Job 22:2-3

22:2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit?

Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable? ¹ 

22:3 Is it of any special benefit ²  to the Almighty

that you should be righteous,

or is it any gain to him

that you make your ways blameless? ³ 

Job 22:1

Eliphaz’s Third Speech ⁴ 

22:1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

Job 29:14

29:14 I put on righteousness and it clothed me, ⁵ 

my just dealing ⁶  was like a robe and a turban;

Psalms 16:2

16:2 I say to the Lord, “You are the Lord,

my only source of well-being.” ⁷ 

Proverbs 9:12

9:12 If you are wise, you are wise to your own advantage, ⁸ 

but if you are a mocker, ⁹  you alone must ¹⁰  bear it. ¹¹ 

Romans 11:35

11:35 Or who has first given to God, ¹² 

that God ¹³  needs to repay him? ¹⁴ 

[22:2]  ¹ tn Some do not take this to be parallel to the first colon, taking this line as a statement, but the parallel expressions here suggest the question is repeated.

[22:3]  ² tn The word חֵפֶץ (khefets) in this passage has the nuance of “special benefit; favor.” It does not just express the desire for something or the interest in it, but the profit one derives from it.

[22:3]  ³ tn The verb תַתֵּם (tattem) is the Hiphil imperfect of תָּמַם (tamam, “be complete, finished”), following the Aramaic form of the geminate verb with a doubling of the first letter.

[22:1]  ⁴ sn The third and final cycle of speeches now begins with Eliphaz’ final speech. Eliphaz will here underscore the argument that man’s ills are brought about by sin; he will then deduce from Job’s sufferings the sins he must have committed and the sinful attitude he has about God. The speech has four parts: Job’s suffering is proof of his sin (2-5), Job’s sufferings demonstrate the kinds of sin Job committed (6-11), Job’s attitude about God (12-20), and the final appeal and promise to Job (21-30).

[29:14]  ⁵ tn Both verbs in this first half-verse are from לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe; to put on clothing”). P. Joüon changed the vowels to get a verb “it adorned me” instead of “it clothed me” (Bib 11 [1930]: 324). The figure of clothing is used for the character of the person: to wear righteousness is to be righteous.

[29:14]  ⁶ tn The word מִשְׁפָּטִי (mishpati) is simply “my justice” or “my judgment.” It refers to the decisions he made in settling issues, how he dealt with other people justly.

[16:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “my good [is] not beyond you.” For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) in the sense of “beyond,” see BDB 755 s.v. 2.

[9:12]  ⁸ tn The text simply has the preposition לְ (lamed) with a suffix; but this will be the use of the preposition classified as “interest,” either for advantage or disadvantage (R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 48-49, §271).

[9:12]  ⁹ tn The perfect tense is here in a conditional clause because of the conjunction following the first colon of the verse that begins with “if.” The perfect tense then lays down the antithetical condition – “if you mock,” or “if you are a mocker.”

[9:12]  ¹⁰ tn The use of the imperfect tense here could be the simple future tense (cf. NASB, NRSV “you…will bear it”), but the obligatory nuance is more appropriate – “you must bear it.” These words anticipate James’ warnings that the words we speak will haunt us through life (e.g., James 3:1-12).

[9:12]  ¹¹ tc The LXX has an addition: “Forsake folly, that you may reign forever; and seek discretion and direct understanding in knowledge.”

[11:35]  ¹² tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:35]  ¹³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:35]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Job 41:11.