Job 11:14

11:14 if ¹  iniquity is in your hand – put it far away, ² 

and do not let evil reside in your tents.

Job 15:20

15:20 All his days ³  the wicked man suffers torment, ⁴ 

throughout the number of the years

that ⁵  are stored up for the tyrant. ⁶ 

Job 15:34

15:34 For the company of the godless is barren, ⁷ 

and fire ⁸  consumes the tents of those who accept bribes. ⁹ 

Job 21:27-28

Futile Words, Deceptive Answers

21:27 “Yes, I know what you are thinking, ¹⁰ 

the schemes ¹¹  by which you would wrong me. ¹² 

21:28 For you say,

‘Where now is the nobleman’s house, ¹³ 

and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?’ ¹⁴ 

Job 22:5-9

22:5 Is not your wickedness great ¹⁵ 

and is there no end to your iniquity?

22:6 “For you took pledges ¹⁶  from your brothers

for no reason,

and you stripped the clothing from the naked. ¹⁷ 

22:7 You gave the weary ¹⁸  no water to drink

and from the hungry you withheld food.

22:8 Although you were a powerful man, ¹⁹  owning land, ²⁰ 

an honored man ²¹  living on it, ²² 

22:9 you sent widows away empty-handed,

and the arms ²³  of the orphans you crushed. ²⁴ 

Job 27:6-7

27:6 I will maintain my righteousness

and never let it go;

my conscience ²⁵  will not reproach me

for as long as I live. ²⁶ 

The Condition of the Wicked

27:7 “May my enemy be like the wicked, ²⁷ 

my adversary ²⁸  like the unrighteous. ²⁹ 

Job 29:12-17

29:12 for I rescued the poor who cried out for help,

and the orphan who ³⁰  had no one to assist him;

29:13 the blessing of the dying man descended on me, ³¹ 

and I made the widow’s heart rejoice; ³² 

29:14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, ³³ 

my just dealing ³⁴  was like a robe and a turban;

29:15 I was eyes for the blind

and feet for the lame;

29:16 I was a father ³⁵  to the needy,

and I investigated the case of the person I did not know;

29:17 I broke the fangs ³⁶  of the wicked,

and made him drop ³⁷  his prey from his teeth.

Job 31:1-40

Job Vindicates Himself

31:1 “I made a covenant with ³⁸  my eyes;

how then could I entertain thoughts against a virgin? ³⁹ 

31:2 What then would be one’s lot from God above,

one’s heritage from the Almighty ⁴⁰  on high?

31:3 Is it not misfortune for the unjust,

and disaster for those who work iniquity?

31:4 Does he not see my ways

and count all my steps?

31:5 If ⁴¹  I have walked in falsehood,

and if ⁴²  my foot has hastened ⁴³  to deceit –

31:6 let him ⁴⁴  weigh me with honest ⁴⁵  scales;

then God will discover ⁴⁶  my integrity.

31:7 If my footsteps have strayed from the way,

if my heart has gone after my eyes, ⁴⁷ 

or if anything ⁴⁸  has defiled my hands,

31:8 then let me sow ⁴⁹  and let another eat,

and let my crops ⁵⁰  be uprooted.

31:9 If my heart has been enticed by a woman,

and I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door, ⁵¹ 

31:10 then let my wife turn the millstone ⁵²  for another man,

and may other men have sexual relations with her. ⁵³ 

31:11 For I would have committed ⁵⁴  a shameful act, ⁵⁵ 

an iniquity to be judged. ⁵⁶ 

31:12 For it is a fire that devours even to Destruction, ⁵⁷ 

and it would uproot ⁵⁸  all my harvest.

31:13 “If I have disregarded the right of my male servants

or my female servants

when they disputed ⁵⁹  with me,

31:14 then what will I do when God confronts me in judgment; ⁶⁰ 

when he intervenes, ⁶¹ 

how will I respond to him?

31:15 Did not the one who made me in the womb make them? ⁶² 

Did not the same one form us in the womb?

31:16 If I have refused to give the poor what they desired, ⁶³ 

or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,

31:17 If I ate my morsel of bread myself,

and did not share any of it with orphans ⁶⁴  –

31:18 but from my youth I raised the orphan ⁶⁵  like a father,

and from my mother’s womb ⁶⁶ 

I guided the widow! ⁶⁷ 

31:19 If I have seen anyone about to perish for lack of clothing,

or a poor man without a coat,

31:20 whose heart did not bless me ⁶⁸ 

as he warmed himself with the fleece of my sheep, ⁶⁹ 

31:21 if I have raised my hand ⁷⁰  to vote against the orphan,

when I saw my support in the court, ⁷¹ 

31:22 then ⁷²  let my arm fall from the shoulder, ⁷³ 

let my arm be broken off at the socket. ⁷⁴ 

31:23 For the calamity from God was a terror to me, ⁷⁵ 

and by reason of his majesty ⁷⁶  I was powerless.

31:24 “If I have put my confidence in gold

or said to pure gold,

‘You are my security!’

31:25 if I have rejoiced because of the extent of my wealth,

or because of the great wealth my hand had gained,

31:26 if I looked at the sun ⁷⁷  when it was shining,

and the moon advancing as a precious thing,

31:27 so that my heart was secretly enticed,

and my hand threw them a kiss from my mouth, ⁷⁸ 

31:28 then this ⁷⁹  also would be iniquity to be judged, ⁸⁰ 

for I would have been false ⁸¹  to God above.

31:29 If ⁸²  I have rejoiced over the misfortune of my enemy ⁸³ 

or exulted ⁸⁴  because calamity ⁸⁵  found him –

31:30 I ⁸⁶  have not even permitted my mouth ⁸⁷  to sin

by asking ⁸⁸  for his life through a curse –

31:31 if ⁸⁹  the members of my household ⁹⁰  have never said, ⁹¹ 

‘If only there were ⁹²  someone

who has not been satisfied from Job’s ⁹³  meat!’ –

31:32 But ⁹⁴  no stranger had to spend the night outside,

for I opened my doors to the traveler ⁹⁵  –

31:33 if ⁹⁶  I have covered my transgressions as men do, ⁹⁷ 

by hiding ⁹⁸  iniquity in my heart, ⁹⁹ 

31:34 because I was terrified ¹⁰⁰  of the great multitude, ¹⁰¹ 

and the contempt of families terrified me,

so that I remained silent

and would not go outdoors – ¹⁰² 

Job’s Appeal

31:35 “If only I had ¹⁰³  someone to hear me!

Here is my signature – ¹⁰⁴ 

let the Almighty answer me!

If only I had an indictment ¹⁰⁵ 

that my accuser had written. ¹⁰⁶ 

31:36 Surely ¹⁰⁷  I would wear it proudly ¹⁰⁸  on my shoulder,

I would bind ¹⁰⁹  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’s Final Solemn Oath ¹¹⁰ 

31:38 “If my land cried out against me ¹¹¹ 

and all its furrows wept together,

31:39 if I have eaten its produce without paying, ¹¹² 

or caused the death ¹¹³  of its owners, ¹¹⁴ 

31:40 then let thorns sprout up in place of wheat,

and in place of barley, weeds!” ¹¹⁵ 

The words of Job are ended.

Psalms 7:3-5

7:3 O Lord my God, if I have done what they say, ¹¹⁶ 

or am guilty of unjust actions, ¹¹⁷ 

7:4 or have wronged my ally, ¹¹⁸ 

or helped his lawless enemy, ¹¹⁹ 

7:5 may an enemy relentlessly chase ¹²⁰  me ¹²¹  and catch me; ¹²² 

may he trample me to death ¹²³ 

and leave me lying dishonored in the dust. ¹²⁴  (Selah)

Psalms 44:17-21

44:17 All this has happened to us, even though we have not rejected you ¹²⁵ 

or violated your covenant with us. ¹²⁶ 

44:18 We have not been unfaithful, ¹²⁷ 

nor have we disobeyed your commands. ¹²⁸ 

44:19 Yet you have battered us, leaving us a heap of ruins overrun by wild dogs; ¹²⁹ 

you have covered us with darkness. ¹³⁰ 

44:20 If we had rejected our God, ¹³¹ 

and spread out our hands in prayer to another god, ¹³² 

44:21 would not God discover it,

for he knows ¹³³  one’s thoughts? ¹³⁴ 

[11:14]  ¹ tn Verse 14 should be taken as a parenthesis and not a continuation of the protasis, because it does not fit with v. 13 in that way (D. J. A. Clines, Job [WBC], 256).

[11:14]  ² tn Many commentators follow the Vulgate and read the line “if you put away the sin that is in your hand.” They do this because the imperative comes between the protasis (v. 13) and the apodosis (v. 15) and does not appear to be clearly part of the protasis. The idea is close to the MT, but the MT is much more forceful – if you find sin in your hand, get rid of it.

[15:20]  ³ tn Heb “all the days of the wicked, he suffers.” The word “all” is an adverbial accusative of time, stating along with its genitives (“of the days of a wicked man”) how long the individual suffers. When the subject is composed of a noun in construct followed by a genitive, the predicate sometimes agrees with the genitive (see GKC 467 §146.a).

[15:20]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew term מִתְחוֹלֵל (mitkholel) is a Hitpolel participle from חִיל (khil, “to tremble”). It carries the idea of “torment oneself,” or “be tormented.” Some have changed the letter ח (khet) for a letter ה (he), and obtained the meaning “shows himself mad.” Theodotion has “is mad.” Syriac (“behave arrogantly,” apparently confusing Hebrew חול with חלל; Heidi M. Szpek, Translation Technique in the Peshitta to Job [SBLDS], 277), Symmachus, and Vulgate have “boasts himself.” But the reading of the MT is preferable.

[15:20]  ⁵ tn It is necessary, with Rashi, to understand the relative pronoun before the verb “they are stored up/reserved.”

[15:20]  ⁶ tn This has been translated with the idea of “oppressor” in Job 6:23; 27:13.

[15:34]  ⁷ tn The LXX renders this line: “for death is the witness of an ungodly man. “Death” represents “barren/sterile,” and “witness” represents “assembly.”

[15:34]  ⁸ sn This may refer to the fire that struck Job (cf. 1:16).

[15:34]  ⁹ tn Heb “the tents of bribery.” The word “bribery” can mean a “gift,” but most often in the sense of a bribe in court. It indicates that the wealth and the possessions that the wicked man has gained may have been gained unjustly.

[21:27]  ¹⁰ tn The word is “your thoughts.” The word for “thoughts” (from חָצַב [khatsav, “to think; to reckon; to plan”]) has more to do with their intent than their general thoughts. He knows that when they talked about the fate of the wicked they really were talking about him.

[21:27]  ¹¹ tn For the meaning of this word, and its root זָמַם (zamam), see Job 17:11. It usually means the “plans” or “schemes” that are concocted against someone.

[21:27]  ¹² tn E. Dhorme (Job, 321) distinguishes the verb חָמַס (khamas) from the noun for “violence.” He proposes a meaning of “think, imagine”: “and the ideas you imagined about me.”

[21:28]  ¹³ sn The question implies the answer will be “vanished” or “gone.”

[21:28]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “And where is the tent, the dwellings of the wicked.” The word “dwellings of the wicked” is in apposition to “tent.” A relative pronoun must be supplied in the translation.

[22:5]  ¹⁵ tn The adjective רַבָּה (rabbah) normally has the idea of “great” in quantity (“abundant,” ESV) rather than “great” in quality.

[22:6]  ¹⁶ tn The verb חָבַל (khaval) means “to take pledges.” In this verse Eliphaz says that Job not only took as pledge things the poor need, like clothing, but he did it for no reason.

[22:6]  ¹⁷ tn The “naked” here refers to people who are poorly clothed. Otherwise, a reading like the NIV would be necessary: “you stripped the clothes…[leaving them] naked.” So either he made them naked by stripping their garments off, or they were already in rags.

[22:7]  ¹⁸ tn The term עָיֵף (’ayef) can be translated “weary,” “faint,” “exhausted,” or “tired.” Here it may refer to the fainting because of thirst – that would make a good parallel to the second part.

[22:8]  ¹⁹ tn The idiom is “a man of arm” (= “powerful”; see Ps 10:15). This is in comparison to the next line, “man of face” (= “dignity; high rank”; see Isa 3:5).

[22:8]  ²⁰ tn Heb “and a man of arm, to whom [was] land.” The line is in contrast to the preceding one, and so the vav here introduces a concessive clause.

[22:8]  ²¹ tn The expression is unusual: “the one lifted up of face.” This is the “honored one,” the one to whom the dignity will be given.

[22:8]  ²² tn Many commentators simply delete the verse or move it elsewhere. Most take it as a general reference to Job, perhaps in apposition to the preceding verse.

[22:9]  ²³ tn The “arms of the orphans” are their helps or rights on which they depended for support.

[22:9]  ²⁴ tn The verb in the text is Pual: יְדֻכָּא (yÿdukka’, “was [were] crushed”). GKC 388 §121.b would explain “arms” as the complement of a passive imperfect. But if that is too difficult, then a change to Piel imperfect, second person, will solve the difficulty. In its favor is the parallelism, the use of the second person all throughout the section, and the reading in all the versions. The versions may have simply assumed the easier reading, however.

[27:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “my heart.”

[27:6]  ²⁶ tn The prepositional phrase “from my days” probably means “from the days of my birth,” or “all my life.”

[27:7]  ²⁷ sn Of course, he means like his enemy when he is judged, not when he is thriving in prosperity and luxury.

[27:7]  ²⁸ tn The form is the Hitpolel participle from קוּם (qum): “those who are rising up against me,” or “my adversary.”

[27:7]  ²⁹ tc The LXX made a free paraphrase: “No, but let my enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me as the destruction of transgressors.”

[29:12]  ³⁰ tn The negative introduces a clause that serves as a negative attribute; literally the following clause says, “and had no helper” (see GKC 482 §152.u).

[29:13]  ³¹ tn The verb is simply בּוֹא (bo’, “to come; to enter”). With the preposition עַל (’al, “upon”) it could mean “came to me,” or “came upon me,” i.e., descended (see R. Gordis, Job, 320).

[29:13]  ³² tn The verb אַרְנִן (’arnin) is from רָנַן (ranan, “to give a ringing cry”) but here “cause to give a ringing cry,” i.e., shout of joy. The rejoicing envisioned in this word is far greater than what the words “sing” or “rejoice” suggest.

[29:14]  ³³ tn Both verbs in this first half-verse are from לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe; to put on clothing”). P. Joüon changed the vowels to get a verb “it adorned me” instead of “it clothed me” (Bib 11 [1930]: 324). The figure of clothing is used for the character of the person: to wear righteousness is to be righteous.

[29:14]  ³⁴ tn The word מִשְׁפָּטִי (mishpati) is simply “my justice” or “my judgment.” It refers to the decisions he made in settling issues, how he dealt with other people justly.

[29:16]  ³⁵ sn The word “father” does not have a wide range of meanings in the OT. But there are places that it is metaphorical, especially in a legal setting like this where the poor need aid.

[29:17]  ³⁶ tn The word rendered “fangs” actually means “teeth,” i.e., the molars probably; it is used frequently of the teeth of wild beasts. Of course, the language is here figurative, comparing the oppressing enemy to a preying animal.

[29:17]  ³⁷ tn “I made [him] drop.” The verb means “to throw; to cast,” throw in the sense of “to throw away.” But in the context with the figure of the beast with prey in its mouth, “drop” or “cast away” is the idea. Driver finds another cognate meaning “rescue” (see AJSL 52 [1935/36]: 163).

[31:1]  ³⁸ tn The idea of cutting a covenant for something may suggest a covenant that is imposed, except that this construction elsewhere argues against it (see 2 Chr 29:10).

[31:1]  ³⁹ tn This half-verse is the effect of the covenant. The interrogative מָה (mah) may have the force of the negative, and so be translated “not to pay attention.”

[31:2]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “lot of Shaddai,” which must mean “the lot from Shaddai,” a genitive of source.

[31:5]  ⁴¹ tn The normal approach is to take this as the protasis, and then have it resumed in v. 7 after a parenthesis in v. 6. But some take v. 6 as the apodosis and a new protasis in v. 7.

[31:5]  ⁴² tn The “if” is understood by the use of the consecutive verb.

[31:5]  ⁴³ sn The verbs “walk” and “hasten” (referring in the verse to the foot) are used metaphorically for the manner of life Job lived.

[31:6]  ⁴⁴ tn “God” is undoubtedly the understood subject of this jussive. However, “him” is retained in the translation at this point to avoid redundancy since “God” occurs in the second half of the verse.

[31:6]  ⁴⁵ tn The word צֶדֶךְ (tsedeq, “righteousness”) forms a fitting genitive for the scales used in trade or justice. The “scales of righteousness” are scales that conform to the standard (see the illustration in Deut 25:13-15). They must be honest scales to make just decisions.

[31:6]  ⁴⁶ tn The verb is וְיֵדַע (vÿyeda’, “and [then] he [God] will know”). The verb could also be subordinated to the preceding jussive, “so that God may know.” The meaning of “to know” here has more the idea of “to come to know; to discover.”

[31:7]  ⁴⁷ sn The meaning is “been led by what my eyes see.”

[31:7]  ⁴⁸ tc The word מֻאוּם (mu’um) could be taken in one of two ways. One reading is to represent מוּם (mum, “blemish,” see the Masorah); the other is for מְאוּמָה (mÿ’umah, “anything,” see the versions and the Kethib). Either reading fits the passage.

[31:8]  ⁴⁹ tn The cohortative is often found in the apodosis of the conditional clause (see GKC 320 §108.f).

[31:8]  ⁵⁰ tn The word means “what sprouts up” (from יָצָא [yatsa’] with the sense of “sprout forth”). It could refer metaphorically to children (and so Kissane and Pope), as well as in its literal sense of crops. The latter fits here perfectly.

[31:9]  ⁵¹ tn Gordis notes that the word פֶּתַח (petakh, “door”) has sexual connotations in rabbinic literature, based on Prov 7:6ff. (see b. Ketubbot 9b). See also the use in Song 4:12 using a synonym.

[31:10]  ⁵² tn Targum Job interpreted the verb טָחַן (takhan, “grind”) in a sexual sense, and this has influenced other versions and commentaries. But the literal sense fits well in this line. The idea is that she would be a slave for someone else. The second line of the verse then might build on this to explain what kind of a slave – a concubine (see A. B. Davidson, Job, 215).

[31:10]  ⁵³ tn Heb “bow down over her,” an idiom for sexual relations.

[31:11]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “for that [would be].” In order to clarify the referent of “that,” which refers to v. 9 rather than v. 10, the words “I have committed” have been supplied in the translation.

[31:11]  ⁵⁵ tn The word for “shameful act” is used especially for sexual offenses (cf. Lev 18:27).

[31:11]  ⁵⁶ tc Some have deleted this verse as being short and irrelevant, not to mention problematic. But the difficulties are not insurmountable, and there is no reason to delete it. There is a Kethib-Qere reading in each half verse; in the first the Kethib is masculine for the subject but the Qere is feminine going with “shameless deed.” In the second colon the Kethib is the feminine agreeing with the preceding noun, but the Qere is masculine agreeing with “iniquity.”

[31:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “to Abaddon.”

[31:12]  ⁵⁸ tn The verb means “to root out,” but this does not fit the parallelism with fire. Wright changed two letters and the vowels in the verb to get the root צָרַף (tsaraf, “to burn”). The NRSV has “burn to the root.”

[31:13]  ⁵⁹ tn This construction is an adverbial clause using the temporal preposition, the infinitive from רִיב (riv, “contend”), and the suffix which is the subjective genitive.

[31:14]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “arises.” The LXX reads “takes vengeance,” an interpretation that is somewhat correct but unnecessary. The verb “to rise” would mean “to confront in judgment.”

[31:14]  ⁶¹ tn The verb פָקַד (paqad) means “to visit,” but with God as the subject it means any divine intervention for blessing or cursing, anything God does that changes a person’s life. Here it is “visit to judge.”

[31:15]  ⁶² tn Heb “him,” but the plural pronoun has been used in the translation to indicate that the referent is the servants mentioned in v. 13 (since the previous “him” in v. 14 refers to God).

[31:16]  ⁶³ tn Heb “kept the poor from [their] desire.”

[31:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “and an orphan did not eat from it.”

[31:18]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “he grew up with me.” Several commentators have decided to change the pronoun to “I,” and make it causative.

[31:18]  ⁶⁶ tn The expression “from my mother’s womb” is obviously hyperbolic. It is a way of saying “all his life.”

[31:18]  ⁶⁷ tn Heb “I guided her,” referring to the widow mentioned in v. 16.

[31:20]  ⁶⁸ tn The MT has simply “if his loins did not bless me.” In the conditional clause this is another protasis. It means, “if I saw someone dying and if he did not thank me for clothing them.” It is Job’s way of saying that whenever he saw a need he met it, and he received his share of thanks – which prove his kindness. G. R. Driver has it “without his loins having blessed me,” taking “If…not” as an Aramaism, meaning “except” (AJSL 52 [1935/36]: 164f.).

[31:20]  ⁶⁹ tn This clause is interpreted here as a subordinate clause to the first half of the verse. It could also be a separate clause: “was he not warmed…?”

[31:21]  ⁷⁰ tn The expression “raised my hand” refers to a threatening manner or gesture in the court rather than a threat of physical violence in the street. Thus the words “to vote” are supplied in the translation to indicate the setting.

[31:21]  ⁷¹ tn Heb “gate,” referring to the city gate where judicial decisions were rendered in the culture of the time. The translation uses the word “court” to indicate this to the modern reader, who might not associate a city gate complex with judicial functions.

[31:22]  ⁷² sn Here is the apodosis, the imprecation Job pronounces on himself if he has done any of these things just listed.

[31:22]  ⁷³ tn The point is that if he has raised his arm against the oppressed it should be ripped off at the joint. The MT has “let fall my shoulder [כְּתֵפִי, kÿtefi] from the nape of the neck [or shoulder blade (מִשִּׁכְמָה, mishikhmah)].”

[31:22]  ⁷⁴ tn The word קָנֶה (qaneh) is “reed; shaft; beam,” and here “shoulder joint.” All the commentaries try to explain how “reed” became “socket; joint.” This is the only place that it is used in such a sense. Whatever the exact explanation – and there seems to be no convincing view – the point of the verse is nonetheless clear.

[31:23]  ⁷⁵ tc The LXX has “For the terror of God restrained me.” Several commentators changed it to “came upon me.” Driver had “The fear of God was burdensome.” I. Eitan suggested “The terror of God was mighty upon me” (“Two unknown verbs: etymological studies,” JBL 42 [1923]: 22-28). But the MT makes clear sense as it stands.

[31:23]  ⁷⁶ tn The form is וּמִשְּׂאֵתוֹ (umissÿ’eto); the preposition is causal. The form, from the verb נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to raise; to lift high”), refers to God’s exalted person, his majesty (see Job 13:11).

[31:26]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “light”; but parallel to the moon it is the sun. This section speaks of false worship of the sun and the moon.

[31:27]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “and my hand kissed my mouth.” The idea should be that of “my mouth kissed my hand.” H. H. Rowley suggests that the hand was important in waving or throwing the kisses of homage to the sun and the moon, and so it receives the focus. This is the only place in the OT that refers to such a custom. Outside the Bible it was known, however.

[31:28]  ⁷⁹ tn Heb “it.”

[31:28]  ⁸⁰ tn See v. 11 for the construction. In Deut 17:2ff. false worship of heavenly bodies is a capital offense. In this passage, Job is talking about just a momentary glance at the sun or moon and the brief lapse into a pagan thought. But it is still sin.

[31:28]  ⁸¹ tn The verb כָּחַשׁ (kakhash) in the Piel means “to deny.” The root meaning is “to deceive; to disappoint; to grow lean.” Here it means that he would have failed or proven unfaithful because his act would have been a denial of God.

[31:29]  ⁸² tn The problem with taking this as “if,” introducing a conditional clause, is finding the apodosis, if there is one. It may be that the apodosis is understood, or summed up at the end. This is the view taken here. But R. Gordis (Job, 352) wishes to take this word as the indication of the interrogative, forming the rhetorical question to affirm he has never done this. However, in that case the parenthetical verses inserted become redundant.

[31:29]  ⁸³ sn The law required people to help their enemies if they could (Exod 23:4; also Prov 20:22). But often in the difficulties that ensued, they did exult over their enemies’ misfortune (Pss 54:7; 59:10 [11], etc.). But Job lived on a level of purity that few ever reach. Duhm said, “If chapter 31 is the crown of all ethical developments of the O.T., verse 29 is the jewel in that crown.”

[31:29]  ⁸⁴ tn The Hitpael of עוּר (’ur) has the idea of “exult.”

[31:29]  ⁸⁵ tn The word is רָע (ra’, “evil”) in the sense of anything that harms, interrupts, or destroys life.

[31:30]  ⁸⁶ tn This verse would then be a parenthesis in which he stops to claim his innocence.

[31:30]  ⁸⁷ tn Heb “I have not given my palate.”

[31:30]  ⁸⁸ tn The infinitive construct with the ל (lamed) preposition (“by asking”) serves in an epexegetical capacity here, explaining the verb of the first colon (“permitted…to sin”). To seek a curse on anyone would be a sin.

[31:31]  ⁸⁹ tn Now Job picks up the series of clauses serving as the protasis.

[31:31]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “the men of my tent.” In context this refers to members of Job’s household.

[31:31]  ⁹¹ 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]  ⁹² tn The optative is again expressed with “who will give?”

[31:31]  ⁹³ tn Heb “his”; the referent (Job) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[31:32]  ⁹⁴ 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]  ⁹⁵ 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]  ⁹⁶ tn Now the protasis continues again.

[31:33]  ⁹⁷ sn Some commentators suggest taking the meaning here to be “as Adam,” referring to the Paradise story of the sin and denial.

[31:33]  ⁹⁸ tn The infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first line.

[31:33]  ⁹⁹ 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]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Here too the verb will be the customary imperfect – it explains what he continually did in past time.

[31:34]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “the great multitude.” But some commentators take רַבָּה (rabbah) adverbially: “greatly” (see RSV).

[31:34]  ¹⁰² 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]  ¹⁰³ tn The optative is again introduced with “who will give to me hearing me? – O that someone would listen to me!”

[31:35]  ¹⁰⁴ 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]  ¹⁰⁵ 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]  ¹⁰⁶ 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]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The clause begins with the positive oath formula, אִם־לֹא (’im-lo’).

[31:36]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The word “proudly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied (note the following line).

[31:36]  ¹⁰⁹ 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.

[31:38]  ¹¹⁰ sn Many commentators place vv. 38-40b at the end of v. 34, so that there is no return to these conditional clauses after his final appeal.

[31:38]  ¹¹¹ sn Some commentators have suggested that the meaning behind this is that Job might not have kept the year of release (Deut 15:1), and the law against mixing seed (Lev 19:19). But the context will make clear that the case considered is obtaining the land without paying for it and causing the death of its lawful owner (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 206). Similar to this would be the case of Naboth’s vineyard.

[31:39]  ¹¹² tn Heb “without silver.”

[31:39]  ¹¹³ tc The versions have the verb “grieved” here. The Hebrew verb means “to breathe,” but the form is Hiphil. This verb in that stem could mean something of a contemptuous gesture, like “sniff” in Mal 1:13. But with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in Job 11:20 it means “to cause death,” i.e., “to cause to breathe out; to expire.” This is likely the meaning here, although it is possible that it only meant “to cause suffering” to the people.

[31:39]  ¹¹⁴ tn There is some debate over the meaning of בְּעָלֶיהָ (bÿ’aleyha), usually translated “its owners.” Dahood, following others (although without their emendations), thought it referred to “laborers” (see M. Dahood, Bib 41 [1960]: 303; idem, Bib 43 [1962]: 362).

[31:40]  ¹¹⁵ tn The word בָּאְשָׁה (bo’shah, from בָּאַשׁ [ba’as, “to have a foul smell”]) must refer to foul smelling weeds.

[7:3]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “if I have done this.”

[7:3]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “if there is injustice in my hands.” The “hands” figuratively suggest deeds or actions.

[7:4]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “if I have repaid the one at peace with me evil.” The form שׁוֹלְמִי (sholÿmi, “the one at peace with me”) probably refers to a close friend or ally, i.e., one with whom the psalmist has made a formal agreement. See BDB 1023 s.v. שָׁלוֹם 4.a.

[7:4]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “or rescued my enemy in vain.” The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive (the verb form is pseudo-cohortative; see IBHS 576-77 §34.5.3) carries on the hypothetical nuance of the perfect in the preceding line. Some regard the statement as a parenthetical assertion that the psalmist is kind to his enemies. Others define חָלַץ (khalats) as “despoil” (cf. NASB, NRSV “plundered”; NIV “robbed”), an otherwise unattested nuance for this verb. Still others emend the verb to לָחַץ (lakhats, “oppress”). Most construe the adverb רֵיקָם (reqam, “emptily, vainly”) with “my enemy,” i.e., the one who is my enemy in vain.” The present translation (1) assumes an emendation of צוֹרְרִי (tsorÿriy, “my enemy”) to צוֹרְרוֹ (tsorÿro, “his [i.e., the psalmist’s ally’s] enemy”) following J. Tigay, “Psalm 7:5 and Ancient Near Eastern Treaties,” JBL 89 (1970): 178-86, (2) understands the final mem (ם) on רֵיקָם as enclitic, and (3) takes רִיק (riq) as an adjective modifying “his enemy.” (For other examples of a suffixed noun followed by an attributive adjective without the article, see Pss 18:17 (“my strong enemy”), 99:3 (“your great and awesome name”) and 143:10 (“your good spirit”). The adjective רִיק occurs with the sense “lawless” in Judg 9:4; 11:3; 2 Chr 13:7. In this case the psalmist affirms that he has not wronged his ally, nor has he given aid to his ally’s enemies. Ancient Near Eastern treaties typically included such clauses, with one or both parties agreeing not to lend aid to the treaty partner’s enemies.

[7:5]  ¹²⁰ tn The vocalization of the verb form seems to be a mixture of Qal and Piel (see GKC 168 §63.n). The translation assumes the Piel, which would emphasize the repetitive nature of the action. The translation assumes the prefixed verbal form is a jussive. The psalmist is so certain that he is innocent of the sins mentioned in vv. 3-4, he pronounces an imprecation on himself for rhetorical effect.

[7:5]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “my life.” The pronominal suffix attached to נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) is equivalent to a personal pronoun. See Ps 6:3.

[7:5]  ¹²² tn Heb “and may he overtake.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. The object “me,” though unexpressed, is understood from the preceding statement.

[7:5]  ¹²³ tn Heb “and may he trample down to the earth my life.”

[7:5]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “and my honor in the dust may he cause to dwell.” The prefixed verbal form is distinctly jussive. Some emend כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy, “my honor”) to כְבֵדִי (khÿvediy, “my liver” as the seat of life), but the term כְבוֹדִי (khÿvodiy) is to be retained since it probably refers to the psalmist’s dignity or honor.

[44:17]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “we have not forgotten you.” To “forget” God refers here to worshiping false gods and thereby refusing to recognize his sovereignty (see v. 20, as well as Deut 8:19; Judg 3:7; 1 Sam 12:9; Isa 17:10; Jer 3:21; Ps 9:17).Thus the translation “we have not rejected you” has been used.

[44:17]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “and we did not deal falsely with your covenant.”

[44:18]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “our heart did not turn backward.” Cf. Ps 78:57.

[44:18]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “and our steps did [not] turn aside from your path.” The negative particle is understood by ellipsis (see the preceding line). God’s “path” refers to his commands, i.e., the moral pathway he has prescribed for the psalmist. See Pss 17:5; 25:4.

[44:19]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “yet you have battered us in a place of jackals.”

[44:19]  ¹³⁰ tn The Hebrew term צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has traditionally been understood as a compound noun meaning “shadow of death” (צֵל+מָוֶת [mavet + tsel]; see BDB 853 s.v. צַלְמָוֶת; cf. NASB). Other scholars prefer to vocalize the form צַלְמוּת (tsalmut) and understand it as an abstract noun (from the root צלם) meaning “darkness” (cf. NIV, NRSV). An examination of the word’s usage favors the latter derivation. It is frequently associated with darkness/night and contrasted with light/morning (see Job 3:5; 10:21-22; 12:22; 24:17; 28:3; 34:22; Ps 107:10, 14; Isa 9:1; Jer 13:16; Amos 5:8). In some cases the darkness described is associated with the realm of death (Job 10:21-22; 38:17), but this is a metaphorical application of the word and does not reflect its inherent meaning. In Ps 44:19 darkness symbolizes defeat and humiliation.

[44:20]  ¹³¹ tn Heb “If we had forgotten the name of our God.” To “forget the name” here refers to rejecting the Lord’s authority (see Jer 23:27) and abandoning him as an object of prayer and worship (see the next line).

[44:20]  ¹³² tn Heb “and spread out your hands to another god.” Spreading out the hands was a prayer gesture (see Exod 9:29, 33; 1 Kgs 8:22, 38; 2 Chr 6:12-13, 29; Ezra 9:15; Job 11:13; Isa 1:15). In its most fundamental sense זר (“another; foreign; strange”) refers to something that is outside one’s circle, often making association with it inappropriate. A “strange” god is an alien deity, an “outside god” (see L. A. Snijders, TDOT 4:54-55).

[44:21]  ¹³³ tn The active participle describes what is characteristically true.

[44:21]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “would not God search out this, for he knows the hidden things of [the] heart?” The expression “search out” is used metonymically here, referring to discovery, the intended effect of a search. The “heart” (i.e., mind) is here viewed as the seat of one’s thoughts. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course he would!” The point seems to be this: There is no way the Israelites who are the speakers in the psalm would reject God and turn to another god, for the omniscient God would easily discover such a sin.