Job 13:6-7

13:6 “Listen now to my argument, ¹ 

and be attentive to my lips’ contentions. ² 

13:7 Will you speak wickedly ³  on God’s behalf? ⁴ 

Will you speak deceitfully for him?

Job 15:5

15:5 Your sin inspires ⁵  your mouth;

you choose the language ⁶  of the crafty. ⁷ 

Job 15:17

15:17 “I will explain to you;

listen to me,

and what ⁸  I have seen, I will declare, ⁹ 

Job 26:11

26:11 The pillars ¹⁰  of the heavens tremble

and are amazed at his rebuke. ¹¹ 

Job 42:6

42:6 Therefore I despise myself, ¹² 

and I repent in dust and ashes!

[13:6]  ¹ sn Job first will argue with his friends. His cause that he will plead with God begins in v. 13. The same root יָכַח (yakhakh, “argue, plead”) is used here as in v. 3b (see note). Synonymous parallelism between the two halves of this verse supports this translation.

[13:6]  ² tn The Hebrew word רִבוֹת (rivot, “disputes, contentions”) continues the imagery of presenting a legal case. The term is used of legal disputations and litigation. See, also, v. 19a.

[13:7]  ³ tn The construction literally reads “speak iniquity.” The form functions adverbially. The noun עַוְלָה (’avlah) means “perversion; injustice; iniquity; falsehood.” Here it is parallel to רְמִיָּה (rÿmiyyah, “fraud; deceit; treachery”).

[13:7]  ⁴ tn The expression “for God” means “in favor of God” or “on God’s behalf.” Job is amazed that they will say false things on God’s behalf.

[15:5]  ⁵ tn The verb אַלֵּף (’allef) has the meaning of “to teach; to instruct,” but it is unlikely that the idea of revealing is intended. If the verb is understood metonymically, then “to inspire; to prompt” will be sufficient. Dahood and others find another root, and render the verb “to increase,” reversing subject and object: “your mouth increases your iniquity.”

[15:5]  ⁶ tn Heb “tongue.”

[15:5]  ⁷ tn The word means “shrewd; crafty; cunning” (see Gen 3:1). Job uses clever speech that is misleading and destructive.

[15:17]  ⁷ tn The demonstrative pronoun is used here as a nominative, to introduce an independent relative clause (see GKC 447 §138.h).

[15:17]  ⁸ tn Here the vav (ו) apodosis follows with the cohortative (see GKC 458 §143.d).

[26:11]  ⁹ sn H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 173) says these are the great mountains, perceived to hold up the sky.

[26:11]  ¹⁰ sn The idea here is that when the earth quakes, or when there is thunder in the heavens, these all represent God’s rebuke, for they create terror.

[42:6]  ¹¹ 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).