Job 5:3

5:3 I myself ¹  have seen the fool ²  taking root,

but suddenly I cursed his place of residence. ³ 

Job 15:29-34

15:29 He will not grow rich,

and his wealth will not endure,

nor will his possessions ⁴  spread over the land.

15:30 He will not escape the darkness; ⁵ 

a flame will wither his shoots

and he will depart

by the breath of God’s mouth. ⁶ 

15:31 Let him not trust in what is worthless, ⁷ 

deceiving himself;

for worthlessness will be his reward. ⁸ 

15:32 Before his time ⁹  he will be paid in full, ¹⁰ 

and his branches will not flourish. ¹¹ 

15:33 Like a vine he will let his sour grapes fall, ¹² 

and like an olive tree

he will shed his blossoms. ¹³ 

15:34 For the company of the godless is barren, ¹⁴ 

and fire ¹⁵  consumes the tents of those who accept bribes. ¹⁶ 

Job 18:5-6

18:5 “Yes, ¹⁷  the lamp ¹⁸  of the wicked is extinguished;

his flame of fire ¹⁹  does not shine.

18:6 The light in his tent grows dark;

his lamp above him is extinguished. ²⁰ 

Job 27:13-23

27:13 This is the portion of the wicked man

allotted by God, ²¹ 

the inheritance that evildoers receive

from the Almighty.

27:14 If his children increase – it is for the sword! ²² 

His offspring never have enough to eat. ²³ 

27:15 Those who survive him are buried by the plague, ²⁴ 

and their ²⁵  widows do not mourn for them.

27:16 If he piles up silver like dust

and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,

27:17 what he stores up ²⁶  a righteous man will wear,

and an innocent man will inherit his silver.

27:18 The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon, ²⁷ 

like a hut ²⁸  that a watchman has made.

27:19 He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more. ²⁹ 

When he opens his eyes, it is all gone. ³⁰ 

27:20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood; ³¹ 

at night a whirlwind carries him off.

27:21 The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;

it sweeps him out of his place.

27:22 It hurls itself against him without pity ³² 

as he flees headlong from its power.

27:23 It claps ³³  its hands at him in derision

and hisses him away from his place. ³⁴ 

Exodus 15:9-10

15:9 The enemy said, ‘I will chase, ³⁵  I will overtake,

I will divide the spoil;

my desire ³⁶  will be satisfied on them.

I will draw ³⁷  my sword, my hand will destroy them.’ ³⁸ 

15:10 But ³⁹  you blew with your breath, and ⁴⁰  the sea covered them.

They sank ⁴¹  like lead in the mighty waters.

Jude 1:21

1:21 maintain ⁴²  yourselves in the love of God, while anticipating ⁴³  the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that brings eternal life. ⁴⁴ 

Esther 5:11-12

5:11 Haman then recounted to them his fabulous wealth, ⁴⁵  his many sons, ⁴⁶  and how the king had magnified him and exalted him over the king’s other officials and servants. 5:12 Haman said, “Furthermore, Queen Esther invited ⁴⁷  only me to accompany the king to the banquet that she prepared! And also tomorrow I am invited ⁴⁸  along with the king.

Esther 7:10

7:10 So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king’s rage then abated.

Psalms 37:35-36

37:35 I have seen ruthless evil men ⁴⁹ 

growing in influence, like a green tree grows in its native soil. ⁵⁰ 

37:36 But then one passes by, and suddenly they have disappeared! ⁵¹ 

I looked for them, but they could not be found.

Psalms 73:18-20

73:18 Surely ⁵²  you put them in slippery places;

you bring them down ⁵³  to ruin.

73:19 How desolate they become in a mere moment!

Terrifying judgments make their demise complete! ⁵⁴ 

73:20 They are like a dream after one wakes up. ⁵⁵ 

O Lord, when you awake ⁵⁶  you will despise them. ⁵⁷ 

Acts 12:22-23

12:22 But the crowd ⁵⁸  began to shout, ⁵⁹  “The voice of a god, ⁶⁰  and not of a man!” 12:23 Immediately an angel of the Lord ⁶¹  struck ⁶²  Herod ⁶³  down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died. ⁶⁴ 

[5:3]  ¹ tn The use of the pronoun here adds emphasis to the subject of the sentence (see GKC 437 §135.a).

[5:3]  ² tn This word is אֱוִיל (’evil), the same word for the “senseless man” in the preceding verse. Eliphaz is citing an example of his principle just given – he saw such a fool for a brief while appearing to prosper (i.e., taking root).

[5:3]  ³ tn A. B. Davidson argues that the verse does not mean that Eliphaz cursed his place during his prosperity. This line is metonymical (giving the effect). God judged the fool and his place was ruined; consequently, Eliphaz pronounced it accursed of God (see A. B. Davidson, Job, 36). Many emend the verb slightly to read “and it was suddenly cursed” (וַיֻּכַב [vayyukhav] instead of וָאֶקּוֹב [va’eqqov]; see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 51).

[15:29]  ⁴ tn This word מִנְלָם (minlam) also is a hapax legomenon, although almost always interpreted to mean “possession” (with Arabic manal) and repointed as מְנֹלָם (mÿnolam). M. Dahood further changes “earth” to the netherworld, and interprets it to mean “his possessions will not go down to the netherworld (“Value of Ugaritic for Textual Criticism,” Bib 40 [1959]: 164-66). Others suggest it means “ear of grain,” either from the common word for “ears of grain” or a hapax legomenon in Deuteronomy 23:26 [25].

[15:30]  ⁵ tn Some editions and commentators delete the first line of this verse, arguing that it is simply a paraphrase of v. 22a, and that it interrupts the comparison with a tree that falls (although that comparison only starts next).

[15:30]  ⁶ tn This last line in the verse is the difficult one. The MT has “he shall depart by the breath of his mouth.” If this reading stands, then it must be understood that it is the breath of God’s mouth that is intended. In place of “his mouth” the LXX has “flower” (reading פִּרהוֹ [pirho, properly, “his fruit”] instead of פִּיו piv), and “fall” instead of “depart.” Modern commentators and a number of English versions (e.g., RSV, NRSV, TEV) alter יָסוּר (yasur, “depart”) to something like יְסֹעַר (yÿso’ar, from סָעַר [sa’ar, “to drive away”]), or the like, to get “will be swept away.” The result is a reading: “and his blossom will be swept away by the wind.” The LXX may have read the Hebrew exactly, but harmonized it with v. 33 (see H. Heater, A Septuagint Translation Technique in the Book of Job [CBQMS]: 61-62).

[15:31]  ⁷ tn The word, although difficult in its form, is “vanity,” i.e., that which is worthless. E. Dhorme (Job, 224) thinks that the form שָׁוְא (shav’) conceals the word שִׁיאוֹ (shi’o, “his stature”). But Dhorme reworks most of the verse. He changes נִתְעָה (nit’ah, “deceived”) to נֵדַע (neda’, “we know”) to arrive at “we know that it is vanity.” The last two words of the verse are then moved to the next. The LXX has “let him not think that he shall endure, for his end shall be vanity.”

[15:31]  ⁸ tn This word is found in Job 20:18 with the sense of “trading.” It can mean the exchange of goods or the profit from them. Some commentators change תְמוּרָתוֹ (tÿmurato, “his reward”) because they wish to put it with the next verse as the LXX seems to have done (although the LXX does not represent this). Suggestions include תִּמֹרָתוֹ (timorato, “his palm tree”) and זְמֹרָתוֹ (zÿmorato, “his vine shoot”). A number of writers simply delete all of v. 31. H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 115) suggests the best reading (assuming one were going to make changes) would be, “Let him not trust in his stature, deceiving himself, for it is vanity.” And then put “his palm tree” with the next verse, he thinks that achieves the proper balance.

[15:32]  ⁹ tn Heb “before his day.”

[15:32]  ¹⁰ tn Those who put the last colon of v. 31 with v. 32 also have to change the verb תִּמָּלֵא (timmale’, “will be fulfilled”). E. Dhorme (Job, 225) says, “a mere glance at the use of yimmal…abundantly proves that the original text had timmal (G, Syr., Vulg), which became timmale’ through the accidental transposition of the ‘alep of bÿsi’o…in verse 31….” This, of course, is possible, if all the other changes up to now are granted. But the meaning of a word elsewhere in no way assures it should be the word here. The LXX has “his harvest shall perish before the time,” which could translate any number of words that might have been in the underlying Hebrew text. A commercial metaphor is not out of place here, since parallelism does not demand that the same metaphor appear in both lines.

[15:32]  ¹¹ tn Now, in the second half of the verse, the metaphor of a tree with branches begins.

[15:33]  ¹² tn The verb means “to treat violently” or “to wrong.” It indicates that the vine did not nourish the grapes well enough for them to grow, and so they dry up and drop off.

[15:33]  ¹³ sn The point is that like the tree the wicked man shows signs of life but produces nothing valuable. The olive tree will have blossoms in the years that it produces no olives, and so eventually drops the blossoms.

[15:34]  ¹⁴ tn The LXX renders this line: “for death is the witness of an ungodly man. “Death” represents “barren/sterile,” and “witness” represents “assembly.”

[15:34]  ¹⁵ sn This may refer to the fire that struck Job (cf. 1:16).

[15:34]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “the tents of bribery.” The word “bribery” can mean a “gift,” but most often in the sense of a bribe in court. It indicates that the wealth and the possessions that the wicked man has gained may have been gained unjustly.

[18:5]  ¹⁷ tn Hebrew גַּם (gam, “also; moreover”), in view of what has just been said.

[18:5]  ¹⁸ sn The lamp or the light can have a number of uses in the Bible. Here it is probably an implied metaphor for prosperity and happiness, for the good life itself.

[18:5]  ¹⁹ tn The expression is literally “the flame of his fire,” but the pronominal suffix qualifies the entire bound construction. The two words together intensify the idea of the flame.

[18:6]  ²⁰ tn The LXX interprets a little more precisely: “his lamp shall be put out with him.”

[27:13]  ²¹ tn The expression “allotted by God” interprets the simple prepositional phrase in the text: “with/from God.”

[27:14]  ²² tn R. Gordis (Job, 294) identifies this as a breviloquence. Compare Ps 92:8 where the last two words also constitute the apodosis.

[27:14]  ²³ tn Heb “will not be satisfied with bread/food.”

[27:15]  ²⁴ tn The text says “will be buried in/by death.” A number of passages in the Bible use “death” to mean the plague that kills (see Jer 15:2; Isa 28:3; and BDB 89 s.v. בְּ 2.a). In this sense it is like the English expression for the plague, “the Black Death.”

[27:15]  ²⁵ tc The LXX has “their widows” to match the plural, and most commentators harmonize in the same way.

[27:17]  ²⁶ tn The text simply repeats the verb from the last clause. It could be treated as a separate short clause: “He may store it up, but the righteous will wear it. But it also could be understood as the object of the following verb, “[what] he stores up the righteous will wear.” The LXX simply has, “All these things shall the righteous gain.”

[27:18]  ²⁷ tn Heb כָעָשׁ (kha’ash, “like a moth”), but this leaves room for clarification. Some commentators wanted to change it to “bird’s nest” or just “nest” (cf. NRSV) to make the parallelism; see Job 4:14. But the word is not found. The LXX has a double expression, “as moths, as a spider.” So several take it as the spider’s web, which is certainly unsubstantial (cf. NAB, NASB, NLT; see Job 8:14).

[27:18]  ²⁸ tn The Hebrew word is the word for “booth,” as in the Feast of Booths. The word describes something that is flimsy; it is not substantial at all.

[27:19]  ²⁹ tc The verb is the Niphal יֵאָסֵף (ye’asef), from אָסַף (’asaf, “to gather”). So, “he lies down rich, but he is not gathered.” This does not make much sense. It would mean “he will not be gathered for burial,” but that does not belong here. Many commentators accept the variant יֹאסִף (yo’sif) stood for יוֹסִיף (yosif, “will [not] add”). This is what the LXX and the Syriac have. This leads to the interpretive translation that “he will do so no longer.”

[27:19]  ³⁰ tn Heb “and he is not.” One view is that this must mean that he dies, not that his wealth is gone. R. Gordis (Job, 295) says the first part should be made impersonal: “when one opens one’s eyes, the wicked is no longer there.” E. Dhorme (Job, 396) has it more simply: “He has opened his eyes, and it is for the last time.” But the other view is that the wealth goes overnight. In support of this is the introduction into the verse of the wealthy. The RSV, NRSV, ESV, and NLT take it that “wealth is gone.”

[27:20]  ³¹ tn Many commentators want a word parallel to “in the night.” And so we are offered בַּיּוֹם (bayyom, “in the day”) for כַמַּיִם (khammayim, “like waters”) as well as a number of others. But “waters” sometimes stand for major calamities, and so may be retained here. Besides, not all parallel structures are synonymous.

[27:22]  ³² tn The verb is once again functioning in an adverbial sense. The text has “it hurls itself against him and shows no mercy.”

[27:23]  ³³ tn If the same subject is to be carried through here, it is the wind. That would make this a bold personification, perhaps suggesting the force of the wind. Others argue that it is unlikely that the wind claps its hands. They suggest taking the verb with an indefinite subject: “he claps” means “one claps. The idea is that of people rejoicing when the wicked are gone. But the parallelism is against this unless the second line is changed as well. R. Gordis (Job, 296) has “men will clap their hands…men will whistle upon him.”

[27:23]  ³⁴ tn Or “hisses at him from its place” (ESV).

[15:9]  ³⁵ sn W. C. Kaiser observes the staccato phrases that almost imitate the heavy, breathless heaving of the Egyptians as, with what reserve of strength they have left, they vow, “I will…, I will…, I will…” (“Exodus,” EBC 2:395).

[15:9]  ³⁶ tn The form is נַפְשִׁי (nafshi, “my soul”). But this word refers to the whole person, the body and the soul, or better, a bundle of appetites in a body. It therefore can figuratively refer to the desires or appetites (Deut 12:15; 14:26; 23:24). Here, with the verb “to be full” means “to be satisfied”; the whole expression might indicate “I will be sated with them” or “I will gorge myself.” The greedy appetite was to destroy.

[15:9]  ³⁷ tn The verb רִיק (riq) means “to be empty” in the Qal, and in the Hiphil “to empty.” Here the idea is to unsheathe a sword.

[15:9]  ³⁸ tn The verb is יָרַשׁ (yarash), which in the Hiphil means “to dispossess” or “root out.” The meaning “destroy” is a general interpretation.

[15:10]  ³⁹ tn “But” has been supplied here.

[15:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Here “and” has been supplied.

[15:10]  ⁴¹ tn The verb may have the idea of sinking with a gurgling sound, like water going into a whirlpool (R. A. Cole, Exodus [TOTC], 124; S. R. Driver, Exodus, 136). See F. M. Cross and D. N. Freedman, “The Song of Miriam,” JNES 14 (1955): 243-47.

[1:21]  ⁴² tn Or “keep.”

[1:21]  ⁴³ tn Or “waiting for.”

[1:21]  ⁴⁴ tn Grk “unto eternal life.”

[5:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “the glory of his riches” (so KJV, NASB); NRSV “the splendor of his riches.”

[5:11]  ⁴⁶ sn According to Esth 9:10 Haman had ten sons.

[5:12]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “caused to come”; KJV “did let no man come in…but myself.”

[5:12]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “called to her”; KJV “invited unto her”; NAB “I am to be her guest.”

[37:35]  ⁴⁹ tn The Hebrew uses the representative singular again here.

[37:35]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “being exposed [?] like a native, luxuriant.” The Hebrew form מִתְעָרֶה (mit’areh) appears to be a Hitpael participle from עָרָה (’arah, “be exposed”), but this makes no sense in this context. Perhaps the form is a dialectal variant of מִתְעָלָה (“giving oneself an air of importance”; see Jer 51:3), from עָלָה (’alah, “go up”; see P. C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50 [WBC], 296). The noun אֶזְרָח (’ezrakh, “native, full citizen”) refers elsewhere to people, but here, where it is collocated with “luxuriant, green,” it probably refers to a tree growing in native soil.

[37:36]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and he passes by and, look, he is not [there].” The subject of the verb “passes by” is probably indefinite, referring to any passerby. Some prefer to change the form to first person, “and I passed by” (cf. NEB; note the first person verbal forms in preceding verse and in the following line).

[73:18]  ⁵² tn The use of the Hebrew term אַךְ (’akh, “surely”) here literarily counteracts its use in v. 13. The repetition draws attention to the contrast between the two statements, the first of which expresses the psalmist’s earlier despair and the second his newly discovered confidence.

[73:18]  ⁵³ tn Heb “cause them to fall.”

[73:19]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “they come to an end, they are finished, from terrors.”

[73:20]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “like a dream from awakening.” They lack any real substance; their prosperity will last for only a brief time.

[73:20]  ⁵⁶ sn When you awake. The psalmist compares God’s inactivity to sleep and the time of God’s judgment to his awakening from sleep.

[73:20]  ⁵⁷ tn Heb “you will despise their form.” The Hebrew term צֶלֶם (tselem, “form; image”) also suggests their short-lived nature. Rather than having real substance, they are like the mere images that populate one’s dreams. Note the similar use of the term in Ps 39:6.

[12:22]  ⁵⁸ tn The translation “crowd” is given by BDAG 223 s.v. δῆμος; the word often means a gathering of citizens to conduct public business. Here it is simply the group of people gathered to hear the king’s speech.

[12:22]  ⁵⁹ tn The imperfect verb ἐπεφώνει (epefwnei) is taken ingressively in the sequence of events. Presumably the king had started his speech when the crowd began shouting.

[12:22]  ⁶⁰ sn The voice of a god. Contrast the response of Paul and Barnabas in Acts 14:13-15.

[12:23]  ⁶¹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:23]  ⁶² sn On being struck…down by an angel, see Acts 23:3; 1 Sam 25:28; 2 Sam 12:15; 2 Kgs 19:35; 2 Chr 13:20; 2 Macc 9:5.

[12:23]  ⁶³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:23]  ⁶⁴ sn He was eaten by worms and died. Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.343-352), states that Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in a.d. 44. The account by Josephus, while not identical to Luke’s account, is similar in many respects: On the second day of a festival, Herod Agrippa appeared in the theater with a robe made of silver. When it sparkled in the sun, the people cried out flatteries and declared him to be a god. The king, carried away by the flattery, saw an owl (an omen of death) sitting on a nearby rope, and immediately was struck with severe stomach pains. He was carried off to his house and died five days later. The two accounts can be reconciled without difficulty, since while Luke states that Herod was immediately struck down by an angel, his death could have come several days later. The mention of worms with death adds a humiliating note to the scene. The formerly powerful ruler had been thoroughly reduced to nothing (cf. Jdt 16:17; 2 Macc 9:9; cf. also Josephus, Ant. 17.6.5 [17.168-170], which details the sickness which led to Herod the Great’s death).