Job 5:15-16

5:15 So he saves ¹  from the sword that comes from their mouth, ² 

even ³  the poor from the hand of the powerful.

5:16 Thus the poor have hope,

and iniquity ⁴  shuts its mouth. ⁵ 

Job 8:21

8:21 He will yet ⁶  fill your mouth with laughter, ⁷ 

and your lips with gladness.

Job 16:5

16:5 But ⁸  I would strengthen ⁹  you with my words; ¹⁰ 

comfort from my lips would bring ¹¹  you relief.

Job 23:4

23:4 I would lay out my case ¹²  before him

and fill my mouth with arguments.

Job 29:9

29:9 the chief men refrained from talking

and covered their mouths with their hands;

Job 29:23

29:23 They waited for me as people wait ¹³  for the rain,

and they opened their mouths ¹⁴ 

as for ¹⁵  the spring rains.

Job 31:27

31:27 so that my heart was secretly enticed,

and my hand threw them a kiss from my mouth, ¹⁶ 

[5:15]  ¹ tn The verb, the Hiphil preterite of יָשַׁע (yasha’, “and he saves”) indicates that by frustrating the plans of the wicked God saves the poor. So the vav (ו) consecutive shows the result in the sequence of the verses.

[5:15]  ² tn The juxtaposition of “from the sword from their mouth” poses translation difficulties. Some mss do not have the preposition on “their mouth,” but render the expression as a construct: “from the sword of their mouth.” This would mean their tongue, and by metonymy, what they say. The expression “from their mouth” corresponds well with “from the hand” in the next colon. And as E. Dhorme (Job, 67) notes, what is missing is a parallel in the first part with “the poor” in the second. So he follows Cappel in repointing “from the sword” as a Hophal participle, מֹחֳרָב (mokhorav), meaning “the ruined.” If a change is required, this has the benefit of only changing the pointing. The difficulty with this is that the word “desolate, ruined” is not used for people, but only to cities, lands, or mountains. The sense of the verse can be supported from the present pointing: “from the sword [which comes] from their mouth”; the second phrase could also be in apposition, meaning, “from the sword, i.e., from their mouth.”

[5:15]  ³ tn If the word “poor” is to do double duty, i.e., serving as the object of the verb “saves” in the first colon as well as the second, then the conjunction should be explanatory.

[5:16]  ⁴ tn Other translations render this “injustice” (NIV, NRSV, CEV) or “unrighteousness” (NASB).

[5:16]  ⁵ tn The verse summarizes the result of God’s intervention in human affairs, according to Eliphaz’ idea that even-handed justice prevails. Ps 107:42 parallels v. 16b.

[8:21]  ⁷ tn The word עַד (’ad, “until”) would give the reading “until he fills your mouth with laughter,” subordinating the verse to the preceding with some difficulty in interpretation. It would be saying that God will not reject the blameless man until he filled Job with joy. Almost all commentators and modern versions change the pointing to עוֹד (’od, “yet”), forming a hope for the future blessing of joy for Job.

[8:21]  ⁸ sn “Laughter” (and likewise “gladness”) will here be metonymies of effect or adjunct, being put in place of the reason for the joy – restoration.

[16:5]  ¹⁰ tn “But” has been added in the translation to strengthen the contrast.

[16:5]  ¹¹ tn The Piel of אָמַץ (’amats) means “to strengthen, fortify.”

[16:5]  ¹² tn Heb “my mouth.”

[16:5]  ¹³ tn The verb יַחְשֹׂךְ (yakhsokh) means “to restrain; to withhold.” There is no object, so many make it first person subject, “I will not restrain.” The LXX and the Syriac have a different person – “I would not restrain.” G. R. Driver, arguing that the verb is intransitive here, made it “the solace of my lips would not [added] be withheld” (see JTS 34 [1933]: 380). D. J. A. Clines says that what is definitive is the use of the verb in the next line, where it clearly means “soothed, assuaged.”

[23:4]  ¹³ tn The word מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) is normally “judgment; decision.” But in these contexts it refers to the legal case that Job will bring before God. With the verb עָרַךְ (’arakh, “to set in order; to lay out”) the whole image of drawing up a lawsuit is complete.

[29:23]  ¹⁶ tn The phrase “people wait for” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation.

[29:23]  ¹⁷ sn The analogy is that they received his words eagerly as the dry ground opens to receive the rains.

[29:23]  ¹⁸ tn The כּ (kaf) preposition is to be supplied by analogy with the preceding phrase. This leaves a double proposition, “as for” (but see Job 29:2).

[31:27]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “and my hand kissed my mouth.” The idea should be that of “my mouth kissed my hand.” H. H. Rowley suggests that the hand was important in waving or throwing the kisses of homage to the sun and the moon, and so it receives the focus. This is the only place in the OT that refers to such a custom. Outside the Bible it was known, however.