Job 22:4

22:4 Is it because of your piety ¹  that he rebukes you

and goes to judgment with you? ² 

Job 5:21

5:21 You will be protected ³  from malicious gossip, ⁴ 

and will not be afraid of the destruction ⁵  when it comes.

Job 41:16

41:16 each one is so close to the next ⁶ 

that no air can come between them.

Job 13:16

13:16 Moreover, this will become my deliverance,

for no godless person would come before him. ⁷ 

Job 41:13

41:13 Who can uncover its outer covering? ⁸ 

Who can penetrate to the inside of its armor? ⁹ 

[22:4]  ¹ tn The word “your fear” or “your piety” refers to Job’s reverence – it is his fear of God (thus a subjective genitive). When “fear” is used of religion, it includes faith and adoration on the positive side, fear and obedience on the negative.

[22:4]  ² sn Of course the point is that God does not charge Job because he is righteous; the point is he must be unrighteous.

[5:21]  ³ tn The Hebrew verb essentially means “you will be hidden.” In the Niphal the verb means “to be hidden, to be in a hiding place,” and protected (Ps 31:20).

[5:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “from the lash [i.e., whip] of the tongue.” Sir 26:9 and 51:2 show usages of these kinds of expressions: “the lash of the tongue” or “the blow of the tongue.” The expression indicates that a malicious gossip is more painful than a blow.

[5:21]  ⁵ tn The word here is שׁוֹד (shod); it means “destruction,” but some commentators conjecture alternate readings: שׁוֹאָה (sho’ah, “desolation”); or שֵׁד (shed, “demon”). One argument for maintaining שׁוֹד (shod) is that it fits the assonance within the verse שׁוֹד…לָשׁוֹן…שׁוֹט (shot…lashon…shod).

[41:16]  ⁵ tn The expression “each one…to the next” is literally “one with one.”

[13:16]  ⁷ sn The fact that Job will dare to come before God and make his case is evidence – to Job at least – that he is innocent.

[41:13]  ⁹ tn Heb “the face of his garment,” referring to the outer garment or covering. Some take it to be the front as opposed to the back.

[41:13]  ¹⁰ tc The word רֶסֶן (resen) has often been rendered “bridle” (cf. ESV), but that leaves a number of unanswered questions. The LXX reads סִרְיוֹן (siryon), with the transposition of letters, but that means “coat of armor.” If the metathesis stands, there is also support from the cognate Akkadian.