Job 8:4

8:4 If ¹  your children sinned against him,

he gave them over ²  to the penalty ³  of their sin.

Job 13:23

13:23 How many are my ⁴  iniquities and sins?

Show me my transgression and my sin. ⁵ 

Job 31:33

31:33 if ⁶  I have covered my transgressions as men do, ⁷ 

by hiding ⁸  iniquity in my heart, ⁹ 

Job 34:6

34:6 Concerning my right, should I lie? ¹⁰ 

My wound ¹¹  is incurable,

although I am without transgression.’ ¹² 

[8:4]  ¹ tn The AV and RV take the protasis down to the middle of v. 6. The LXX changes the “if” at the beginning of v. 5 to “then” and makes that verse the apodosis. If the apodosis comes in the second half of v. 4, then v. 4 would be a complete sentence (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 71; A. B. Davidson, Job, 60). The particle אִם (’im) has the sense of “since” in this section.

[8:4]  ² tn The verb is a Piel preterite with a vav (ו) consecutive. The ו (vav) need not be translated if the second half of the verse is the apodosis of the first – since they sinned…he did this. The verb שִׁלֵּחַ (shilleakh) means “to expel; to thrust out” normally; here the sense of “deliver up” or “deliver over” fits the sentence well. The verse is saying that sin carries its own punishment, and so God merely delivered the young people over to it.

[8:4]  ³ tn Heb “into the hand of their rebellion.” The word “hand” often signifies “power.” The rebellious acts have the power to destroy, and so that is what happened – according to Bildad. Bildad’s point is that Job should learn from what happened to his family.

[13:23]  ⁴ tn The pronoun “my” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied here in the translation.

[13:23]  ⁵ sn Job uses three words for sin here: “iniquities,” which means going astray, erring; “sins,” which means missing the mark or the way; and “transgressions,” which are open rebellions. They all emphasize different kinds of sins and different degrees of willfulness. Job is demanding that any sins be brought up. Both Job and his friends agree that great afflictions would have to indicate great offenses – he wants to know what they are.

[31:33]  ⁷ tn Now the protasis continues again.

[31:33]  ⁸ sn Some commentators suggest taking the meaning here to be “as Adam,” referring to the Paradise story of the sin and denial.

[31:33]  ⁹ tn The infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first line.

[31:33]  ¹⁰ tn The MT has “in my bosom.” This is the only place in the OT where this word is found. But its meaning is well attested from Aramaic.

[34:6]  ¹⁰ tn The verb is the Piel imperfect of כָּזַב (kazav), meaning “to lie.” It could be a question: “Should I lie [against my right?] – when I am innocent. If it is repointed to the Pual, then it can be “I am made to lie,” or “I am deceived.” Taking it as a question makes good sense here, and so emendations are unnecessary.

[34:6]  ¹¹ tn The Hebrew text has only “my arrow.” Some commentators emend that word slightly to get “my wound.” But the idea could be derived from “arrows” as well, the wounds caused by the arrows. The arrows are symbolic of God’s affliction.

[34:6]  ¹² tn Heb “without transgression”; but this is parallel to the first part where the claim is innocence.