Job 3:1

II. Job’s Dialogue With His Friends
(3:1-27:33) ¹ 

Job Regrets His Birth

3:1 After this Job opened his mouth ²  and cursed ³  the day he was born. ⁴ 

Job 33:2

33:2 See now, I have opened ⁵  my mouth;

my tongue in my mouth has spoken. ⁶ 

Job 33:8-12

Elihu Rejects Job’s Plea of Innocence

33:8 “Indeed, you have said in my hearing ⁷ 

(I heard the sound of the words!):

33:9 ⁸ ‘I am pure, without transgression;

I am clean ⁹  and have no iniquity.

33:10 ¹⁰ Yet God ¹¹  finds occasions ¹²  with me;

he regards me as his enemy!

33:11 ¹³ He puts my feet in shackles;

he watches closely all my paths.’

33:12 Now in this, you are not right – I answer you, ¹⁴ 

for God is greater than a human being. ¹⁵ 

Job 34:35-37

34:35 that ¹⁶  Job speaks without knowledge

and his words are without understanding. ¹⁷ 

34:36 But ¹⁸  Job will be tested to the end,

because his answers are like those of wicked men.

34:37 For he adds transgression ¹⁹  to his sin;

in our midst he claps his hands, ²⁰ 

and multiplies his words against God.”

Job 38:2

38:2 “Who is this ²¹  who darkens counsel ²² 

with words without knowledge?

[3:1]  ¹ sn The previous chapters (1-2) were prose narrative, this chapter, however, commences the poetic section of the book (chs. 3-41) containing the cycles of speeches.

[3:1]  ² sn The detailed introduction to the speech with “he opened his mouth” draws the readers attention to what was going to be said. As the introduction to the poetic speech that follows (3:3-26), vv. 1-2 continue the prose style of chapters 1-2. Each of the subsequent speeches is introduced by such a prose heading.

[3:1]  ³ tn The verb “cursed” is the Piel preterite from the verb קָלַל (qalal); this means “to be light” in the Qal stem, but here “to treat lightly, with contempt, curse.” See in general H. C. Brichto, The Problem of “Curse” in the Hebrew Bible (JBLMS); and A. C. Thiselton, “The Supposed Power of Words in the Biblical Writings,” JTS 25 (1974): 283-99.

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Heb “his day” (so KJV, ASV, NAB). The Syriac has “the day on which he was born.” The context makes it clear that Job meant the day of his birth. But some have tried to offer a different interpretation, such as his destiny or his predicament. For this reason the Syriac clarified the meaning for their readers in much the same way as the present translation does by rendering “his day” as “the day he was born.” On the Syriac translation of the book of Job, see Heidi M. Szpek, Translation Technique in the Peshitta to Job (SBLDS).

[33:2]  ⁵ tn The perfect verbs in this verse should be classified as perfects of resolve: “I have decided to open…speak.”

[33:2]  ⁶ sn H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 210) says, “The self-importance of Elihu is boundless, and he is the master of banality.” He adds that whoever wrote these speeches this way clearly intended to expose the character rather than exalt him.

[33:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “in my ears.”

[33:9]  ⁸ sn See Job 9:21; 10:7; 23:7; 27:4; ch. 31.

[33:9]  ⁹ tn The word is a hapax legomenon; hap is from חָפַף (khafaf). It is used in New Hebrew in expressions like “to wash” the head. Cognates in Syriac and Akkadian support the meaning “to wash; to clean.”

[33:10]  ¹⁰ sn See Job 10:13ff.; 19:6ff.; and 13:24.

[33:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:10]  ¹² tn The Hebrew means “frustrations” or “oppositions.” The RSV has “displeasure,” NIV “faults,” and NRSV “occasions.” Rashi chose the word found in Judg 14:4 – with metathesis – meaning “pretexts” (תֹּאֲנוֹת, to’anot); this is followed by NAB, NASB.

[33:11]  ¹³ sn See Job 13:27.

[33:12]  ¹⁴ tn The meaning of this verb is “this is my answer to you.”

[33:12]  ¹⁵ tc The LXX has “he that is above men is eternal.” Elihu is saying that God is far above Job’s petty problems.

[34:35]  ¹⁶ tn Adding “that” in the translation clarifies Elihu’s indirect citation of the wise individuals’ words.

[34:35]  ¹⁷ tn The Hiphil infinitive construct is here functioning as a substantive. The word means “prudence; understanding.”

[34:36]  ¹⁸ tc The MT reads אָבִי (’avi, “my father”), which makes no sense. Some follow the KJV and emend the word to make a verb “I desire” or use the noun “my desire of it.” Others follow an Arabic word meaning “entreat, I pray” (cf. ESV, “Would that Job were tried”). The LXX and the Syriac versions have “but” and “surely” respectively. Since this is the only ms support, albeit weak, it may be the best choice. In this sense Elihu would be saying that because of Job’s attitude God will continue to test him.

[34:37]  ¹⁹ tn Although frequently translated “rebellion,” the basic meaning of this Hebrew term is “transgression.”

[34:37]  ²⁰ tc If this reading stands, it would mean that Job shows contempt, meaning that he mocks them and accuses God. It is a bold touch, but workable. Of the many suggested emendations, Dhorme alters some of the vowels and obtains a reading “and casts doubt among us,” and then takes “transgression” from the first colon for the complement. Some commentators simply delete the line.

[38:2]  ²¹ tn The demonstrative pronoun is used here to emphasize the interrogative pronoun (see GKC 442 §136.c).

[38:2]  ²² sn The referent of “counsel” here is not the debate between Job and the friends, but the purposes of God (see Ps 33:10; Prov 19:21; Isa 19:17). Dhorme translates it “Providence.”