Ayub 1:2

1:2 Seven ¹  sons and three daughters were born to him. ² 

Ayub 4:13

4:13 In the troubling thoughts ³  of the dreams ⁴  in the night

when a deep sleep ⁵  falls on men,

Ayub 5:1

5:1 “Call now! ⁶  Is there anyone who will answer you? ⁷ 

To which of the holy ones ⁸  will you turn? ⁹ 

Ayub 5:14

5:14 They meet with darkness in the daytime, ¹⁰ 

and grope about ¹¹  in the noontime as if it were night. ¹² 

Ayub 5:22

5:22 You will laugh at destruction and famine ¹³ 

and need not ¹⁴  be afraid of the beasts of the earth.

Ayub 5:24

5:24 And ¹⁵  you will know ¹⁶  that your home ¹⁷ 

will be secure, ¹⁸ 

and when you inspect ¹⁹  your domains,

you will not be missing ²⁰  anything.

Ayub 5:26

5:26 You will come to your grave in a full age, ²¹ 

As stacks of grain are harvested in their season.

Ayub 6:8

A Cry for Death

6:8 “Oh that ²²  my request would be realized, ²³ 

and that God would grant me what I long for! ²⁴ 

Ayub 6:19

6:19 The caravans of Tema ²⁵  looked intently ²⁶  for these streams; ²⁷ 

the traveling merchants ²⁸  of Sheba hoped for them.

Ayub 7:13

7:13 If ²⁹  I say, ³⁰  “My bed will comfort me, ³¹ 

my couch will ease ³²  my complaint,”

Ayub 8:8

8:8 “For inquire now of the former ³³  generation,

and pay attention ³⁴  to the findings ³⁵ 

of their ancestors; ³⁶ 

Ayub 8:10

8:10 Will they not ³⁷  instruct you and ³⁸  speak to you,

and bring forth words ³⁹ 

from their understanding? ⁴⁰ 

Ayub 8:18-19

8:18 If he is uprooted ⁴¹  from his place,

then that place ⁴²  will disown him, saying, ⁴³ 

‘I have never seen you!’

8:19 Indeed, this is the joy of his way, ⁴⁴ 

and out of the earth ⁴⁵  others spring up. ⁴⁶ 

Ayub 9:9

9:9 he makes the Bear, ⁴⁷  Orion, ⁴⁸  and the Pleiades, ⁴⁹ 

and the constellations of the southern sky; ⁵⁰ 

Ayub 9:11

9:11 If ⁵¹  he passes by me, I cannot see ⁵²  him, ⁵³ 

if he goes by, I cannot perceive him. ⁵⁴ 

Ayub 9:14

The Impossibility of Facing God in Court

9:14 “How much less, ⁵⁵  then, can I answer him ⁵⁶ 

and choose my words ⁵⁷  to argue ⁵⁸  with ⁵⁹  him! ⁶⁰ 

Ayub 9:22

Accusation of God’s Justice

9:22 “It is all one! ⁶¹  That is why I say, ⁶² 

‘He destroys the blameless and the guilty.’

Ayub 11:11

11:11 For he ⁶³  knows deceitful ⁶⁴  men;

when he sees evil, will he not ⁶⁵  consider it? ⁶⁶ 

Ayub 13:26

13:26 For you write down ⁶⁷  bitter things against me

and cause me to inherit the sins of my youth. ⁶⁸ 

Ayub 15:25

15:25 for he stretches out his hand against God, ⁶⁹ 

and vaunts himself ⁷⁰  against the Almighty,

Ayub 16:21

16:21 and ⁷¹  he contends with God on behalf of man

as a man ⁷²  pleads ⁷³  for his friend.

Ayub 18:14

18:14 He is dragged from the security of his tent, ⁷⁴ 

and marched off ⁷⁵  to the king ⁷⁶  of terrors.

Ayub 18:21

18:21 ‘Surely such is the residence ⁷⁷  of an evil man;

and this is the place of one who has not known God.’” ⁷⁸ 

Ayub 19:5

19:5 If indeed ⁷⁹  you would exalt yourselves ⁸⁰  above me

and plead my disgrace against me, ⁸¹ 

Ayub 19:26

19:26 And after my skin has been destroyed, ⁸² 

yet in my flesh ⁸³  I will see God, ⁸⁴ 

Ayub 20:8-9

20:8 Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found, ⁸⁵ 

and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.

20:9 People ⁸⁶  who had seen him will not see him again,

and the place where he was

will recognize him no longer.

Ayub 20:22

20:22 In the fullness of his sufficiency, ⁸⁷ 

distress ⁸⁸  overtakes him.

the full force of misery will come upon him. ⁸⁹ 

Ayub 21:18

21:18 How often ⁹⁰  are they like straw before the wind,

and like chaff swept away ⁹¹  by a whirlwind?

Ayub 21:23

Death Levels Everything

21:23 “One man dies in his full vigor, ⁹² 

completely secure and prosperous,

Ayub 21:29

21:29 Have you never questioned those who travel the roads?

Do you not recognize their accounts ⁹³  –

Ayub 22:8

22:8 Although you were a powerful man, ⁹⁴  owning land, ⁹⁵ 

an honored man ⁹⁶  living on it, ⁹⁷ 

Ayub 22:10

22:10 That is why snares surround you,

and why sudden fear terrifies you,

Ayub 22:13

22:13 But you have said, ‘What does God know?

Does he judge through such deep darkness? ⁹⁸ 

Ayub 22:15

22:15 Will you keep to the old path ⁹⁹ 

that evil men have walked –

Ayub 22:26

22:26 Surely then you will delight yourself ¹⁰⁰  in the Almighty,

and will lift up your face toward God.

Ayub 23:16

23:16 Indeed, God has made my heart faint; ¹⁰¹ 

the Almighty has terrified me.

Ayub 24:7

24:7 They spend the night naked because they lack clothing;

they have no covering against the cold.

Ayub 24:10

24:10 They go about naked, without clothing,

and go hungry while they carry the sheaves. ¹⁰² 

Ayub 27:10

27:10 Will he find delight ¹⁰³  in the Almighty?

Will he call out to God at all times?

Ayub 27:20

27:20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood; ¹⁰⁴ 

at night a whirlwind carries him off.

Ayub 27:23

27:23 It claps ¹⁰⁵  its hands at him in derision

and hisses him away from his place. ¹⁰⁶ 

Ayub 28:11

28:11 He has searched ¹⁰⁷  the sources ¹⁰⁸  of the rivers

and what was hidden he has brought into the light.

Ayub 29:24

29:24 If I smiled at them, they hardly believed it; ¹⁰⁹ 

and they did not cause the light of my face to darken. ¹¹⁰ 

Ayub 30:12

30:12 On my right the young rabble ¹¹¹  rise up;

they drive me from place to place, ¹¹² 

and build up siege ramps ¹¹³  against me. ¹¹⁴ 

Ayub 30:17

30:17 Night pierces ¹¹⁵  my bones; ¹¹⁶ 

my gnawing pains ¹¹⁷  never cease.

Ayub 31:18

31:18 but from my youth I raised the orphan ¹¹⁸  like a father,

and from my mother’s womb ¹¹⁹ 

I guided the widow! ¹²⁰ 

Ayub 31:26

31:26 if I looked at the sun ¹²¹  when it was shining,

and the moon advancing as a precious thing,

Ayub 32:4

32:4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking ¹²²  to Job, because the others ¹²³  were older than he was.

Ayub 32:16

32:16 And I have waited. ¹²⁴  But because they do not speak,

because they stand there and answer no more,

Ayub 32:19

32:19 Inside I am like wine which has no outlet, ¹²⁵ 

like new wineskins ¹²⁶  ready to burst!

Ayub 33:28

33:28 He redeemed my life ¹²⁷ 

from going down to the place of corruption,

and my life sees the light!’

Ayub 34:13

34:13 Who entrusted ¹²⁸  to him the earth?

And who put him over ¹²⁹  the whole world?

Ayub 36:19

36:19 Would your wealth ¹³⁰  sustain you,

so that you would not be in distress, ¹³¹ 

even all your mighty efforts? ¹³² 

Ayub 36:22

36:22 Indeed, God is exalted in his power;

who is a teacher ¹³³  like him?

Ayub 37:3

37:3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,

even his lightning to the far corners ¹³⁴  of the earth.

Ayub 37:7

37:7 He causes everyone to stop working, ¹³⁵ 

so that all people ¹³⁶  may know ¹³⁷  his work.

Ayub 37:11

37:11 He loads the clouds with moisture; ¹³⁸ 

he scatters his lightning through the clouds.

Ayub 37:16

37:16 Do you know about the balancing ¹³⁹  of the clouds,

that wondrous activity of him who is perfect in knowledge?

Ayub 37:21-22

37:21 But now, the sun ¹⁴⁰  cannot be looked at ¹⁴¹  –

it is bright in the skies –

after a wind passed and swept the clouds away. ¹⁴² 

37:22 From the north he comes in golden splendor; ¹⁴³ 

around God is awesome majesty.

Ayub 38:6

38:6 On what ¹⁴⁴  were its bases ¹⁴⁵  set,

or who laid its cornerstone –

Ayub 38:22

38:22 Have you entered the storehouse ¹⁴⁶  of the snow,

or seen the armory ¹⁴⁷  of the hail,

[1:2]  ¹ sn The numbers used in the chapter, seven, three, and five, carry the symbolism in the Bible of perfection and completeness (see J. J. Davis, Biblical Numerology). Job’s “seven sons” are listed first because in the East sons were considered more valuable than daughters (recall Ruth, who is “better than seven sons” [Ruth 4:15]).

[1:2]  ² tn The verb begins the sentence: “and there were born.” This use of the preterite with vav (ו) consecutive, especially after the verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”), is explanatory: there was a man…and there was born to him…” (IBHS 551-52 §33.2.2b).

[4:13]  ³ tn Here too the word is rare. The form שְׂעִפִּים (sÿ’ippim, “disquietings”) occurs only here and in 20:2. The form שַׂרְעַפִּים (sar’appim, “disquieting thoughts”), possibly related by dissimilation, occurs in Pss 94:19 and 139:23. There seems to be a connection with סְעִפִּים (sÿ’ippim) in 1 Kgs 18:21 with the meaning “divided opinion”; this is related to the idea of סְעִפָּה (sÿ’ippah, “bough”). H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 47) concludes that the point is that like branches the thoughts lead off into different and bewildering places. E. Dhorme (Job, 50) links the word to an Arabic root (“to be passionately smitten”) for the idea of “intimate thoughts.” The idea here and in Ps 139 has more to do with anxious, troubling, disquieting thoughts, as in a nightmare.

[4:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “visions” of the night.

[4:13]  ⁵ tn The word תַּרְדֵּמָה (tardemah) is a “deep sleep.” It is used in the creation account when the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam; and it is used in the story of Jonah when the prophet was asleep during the storm. The LXX interprets it to mean “fear,” rendering the whole verse “but terror falls upon men with dread and a sound in the night.”

[5:1]  ⁶ tn Some commentators transpose this verse with the following paragraph, placing it after v. 7 (see E. Dhorme, Job, 62). But the reasons for this are based on the perceived development of the argument and are not that compelling.

[5:1]  sn The imperative is here a challenge for Job. If he makes his appeal against God, who is there who will listen? The rhetorical questions are intended to indicate that no one will respond, not even the angels. Job would do better to realize that he is guilty and his only hope is in God.

[5:1]  ⁷ tn The participle with the suffix could be given a more immediate translation to accompany the imperative: “Call now! Is anyone listening to you?”

[5:1]  ⁸ tn The LXX has rendered “holy ones” as “holy angels” (cf. TEV, CEV, NLT). The LXX has interpreted the verb in the colon too freely: “if you will see.”

[5:1]  ⁹ sn The point being made is that the angels do not represent the cries of people to God as if mediating for them. But if Job appealed to any of them to take his case against God, there would be no response whatsoever for that.

[5:14]  ¹⁰ sn God so confuses the crafty that they are unable to fulfill their plans – it is as if they encounter darkness in broad daylight. This is like the Syrians in 2 Kgs 6:18-23.

[5:14]  ¹¹ tn The verb מָשַׁשׁ (mashash) expresses the idea of groping about in the darkness. This is part of the fulfillment of Deut 28:29, which says, “and you shall grope at noonday as the blind grope in darkness.” This image is also in Isa 59:10.

[5:14]  ¹² sn The verse provides a picture of the frustration and bewilderment in the crafty who cannot accomplish their ends because God thwarts them.

[5:22]  ¹³ tc The repetition of “destruction” and “famine” here has prompted some scholars to delete the whole verse. Others try to emend the text. The LXX renders them as “the unrighteous and the lawless.” But there is no difficulty in having the repetition of the words as found in the MT.

[5:22]  tn The word for “famine” is an Aramaic word found again in 30:3. The book of Job has a number of Aramaisms that are used to form an alternative parallel expression (see notes on “witness” in 16:19).

[5:22]  ¹⁴ tn The negated jussive is used here to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen (GKC 322 §109.e).

[5:24]  ¹⁵ sn Verses 19-23 described the immunity from evil and trouble that Job would enjoy – if he were restored to peace with God. Now, v. 24 describes the safety and peace of the homestead and his possessions if he were right with God.

[5:24]  ¹⁶ tn The verb is again the perfect, but in sequence to the previous structure so that it is rendered as a future. This would be the case if Job were right with God.

[5:24]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “tent.”

[5:24]  ¹⁸ tn The word שָׁלוֹם (shalom) means “peace; safety; security; wholeness.” The same use appears in 1 Sam 25:6; 2 Sam 20:9.

[5:24]  ¹⁹ tn The verb is פָּקַד (paqad, “to visit”). The idea here is “to gather together; to look over; to investigate,” or possibly even “to number” as it is used in the book of Numbers. The verb is the perfect with the vav consecutive; it may be subordinated to the imperfect verb that follows to form a temporal clause.

[5:24]  ²⁰ tn The verb is usually rendered “to sin”; but in this context the more specific primary meaning of “to miss the mark” or “to fail to find something.” Neither Job’s tent nor his possessions will be lost.

[5:26]  ²¹ tn The word translated “in a full age” has been given an array of meanings: “health; integrity”; “like a new blade of corn”; “in your strength [or vigor].” The numerical value of the letters in the word בְכֶלָח (bÿkhelakh, “in old age”) was 2, 20, 30, and 8, or 60. This led some of the commentators to say that at 60 one would enter the ripe old age (E. Dhorme, Job, 73).

[6:8]  ²² tn The Hebrew expresses the desire (desiderative clause) with “who will give?” (see GKC 477 §151.d).

[6:8]  ²³ tn The verb בּוֹא (bo’, “go”) has the sense of “to be realized; to come to pass; to be fulfilled.” The optative “Who will give [that] my request be realized?” is “O that my request would be realized.”

[6:8]  ²⁴ tn The text has תִקְוָתִי (tiqvati, “hope”). There is no reason to change the text to “my desire” (as Driver and others do) if the word is interpreted metonymically – it means “what I hope for.” What Job hopes for and asks for is death.

[6:8]  sn See further W. Riggans, “Job 6:8-10: Short Comments,” ExpTim 99 (1987): 45-46.

[6:19]  ²⁵ sn Tema is the area of the oasis SE of the head of the Gulf of Aqaba; Sheba is in South Arabia. In Job 1:15 the Sabeans were raiders; here they are traveling merchants.

[6:19]  ²⁶ tn The verb נָבַט (navat) means “to gaze intently”; the looking is more intentional, more of a close scrutiny. It forms a fine parallel to the idea of “hope” in the second part. The NIV translates the second verb קִוּוּ (qivvu) as “look in hope.” In the previous verbs the imperfect form was used, expressing what generally happens (so the English present tense was used). Here the verb usage changes to the perfect form. It seems that Job is narrating a typical incident now – they looked, but were disappointed.

[6:19]  ²⁷ tn The words “for these streams” are supplied from context to complete the thought and make the connection with the preceding context.

[6:19]  ²⁸ tn In Ps 68:24 this word has the meaning of “processions”; here that procession is of traveling merchants forming convoys or caravans.

[7:13]  ²⁹ tn The particle כִּי (ki) could also be translated “when,” but “if” might work better to introduce the conditional clause and to parallel the earlier reasoning of Job in v. 4 (using אִם, ’im). See GKC 336-37 §112.hh.

[7:13]  ³⁰ tn The verb literally means “say,” but here the connotation must be “think” or “say to oneself” – “when I think my bed….”

[7:13]  ³¹ sn Sleep is the recourse of the troubled and unhappy. Here “bed” is metonymical for sleep. Job expects sleep to give him the comfort that his friends have not.

[7:13]  ³² tn The verb means “to lift up; to take away” (נָשָׂא, nasa’). When followed by the preposition בּ (bet) with the complement of the verb, the idea is “to bear a part; to take a share,” or “to share in the burden” (cf. Num 11:7). The idea then would be that the sleep would ease the complaint. It would not end the illness, but the complaining for a while.

[8:8]  ³³ sn Bildad is not calling for Job to trace through the learning of antiquity, but of the most recent former generation. Hebrews were fond of recalling what the “fathers” had taught, for each generation recalled what their fathers had taught.

[8:8]  ³⁴ tn The verb כוֹנֵן (khonen, from כּוּן, kun) normally would indicate “prepare yourself” or “fix” one’s heart on something, i.e., give attention to it. The verb with the ל (lamed) preposition after it does mean “to think on” or “to meditate” (Isa 51:13). But some commentators wish to change the כּ (kaf) to a בּ (bet) in the verb to get “to consider” (from בִּין, bin). However, M. Dahood shows a connection between כּנן (knn) and שׁאל (sh’l) in Ugaritic (“Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography,” Bib 46 [1965]: 329).

[8:8]  ³⁵ tn The Hebrew has “the search of their fathers,” but the word is probably intended to mean what that observation or search yielded (so “search” is a metonymy of cause).

[8:8]  ³⁶ tn Heb “fathers.”

[8:10]  ³⁷ tn The sentence begins emphatically: “Is it not they.”

[8:10]  ³⁸ tn The “and” is not present in the line. The second clause seems to be in apposition to the first, explaining it more thoroughly: “Is it not they [who] will instruct you, [who] will speak to you.”

[8:10]  ³⁹ tn The noun may have been left indeterminate for the sake of emphasis (GKC 401-2 §125.c), meaning “important words.”

[8:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “from their heart.”

[8:18]  ⁴¹ tc Ball reads אֵל (’el, “God”) instead of אִם (’im, “if”): “God destroys it” – but there is no reason for this. The idea would be implied in the context. A. B. Davidson rightly points out that who destroys it is not important, but the fact that it is destroyed.

[8:18]  tn The Hebrew has “if one destroys it”; the indefinite subject allows for a passive interpretation. The verb means “swallow” in the Qal, but in the Piel it means “to engulf; to destroy; to ruin” (2:3; 10:8). It could here be rendered “removed from its place” (the place where it is rooted); since the picture is that of complete destruction, “uprooted” would be a good rendering.

[8:18]  ⁴² tn Heb “it”; the referent (“his place” in the preceding line) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:18]  sn The place where the plant once grew will deny ever knowing it. Such is the completeness of the uprooting that there is not a trace left.

[8:18]  ⁴³ tn Here “saying” is supplied in the translation.

[8:19]  ⁴⁴ tn This line is difficult. If the MT stands as it is, the expression must be ironic. It would be saying that the joy (all the security and prosperity) of its way (its life) is short-lived – that is the way its joy goes. Most commentators are not satisfied with this. Dhorme, for one, changes מְשׂוֹשׂ (mÿsos, “joy”) to מְסוֹס (mÿsos, “rotting”), and gets “behold him lie rotting on the path.” The sibilants can interchange this way. But Dhorme thinks the MT was written the way it was because the word was thought to be “joy,” when it should have been the other way. The word “way” then becomes an accusative of place. The suggestion is rather compelling and would certainly fit the context. The difficulty is that a root סוּס (sus, “to rot”) has to be proposed. E. Dhorme does this by drawing on Arabic sas, “to be eaten by moths or worms,” thus “worm-eaten; decaying; rotting.” Cf. NIV “its life withers away”; also NAB “there he lies rotting beside the road.”

[8:19]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “dust.”

[8:19]  ⁴⁶ sn As with the tree, so with the godless man – his place will soon be taken by another.

[9:9]  ⁴⁷ sn The Hebrew has עָשׁ (’ash), although in 38:32 it is עַיִשׁ (’ayish). This has been suggested to be Aldebaran, a star in the constellation Taurus, but there have been many other suggestions put forward by the commentaries.

[9:9]  ⁴⁸ sn There is more certainty for the understanding of this word as Orion, even though there is some overlap of the usage of the words in the Bible. In classical literature we have the same stereotypical reference to these three (see E. Dhorme, Job, 131).

[9:9]  ⁴⁹ sn The identification of this as the Pleiades is accepted by most (the Vulgate has “Hyades”). In classical Greek mythology, the seven Pleiades were seven sisters of the Hyades who were pursued by Orion until they were changed into stars by Zeus. The Greek myth is probably derived from an older Semitic myth.

[9:9]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “and the chambers of the south.”

[9:11]  ⁵¹ tn The NIV has “when” to form a temporal clause here. For the use of “if,” see GKC 497 §159.w.

[9:11]  ⁵² tn The imperfect verbs in this verse are consistent with the clauses. In the conditional clauses a progressive imperfect is used, but in the following clauses the verbs are potential imperfects.

[9:11]  ⁵³ tn The pronoun “him” is supplied here; it is not in MT, but the Syriac and Vulgate have it (probably for translation purposes as well).

[9:11]  ⁵⁴ sn Like the mountains, Job knows that God has passed by and caused him to shake and tremble, but he cannot understand or perceive the reasons.

[9:14]  ⁵⁵ tn The construction אַף כִּי־אָנֹכִי (’af ki ’anokhi) is an expression that means either “how much more” or “how much less.” Here it has to mean “how much less,” for if powerful forces like Rahab are crushed beneath God’s feet, how could Job contend with him?

[9:14]  ⁵⁶ tn The imperfect verb here is to be taken with the nuance of a potential imperfect. The idea of “answer him” has a legal context, i.e., answering God in a court of law. If God is relentless in his anger toward greater powers, then Job realizes it is futile for him.

[9:14]  ⁵⁷ sn In a legal controversy with God it would be essential to choose the correct words very carefully (humanly speaking); but the calmness and presence of mind to do that would be shattered by the overwhelming terror of God’s presence.

[9:14]  ⁵⁸ tn The verb is supplied in this line.

[9:14]  ⁵⁹ tn The preposition אִם (’im, “with”) carries the idea of “in contest with” in a number of passages (compare vv. 2, 3; 16:21).

[9:14]  ⁶⁰ tn The LXX goes a different way after changing the first person to the third: “Oh then that he would hearken to me, or judge my cause.”

[9:22]  ⁶¹ tc The LXX omits the phrase “It is all one.” Modern scholars either omit it or transpose it for clarity.

[9:22]  sn The expression “it is one” means that God’s dealings with people is undiscriminating. The number “one” could also be taken to mean “the same” – “it is all the same.” The implication is that it does not matter if Job is good or evil, if he lives or dies. This is the conclusion of the preceding section.

[9:22]  ⁶² 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.

[11:11]  ⁶³ tn The pronoun is emphatic implying that Zophar indicates that God indeed knows Job’s sin even if Job does not.

[11:11]  ⁶⁴ tn The expression is literally “men of emptiness” (see Ps 26:4). These are false men, for שָׁוְא (shavÿ’) can mean “vain, empty, or false, deceitful.”

[11:11]  ⁶⁵ tn E. Dhorme (Job, 162) reads the prepositional phrase “to him” rather than the negative; he translates the line as “he sees iniquity and observes it closely.”

[11:11]  ⁶⁶ tn Some commentators do not take this last clause as a question, but simply as a statement, namely, that when God sees evil he does not need to ponder or consider it – he knows it instantly. In that case it would be a circumstantial clause: “without considering it.” D. J. A. Clines lists quite an array of other interpretations for the line (Job [WBC], 255); for example, “and he is himself unobserved”; taking the word לֹא (lo’) as an emphatic; taking the negative as a noun, “considering them as nothing”; and others that change the verb to “they do not understand it.” But none of these are compelling; they offer no major improvement.

[13:26]  ⁶⁷ tn The meaning is that of writing down a formal charge against someone (cf. Job 31:15).

[13:26]  ⁶⁸ sn Job acknowledges sins in his youth, but they are trifling compared to the suffering he now endures. Job thinks it unjust of God to persecute him now for those – if that is what is happening.

[15:25]  ⁶⁹ sn The symbol of the outstretched hand is the picture of attempting to strike someone, or shaking a fist at someone; it is a symbol of a challenge or threat (see Isa 5:25; 9:21; 10:4).

[15:25]  ⁷⁰ tn The Hitpael of גָּבַר (gavar) means “to act with might” or “to behave like a hero.” The idea is that the wicked boldly vaunts himself before the Lord.

[16:21]  ⁷¹ tn E. Dhorme (Job, 240) alters this slightly to read “Would that” or “Ah! if only.”

[16:21]  ⁷² tn This is the simple translation of the expression “son of man” in Job. But some commentators wish to change the word בֵּן (ben, “son”) to בֵּין (ben, “between”). It would then be “[as] between a man and [for] his friend.” Even though a few mss have this reading, it is to be rejected. But see J. Barr, “Some Notes on ‘ben’ in Classical Hebrew,” JSS 23 (1978): 1-22.

[16:21]  ⁷³ tn The verb is supplied from the parallel clause.

[18:14]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “from his tent, his security.” The apposition serves to modify the tent as his security.

[18:14]  ⁷⁵ tn The verb is the Hiphil of צָעַד (tsa’ad, “to lead away”). The problem is that the form is either a third feminine (Rashi thought it was referring to Job’s wife) or the second person. There is a good deal of debate over the possibility of the prefix t- being a variant for the third masculine form. The evidence in Ugaritic and Akkadian is mixed, stronger for the plural than the singular. Gesenius has some samples where the third feminine form might also be used for the passive if there is no expressed subject (see GKC 459 §144.b), but the evidence is not strong. The simplest choices are to change the prefix to a י (yod), or argue that the ת (tav) can be masculine, or follow Gesenius.

[18:14]  ⁷⁶ sn This is a reference to death, the king of all terrors. Other identifications are made in the commentaries: Mot, the Ugaritic god of death; Nergal of the Babylonians; Molech of the Canaanites, the one to whom people sent emissaries.

[18:21]  ⁷⁷ tn The term is in the plural, “the tabernacles”; it should be taken as a plural of local extension (see GKC 397 §124.b).

[18:21]  ⁷⁸ tn The word “place” is in construct; the clause following it replaces the genitive: “this is the place of – he has not known God.”

[19:5]  ⁷⁹ tn The introductory particles repeat אָמְנָם (’amnam, “indeed”) but now with אִם (’im, “if”). It could be interpreted to mean “is it not true,” or as here in another conditional clause.

[19:5]  ⁸⁰ tn The verb is the Hiphil of גָּדַל (gadal); it can mean “to make great” or as an internal causative “to make oneself great” or “to assume a lofty attitude, to be insolent.” There is no reason to assume another root here with the meaning of “quarrel” (as Gordis does).

[19:5]  ⁸¹ sn Job’s friends have been using his shame, his humiliation in all his sufferings, as proof against him in their case.

[19:26]  ⁸² tn This verse on the whole has some serious interpretation problems that have allowed commentators to go in several directions. The verbal clause is “they strike off this,” which is then to be taken as a passive in view of the fact that there is no expressed subject. Some have thought that Job was referring to this life, and that after his disease had done its worst he would see his vindication (see T. J. Meek, “Job 19:25-27,” VT 6 [1956]: 100-103; E. F. Sutcliffe, “Further notes on Job, textual and exegetical,” Bib 31 [1950]: 377; and others). But Job has been clear – he does not expect to live and see his vindication in this life. There are a host of other interpretations that differ greatly from the sense expressed in the MT. Duhm, for example, has “and another shall arise as my witness.” E. Dhorme (Job, 284-85) argues that the vindication comes after death; he emends the verb to get a translation: “and that, behind my skin, I shall stand up.” He explains this to mean that it will be Job in person who will be present at the ultimate drama. But the interpretation is forced, and really unnecessary.

[19:26]  ⁸³ tn The Hebrew phrase is “and from my flesh.” This could mean “without my flesh,” i.e., separated from my flesh, or “from my flesh,” i.e., in or with my flesh. The former view is taken by those who think Job’s vindication will come in this life, and who find the idea of a resurrection unlikely to be in Job’s mind. The latter view is taken by those who interpret the preceding line as meaning death and the next verse underscoring that it will be his eye that will see. This would indicate that Job’s faith rises to an unparalleled level at this point.

[19:26]  ⁸⁴ tn H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 140) says, “The text of this verse is so difficult, and any convincing reconstruction is so unlikely, that it seems best not to attempt it.” His words have gone unheeded, even by himself, and rightly so. There seem to be two general interpretations, the details of some words notwithstanding. An honest assessment of the evidence would have to provide both interpretations, albeit still arguing for one. Here Job says he will see God. This at the least means that he will witness his vindication, which it seems clear from the other complaints of Job will occur after his death (it is his blood that must be vindicated). But in what way, exactly, Job will see God is not clarified. In this verse the verb that is used is often used of prophetic visions; but in the next verse the plain word for seeing – with his eye – is used. The fulfillment will be more precise than Job may have understood. Rowley does conclude: “Though there is no full grasping of a belief in a worthwhile Afterlife with God, this passage is a notable landmark in the program toward such a belief.” The difficulty is that Job expects to die – he would like to be vindicated in this life, but is resolved that he will die. (1) Some commentators think that vv. 25 and 26 follow the wish for vindication now; (2) others (traditionally) see it as in the next life. Some of the other interpretations that take a different line are less impressive, such as Kissane’s, “did I but see God…were I to behold God”; or L. Waterman’s translation in the English present, making it a mystic vision in which Job already sees that God is his vindicator (“Note on Job 19:23-27: Job’s Triumph of Faith,” JBL 69 [1950]: 379-80).

[20:8]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “and they do not find him.” The verb has no expressed subject, and so here is equivalent to a passive. The clause itself is taken adverbially in the sentence.

[20:9]  ⁸⁶ tn Heb “the eye that had seen him.” Here a part of the person (the eye, the instrument of vision) is put by metonymy for the entire person.

[20:22]  ⁸⁷ tn The word שָׂפַק (safaq) occurs only here; it means “sufficiency; wealth; abundance (see D. W. Thomas, “The Text of Jesaia 2:6 and the Word sapaq,” ZAW 75 [1963]: 88-90).

[20:22]  ⁸⁸ tn Heb “there is straightness for him.” The root צָרַר (tsarar) means “to be narrowed in straits, to be in a bind.” The word here would have the idea of pressure, stress, trouble. One could say he is in a bind.

[20:22]  ⁸⁹ tn Heb “every hand of trouble comes to him.” The pointing of עָמֵל (’amel) indicates it would refer to one who brings trouble; LXX and Latin read an abstract noun עָמָל (’amal, “trouble”) here.

[21:18]  ⁹⁰ tn To retain the sense that the wicked do not suffer as others, this verse must either be taken as a question or a continuation of the question in v. 17.

[21:18]  ⁹¹ tn The verb used actually means “rob.” It is appropriate to the image of a whirlwind suddenly taking away the wisp of straw.

[21:23]  ⁹² tn The line has “in the bone of his perfection.” The word עֶצֶם (’etsem), which means “bone,” is used pronominally to express “the same, very”; here it is “in the very fullness of his strength” (see GKC 449 §139.g). The abstract תֹּם (tom) is used here in the sense of physical perfection and strengths.

[21:29]  ⁹³ tc The LXX reads, “Ask those who go by the way, and do not disown their signs.”

[21:29]  tn The idea is that the merchants who travel widely will talk about what they have seen and heard. These travelers give a different account of the wicked; they tell how he is spared. E. Dhorme (Job, 322) interprets “signs” concretely: “Their custom was to write their names and their thoughts somewhere at the main cross-roads. The main roads of Sinai are dotted with these scribblings made by such passers of a day.”

[22:8]  ⁹⁴ tn The idiom is “a man of arm” (= “powerful”; see Ps 10:15). This is in comparison to the next line, “man of face” (= “dignity; high rank”; see Isa 3:5).

[22:8]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “and a man of arm, to whom [was] land.” The line is in contrast to the preceding one, and so the vav here introduces a concessive clause.

[22:8]  ⁹⁶ tn The expression is unusual: “the one lifted up of face.” This is the “honored one,” the one to whom the dignity will be given.

[22:8]  ⁹⁷ tn Many commentators simply delete the verse or move it elsewhere. Most take it as a general reference to Job, perhaps in apposition to the preceding verse.

[22:13]  ⁹⁸ sn Eliphaz is giving to Job the thoughts and words of the pagans, for they say, “How does God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?” (see Ps 73:11; 94:11).

[22:15]  ⁹⁹ tn The “old path” here is the way of defiance to God. The text in these two verses is no doubt making reference to the flood in Genesis, one of the perennial examples of divine judgment.

[22:26]  ¹⁰⁰ tc This is the same verb as in Ps 37:4. G. R. Driver suggests the word comes from another root that means “abandon oneself to, depend on” (“Problems in the Hebrew text of Job,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 84).

[23:16]  ¹⁰¹ tn The verb הֵרַךְ (kherakh) means “to be tender”; in the Piel it would have the meaning “to soften.” The word is used in parallel constructions with the verbs for “fear.” The implication is that God has made Job fearful.

[24:10]  ¹⁰² sn The point should not be missed – amidst abundant harvests, carrying sheaves about, they are still going hungry.

[27:10]  ¹⁰³ tn See the note on 22:26 where the same verb is employed.

[27:20]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Many commentators want a word parallel to “in the night.” And so we are offered בַּיּוֹם (bayyom, “in the day”) for כַמַּיִם (khammayim, “like waters”) as well as a number of others. But “waters” sometimes stand for major calamities, and so may be retained here. Besides, not all parallel structures are synonymous.

[27:23]  ¹⁰⁵ tn If the same subject is to be carried through here, it is the wind. That would make this a bold personification, perhaps suggesting the force of the wind. Others argue that it is unlikely that the wind claps its hands. They suggest taking the verb with an indefinite subject: “he claps” means “one claps. The idea is that of people rejoicing when the wicked are gone. But the parallelism is against this unless the second line is changed as well. R. Gordis (Job, 296) has “men will clap their hands…men will whistle upon him.”

[27:23]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Or “hisses at him from its place” (ESV).

[28:11]  ¹⁰⁷ tc The translation “searched” follows the LXX and Vulgate; the MT reads “binds up” or “dams up.” This latter translation might refer to the damming of water that might seep into a mine (HALOT 289 s.v. חבשׁ; cf. ESV, NJPS, NASB, REB, NLT).

[28:11]  ¹⁰⁸ tc The older translations had “he binds the streams from weeping,” i.e., from trickling (מִבְּכִי, mibbÿkhi). But the Ugaritic parallel has changed the understanding, reading “toward the spring of the rivers” (`m mbk nhrm). Earlier than that discovery, the versions had taken the word as a noun as well. Some commentators had suggested repointing the Hebrew. Some chose מַבְּכֵי (mabbÿkhe, “sources”). Now there is much Ugaritic support for the reading (see G. M. Landes, BASOR 144 [1956]: 32f.; and H. L. Ginsberg, “The Ugaritic texts and textual criticism,” JBL 62 [1943]: 111).

[29:24]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The connection of this clause with the verse is difficult. The line simply reads: “[if] I would smile at them, they would not believe.” Obviously something has to be supplied to make sense out of this. The view adopted here makes the most sense, namely, that when he smiled at people, they could hardly believe their good fortune. Other interpretations are strained, such as Kissane’s, “If I laughed at them, they believed not,” meaning, people rejected the views that Job laughed at.

[29:24]  ¹¹⁰ tn The meaning, according to Gordis, is that they did nothing to provoke Job’s displeasure.

[30:12]  ¹¹¹ tn This Hebrew word occurs only here. The word פִּרְחַח (pirkhakh, “young rabble”) is a quadriliteral, from פָּרַח (parakh, “to bud”) The derivative אֶפְרֹחַ (’efroakh) in the Bible refers to a young bird. In Arabic farhun means both “young bird” and “base man.” Perhaps “young rabble” is the best meaning here (see R. Gordis, Job, 333).

[30:12]  ¹¹² tn Heb “they cast off my feet” or “they send my feet away.” Many delete the line as troubling and superfluous. E. Dhorme (Job, 438) forces the lines to say “they draw my feet into a net.”

[30:12]  ¹¹³ tn Heb “paths of their destruction” or “their destructive paths.”

[30:12]  ¹¹⁴ sn See Job 19:12.

[30:17]  ¹¹⁵ tn The subject of the verb “pierces” can be the night (personified), or it could be God (understood), leaving “night” to be an adverbial accusative of time – “at night he pierces.”

[30:17]  ¹¹⁶ tc The MT concludes this half-verse with “upon me.” That phrase is not in the LXX, and so many commentators delete it as making the line too long.

[30:17]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “my gnawers,” which is open to several interpretations. The NASB and NIV take it as “gnawing pains”; cf. NRSV “the pain that gnaws me.” Some suggest worms in the sores (7:5). The LXX has “my nerves,” a view accepted by many commentators.

[31:18]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “he grew up with me.” Several commentators have decided to change the pronoun to “I,” and make it causative.

[31:18]  ¹¹⁹ tn The expression “from my mother’s womb” is obviously hyperbolic. It is a way of saying “all his life.”

[31:18]  ¹²⁰ tn Heb “I guided her,” referring to the widow mentioned in v. 16.

[31:26]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “light”; but parallel to the moon it is the sun. This section speaks of false worship of the sun and the moon.

[32:4]  ¹²² tc This reading requires repointing the word בִּדְבָרִים (bidbarim, “with words”) to בְּדָבְּרָם (bÿdabbÿram, “while they spoke [with Job]”). If the MT is retained, it would mean “he waited for Job with words,” which while understandable is awkward.

[32:4]  ¹²³ tn Heb “they”; the referent (the other friends) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[32:16]  ¹²⁴ tn Some commentators take this as a question: “And shall [or must] I wait because they do not speak?” (A. B. Davidson, R. Gordis). But this is not convincing because the silence of the friends is the reason for him to speak, not to wait.

[32:19]  ¹²⁵ tn Heb “in my belly I am like wine that is not opened” (a Niphal imperfect), meaning sealed up with no place to escape.

[32:19]  ¹²⁶ tc The Hebrew text has כְּאֹבוֹת חֲדָשִׁים (kÿ’ovot khadashim), traditionally rendered “like new wineskins.” But only here does the phrase have this meaning. The LXX has “smiths” for “new,” thus “like smith’s bellows.” A. Guillaume connects the word with an Arabic word for a wide vessel for wine shaped like a cup (“Archaeological and philological note on Job 32:19,” PEQ 93 [1961]: 147-50). Some have been found in archaeological sites. The poor would use skins, the rich would use jars. The key to putting this together is the verb at the end of the line, יִבָּקֵעַ (yibbaqea’, “that are ready to burst”). The point of the statement is that Elihu is bursting to speak, and until now has not had the opening.

[33:28]  ¹²⁷ sn See note on “him” in v. 24.

[34:13]  ¹²⁸ tn The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit; to appoint; to number.” Here it means “to entrust” for care and governing. The implication would be that there would be someone higher than God – which is what Elihu is repudiating by the rhetorical question. No one entrusted God with this.

[34:13]  ¹²⁹ tn The preposition is implied from the first half of the verse.

[36:19]  ¹³⁰ tn The form in the MT is “your cry (for help).” See J. E. Hartley (Job [NICOT], 472-73) and E. Dhorme (Job, 547-48) on the difficulties.

[36:19]  ¹³¹ tn This part has only two words לֹא בְצָר (lo’ bÿtsar, “not in distress”). The negated phrase serves to explain the first colon.

[36:19]  ¹³² tc For the many suggestions and the reasoning here, see the commentaries.

[36:22]  ¹³³ tn The word מוֹרֶה (moreh) is the Hiphil participle from יָרַה (yarah). It is related to the noun תּוֹרָה (torah, “what is taught” i.e., the law).

[37:3]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “wings,” and then figuratively for the extremities of garments, of land, etc.

[37:7]  ¹³⁵ tn Heb “by the hand of every man he seals.” This line is intended to mean with the heavy rains God suspends all agricultural activity.

[37:7]  ¹³⁶ tc This reading involves a change in the text, for in MT “men” is in the construct. It would be translated, “all men whom he made” (i.e., all men of his making”). This is the translation followed by the NIV and NRSV. Olshausen suggested that the word should have been אֲנָשִׁים (’anashim) with the final ם (mem) being lost to haplography.

[37:7]  ¹³⁷ tn D. W. Thomas suggested a meaning of “rest” for the verb, based on Arabic. He then reads אֱנוֹשׁ (’enosh) for man, and supplies a ם (mem) to “his work” to get “that every man might rest from his work [in the fields].”

[37:11]  ¹³⁸ tn The word “moisture” is drawn from רִי (ri) as a contraction for רְוִי (rÿvi). Others emended the text to get “hail” (NAB) or “lightning,” or even “the Creator.” For these, see the various commentaries. There is no reason to change the reading of the MT when it makes perfectly good sense.

[37:16]  ¹³⁹ tn As indicated by HALOT 618 s.v. מִפְלָשׂ, the concept of “balancing” probably refers to “floating” or “suspension” (cf. NIV’s “how the clouds hang poised” and J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 481-82, n. 2).

[37:21]  ¹⁴⁰ tn The light here must refer to the sun in the skies that had been veiled by the storm. Then, when the winds blew the clouds away, it could not be looked at because it was so dazzling. Elihu’s analogy will be that God is the same – in his glory one cannot look at him or challenge him.

[37:21]  ¹⁴¹ tn The verb has an indefinite subject, and so should be a passive here.

[37:21]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “and cleaned them.” The referent is the clouds (v. 18), which has been supplied in the translation for clarity. There is another way of reading this verse: the word translated “bright” means “dark; obscured” in Syriac. In this interpretation the first line would mean that they could not see the sun, because it was darkened by the clouds, but then the wind came and blew the clouds away. Dhorme, Gray, and several others take it this way, as does the NAB.

[37:22]  ¹⁴³ tn The MT has “out of the north comes gold.” Left in that sense the line seems irrelevant. The translation “golden splendor” (with RV, RSV, NRSV, NIV) depends upon the context of theophany. Others suggest “golden rays” (Dhorme), the aurora borealis (Graetz, Gray), or some mythological allusion (Pope), such as Baal’s palace. Golden rays or splendor is what is intended, although the reference is not to a natural phenomenon – it is something that would suggest the glory of God.

[38:6]  ¹⁴⁴ tn For the interrogative serving as a genitive, see GKC 442 §136.b.

[38:6]  ¹⁴⁵ sn The world was conceived of as having bases and pillars, but these poetic descriptions should not be pressed too far (e.g., see Ps 24:2, which may be worded as much for its polemics against Canaanite mythology as anything).

[38:22]  ¹⁴⁶ sn Snow and ice are thought of as being in store, brought out by God for specific purposes, such as times of battle (see Josh 10:11; Exod 9:2ff.; Isa 28:17; Isa 30:30; and Ps 18:12 [13]).

[38:22]  ¹⁴⁷ tn The same Hebrew term (אוֹצָר, ’otsar), has been translated “storehouse” in the first line and “armory” in the second. This has been done for stylistic variation, but also because “hail,” as one of God’s “weapons” (cf. the following verse) suggests military imagery; in this context the word refers to God’s “ammunition dump” where he stockpiles hail.