Job 23:8-9

The Inaccessibility and Power of God

23:8 “If I go to the east, he is not there,

and to the west, yet I do not perceive him.

23:9 In the north ¹  when he is at work, ² 

I do not see him; ³ 

when he turns ⁴  to the south,

I see no trace of him.

Job 35:14

35:14 How much less, then,

when you say that you do not perceive him,

that the case is before him

and you are waiting for him! ⁵ 

Psalms 77:19

77:19 You walked through the sea; ⁶ 

you passed through the surging waters, ⁷ 

but left no footprints. ⁸ 

Psalms 77:1

Psalm 77 ⁹ 

For the music director, Jeduthun; a psalm of Asaph.

77:1 I will cry out to God ¹⁰  and call for help!

I will cry out to God and he will pay attention ¹¹  to me.

Psalms 6:1

Psalm 6 ¹² 

For the music director, to be accompanied by stringed instruments, according to the sheminith style; ¹³  a psalm of David.

6:1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger!

Do not discipline me in your raging fury! ¹⁴ 

[23:9]  ¹ sn The text has “the left hand,” the Semitic idiom for directions. One faces the rising sun, and so left is north, right is south.

[23:9]  ² tc The form בַּעֲשֹׂתוֹ (ba’asoto) would be the temporal clause using the infinitive construct with a pronoun (subject genitive). This would be “when he works.” Several follow the Syriac with “I seek him.” The LXX has “[when] he turns.” R. Gordis (Job, 261) notes that there is no need to emend the text; he shows a link to the Arabic cognate ghasa, “to cover.” To him this is a perfect parallel to יַעְטֹף (ya’tof, “covers himself”).

[23:9]  ³ tn The verb is the apocopated form of the imperfect. The object is supplied.

[23:9]  ⁴ tn The MT has “he turns,” but the Syriac and Vulgate have “I turn.”

[35:14]  ⁵ sn The point is that if God does not listen to those who do not turn to him, how much less likely is he to turn to one who complains against him.

[77:19]  ⁶ tn Heb “in the sea [was] your way.”

[77:19]  ⁷ tn Heb “and your paths [were] in the mighty waters.”

[77:19]  ⁸ tn Heb “and your footprints were not known.”

[77:1]  ⁹ sn Psalm 77. The psalmist recalls how he suffered through a time of doubt, but tells how he found encouragement and hope as he recalled the way in which God delivered Israel at the Red Sea.

[77:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “my voice to God.” The Hebrew verb קָרָא (qara’, “to call out; to cry out”) should probably be understood by ellipsis (see Ps 3:4) both here and in the following (parallel) line.

[77:1]  ¹¹ tn The perfect with vav (ו) consecutive is best taken as future here (although some translations render this as a past tense; cf. NEB, NIV). The psalmist expresses his confidence that God will respond to his prayer. This mood of confidence seems premature (see vv. 3-4), but v. 1 probably reflects the psalmist’s attitude at the end of the prayer (see vv. 13-20). Having opened with an affirmation of confidence, he then retraces how he gained confidence during his trial (see vv. 2-12).

[6:1]  ¹² sn Psalm 6. The psalmist begs the Lord to withdraw his anger and spare his life. Having received a positive response to his prayer, the psalmist then confronts his enemies and describes how they retreat.

[6:1]  ¹³ tn The meaning of the Hebrew term שְׁמִינִית (shÿminit, “sheminith”) is uncertain; perhaps it refers to a particular style of music. See 1 Chr 15:21.

[6:1]  ¹⁴ sn The implication is that the psalmist has sinned, causing God to discipline him by bringing a life-threatening illness upon him (see vv. 2-7).