Job 28:10

28:10 He has cut out channels ¹  through the rocks;

his eyes have spotted ²  every precious thing.

Job 31:4

31:4 Does he not see my ways

and count all my steps?

Job 33:1

Elihu Invites Job’s Attention

33:1 “But now, O Job, listen to my words,

and hear ³  everything I have to say! ⁴ 

Job 34:21

34:21 For his eyes are on the ways of an individual,

he observes all a person’s ⁵  steps.

Job 36:19

36:19 Would your wealth ⁶  sustain you,

so that you would not be in distress, ⁷ 

even all your mighty efforts? ⁸ 

Job 34:27

34:27 because they have turned away from following him,

and have not understood ⁹  any of his ways,

Job 40:20

40:20 For the hills bring it food, ¹⁰ 

where all the wild animals play.

Job 2:4

2:4 But ¹¹  Satan answered the Lord, “Skin for ¹²  skin! ¹³  Indeed, a man will give up ¹⁴  all that he has to save his life! ¹⁵ 

Job 42:11

42:11 So they came to him, all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and they dined ¹⁶  with him in his house. They comforted him and consoled him for all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver ¹⁷  and a gold ring. ¹⁸ 

[28:10]  ¹ tn Or “tunnels.” The word is יְאֹרִים (yÿ’orim), the word for “rivers” and in the singular, the Nile River. Here it refers to tunnels or channels through the rocks.

[28:10]  ² tn Heb “his eye sees.”

[33:1]  ³ tn Heb “give ear,” the Hiphil denominative verb from “ear.”

[33:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “hear all my words.”

[34:21]  ⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (a person) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[36:19]  ⁷ tn The form in the MT is “your cry (for help).” See J. E. Hartley (Job [NICOT], 472-73) and E. Dhorme (Job, 547-48) on the difficulties.

[36:19]  ⁸ tn This part has only two words לֹא בְצָר (lo’ bÿtsar, “not in distress”). The negated phrase serves to explain the first colon.

[36:19]  ⁹ tc For the many suggestions and the reasoning here, see the commentaries.

[34:27]  ⁹ tn The verb הִשְׂכִּילוּ (hiskilu) means “to be prudent; to be wise.” From this is derived the idea of “be wise in understanding God’s will,” and “be successful because of prudence” – i.e., successful with God.

[40:20]  ¹¹ tn The word בּוּל (bul) probably refers to food. Many take it as an abbreviated form of יְבוּל (yÿvul, “produce of the field”). The vegetation that is produced on the low hills is what is meant.

[2:4]  ¹³ tn The form is the simply preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive. However, the speech of Satan is in contrast to what God said, even though in narrative sequence.

[2:4]  ¹⁴ tn The preposition בְּעַד (bÿ’ad) designates interest or advantage arising from the idea of protection for (“for the benefit of”); see IBHS 201-2 §11.2.7a.

[2:4]  ¹⁵ sn The meaning of the expression is obscure. It may come from the idea of sacrificing an animal or another person in order to go free, suggesting the expression that one type of skin that was worth less was surrendered to save the more important life. Satan would then be saying that Job was willing for others to die for him to go free, but not himself. “Skin” would be a synecdoche of the part for the whole (like the idiomatic use of skin today for a person in a narrow escape). The second clause indicates that God has not even scratched the surface because Job has been protected. His “skin” might have been scratched, but not his flesh and bone! But if his life had been put in danger, he would have responded differently.

[2:4]  ¹⁶ tc The LXX has “make full payment, pay a full price” (LSJ 522 s.v. ἐκτίνω).

[2:4]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “Indeed, all that a man has he will give for his life.”

[42:11]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “ate bread.”

[42:11]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew word קְשִׂיטָה (qÿsitah) is generally understood to refer to a unit of money, but the value is unknown.

[42:11]  ¹⁷ sn This gold ring was worn by women in the nose, or men and women in the ear.