Job 6:11

6:11 What is my strength, that I should wait? ¹ 

and what is my end, ² 

that I should prolong my life?

Job 8:9

8:9 For we were born yesterday ³  and do not have knowledge,

since our days on earth are but a shadow. ⁴ 

Job 10:3

10:3 Is it good for you ⁵  to oppress, ⁶ 

to ⁷  despise the work of your hands,

while ⁸  you smile ⁹ 

on the schemes of the wicked?

Job 21:15

21:15 Who is the Almighty, that ¹⁰  we should serve him?

What would we gain

if we were to pray ¹¹  to him?’ ¹² 

Job 22:3

22:3 Is it of any special benefit ¹³  to the Almighty

that you should be righteous,

or is it any gain to him

that you make your ways blameless? ¹⁴ 

Job 24:17

24:17 For all of them, ¹⁵  the morning is to them

like deep darkness;

they are friends with the terrors of darkness.

Job 32:16

32:16 And I have waited. ¹⁶  But because they do not speak,

because they stand there and answer no more,

Job 34:33

34:33 Is it your opinion ¹⁷  that God ¹⁸  should recompense it,

because you reject this? ¹⁹ 

But you must choose, and not I,

so tell us what you know.

Job 37:20

37:20 Should he be informed that I want ²⁰  to speak?

If a man speaks, surely he would be swallowed up!

[6:11]  ¹ sn Now, in vv. 11-13, Job proceeds to describe his hopeless condition. In so doing, he is continuing his defense of his despair and lament. The section begins with these rhetorical questions in which Job affirms that he does not have the strength to wait for the blessings that Eliphaz is talking about.

[6:11]  ² tn The word translated “my end” is קִצִּי (qitsi). It refers to the termination of his life. In Ps 39:5 it is parallel to “the measure of my days.” In a sense, Job is asking what future he has. To him, the “end” of his affliction can only be death.

[8:9]  ³ tn The Hebrew has “we are of yesterday,” the adverb functioning as a predicate. Bildad’s point is that they have not had time to acquire great knowledge because they are recent.

[8:9]  ⁴ tn E. Dhorme (Job, 116) observes that the shadow is the symbol of ephemeral things (14:2; 17:7; Ps 144:4). The shadow passes away quickly (116).

[10:3]  ⁵ tn Or “Does it give you pleasure?” The expression could also mean, “Is it profitable for you?” or “Is it fitting for you?”

[10:3]  ⁶ tn The construction uses כִּי (ki) with the imperfect verb – “that you oppress.” Technically, this clause serves as the subject, and “good” is the predicate adjective. In such cases one often uses an English infinitive to capture the point: “Is it good for you to oppress?” The LXX changes the meaning considerably: “Is it good for you if I am unrighteous, for you have disowned the work of your hands.”

[10:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “that you despise.”

[10:3]  ⁸ tn Now, in the second half of the verse, there is a change in the structure. The conjunction on the preposition followed by the perfect verb represents a circumstantial clause.

[10:3]  ⁹ tn The Hiphil of the verb יָפַע (yafa’) means “shine.” In this context the expression “you shine upon” would mean “have a glowing expression,” be radiant, or smile.

[21:15]  ⁷ tn The interrogative clause is followed by ki, similar to Exod 5:2, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him?”

[21:15]  ⁸ tn The verb פָּגַע (paga’) means “to encounter; to meet,” but also “to meet with request; to intercede; to interpose.” The latter meaning is a derived meaning by usage.

[21:15]  ⁹ tn The verse is not present in the LXX. It may be that it was considered too blasphemous and therefore omitted.

[22:3]  ⁹ tn The word חֵפֶץ (khefets) in this passage has the nuance of “special benefit; favor.” It does not just express the desire for something or the interest in it, but the profit one derives from it.

[22:3]  ¹⁰ tn The verb תַתֵּם (tattem) is the Hiphil imperfect of תָּמַם (tamam, “be complete, finished”), following the Aramaic form of the geminate verb with a doubling of the first letter.

[24:17]  ¹¹ tn Heb “together.”

[32:16]  ¹³ tn Some commentators take this as a question: “And shall [or must] I wait because they do not speak?” (A. B. Davidson, R. Gordis). But this is not convincing because the silence of the friends is the reason for him to speak, not to wait.

[34:33]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “is it from with you,” an idiomatic expression meaning “to suit you” or “according to your judgment.”

[34:33]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:33]  ¹⁷ tn There is no object on the verb, and the meaning is perhaps lost. The best guess is that Elihu is saying Job has rejected his teaching.

[37:20]  ¹⁷ tn This imperfect works well as a desiderative imperfect.