Job 20:4

20:4 “Surely you know ¹  that it has been from old,

ever since humankind was placed ²  on the earth,

Job 34:33

34:33 Is it your opinion ³  that God ⁴  should recompense it,

because you reject this? ⁵ 

But you must choose, and not I,

so tell us what you know.

[20:4]  ¹ tn The MT has “Do you not know?” The question can be interpreted as a rhetorical question affirming that Job must know this. The question serves to express the conviction that the contents are well-known to the audience (see GKC 474 §150.e).

[20:4]  ² tn Heb “from the putting of man on earth.” The infinitive is the object of the preposition, which is here temporal. If “man” is taken as the subjective genitive, then the verb would be given a passive translation. Here “man” is a generic, referring to “mankind” or “the human race.”

[34:33]  ³ tn Heb “is it from with you,” an idiomatic expression meaning “to suit you” or “according to your judgment.”

[34:33]  ⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:33]  ⁵ tn There is no object on the verb, and the meaning is perhaps lost. The best guess is that Elihu is saying Job has rejected his teaching.