Job 42:7-8

VII. The Epilogue (42:7-17)

42:7 After the Lord had spoken these things to Job, he ¹  said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My anger is stirred up ²  against you and your two friends, because you have not spoken about me what is right, ³  as my servant Job has. 42:8 So now take ⁴  seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job will intercede ⁵  for you, and I will respect him, ⁶  so that I do not deal with you ⁷  according to your folly, ⁸  because you have not spoken about me what is right, as my servant Job has.” ⁹ 

Psalms 50:21-22

50:21 When you did these things, I was silent, ¹⁰ 

so you thought I was exactly like you. ¹¹ 

But now I will condemn ¹²  you

and state my case against you! ¹³ 

50:22 Carefully consider this, you who reject God! ¹⁴ 

Otherwise I will rip you to shreds ¹⁵ 

and no one will be able to rescue you.

Psalms 82:2

82:2 He says, ¹⁶  “How long will you make unjust legal decisions

and show favoritism to the wicked? ¹⁷  (Selah)

James 2:9

2:9 But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. ¹⁸ 

[42:7]  ¹ tn Heb “the Lord.” The title has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[42:7]  ² tn Heb “is kindled.”

[42:7]  ³ tn The form נְכוֹנָה (nÿkhonah) is from כּוּן (kun, “to be firm; to be fixed; to be established”). Here it means “the right thing” or “truth.” The Akkadian word kenu (from כּוּן, kun) connotes justice and truth.

[42:8]  ⁴ tn The imperatives in this verse are plural, so all three had to do this together.

[42:8]  ⁵ tn The verb “pray” is the Hitpael from the root פָּלַל (palal). That root has the main idea of arbitration; so in this stem it means “to seek arbitration [for oneself],” or “to pray,” or “to intercede.”

[42:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “I will lift up his face,” meaning, “I will regard him.”

[42:8]  ⁷ tn This clause is a result clause, using the negated infinitive construct.

[42:8]  ⁸ tn The word “folly” can also be taken in the sense of “disgrace.” If the latter is chosen, the word serves as the direct object. If the former, then it is an adverbial accusative.

[42:8]  ⁹ sn The difference between what they said and what Job said, therefore, has to do with truth. Job was honest, spoke the truth, poured out his complaints, but never blasphemed God. For his words God said he told the truth. He did so with incomplete understanding, and with all the impatience and frustration one might expect. Now the friends, however, did not tell what was right about God. They were not honest; rather, they were self-righteous and condescending. They were saying what they thought should be said, but it was wrong.

[50:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “these things you did and I was silent.” Some interpret the second clause (“and I was silent”) as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer, “[When you do these things], should I keep silent?” (cf. NEB). See GKC 335 §112.cc.

[50:21]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew infinitive construct (הֱיוֹת, heyot) appears to function like the infinitive absolute here, adding emphasis to the following finite verbal form (אֶהְיֶה, ’ehyeh). See GKC 339-40 §113.a. Some prefer to emend הֱיוֹת (heyot) to the infinitive absolute form הָיוֹ (hayo).

[50:21]  ¹² tn Or “rebuke” (see v. 8).

[50:21]  ¹³ tn Heb “and I will set in order [my case against you] to your eyes.” The cohortative form expresses the Lord’s resolve to accuse and judge the wicked.

[50:22]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “[you who] forget God.” “Forgetting God” here means forgetting about his commandments and not respecting his moral authority.

[50:22]  ¹⁵ sn Elsewhere in the psalms this verb is used (within a metaphorical framework) of a lion tearing its prey (see Pss 7:2; 17:12; 22:13).

[82:2]  ¹⁶ tn The words “he says” are supplied in the translation to indicate that the following speech is God’s judicial decision (see v. 1).

[82:2]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and the face of the wicked lift up.”

[2:9]  ¹⁸ tn Or “transgressors.”