Psalms 78:39

78:39 He remembered ¹  that they were made of flesh,

and were like a wind that blows past and does not return. ² 

Job 14:10

14:10 But man ³  dies and is powerless; ⁴ 

he expires – and where is he? ⁵ 

Job 24:24

24:24 They are exalted for a little while,

and then they are gone, ⁶ 

they are brought low ⁷  like all others,

and gathered in, ⁸ 

and like a head of grain they are cut off.’ ⁹ 

Isaiah 38:12

38:12 My dwelling place ¹⁰  is removed and taken away ¹¹  from me

like a shepherd’s tent.

I rolled up my life like a weaver rolls cloth; ¹² 

from the loom he cuts me off. ¹³ 

You turn day into night and end my life. ¹⁴ 

Luke 12:20

12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ¹⁵  will be demanded back from ¹⁶  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ¹⁷ 

James 4:14

4:14 You ¹⁸  do not know about tomorrow. What is your life like? ¹⁹  For you are a puff of smoke ²⁰  that appears for a short time and then vanishes.

[78:39]  ¹ tn The prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive signals a return to the narrative.

[78:39]  ² tn Heb “and he remembered that they [were] flesh, a wind [that] goes and does not return.”

[14:10]  ³ tn There are two words for “man” in this verse. The first (גֶּבֶר, gever) can indicate a “strong” or “mature man” or “mighty man,” the hero; and the second (אָדָם, ’adam) simply designates the person as mortal.

[14:10]  ⁴ tn The word חָלַשׁ (khalash) in Aramaic and Syriac means “to be weak” (interestingly, the Syriac OT translated חָלַשׁ [khalash] with “fade away” here). The derived noun “the weak” would be in direct contrast to “the mighty man.” In the transitive sense the verb means “to weaken; to defeat” (Exod 17:13); here it may have the sense of “be lifeless, unconscious, inanimate” (cf. E. Dhorme, Job, 199). Many commentators emend the text to יַחֲלֹף (yakhalof, “passes on; passes away”). A. Guillaume tries to argue that the form is a variant of the other, the letters שׁ (shin) and פ (pe) being interchangeable (“The Use of halas in Exod 17:13, Isa 14:12, and Job 14:10,” JTS 14 [1963]: 91-92). G. R. Driver connected it to Arabic halasa, “carry off suddenly” (“The Resurrection of Marine and Terrestrial Creatures,” JSS 7 [1962]: 12-22). But the basic idea of “be weak, powerless” is satisfactory in the text. H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 105) says, “Where words are so carefully chosen, it is gratuitous to substitute less expressive words as some editors do.”

[14:10]  ⁵ tn This break to a question adds a startling touch to the whole verse. The obvious meaning is that he is gone. The LXX weakens it: “and is no more.”

[24:24]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew throughout this section (vv. 18-24) interchanges the singular and the plural. Here again we have “they are exalted…but he is not.” The verse is clear nonetheless: the wicked rise high, and then suddenly they are gone.

[24:24]  ⁷ tn The verb is the Hophal of the rare verb מָכַךְ (makhakh), which seems to mean “to bend; to collapse.” The text would read “they are made to collapse like all others.” There is no reason here to change “like others” just because the MT is banal. But many do, following the LXX with “like mallows.” The LXX was making a translation according to sense. R. Gordis (Job, 271) prefers “like grass.”

[24:24]  ⁸ tn The verb קָפַץ (qafats) actually means “to shut in,” which does not provide exactly the idea of being gathered, not directly at least. But a change to קָטַף (qataf, “pluck”) while attractive, is not necessary.

[24:24]  ⁹ sn This marks the end of the disputed section, taken here to be a quotation by Job of their sentiments.

[38:12]  ¹⁰ tn According to HALOT 217 s.v. דּוֹר this noun is a hapax legomenon meaning “dwelling place,” derived from a verbal root meaning “live” (see Ps 84:10). For an interpretation that understands the form as the well-attested noun meaning “generation,” see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:679, n. 4.

[38:12]  ¹¹ tn The verb form appears to be a Niphal from גָּלָה (galah), which normally means “uncovered, revealed” in the Niphal. Because of the following reference to a shepherd’s tent, some prefer to emend the form to וְנָגַל, a Niphal from גָלָל (galal, “roll”) and translate “is rolled [or “folded”] up.”

[38:12]  ¹² tn Heb “I rolled up, like a weaver, my life” (so ASV).

[38:12]  ¹³ sn For a discussion of the imagery employed here, see J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:684.

[38:12]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “from day to night you bring me to an end.”

[12:20]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ¹⁶ tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[4:14]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “who” (continuing the description of the people of v. 13). Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[4:14]  ¹⁹ tn Or “you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.”

[4:14]  ²⁰ tn Or “a vapor.” The Greek word ἀτμίς (atmis) denotes a swirl of smoke arising from a fire (cf. Gen 19:28; Lev 16:13; Joel 2:30 [Acts 2:19]; Ezek 8:11).