Job 7:17

Insignificance of Humans

7:17 “What is mankind ¹  that you make so much of them, ² 

and that you pay attention ³  to them?

Psalms 4:4

4:4 Tremble with fear and do not sin! ⁴ 

Meditate as you lie in bed, and repent of your ways! ⁵  (Selah)

Luke 2:19

2:19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean. ⁶ 

Luke 2:51

2:51 Then ⁷  he went down with them and came to Nazareth, ⁸  and was obedient ⁹  to them. But ¹⁰  his mother kept all these things ¹¹  in her heart. ¹² 

[7:17]  ¹ tn The verse is a rhetorical question; it is intended to mean that man is too little for God to be making so much over him in all this.

[7:17]  ² tn The Piel verb is a factitive meaning “to magnify.” The English word “magnify” might not be the best translation here, for God, according to Job, is focusing inordinately on him. It means to magnify in thought, appreciate, think highly of. God, Job argues, is making too much of mankind by devoting so much bad attention on them.

[7:17]  ³ tn The expression “set your heart on” means “concentrate your mind on” or “pay attention to.”

[4:4]  ⁴ sn The psalmist warns his enemies that they need to tremble with fear before God and repudiate their sinful ways.

[4:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “say in your heart(s) on your bed(s) and wail/lament.” The verb דֹמּוּ (dommu) is understood as a form of דָמָם (“wail, lament”) in sorrow and repentance. Another option is to take the verb from II דָמָם (damam, “be quiet”); cf. NIV, NRSV “be silent.”

[2:19]  ⁶ tn The term συμβάλλουσα (sumballousa) suggests more than remembering. She is trying to put things together here (Josephus, Ant. 2.5.3 [2.72]). The words “what they might mean” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[2:51]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:51]  ⁸ map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[2:51]  ⁹ tn Or “was submitting.”

[2:51]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:51]  ¹¹ tn Or “all these words.”

[2:51]  ¹² sn On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.