tn Heb עַל־דַּעְתְּךָ (’al da’tÿkha, “upon your knowledge”). The use of the preposition means basically “in addition to your knowledge,” or “in spite of your knowledge,” i.e., “notwithstanding” or “although” (see GKC 383 §119.aa, n. 2).

[10:7]  ² tn Heb “and there is no deliverer.”

[16:17]  ³ tn For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce concessive clauses, see GKC 499 §160.c.

[16:21]  ⁴ tn E. Dhorme (Job, 240) alters this slightly to read “Would that” or “Ah! if only.”

[16:21]  ⁵ tn This is the simple translation of the expression “son of man” in Job. But some commentators wish to change the word בֵּן (ben, “son”) to בֵּין (ben, “between”). It would then be “[as] between a man and [for] his friend.” Even though a few mss have this reading, it is to be rejected. But see J. Barr, “Some Notes on ‘ben’ in Classical Hebrew,” JSS 23 (1978): 1-22.

[16:21]  ⁶ tn The verb is supplied from the parallel clause.

[23:4]  ⁷ tn The word מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) is normally “judgment; decision.” But in these contexts it refers to the legal case that Job will bring before God. With the verb עָרַךְ (’arakh, “to set in order; to lay out”) the whole image of drawing up a lawsuit is complete.

[23:5]  ⁸ tn Heb “the words he would answer me.”

[23:6]  ⁹ tn The verb is now רִיב (riv) and not יָכַח (yakhakh, “contend”); רִיב (riv) means “to quarrel; to dispute; to contend,” often in a legal context. Here it is still part of Job’s questioning about this hypothetical meeting – would God contend with all his power?

[23:6]  ¹⁰ tn The verbal clause יָשִׂם בִּי (yasim bi) has been translated “he would pay [attention] to me.” Job is saying that God will not need all his power – he will just have pay attention to Job’s complaint. Job does not need the display of power – he just wants a hearing.

[23:7]  ¹¹ tn The adverb “there” has the sense of “then” – there in the future.

[23:7]  ¹² tn The form of the verb is the Niphal נוֹכָח (nokkakh, “argue, present a case”). E. Dhorme (Job, 346) is troubled by this verbal form and so changes it and other things in the line to say, “he would observe the upright man who argues with him.” The Niphal is used for “engaging discussion,” “arguing a case,” and “settling a dispute.”

[27:5]  ¹³ tn The text uses חָלִילָה לִּי (khalilah li) meaning “far be it from me,” or more strongly, something akin to “sacrilege.”

[27:5]  ¹⁴ tn In the Hebrew text “you” is plural – a reference to Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad. To make this clear, “three” is supplied in the translation.

[31:31]  ¹⁵ tn Now Job picks up the series of clauses serving as the protasis.

[31:31]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the men of my tent.” In context this refers to members of Job’s household.

[31:31]  ¹⁷ sn The line is difficult to sort out. Job is saying it is sinful “if his men have never said, ‘O that there was one who has not been satisfied from his food.’” If they never said that, it would mean there were people out there who needed to be satisfied with his food.

[31:31]  ¹⁸ tn The optative is again expressed with “who will give?”

[31:31]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Job) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:32]  ²⁰ tn This verse forms another parenthesis. Job stops almost at every point now in the conditional clauses to affirm his purity and integrity.

[31:32]  ²¹ tn The word in the MT, אֹרחַ (’orakh, “way”), is a contraction from אֹרֵחַ (’oreakh, “wayfarer”); thus, “traveler.” The same parallelism is found in Jer 14:8. The reading here “on/to the road” is meaningless otherwise.

[31:33]  ²² tn Now the protasis continues again.

[31:33]  ²³ sn Some commentators suggest taking the meaning here to be “as Adam,” referring to the Paradise story of the sin and denial.

[31:33]  ²⁴ tn The infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first line.

[31:33]  ²⁵ tn The MT has “in my bosom.” This is the only place in the OT where this word is found. But its meaning is well attested from Aramaic.

[31:34]  ²⁶ tn Here too the verb will be the customary imperfect – it explains what he continually did in past time.

[31:34]  ²⁷ tn Heb “the great multitude.” But some commentators take רַבָּה (rabbah) adverbially: “greatly” (see RSV).

[31:34]  ²⁸ sn There is no clear apodosis for all these clauses. Some commentators transfer the verses around to make them fit the constructions. But the better view is that there is no apodosis – that Job broke off here, feeling it was useless to go further. Now he will address God and not men. But in vv. 38-40b he does return to a self-imprecation. However, there is not sufficient reason to start rearranging all the verses.

[31:35]  ²⁹ tn The optative is again introduced with “who will give to me hearing me? – O that someone would listen to me!”

[31:35]  ³⁰ tn Heb “here is my ‘tav’” (הֵן תָּוִי, hen tavi). The letter ת (tav) is the last letter of the alphabet in Hebrew. In paleo-Hebrew the letter was in the form of a cross or an “X,” and so used for one making a mark or a signature. In this case Job has signed his statement and delivered it to the court – but he has yet to be charged. Kissane thought that this being the last letter of the alphabet, Job was saying, “This is my last word.” Others take the word to mean “desire” – “this is my desire, that God would answer me” (see E. F. Sutcliffe, “Notes on Job, textual and exegetical,” Bib 30 [1949]: 71-72; G. R. Driver, AJSL 3 [1935/36]: 166; P. P. Saydon, “Philological and Textual Notes to the Maltese Translation of the Old Testament,” CBQ 23 [1961]: 252). R. Gordis (Job, 355) also argues strongly for this view.

[31:35]  ³¹ tn Heb “a scroll,” in the context referring to a scroll containing the accusations of Job’s legal adversary (see the next line).

[31:35]  ³² tn The last line is very difficult; it simply says, “a scroll [that] my [legal] adversary had written.” The simplest way to handle this is to see it as a continuation of the optative (RSV).

[31:36]  ³³ tn The clause begins with the positive oath formula, אִם־לֹא (’im-lo’).

[31:36]  ³⁴ tn The word “proudly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied (note the following line).

[31:36]  ³⁵ tn This verb is only found in Prov 6:21. But E. Dhorme (Job, 470) suggests that (with metathesis) we have a derivative מַעֲדַנּוֹת (ma’adannot, “bonds; ties”) in 38:31.

[40:2]  ³⁶ tn The form רֹב (rov) is the infinitive absolute from the verb רִיב (riv, “contend”). Dhorme wishes to repoint it to make it the active participle, the “one who argues with the Almighty.”

[40:2]  ³⁷ tn The verb יִסּוֹר (yissor) is found only here, but comes from a common root meaning “to correct; to reprove.” Several suggestions have been made to improve on the MT. Dhorme read it יָסוּר (yasur) in the sense of “to turn aside; to yield.” Ehrlich read this emendation as “to come to an end.” But the MT could be read as “to correct; to instruct.”

[40:4]  ³⁸ tn The word קַלֹּתִי (qalloti) means “to be light; to be of small account; to be unimportant.” From this comes the meaning “contemptible,” which in the causative stem would mean “to treat with contempt; to curse.” Dhorme tries to make the sentence a conditional clause and suggests this meaning: “If I have been thoughtless.” There is really no “if” in Job’s mind.

[40:4]  ³⁹ tn The perfect verb here should be classified as an instantaneous perfect; the action is simultaneous with the words.

[40:4]  ⁴⁰ tn The words “to silence myself” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[40:5]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “I will not add.”

[40:8]  ⁴² tn The verb פָּרַר (parar) means “to annul; to break; to frustrate.” It was one thing for Job to claim his own integrity, but it was another matter altogether to nullify God’s righteousness in the process.

[3:20]  ⁴³ sn Since he has survived birth, Job wonders why he could not have died a premature death. He wonders why God gives light and life to those who are in misery. His own condition throws gloom over life, and so he poses the question first generally, for many would prefer death to misery (20-22); then he comes to the individual, himself, who would prefer death (23). He closes his initial complaint with some depictions of his suffering that afflicts him and gives him no rest (24-26).

[3:20]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:20]  ⁴⁵ tn The verb is the simple imperfect, expressing the progressive imperfect nuance. But there is no formal subject to the verb, prompting some translations to make it passive in view of the indefinite subject (so, e.g., NAB, NIV, NRSV). Such a passive could be taken as a so-called “divine passive” by which God is the implied agent. Job clearly means God here, but he stops short of naming him (see also the note on “God” earlier in this verse).

[3:20]  ⁴⁶ sn In v. 10 the word was used to describe the labor and sorrow that comes from it; here the one in such misery is called the עָמֵל (’amel, “laborer, sufferer”).

[3:20]  ⁴⁷ tn The second colon now refers to people in general because of the plural construct מָרֵי נָפֶשׁ (mare nafesh, “those bitter of soul/life”). One may recall the use of מָרָה (marah, “bitter”) by Naomi to describe her pained experience as a poor widow in Ruth 1:20, or the use of the word to describe the bitter oppression inflicted on Israel by the Egyptians (Exod 1:14). Those who are “bitter of soul” are those whose life is overwhelmed with painful experiences and suffering.