Ayub 22:3

22:3 Is it of any special benefit ¹  to the Almighty

that you should be righteous,

or is it any gain to him

that you make your ways blameless? ² 

Ayub 33:9

33:9 ³ ‘I am pure, without transgression;

I am clean ⁴  and have no iniquity.

Ayub 34:12

34:12 Indeed, in truth, God does not act wickedly,

and the Almighty does not pervert justice.

Ayub 36:9

36:9 then he reveals ⁵  to them what they have done, ⁶ 

and their transgressions,

that they were behaving proudly.

[22:3]  ¹ tn The word חֵפֶץ (khefets) in this passage has the nuance of “special benefit; favor.” It does not just express the desire for something or the interest in it, but the profit one derives from it.

[22:3]  ² tn The verb תַתֵּם (tattem) is the Hiphil imperfect of תָּמַם (tamam, “be complete, finished”), following the Aramaic form of the geminate verb with a doubling of the first letter.

[33:9]  ³ sn See Job 9:21; 10:7; 23:7; 27:4; ch. 31.

[33:9]  ⁴ tn The word is a hapax legomenon; hap is from חָפַף (khafaf). It is used in New Hebrew in expressions like “to wash” the head. Cognates in Syriac and Akkadian support the meaning “to wash; to clean.”

[36:9]  ⁵ tn The verb נָגַד (nagad) means “to declare; to tell.” Here it is clear that God is making known the sins that caused the enslavement or captivity, so “reveal” makes a good interpretive translation.

[36:9]  ⁶ tn Heb “their work.”