Job 13:8

13:8 Will you show him partiality? ¹ 

Will you argue the case ²  for God?

Job 21:14

21:14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!

We do not want to ³  know your ways. ⁴ 

Job 22:17

22:17 They were saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,’

and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’ ⁵ 

Job 24:25

24:25 “If this is not so, who can prove me a liar

and reduce my words to nothing?” ⁶ 

Job 31:28

31:28 then this ⁷  also would be iniquity to be judged, ⁸ 

for I would have been false ⁹  to God above.

Job 33:6

33:6 Look, I am just like you in relation to God;

I too have been molded ¹⁰  from clay.

Job 34:10

God is Not Unjust

34:10 “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. ¹¹ 

Far be it from ¹²  God to do wickedness,

from the Almighty to do evil.

Job 34:37

34:37 For he adds transgression ¹³  to his sin;

in our midst he claps his hands, ¹⁴ 

and multiplies his words against God.”

[13:8]  ¹ sn The idiom used here is “Will you lift up his face?” Here Job is being very sarcastic, for this expression usually means that a judge is taking a bribe. Job is accusing them of taking God’s side.

[13:8]  ² tn The same root is used here (רִיב, riv, “dispute, contention”) as in v. 6b (see note).

[21:14]  ³ tn The absence of the preposition before the complement adds greater vividness to the statement: “and knowing your ways – we do not desire.”

[21:14]  ⁴ sn Contrast Ps 25:4, which affirms that walking in God’s ways means to obey God’s will – the Torah.

[22:17]  ⁵ tn The form in the text is “to them.” The LXX and the Syriac versions have “to us.”

[24:25]  ⁷ tn The word אַל (’al, “not”) is used here substantivally (“nothing”).

[31:28]  ⁹ tn Heb “it.”

[31:28]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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.

[33:6]  ¹¹ tn The verb means “nipped off,” as a potter breaks off a piece of clay when molding a vessel.

[34:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “men of heart.” The “heart” is used for the capacity to understand and make the proper choice. It is often translated “mind.”

[34:10]  ¹⁴ tn For this construction, see Job 27:5.

[34:37]  ¹⁵ tn Although frequently translated “rebellion,” the basic meaning of this Hebrew term is “transgression.”

[34:37]  ¹⁶ tc If this reading stands, it would mean that Job shows contempt, meaning that he mocks them and accuses God. It is a bold touch, but workable. Of the many suggested emendations, Dhorme alters some of the vowels and obtains a reading “and casts doubt among us,” and then takes “transgression” from the first colon for the complement. Some commentators simply delete the line.