Discovery BoxJob 21:7-34
Context21:7 “Why do the wicked go on living, 1
grow old, 2 even increase in power?
21:8 Their children 3 are firmly established
in their presence, 4
their offspring before their eyes.
21:9 Their houses are safe 5 and without fear; 6
and no rod of punishment 7 from God is upon them. 8
21:10 Their bulls 9 breed 10 without fail; 11
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
21:11 They allow their children to run 12 like a flock;
their little ones dance about.
21:12 They sing 13 to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,
and make merry to the sound of the flute.
21:13 They live out 14 their years in prosperity
and go down 15 to the grave 16 in peace.
21:14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!
We do not want to 17 know your ways. 18
21:15 Who is the Almighty, that 19 we should serve him?
What would we gain
if we were to pray 20 to him?’ 21
21:16 But their prosperity is not their own doing. 22
The counsel of the wicked is far from me! 23
21:17 “How often 24 is the lamp of the wicked extinguished?
How often does their 25 misfortune come upon them?
How often does God apportion pain 26 to them 27 in his anger?
21:18 How often 28 are they like straw before the wind,
and like chaff swept away 29 by a whirlwind?
21:19 You may say, 30 ‘God stores up a man’s 31 punishment for his children!’ 32
Instead let him repay 33 the man himself 34
so that 35 he may know it!
21:20 Let his own eyes see his destruction; 36
let him drink of the anger of the Almighty.
21:21 For what is his interest 37 in his home
after his death, 38
when the number of his months
has been broken off? 39
21:22 Can anyone teach 40 God knowledge,
since 41 he judges those that are on high? 42
21:23 “One man dies in his full vigor, 43
completely secure and prosperous,
21:24 his body 44 well nourished, 45
and the marrow of his bones moist. 46
21:25 And another man 47 dies in bitterness of soul, 48
never having tasted 49 anything good.
21:26 Together they lie down in the dust,
and worms cover over them both.
21:27 “Yes, I know what you are thinking, 50
the schemes 51 by which you would wrong me. 52
21:28 For you say,
‘Where now is the nobleman’s house, 53
and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?’ 54
21:29 Have you never questioned those who travel the roads?
Do you not recognize their accounts 55 –
21:30 that the evil man is spared
from the day of his misfortune,
that he is delivered 56
from the day of God’s wrath?
21:31 No one denounces his conduct to his face;
no one repays him for what 57 he has done. 58
21:32 And when he is carried to the tombs,
and watch is kept 59 over the funeral mound, 60
21:33 The clods of the torrent valley 61 are sweet to him;
behind him everybody follows in procession,
and before him goes a countless throng.
21:34 So how can you console me with your futile words?
Nothing is left of your answers but deception!” 62
Ecclesiastes 5:8
Context5:8 If you see the extortion 63 of the poor,
or the perversion 64 of justice and fairness in the government, 65
do not be astonished by the matter.
For the high official is watched by a higher official, 66
and there are higher ones over them! 67
Isaiah 10:13-14
Context10:13 For he says:
“By my strong hand I have accomplished this,
by my strategy that I devised.
I invaded the territory of nations, 68
and looted their storehouses.
Like a mighty conqueror, 69 I brought down rulers. 70
10:14 My hand discovered the wealth of the nations, as if it were in a nest,
as one gathers up abandoned eggs,
I gathered up the whole earth.
There was no wing flapping,
or open mouth chirping.” 71
Daniel 11:36
Context11:36 “Then the king 72 will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of 73 wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. 74
Revelation 13:3-10
Context13:3 One of the beast’s 75 heads appeared to have been killed, 76 but the lethal wound had been healed. 77 And the whole world followed 78 the beast in amazement; 13:4 they worshiped the dragon because he had given ruling authority 79 to the beast, and they worshiped the beast too, saying: “Who is like the beast?” and “Who is able to make war against him?” 80 13:5 The beast 81 was given a mouth speaking proud words 82 and blasphemies, and he was permitted 83 to exercise ruling authority 84 for forty-two months. 13:6 So 85 the beast 86 opened his mouth to blaspheme against God – to blaspheme both his name and his dwelling place, 87 that is, those who dwell in heaven. 13:7 The beast 88 was permitted to go to war against the saints and conquer them. 89 He was given ruling authority 90 over every tribe, people, 91 language, and nation, 13:8 and all those who live on the earth will worship the beast, 92 everyone whose name has not been written since the foundation of the world 93 in the book of life belonging to the Lamb who was killed. 94 13:9 If anyone has an ear, he had better listen!
13:10 If anyone is meant for captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed by the sword, 95
then by the sword he must be killed.
This 96 requires steadfast endurance 97 and faith from the saints.
[21:7] 1 sn A. B. Davidson (Job, 154) clarifies that Job’s question is of a universal scope. In the government of God, why do the wicked exist at all? The verb could be translated “continue to live.”
[21:7] 2 tn The verb עָתַק (’ataq) means “to move; to proceed; to advance.” Here it is “to advance in years” or “to grow old.” This clause could serve as an independent clause, a separate sentence; but it more likely continues the question of the first colon and is parallel to the verb “live.”
[21:8] 4 tn The text uses לִפְנֵיהֶם עִמָּם (lifnehem ’immam, “before them, with them”). Many editors think that these were alternative readings, and so omit one or the other. Dhorme moved עִמָּם (’immam) to the second half of the verse and emended it to read עֹמְדִים (’omÿdim, “abide”). Kissane and Gordis changed only the vowels and came up with עַמָּם (’ammam, “their kinfolk”). But Gordis thinks the presence of both of them in the line is evidence of a conflated reading (p. 229).
[21:9] 5 tn The word שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace, safety”) is here a substantive after a plural subject (see GKC 452 §141.c, n. 3).
[21:9] 6 tn The form מִפָּחַד (mippakhad) is translated “without fear,” literally “from fear”; the preposition is similar to the alpha privative in Greek. The word “fear, dread” means nothing that causes fear or dread – they are peaceful, secure. See GKC 382 §119.w.
[21:9] 7 tn Heb “no rod of God.” The words “punishment from” have been supplied in the translation to make the metaphor understandable for the modern reader by stating the purpose of the rod.
[21:9] 8 sn In 9:34 Job was complaining that there was no umpire to remove God’s rod from him, but here he observes no such rod is on the wicked.
[21:10] 9 tn Heb “his bull,” but it is meant to signify the bulls of the wicked.
[21:10] 10 tn The verb used here means “to impregnate,” and not to be confused with the verb עָבַר (’avar, “to pass over”).
[21:10] 11 tn The use of the verb גָּעַר (ga’ar) in this place is interesting. It means “to rebuke; to abhor; to loathe.” In the causative stem it means “to occasion impurity” or “to reject as loathsome.” The rabbinic interpretation is that it does not emit semen in vain, and so the meaning is it does not fail to breed (see E. Dhorme, Job, 311; R. Gordis, Job, 229).
[21:11] 12 tn The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to send forth,” but in the Piel “to release; to allow to run free.” The picture of children frolicking in the fields and singing and dancing is symbolic of peaceful, prosperous times.
[21:12] 13 tn The verb is simply “they take up [or lift up],” but the understood object is “their voices,” and so it means “they sing.”
[21:13] 14 tc The Kethib has “they wear out” but the Qere and the versions have יְכַלּוּ (yÿkhallu, “bring to an end”). The verb כָּלָה (kalah) means “to finish; to complete,” and here with the object “their days,” it means that they bring their life to a (successful) conclusion. Both readings are acceptable in the context, with very little difference in the overall meaning (which according to Gordis is proof the Qere does not always correct the Kethib).
[21:13] 15 tc The MT has יֵחָתּוּ (yekhattu, “they are frightened [or broken]”), taking the verb from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). But most would slightly repoint it to יֵחָתוּ (yekhatu), an Aramaism, “they go down,” from נָחַת (nakhat, “go down”). See Job 17:16.
[21:13] 16 tn The word רֶגַע (rega’) has been interpreted as “in a moment” or “in peace” (on the basis of Arabic raja`a, “return to rest”). Gordis thinks this is a case of talhin – both meanings present in the mind of the writer.
[21:14] 17 tn The absence of the preposition before the complement adds greater vividness to the statement: “and knowing your ways – we do not desire.”
[21:14] 18 sn Contrast Ps 25:4, which affirms that walking in God’s ways means to obey God’s will – the Torah.
[21:15] 19 tn The interrogative clause is followed by ki, similar to Exod 5:2, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him?”
[21:15] 20 tn The verb פָּגַע (paga’) means “to encounter; to meet,” but also “to meet with request; to intercede; to interpose.” The latter meaning is a derived meaning by usage.
[21:15] 21 tn The verse is not present in the LXX. It may be that it was considered too blasphemous and therefore omitted.
[21:16] 22 tn Heb “is not in their hand.”
[21:16] 23 sn Even though their life seems so good in contrast to his own plight, Job cannot and will not embrace their principles – “far be from me their counsel.”
[21:17] 24 tn The interrogative “How often” occurs only with the first colon; it is supplied for smoother reading in the next two.
[21:17] 25 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] 26 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] 27 tn The phrase “to them” is understood and thus is supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:18] 28 tn To retain the sense that the wicked do not suffer as others, this verse must either be taken as a question or a continuation of the question in v. 17.
[21:18] 29 tn The verb used actually means “rob.” It is appropriate to the image of a whirlwind suddenly taking away the wisp of straw.
[21:19] 30 tn These words are supplied. The verse records an idea that Job suspected they might have, namely, that if the wicked die well God will make their children pay for the sins (see Job 5:4; 20:10; as well as Exod 20:5).
[21:19] 31 tn The text simply has אוֹנוֹ (’ono, “his iniquity”), but by usage, “the punishment for the iniquity.”
[21:19] 33 tn The verb שָׁלַם (shalam) in the Piel has the meaning of restoring things to their normal, making whole, and so reward, repay (if for sins), or recompense in general.
[21:19] 34 tn The text simply has “let him repay [to] him.”
[21:19] 35 tn The imperfect verb after the jussive carries the meaning of a purpose clause, and so taken as a final imperfect: “in order that he may know [or realize].”
[21:20] 36 tc This word occurs only here. The word כִּיד (kid) was connected to Arabic kaid, “fraud, trickery,” or “warfare.” The word is emended by the commentators to other ideas, such as פִּיד (pid, “[his] calamity”). Dahood and others alter it to “cup”; Wright to “weapons.” A. F. L. Beeston argues for a meaning “condemnation” for the MT form, and so makes no change in the text (Mus 67 [1954]: 315-16). If the connection to Arabic “warfare” is sustained, or if such explanations of the existing MT can be sustained, then the text need not be emended. In any case, the sense of the line is clear.
[21:21] 37 tn Heb “his desire.” The meaning is that after he is gone he does not care about what happens to his household (“house” meaning “family” here).
[21:21] 38 tn Heb “after him,” but clearly the meaning is “after he is gone.”
[21:21] 39 tc The rare word חֻצָּצוּ (khutsatsu) is probably a cognate of hassa in Arabic, meaning “to cut off.” There is also an Akkadian word “to cut in two” and “to break.” These fit the context here rather well. The other Hebrew words that are connected to the root חָצַצ (khatsats) do not offer any help.
[21:22] 40 tn The imperfect verb in this question should be given the modal nuance of potential imperfect. The question is rhetorical – it is affirming that no one can teach God.
[21:22] 41 tn The clause begins with the disjunctive vav (ו) and the pronoun, “and he.” This is to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause. See GKC 456 §142.d.
[21:22] 42 tc The Hebrew has רָמִים (ramim), a plural masculine participle of רוּם (rum, “to be high; to be exalted”). This is probably a reference to the angels. But M. Dahood restores an older interpretation that it refers to “the Most High” (“Some Northwest Semitic words in Job,”Bib 38 [1957]: 316-17). He would take the word as a singular form with an enclitic mem (ם). He reads the verse, “will he judge the Most High?”
[21:23] 43 tn The line has “in the bone of his perfection.” The word עֶצֶם (’etsem), which means “bone,” is used pronominally to express “the same, very”; here it is “in the very fullness of his strength” (see GKC 449 §139.g). The abstract תֹּם (tom) is used here in the sense of physical perfection and strengths.
[21:24] 44 tn The verb עָטַן (’atan) has the precise meaning of “press olives.” But because here it says “full of milk,” the derived meaning for the noun has been made to mean “breasts” or “pails” (although in later Hebrew this word occurs – but with olives, not with milk). Dhorme takes it to refer to “his sides,” and repoints the word for “milk” (חָלָב, khalav) to get “fat” (חֶלֶב, khelev) – “his sides are full of fat,” a rendering followed by NASB. However, this weakens the parallelism.
[21:24] 45 tn This interpretation, adopted by several commentaries and modern translations (cf. NAB, NIV), is a general rendering to capture the sense of the line.
[21:24] 46 tn The verb שָׁקָה (shaqah) means “to water” and here “to be watered thoroughly.” The picture in the line is that of health and vigor.
[21:25] 47 tn The expression “this (v. 23)…and this” (v. 25) means “one…the other.”
[21:25] 48 tn The text literally has “and this [man] dies in soul of bitterness.” Some simply reverse it and translate “in the bitterness of soul.” The genitive “bitterness” may be an attribute adjective, “with a bitter soul.”
[21:25] 49 tn Heb “eaten what is good.” It means he died without having enjoyed the good life.
[21:27] 50 tn The word is “your thoughts.” The word for “thoughts” (from חָצַב [khatsav, “to think; to reckon; to plan”]) has more to do with their intent than their general thoughts. He knows that when they talked about the fate of the wicked they really were talking about him.
[21:27] 51 tn For the meaning of this word, and its root זָמַם (zamam), see Job 17:11. It usually means the “plans” or “schemes” that are concocted against someone.
[21:27] 52 tn E. Dhorme (Job, 321) distinguishes the verb חָמַס (khamas) from the noun for “violence.” He proposes a meaning of “think, imagine”: “and the ideas you imagined about me.”
[21:28] 53 sn The question implies the answer will be “vanished” or “gone.”
[21:28] 54 tn Heb “And where is the tent, the dwellings of the wicked.” The word “dwellings of the wicked” is in apposition to “tent.” A relative pronoun must be supplied in the translation.
[21:29] 55 tc The LXX reads, “Ask those who go by the way, and do not disown their signs.”
[21:30] 56 tn The verb means “to be led forth.” To be “led forth in the day of trouble” means to be delivered.
[21:31] 57 tn The expression “and he has done” is taken here to mean “what he has done.”
[21:31] 58 tn Heb “Who declares his way to his face? // Who repays him for what he has done?” These rhetorical questions, which expect a negative answer (“No one!”) have been translated as indicative statements to bring out their force clearly.
[21:32] 59 tn The verb says “he will watch.” The subject is unspecified, so the translation is passive.
[21:32] 60 tn The Hebrew word refers to the tumulus, the burial mound that is erected on the spot where the person is buried.
[21:33] 61 tn The clods are those that are used to make a mound over the body. And, for a burial in the valley, see Deut 34:6. The verse here sees him as participating in his funeral and enjoying it. Nothing seems to go wrong with the wicked.
[21:34] 62 tn The word מָעַל (ma’al) is used for “treachery; deception; fraud.” Here Job is saying that their way of interpreting reality is dangerously unfaithful.
[5:8] 63 tn Alternately, “oppression.” The term עֹשֶׁק (’osheq) has a basic two-fold range of meaning: (1) “oppression; brutality” (e.g., Isa 54:14); and (2) “extortion” (e.g., Ps 62:11); see HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק; BDB 799 s.v. עֹשֶׁק. The LXX understands the term as “oppression,” as the translation συκοφαντίαν (sukofantian, “oppression”) indicates. Likewise, HALOT 897 s.v. עֹשֶׁק 1 classifies this usage as “oppression” against the poor. However, the context of 5:8-9 [7-8 HT] focuses on corrupt government officials robbing people of the fruit of their labor through extortion and the perversion of justice.
[5:8] 64 tn Heb “robbery.” The noun גֵזֶל (gezel, “robbery”) refers to the wrestling away of righteousness or the perversion of justice (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The related forms of the root גזל mean “to rob; to loot” (HALOT 186 s.v. גֵּזֶל). The term “robbery” is used as a figure for the perversion of justice (hypocatastasis): just as a thief robs his victims through physical violence, so corrupt government officials “rob” the poor through the perversion of justice.
[5:8] 65 tn Heb “in the province.”
[5:8] 66 tn The word “official” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for clarity.
[5:8] 67 sn And there are higher ones over them! This may describe a corrupt system of government in which each level of hierarchy exploits its subordinates, all the way down to the peasants: “Set in authority over the people is an official who enriches himself at their expense; he is watched by a more authoritative governor who also has his share of the spoils; and above them are other officers of the State who likewise have to be satisfied”; see A. Cohen, The Five Megilloth (SoBB), 141.
[10:13] 68 tn Heb “removed the borders of nations”; cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV “boundaries.”
[10:13] 69 tc The consonantal text (Kethib) has כְּאַבִּיר (kÿ’abir, “like a strong one”); the marginal reading (Qere) is כַּבִיר (kavir, “mighty one”).
[10:13] 70 tn Heb “and I brought down, like a strong one, ones sitting [or “living”].” The participle יוֹשְׁבִים (yoshÿvim, “ones sitting”) could refer to the inhabitants of the nations, but the translation assumes that it refers to those who sit on thrones, i.e., rulers. See BDB 442 s.v. יָשַׁב and HALOT 444 s.v. ישׁב.
[10:14] 71 sn The Assyrians’ conquests were relatively unopposed, like robbing a bird’s nest of its eggs when the mother bird is absent.
[11:36] 72 sn The identity of this king is problematic. If vv. 36-45 continue the description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the account must be viewed as erroneous, since the details do not match what is known of Antiochus’ latter days. Most modern scholars take this view, concluding that this section was written just shortly before the death of Antiochus and that the writer erred on several key points as he tried to predict what would follow the events of his own day. Conservative scholars, however, usually understand the reference to shift at this point to an eschatological figure, viz., the Antichrist. The chronological gap that this would presuppose to be in the narrative is not necessarily a problem, since by all accounts there are many chronological gaps throughout the chapter, as the historical figures intended by such expressions as “king of the north” and “king of the south” repeatedly shift.
[11:36] 73 tn The words “the time of” are added in the translation for clarification.
[11:36] 74 tn Heb “has been done.” The Hebrew verb used here is the perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of fulfillment.
[13:3] 75 tn Grk “one of its heads”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:3] 76 tn Grk “killed to death,” an expression emphatic in its redundancy. The phrase behind this translation is ὡς ἐσφαγμένον (Jw" ejsfagmenon). The particle ὡς is used in Greek generally for comparison, and in Revelation it is used often to describe the appearance of what the author saw. In this instance, the appearance of the beast’s head did not match reality, because the next phrase shows that in fact it did not die. This text does not affirm that the beast died and was resurrected, but some draw this conclusion because of the only other use of the phrase, which refers to Jesus in 5:6.
[13:3] 77 tn The phrase τοῦ θανάτου (tou qanatou) can be translated as an attributive genitive (“deathly wound”) or an objective genitive (the wound which caused death) and the final αὐτοῦ (autou) is either possessive or reference/respect.
[13:3] 78 tn On the phrase “the whole world followed the beast in amazement,” BDAG 445 s.v. θαυμάζω 2 states, “wonder, be amazed…Rv 17:8. In pregnant constr. ἐθαυμάσθη ὅλη ἡ γῆ ὀπίσω τ. θηρίου the whole world followed the beast, full of wonder 13:3 (here wonder becomes worship: cp. Ael. Aristid. 13 p. 290 D.; 39 p. 747 of Dionysus and Heracles, οἳ ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐθαυμάσθησαν. Sir 7:29; Jos., Ant. 3, 65. – The act. is also found in this sense: Cebes 2, 3 θ. τινά = ‘admire’ or ‘venerate’ someone; Epict. 1, 17, 19 θ. τὸν θεόν).”
[13:4] 79 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:4] 80 tn On the use of the masculine pronoun to refer to the beast, see the note on the word “It” in 13:1.
[13:5] 81 tn Grk “and there was given to him.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:5] 82 tn For the translation “proud words” (Grk “great things” or “important things”) see BDAG 624 s.v. μέγας 4.b.
[13:5] 83 tn Grk “to it was granted.”
[13:5] 84 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:6] 85 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the permission granted to the beast.
[13:6] 86 tn Grk “he” (or “it”); the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:6] 87 tc The reading “and his dwelling place” does not occur in codex C, but its omission is probably due to scribal oversight since the phrase has the same ending as the phrase before it, i.e., they both end in “his” (αὐτοῦ, autou). This is similar to the mistake this scribe made in 12:14 with the omission of the reading “and half a time” (καὶ ἥμισυ καιροῦ, kai {hmisu kairou).
[13:7] 88 tn Grk “and it was given to him to go to war.” Here the passive construction has been simplified, the referent (the beast) has been specified for clarity, and καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[13:7] 89 tc Many
[13:7] 90 tn For the translation “ruling authority” for ἐξουσία (exousia) see L&N 37.35.
[13:7] 91 tn Grk “and people,” but καί (kai) has not been translated here or before the following term since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[13:8] 92 tn Grk “it”; the referent (the beast) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:8] 93 tn The prepositional phrase “since the foundation of the world” is traditionally translated as a modifier of the immediately preceding phrase in the Greek text, “the Lamb who was killed” (so also G. B. Caird, Revelation [HNTC], 168), but it is more likely that the phrase “since the foundation of the world” modifies the verb “written” (as translated above). Confirmation of this can be found in Rev 17:8 where the phrase “written in the book of life since the foundation of the world” occurs with no ambiguity.
[13:8] 94 tn Or “slaughtered”; traditionally, “slain.”
[13:10] 95 tc Many
[13:10] 96 tn On ὧδε (Jwde) here, BDAG 1101 s.v. 2 states: “a ref. to a present event, object, or circumstance, in this case, at this point, on this occasion, under these circumstances…in this case moreover 1 Cor 4:2. ὧδε ἡ σοφία ἐστίν…Rv 13:18; cf. 17:9. ὧδέ ἐστιν ἡ ὑπομονή…13:10; 14:12.”
