Job 6:16

6:16 They ¹  are dark ²  because of ice;

snow is piled ³  up over them. ⁴ 

Job 27:23

27:23 It claps ⁵  its hands at him in derision

and hisses him away from his place. ⁶ 

Job 30:5

30:5 They were banished from the community ⁷  –

people ⁸  shouted at them

like they would shout at thieves ⁹  –

Job 22:2

22:2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit?

Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable? ¹⁰ 

Job 30:2

30:2 Moreover, the strength of their ¹¹  hands –

what use was it to me?

Men whose strength ¹²  had perished;

[6:16]  ¹ tn The article on the participle joins this statement to the preceding noun; it can have the sense of “they” or “which.” The parallel sense then can be continued with a finite verb (see GKC 404 §126.b).

[6:16]  ² tn The participle הַקֹּדְרים (haqqodÿrim), often rendered “which are black,” would better be translated “dark,” for it refers to the turbid waters filled with melting ice or melting snow, or to the frozen surface of the water, but not waters that are muddied. The versions failed to note that this referred to the waters introduced in v. 15.

[6:16]  ³ tn The verb יִתְעַלֶּם (yit’allem) has been translated “is hid” or “hides itself.” But this does not work easily in the sentence with the preposition “upon them.” Torczyner suggested “pile up” from an Aramaic root עֲלַם (’alam), and E. Dhorme (Job, 87) defends it without changing the text, contending that the form we have was chosen for alliterative value with the prepositional phrase before it.

[6:16]  ⁴ tn The LXX paraphrases the whole verse: “They who used to reverence me now come against me like snow or congealed ice.”

[27:23]  ⁵ 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]  ⁶ tn Or “hisses at him from its place” (ESV).

[30:5]  ⁹ tn The word גֵּו (gev) is an Aramaic term meaning “midst,” indicating “midst [of society].” But there is also a Phoenician word that means “community” (DISO 48).

[30:5]  ¹⁰ tn The form simply is the plural verb, but it means those who drove them from society.

[30:5]  ¹¹ tn The text merely says “as thieves,” but it obviously compares the poor to the thieves.

[22:2]  ¹³ tn Some do not take this to be parallel to the first colon, taking this line as a statement, but the parallel expressions here suggest the question is repeated.

[30:2]  ¹⁷ tn The reference is to the fathers of the scorners, who are here regarded as weak and worthless.

[30:2]  ¹⁸ tn The word כֶּלַח (kelakh) only occurs in Job 5:26; but the Arabic cognate gives this meaning “strength.” Others suggest כָּלַח (kalakh, “old age”), ֹכּל־חַיִל (kol-khayil, “all vigor”), כֹּל־לֵחַ (kol-leakh, “all freshness”), and the like. But there is no reason for such emendation.