Job 4:16

4:16 It stands still, ¹ 

but I cannot recognize ²  its appearance;

an image is before my eyes,

and I hear a murmuring voice: ³ 

Psalms 37:7

37:7 Wait patiently for the Lord! ⁴ 

Wait confidently ⁵  for him!

Do not fret over the apparent success of a sinner, ⁶ 

a man who carries out wicked schemes!

Psalms 62:1

Psalm 62 ⁷ 

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

62:1 For God alone I patiently wait; ⁸ 

he is the one who delivers me. ⁹ 

Habakkuk 2:20

2:20 But the Lord is in his majestic palace. ¹⁰ 

The whole earth is speechless in his presence!” ¹¹ 

Zechariah 2:13

2:13 Be silent in the Lord’s presence, all people everywhere, ¹²  for he is being moved to action in his holy dwelling place. ¹³ 

[4:16]  ¹ tc The LXX has the first person of the verb: “I arose and perceived it not, I looked and there was no form before my eyes; but I only heard a breath and a voice.”

[4:16]  ² tn The imperfect verb is to be classified as potential imperfect. Eliphaz is unable to recognize the figure standing before him.

[4:16]  ³ sn The colon reads “a silence and a voice I hear.” Some have rendered it “there is a silence, and then I hear.” The verb דָּמַם (damam) does mean “remain silent” (Job 29:21; 31:34) and then also “cease.” The noun דְּמָמָה (dÿmamah, “calm”) refers to the calm after the storm in Ps 107:29. Joined with the true object of the verb, “voice,” it probably means something like stillness or murmuring or whispering here. It is joined to “voice” with a conjunction, indicating that it is a hendiadys, “murmur and a voice” or a “murmuring voice.”

[37:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “Be quiet before the Lord!”

[37:7]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew text has וְהִתְחוֹלֵל (vÿhitkholel, Hitpolel of חִיל, khil, “writhe with fear, suffer”) but this idea fits awkwardly here. The text should be changed to וְתוֹחֵל (vÿtokhel; Hiphil of יָחַל, yakhal, “wait”). It appears that the Hebrew text is the product of dittography: (1) the initial וה (vav-he) is accidentally repeated from the preceding word (יְהוָה, yÿhvah) and (2) the final lamed (ל) is accidentally repeated (note the preceding lamed and the initial lamed on the following form, לו).

[37:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “over one who causes his way to be successful.”

[62:1]  ⁷ sn Psalm 62. The psalmist expresses his unwavering confidence in God’s justice and in his ability to protect his people.

[62:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “only for God [is] there silence [to] my soul.”

[62:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “from him [is] my deliverance.”

[2:20]  ¹⁰ tn Or “holy temple.” The Lord’s heavenly palace, rather than the earthly temple, is probably in view here (see Ps 11:4; Mic 1:2-3). The Hebrew word ֹקדֶשׁ (qodesh, “holy”) here refers to the sovereign transcendence associated with his palace.

[2:20]  ¹¹ tn Or “Be quiet before him, all the earth!”

[2:13]  ¹² tn Heb “all flesh”; NAB, NIV “all mankind.”

[2:13]  ¹³ sn The sense here is that God in heaven is about to undertake an occupation of his earthly realm (v. 12) by restoring his people to the promised land.