Job 19:9

19:9 He has stripped me of my honor

and has taken the crown off my head. ¹ 

Job 29:3

29:3 when ²  he caused ³  his lamp ⁴ 

to shine upon my head,

and by his light

I walked ⁵  through darkness; ⁶ 

Job 10:15

10:15 If I am guilty, ⁷  woe ⁸  to me,

and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head; ⁹ 

I am full of shame, ¹⁰ 

and satiated with my affliction. ¹¹ 

Job 12:24

12:24 He deprives the leaders of the earth ¹² 

of their understanding; ¹³ 

he makes them wander

in a trackless desert waste. ¹⁴ 

Job 16:4

16:4 I also could speak ¹⁵  like you,

if ¹⁶  you were in my place;

I could pile up ¹⁷  words against you

and I could shake my head at you. ¹⁸ 

[19:9]  ¹ sn The images here are fairly common in the Bible. God has stripped away Job’s honorable reputation. The crown is the metaphor for the esteem and dignity he once had. See 29:14; Isa 61:3; see Ps 8:5 [6].

[29:3]  ² tn This clause is in apposition to the preceding (see GKC 426 §131.o). It offers a clarification.

[29:3]  ³ tn The form בְּהִלּוֹ (bÿhillo) is unusual; it should be parsed as a Hiphil infinitive construct with the elision of the ה (he). The proper spelling would have been with a ַ (patakh) under the preposition, reflecting הַהִלּוֹ (hahillo). If it were Qal, it would just mean “when his light shone.”

[29:3]  ⁴ sn Lamp and light are symbols of God’s blessings of life and all the prosperous and good things it includes.

[29:3]  ⁵ tn Here too the imperfect verb is customary – it describes action that was continuous, but in a past time.

[29:3]  ⁶ tn The accusative (“darkness”) is here an adverbial accusative of place, namely, “in the darkness,” or because he was successfully led by God’s light, “through the darkness” (see GKC 374 §118.h).

[10:15]  ³ sn The verbs “guilty” and “innocent” are actually the verbs “I am wicked,” and “I am righteous.”

[10:15]  ⁴ tn The exclamation occurs only here and in Mic 7:1.

[10:15]  ⁵ sn The action of lifting up the head is a symbol of pride and honor and self-respect (Judg 8:28) – like “hold your head high.” In 11:15 the one who is at peace with God lifts his head (face).

[10:15]  ⁶ tn The expression שְׂבַע קָלוֹן (sÿva’ qalon) may be translated “full of shame.” The expression literally means “sated of ignominy” (or contempt [קַלַל, qalal]).

[10:15]  ⁷ tn The last clause is difficult to fit into the verse. It translates easily enough: “and see my affliction.” Many commentators follow the suggestion of Geiger to read רְוֶה (rÿveh, “watered with”) instead of רְאֵה (rÿ’eh, “see”). This could then be interpreted adjectivally and parallel to the preceding line: “steeped/saturated with affliction.” This would also delete the final yod as dittography (E. Dhorme, Job, 152). But D. J. A. Clines notes more recent interpretations that suggest the form in the text is an orthographic variant of raweh meaning “satiated.” This makes any emendation unnecessary (and in fact that idea of “steeped” was not helpful any way because it indicated imbibing rather than soaking). The NIV renders it “and drowned in my affliction” although footnoting the other possibility from the MT, “aware of my affliction” (assuming the form could be adjectival). The LXX omits the last line.

[12:24]  ⁴ tn Heb “the heads of the people of the earth.”

[12:24]  ⁵ tn Heb “heart.”

[12:24]  ⁶ tn The text has בְּתֹהוּ לֹא־דָרֶךְ (bÿtohu lo’ darekh): “in waste – no way,” or “in a wasteland [where there is] no way,” thus, “trackless” (see the discussion of negative attributes using לֹא [lo’] in GKC 482 §152.u).

[16:4]  ⁵ tn For the use of the cohortative in the apodosis of conditional sentences, see GKC 322 §109.f.

[16:4]  ⁶ tn The conjunction לוּ (lu) is used to introduce the optative, a condition that is incapable of fulfillment (see GKC 494-95 §159.l).

[16:4]  ⁷ tn This verb אַחְבִּירָה (’akhbirah) is usually connected to חָבַר (khavar, “to bind”). There are several suggestions for this word. J. J. Finkelstein proposed a second root, a homonym, meaning “to make a sound,” and so here “to harangue” (“Hebrew habar and Semitic HBR,” JBL 75 [1956]: 328-31; see also O. Loretz, “HBR in Job 16:4,” CBQ 23 [1961]: 293-94, who renders it “I could make noisy speeches”). Other suggestions have been for new meanings based on cognate studies, such as “to make beautiful” (i.e., make polished speeches).

[16:4]  ⁸ sn The action is a sign of mockery (see Ps 22:7[8]; Isa 37:22; Matt 27:39).