Ayub 12:20

12:20 He deprives the trusted advisers ¹  of speech ² 

and takes away the discernment ³  of elders.

Ayub 33:10

33:10 ⁴ Yet God ⁵  finds occasions ⁶  with me;

he regards me as his enemy!

Ayub 34:26

34:26 He strikes them for their wickedness, ⁷ 

in a place where people can see, ⁸ 

Ayub 37:7

37:7 He causes everyone to stop working, ⁹ 

so that all people ¹⁰  may know ¹¹  his work.

[12:20]  ¹ tn The Hebrew נֶאֱמָנִים (ne’emanim) is the Niphal participle; it is often translated “the faithful” in the Bible. The Rabbis rather fancifully took the word from נְאֻם (nÿ’um, “oracle, utterance”) and so rendered it “those who are eloquent, fluent in words.” But that would make this the only place in the Bible where this form came from that root or any other root besides אָמַן (’aman, “confirm, support”). But to say that God takes away the speech of the truthful or the faithful would be very difficult. It has to refer to reliable men, because it is parallel to the elders or old men. The NIV has “trusted advisers,” which fits well with kings and judges and priests.

[12:20]  ² tn Heb “he removes the lip of the trusted ones.”

[12:20]  ³ tn Heb “taste,” meaning “opinion” or “decision.”

[33:10]  ⁴ sn See Job 10:13ff.; 19:6ff.; and 13:24.

[33:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:10]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew means “frustrations” or “oppositions.” The RSV has “displeasure,” NIV “faults,” and NRSV “occasions.” Rashi chose the word found in Judg 14:4 – with metathesis – meaning “pretexts” (תֹּאֲנוֹת, to’anot); this is followed by NAB, NASB.

[34:26]  ⁷ tn Heb “under wicked men,” or “under wickednesses.” J. C. Greenfield shows that the preposition can mean “among” as well (“Prepositions B Tachat in Jes 57:5,” ZAW 32 [1961]: 227). That would allow “among wicked men.” It could also be “instead of” or even “in return for [their wickedness]” which is what the RSV does.

[34:26]  ⁸ tn The text simply uses רֹאִים (ro’im): “[in the place where there are] seers,” i.e., spectators.

[37:7]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ 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].”