Job 2:10

2:10 But he replied, ¹  “You’re talking like one of the godless ²  women would do! Should we receive ³  what is good from God, and not also ⁴  receive ⁵  what is evil?” ⁶  In all this Job did not sin by what he said. ⁷ 

Genesis 30:2

30:2 Jacob became furious ⁸  with Rachel and exclaimed, “Am I in the place of God, who has kept you from having children?” ⁹ 

Ecclesiastes 5:19

5:19 To every man whom God has given wealth, and possessions,

he has also given him the ability ¹⁰ 

to eat from them, to receive his reward and to find enjoyment in his toil;

these things ¹¹  are the gift of God.

Lamentations 3:38

3:38 Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that everything comes –

both calamity and blessing? ¹² 

James 1:17

1:17 All generous giving and every perfect gift ¹³  is from above, coming down ¹⁴  from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or the slightest hint of change. ¹⁵ 

[2:10]  ¹ tn Heb “he said to her.”

[2:10]  ² tn The word “foolish” (נָבָל, naval) has to do with godlessness more than silliness (Ps 14:1). To be foolish in this sense is to deny the nature and the work of God in life its proper place. See A. Phillips, “NEBALA – A Term for Serious Disorderly Unruly Conduct,” VT 25 (1975): 237-41; and W. M. W. Roth, “NBL,” VT 10 (1960): 394-409.

[2:10]  ³ tn The verb קִבֵּל (qibbel) means “to accept, receive.” It is attested in the Amarna letters with the meaning “receive meekly, patiently.”

[2:10]  ⁴ tn The adverb גָּם (gam, “also, even”) is placed here before the first clause, but belongs with the second. It intensifies the idea (see GKC 483 §153). See also C. J. Labuschagne, “The Emphasizing Particle GAM and Its Connotations,” Studia Biblica et Semitica, 193-203.

[2:10]  ⁵ tn The two verbs in this sentence, Piel imperfects, are deliberative imperfects; they express the reasoning or deliberating in the interrogative sentences.

[2:10]  ⁶ tn A question need not be introduced by an interrogative particle or adverb. The natural emphasis on the words is enough to indicate it is a question (GKC 473 §150.a).

[2:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “sin with his lips,” an idiom meaning he did not sin by what he said.

[30:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “and the anger of Jacob was hot.”

[30:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb.”

[5:19]  ¹⁰ tn The syntax of this verse is difficult. The best approach is to view הִשְׁלִיטוֹ (hishlito, “he has given him the ability”) as governing the three following infinitives: לֶאֱכֹל (le’ekhol, “to eat”), וְלָשֵׂאת (vÿlase’t, “and to lift” = “to accept [or receive]”), and וְלִשְׂמֹחַ (vÿlismoakh, “and to rejoice”). This statement parallels 2:24-26 which states that no one can find enjoyment in life unless God gives him the ability to do so.

[5:19]  ¹¹ tn Heb “this.” The feminine singular demonstrative pronoun זֹה (zoh, “this”) refers back to all that preceded it in the verse (e.g., GKC 440-41 §135.p), that is, the ability to enjoy the fruit of one’s labor is the gift of God (e.g., Eccl 2:24-26). The phrase “these things” is used in the translation for clarity.

[3:38]  ¹² tn Heb “From the mouth of the Most High does it not go forth, both evil and good?”

[1:17]  ¹³ tn The first phrase refers to the action of giving and the second to what is given.

[1:17]  ¹⁴ tn Or “All generous giving and every perfect gift from above is coming down.”

[1:17]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “variation or shadow of turning” (referring to the motions of heavenly bodies causing variations of light and darkness).