Job 31:33-34

31:33 if ¹  I have covered my transgressions as men do, ² 

by hiding ³  iniquity in my heart, ⁴ 

31:34 because I was terrified ⁵  of the great multitude, ⁶ 

and the contempt of families terrified me,

so that I remained silent

and would not go outdoors – ⁷ 

[31:33]  ¹ tn Now the protasis continues again.

[31:33]  ² sn Some commentators suggest taking the meaning here to be “as Adam,” referring to the Paradise story of the sin and denial.

[31:33]  ³ tn The infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first line.

[31:33]  ⁴ tn The MT has “in my bosom.” This is the only place in the OT where this word is found. But its meaning is well attested from Aramaic.

[31:34]  ⁵ tn Here too the verb will be the customary imperfect – it explains what he continually did in past time.

[31:34]  ⁶ tn Heb “the great multitude.” But some commentators take רַבָּה (rabbah) adverbially: “greatly” (see RSV).

[31:34]  ⁷ sn There is no clear apodosis for all these clauses. Some commentators transfer the verses around to make them fit the constructions. But the better view is that there is no apodosis – that Job broke off here, feeling it was useless to go further. Now he will address God and not men. But in vv. 38-40b he does return to a self-imprecation. However, there is not sufficient reason to start rearranging all the verses.