Job 9:21-22

9:21 I am blameless. ¹  I do not know myself. ² 

I despise my life.

Accusation of God’s Justice

9:22 “It is all one! ³  That is why I say, ⁴ 

‘He destroys the blameless and the guilty.’

Job 10:15

10:15 If I am guilty, ⁵  woe ⁶  to me,

and if I am innocent, I cannot lift my head; ⁷ 

I am full of shame, ⁸ 

and satiated with my affliction. ⁹ 

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 31:2

31:2 What then would be one’s lot from God above,

one’s heritage from the Almighty ¹³  on high?

Job 34:9

34:9 For he says, ‘It does not profit a man

when he makes his delight with God.’ ¹⁴ 

Psalms 73:13

73:13 I concluded, ¹⁵  “Surely in vain I have kept my motives ¹⁶  pure

and maintained a pure lifestyle. ¹⁷ 

Malachi 3:14

3:14 You have said, ‘It is useless to serve God. How have we been helped ¹⁸  by keeping his requirements and going about like mourners before the Lord who rules over all? ¹⁹ 

[9:21]  ¹ tn Dhorme, in an effort to avoid tautology, makes this a question: “Am I blameless?” The next clause then has Job answering that he does not know. But through the last section Job has been proclaiming his innocence. The other way of interpreting these verses is to follow NIV and make all of them hypothetical (“If I were blameless, he would pronounce me guilty”) and then come to this verse with Job saying, “I am blameless.” The second clause of this verse does not fit either view very well. In vv. 20, 21, and 22 Job employs the same term for “blameless” (תָּם, tam) as in the prologue (1:1). God used it to describe Job in 1:8 and 2:3. Bildad used it in 8:20. These are the final occurrences in the book.

[9:21]  ² tn The meaning of the expression “I do not know myself” seems to be, “I do not care.” NIV translates it, “I have no concern for my life.”

[9:22]  ³ tc The LXX omits the phrase “It is all one.” Modern scholars either omit it or transpose it for clarity.

[9:22]  ⁴ tn The relationships of these clauses is in some question. Some think that the poet has inverted the first two, and so they should read, “That is why I have said: ‘It is all one.’” Others would take the third clause to be what was said.

[10:15]  ⁵ sn The verbs “guilty” and “innocent” are actually the verbs “I am wicked,” and “I am righteous.”

[10:15]  ⁶ tn The exclamation occurs only here and in Mic 7:1.

[10:15]  ⁷ sn The action of lifting up the head is a symbol of pride and honor and self-respect (Judg 8:28) – like “hold your head high.” In 11:15 the one who is at peace with God lifts his head (face).

[10:15]  ⁸ tn The expression שְׂבַע קָלוֹן (sÿva’ qalon) may be translated “full of shame.” The expression literally means “sated of ignominy” (or contempt [קַלַל, qalal]).

[10:15]  ⁹ tn The last clause is difficult to fit into the verse. It translates easily enough: “and see my affliction.” Many commentators follow the suggestion of Geiger to read רְוֶה (rÿveh, “watered with”) instead of רְאֵה (rÿ’eh, “see”). This could then be interpreted adjectivally and parallel to the preceding line: “steeped/saturated with affliction.” This would also delete the final yod as dittography (E. Dhorme, Job, 152). But D. J. A. Clines notes more recent interpretations that suggest the form in the text is an orthographic variant of raweh meaning “satiated.” This makes any emendation unnecessary (and in fact that idea of “steeped” was not helpful any way because it indicated imbibing rather than soaking). The NIV renders it “and drowned in my affliction” although footnoting the other possibility from the MT, “aware of my affliction” (assuming the form could be adjectival). The LXX omits the last line.

[21:15]  ¹⁰ tn The interrogative clause is followed by ki, similar to Exod 5:2, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him?”

[21:15]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn The verse is not present in the LXX. It may be that it was considered too blasphemous and therefore omitted.

[31:2]  ¹³ tn Heb “lot of Shaddai,” which must mean “the lot from Shaddai,” a genitive of source.

[34:9]  ¹⁴ tn Gordis, however, takes this expression in the sense of “being in favor with God.”

[73:13]  ¹⁵ tn The words “I concluded” are supplied in the translation. It is apparent that vv. 13-14 reflect the psalmist’s thoughts at an earlier time (see vv. 2-3), prior to the spiritual awakening he describes in vv. 17-28.

[73:13]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “heart,” viewed here as the seat of one’s thoughts and motives.

[73:13]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “and washed my hands in innocence.” The psalmist uses an image from cultic ritual to picture his moral lifestyle. The reference to “hands” suggests actions.

[3:14]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “What [is the] profit”; NIV “What did we gain.”

[3:14]  ¹⁹ sn The people’s public display of self-effacing piety has gone unrewarded by the Lord. The reason, of course, is that it was blatantly hypocritical.