Ayub 10:17

10:17 You bring new witnesses ¹  against me,

and increase your anger against me;

relief troops ²  come against me.

Ayub 33:12

33:12 Now in this, you are not right – I answer you, ³ 

for God is greater than a human being. ⁴ 

Ayub 36:26

The Work and Wisdom of God

36:26 “Yes, God is great – beyond our knowledge! ⁵ 

The number of his years is unsearchable.

Ayub 41:12

41:12 I will not keep silent about its limbs,

and the extent of its might,

and the grace of its arrangement. ⁶ 

[10:17]  ¹ tn The text has “you renew/increase your witnesses.” This would probably mean Job’s sufferings, which were witness to his sins. But some suggested a different word here, one that is cognate to Arabic ’adiya, “to be an enemy; to be hostile”: thus “you renew your hostility against me.” Less convincing are suggestions that the word is cognate to Ugaritic “troops” (see W. G. E. Watson, “The Metaphor in Job 10,17,” Bib 63 [1982]: 255-57).

[10:17]  ² tn The Hebrew simply says “changes and a host are with me.” The “changes and a host” is taken as a hendiadys, meaning relieving troops (relief troops of the army). The two words appear together again in 14:14, showing that emendation is to be avoided. The imagery depicts blow after blow from God – always fresh attacks.

[33:12]  ³ tn The meaning of this verb is “this is my answer to you.”

[33:12]  ⁴ tc The LXX has “he that is above men is eternal.” Elihu is saying that God is far above Job’s petty problems.

[36:26]  ⁵ tn The last part has the verbal construction, “and we do not know.” This clause is to be used adverbially: “beyond our understanding.”

[41:12]  ⁶ tn Dhorme changes the noun into a verb, “I will tell,” and the last two words into אֵין עֶרֶךְ (’en ’erekh, “there is no comparison”). The result is “I will tell of his incomparable might.”