Job 4:6

4:6 Is not your piety ¹  your confidence, ² 

and your blameless ways your hope? ³ 

Job 15:15

15:15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, ⁴ 

if even the heavens ⁵  are not pure in his eyes,

Job 22:21

22:21 “Reconcile yourself ⁶  with God, ⁷ 

and be at peace ⁸  with him;

in this way your prosperity will be good.

Job 35:2

35:2 “Do you think this to be ⁹  just:

when ¹⁰  you say, ‘My right before God.’ ¹¹ 

Job 36:2

36:2 “Be patient ¹²  with me a little longer

and I will instruct you,

for I still have words to speak on God’s behalf. ¹³ 

[4:6]  ¹ tn The word יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fear”) in this passage refers to Job’s fear of the Lord, his reverential devotion to God. H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 46) says that on the lips of Eliphaz the word almost means “your religion.” He refers to Moffatt’s translation, “Let your religion reassure you.”

[4:6]  ² tn The word כִּסְלָתֶךָ (kislatekha, “your confidence”) is rendered in the LXX by “founded in folly.” The word כֶּסֶל (kesel) is “confidence” (see 8:14) and elsewhere “folly.” Since it is parallel to “your hope” it must mean confidence here.

[4:6]  ³ tn This second half of the verse simply has “your hope and the integrity of your ways.” The expression “the perfection of your ways” is parallel to “your fear,” and “your hope” is parallel to “your confidence.” This sentence is an example of casus pendens or extraposition: “as for your hope, it is the integrity of your ways” (see GKC 458 §143.d).

[15:15]  ⁴ tn Eliphaz here reiterates the point made in Job 4:18.

[15:15]  ⁵ sn The question here is whether the reference is to material “heavens” (as in Exod 24:10 and Job 25:5), or to heavenly beings. The latter seems preferable in this context.

[22:21]  ⁷ tn The verb סָכַן (sakhan) meant “to be useful; to be profitable” in v. 2. Now, in the Hiphil it means “to be accustomed to” or “to have experience with.” Joined by the preposition “with” it means “to be reconciled with him.” W. B. Bishai cites Arabic and Ugaritic words to support a meaning “acquiesce” (“Notes on hskn in Job 22:21,” JNES 20 [1961]: 258-59).

[22:21]  ⁸ tn Heb “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:21]  ⁹ tn The two imperatives in this verse imply a relationship of succession and not consequence.

[35:2]  ¹⁰ tn The line could be read as “do you reckon this for justice? Here “to be” is understood.

[35:2]  ¹¹ tn The word “when” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[35:2]  ¹² tn The brief line could be interpreted in a number of ways. The MT simply has “my right from God.” It could be “I am right before God,” “I am more just/right than God” (identifying the preposition as a comparative min (מִן); cf. J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 463), “I will be right before God,” or “My just cause against God.”

[36:2]  ¹³ tn The verb כָּתַּר (kattar) is the Piel imperative; in Hebrew the word means “to surround” and is related to the noun for crown. But in Syriac it means “to wait.” This section of the book of Job will have a few Aramaic words.

[36:2]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew text simply has “for yet for God words.”