Job 15:35

15:35 They conceive ¹  trouble and bring forth evil;

their belly ²  prepares deception.”

Job 17:16

17:16 Will ³  it ⁴  go down to the barred gates ⁵  of death?

Will ⁶  we descend ⁷  together into the dust?”

Job 24:25

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

and reduce my words to nothing?” ⁸ 

Job 33:33

33:33 If not, you listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

[15:35]  ¹ tn Infinitives absolute are used in this verse in the place of finite verbs. They lend a greater vividness to the description, stressing the basic meaning of the words.

[15:35]  ² tn At the start of the speech Eliphaz said Job’s belly was filled with the wind; now it is there that he prepares deception. This inclusio frames the speech.

[17:16]  ³ sn It is natural to assume that this verse continues the interrogative clause of the preceding verse.

[17:16]  ⁴ tn The plural form of the verb probably refers to the two words, or the two senses of the word in the preceding verse. Hope and what it produces will perish with Job.

[17:16]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew word בַּדִּים (baddim) describes the “bars” or “bolts” of Sheol, referring (by synecdoche) to the “gates of Sheol.” The LXX has “with me to Sheol,” and many adopt that as “by my side.”

[17:16]  ⁶ tn The conjunction אִם (’im) confirms the interrogative interpretation.

[17:16]  ⁷ tn The translation follows the LXX and the Syriac versions with the change of vocalization in the MT. The MT has the noun “rest,” yielding, “will our rest be together in the dust?” The verb נָחַת (nakhat) in Aramaic means “to go down; to descend.” If that is the preferred reading – and it almost is universally accepted here – then it would be spelled נֵחַת (nekhat). In either case the point of the verse is clearly describing death and going to the grave.

[24:25]  ⁵ tn The word אַל (’al, “not”) is used here substantivally (“nothing”).