Job 18:12

18:12 Calamity is ¹  hungry for him, ² 

and misfortune is ready at his side. ³ 

Job 31:3

31:3 Is it not misfortune for the unjust,

and disaster for those who work iniquity?

Job 21:30

21:30 that the evil man is spared

from the day of his misfortune,

that he is delivered ⁴ 

from the day of God’s wrath?

Job 31:23

31:23 For the calamity from God was a terror to me, ⁵ 

and by reason of his majesty ⁶  I was powerless.

Job 21:17

How Often Do the Wicked Suffer?

21:17 “How often ⁷  is the lamp of the wicked extinguished?

How often does their ⁸  misfortune come upon them?

How often does God apportion pain ⁹  to them ¹⁰  in his anger?

Job 30:12

30:12 On my right the young rabble ¹¹  rise up;

they drive me from place to place, ¹² 

and build up siege ramps ¹³  against me. ¹⁴ 

[18:12]  ¹ tn The jussive is occasionally used without its normal sense and only as an imperfect (see GKC 323 §109.k).

[18:12]  ² tn There are a number of suggestions for אֹנוֹ (’ono). Some take it as “vigor”: thus “his strength is hungry.” Others take it as “iniquity”: thus “his iniquity/trouble is hungry.”

[18:12]  ³ tn The expression means that misfortune is right there to destroy him whenever there is the opportunity.

[21:30]  ⁴ tn The verb means “to be led forth.” To be “led forth in the day of trouble” means to be delivered.

[31:23]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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).

[21:17]  ¹⁰ tn The interrogative “How often” occurs only with the first colon; it is supplied for smoother reading in the next two.

[21:17]  ¹¹ tn The pronominal suffix is objective; it re-enforces the object of the preposition, “upon them.” The verb in the clause is בּוֹא (bo’) followed by עַל (’al), “come upon [or against],” may be interpreted as meaning attack or strike.

[21:17]  ¹² tn חֲבָלִים (khavalim) can mean “ropes” or “cords,” but that would not go with the verb “apportion” in this line. The meaning of “pangs (as in “birth-pangs”) seems to fit best here. The wider meaning would be “physical agony.”

[21:17]  ¹³ tn The phrase “to them” is understood and thus is supplied in the translation for clarification.

[30:12]  ¹³ tn This Hebrew word occurs only here. The word פִּרְחַח (pirkhakh, “young rabble”) is a quadriliteral, from פָּרַח (parakh, “to bud”) The derivative אֶפְרֹחַ (’efroakh) in the Bible refers to a young bird. In Arabic farhun means both “young bird” and “base man.” Perhaps “young rabble” is the best meaning here (see R. Gordis, Job, 333).

[30:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “they cast off my feet” or “they send my feet away.” Many delete the line as troubling and superfluous. E. Dhorme (Job, 438) forces the lines to say “they draw my feet into a net.”

[30:12]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “paths of their destruction” or “their destructive paths.”

[30:12]  ¹⁶ sn See Job 19:12.