Job 23:7

23:7 There ¹  an upright person

could present his case ²  before him,

and I would be delivered forever from my judge.

Job 27:2

27:2 “As surely as God lives, ³  who has denied me justice, ⁴ 

the Almighty, who has made my life bitter ⁵  –

Job 34:5-6

34:5 For Job says, ‘I am innocent, ⁶ 

but God turns away my right.

34:6 Concerning my right, should I lie? ⁷ 

My wound ⁸  is incurable,

although I am without transgression.’ ⁹ 

[23:7]  ¹ tn The adverb “there” has the sense of “then” – there in the future.

[23:7]  ² tn The form of the verb is the Niphal נוֹכָח (nokkakh, “argue, present a case”). E. Dhorme (Job, 346) is troubled by this verbal form and so changes it and other things in the line to say, “he would observe the upright man who argues with him.” The Niphal is used for “engaging discussion,” “arguing a case,” and “settling a dispute.”

[27:2]  ³ tn The expression חַי־אֵל (khay-’el) is the oath formula: “as God lives.” In other words, the speaker is staking God’s life on the credibility of the words. It is like saying, “As truly as God is alive.”

[27:2]  ⁴ tn “My judgment” would here, as before, be “my right.” God has taken this away by afflicting Job unjustly (A. B. Davidson, Job, 187).

[27:2]  ⁵ tn The verb הֵמַר (hemar) is the Hiphil perfect from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”) and hence, “to make bitter.” The object of the verb is “my soul,” which is better translated as “me” or “my life.”

[34:5]  ⁵ tn Heb “righteous,” but in this context it means to be innocent or in the right.

[34:6]  ⁷ tn The verb is the Piel imperfect of כָּזַב (kazav), meaning “to lie.” It could be a question: “Should I lie [against my right?] – when I am innocent. If it is repointed to the Pual, then it can be “I am made to lie,” or “I am deceived.” Taking it as a question makes good sense here, and so emendations are unnecessary.

[34:6]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text has only “my arrow.” Some commentators emend that word slightly to get “my wound.” But the idea could be derived from “arrows” as well, the wounds caused by the arrows. The arrows are symbolic of God’s affliction.

[34:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “without transgression”; but this is parallel to the first part where the claim is innocence.