Job 20:9

20:9 People ¹  who had seen him will not see him again,

and the place where he was

will recognize him no longer.

Job 27:3

27:3 for while ²  my spirit ³  is still in me,

and the breath from God is in my nostrils,

Job 32:15

Job’s Friends Failed to Answer ⁴ 

32:15 “They are dismayed ⁵  and cannot answer any more;

they have nothing left to say. ⁶ 

Job 36:2

36:2 “Be patient ⁷  with me a little longer

and I will instruct you,

for I still have words to speak on God’s behalf. ⁸ 

[20:9]  ¹ tn Heb “the eye that had seen him.” Here a part of the person (the eye, the instrument of vision) is put by metonymy for the entire person.

[27:3]  ² tn The adverb עוֹד (’od) was originally a noun, and so here it could be rendered “all the existence of my spirit.” The word comes between the noun in construct and its actual genitive (see GKC 415 §128.e).

[27:3]  ³ tn The word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah) is the “breath” that was breathed into Adam in Gen 2:7. Its usage includes the animating breath, the spiritual understanding, and the functioning conscience – so the whole spirit of the person. The other word in this verse, רוּחַ (ruakh), may be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit/Spirit” depending on the context. Here, since it talks about the nostrils, it should be translated “breath.”

[32:15]  ³ sn Elihu now will give another reason why he will speak – the arguments of these friends failed miserably. But before he gets to his argument, he will first qualify his authority.

[32:15]  ⁴ tn The verb חַתּוּ (khattu) is from חָתַת (khatat) which means “to be terrified.” But here it stresses the resulting dilemma. R. Gordis (Job, 369) renders it, “they are shattered, beaten in an argument.”

[32:15]  ⁵ tn Heb “words have moved away from them,” meaning words are gone from them, they have nothing left to say.

[36:2]  ⁴ tn The verb כָּתַּר (kattar) is the Piel imperative; in Hebrew the word means “to surround” and is related to the noun for crown. But in Syriac it means “to wait.” This section of the book of Job will have a few Aramaic words.

[36:2]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text simply has “for yet for God words.”