Job 22:18-20

22:18 But it was he ¹  who filled their houses

with good things –

yet the counsel of the wicked ² 

was far from me. ³ 

22:19 The righteous see their destruction ⁴  and rejoice;

the innocent mock them scornfully, ⁵  saying,

22:20 ‘Surely our enemies ⁶  are destroyed,

and fire consumes their wealth.’

[22:18]  ¹ tn The pronoun is added for this emphasis; it has “but he” before the verb.

[22:18]  ² tn See Job 10:3.

[22:18]  ³ tc The LXX has “from him,” and this is followed by several commentators. But the MT is to be retained, for Eliphaz is recalling the words of Job. Verses 17 and 18 are deleted by a number of commentators as a gloss because they have many similarities to 21:14-16. But Eliphaz is recalling what Job said, in order to say that the prosperity to which Job alluded was only the prelude to a disaster he denied (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 156).

[22:19]  ⁴ tn The line is talking about the rejoicing of the righteous when judgment falls on the wicked. An object (“destruction”) has to be supplied here to clarify this (see Pss 52:6 [8]; 69:32 [33]; 107:42).

[22:19]  ⁵ sn In Ps 2:4 it was God who mocked the wicked by judging them.

[22:20]  ⁷ tc The word translated “our enemies” is found only here. The word means “hostility,” but used here as a collective for those who are hostile – “enemies.” Some commentators follow the LXX and read “possessions,” explaining its meaning and derivation in different ways. Gordis simply takes the word in the text and affirms that this is the meaning. On the other hand, to get this, E. Dhorme (Job, 336) repoints קִימָנוּ (qimanu) of the MT to יְקוּמַם (yÿqumam), arguing that יְקוּם (yÿqum) means “what exists [or has substance]” (although that is used of animals). He translates: “have not their possessions been destroyed.”