Ayub 24:18

24:18 ¹ “You say, ²  ‘He is foam ³  on the face of the waters; ⁴ 

their portion of the land is cursed

so that no one goes to their vineyard. ⁵ 

Ayub 30:20

30:20 I cry out to you, ⁶  but you do not answer me;

I stand up, ⁷  and you only look at me. ⁸ 

Ayub 33:24

33:24 and if ⁹  God ¹⁰  is gracious to him and says,

‘Spare ¹¹  him from going down

to the place of corruption,

I have found a ransom for him,’ ¹² 

Ayub 36:13

36:13 The godless at heart ¹³  nourish anger, ¹⁴ 

they do not cry out even when he binds them.

Ayub 40:4

40:4 “Indeed, I am completely unworthy ¹⁵  – how could I reply to you?

I put ¹⁶  my hand over my mouth to silence myself. ¹⁷ 

[24:18]  ¹ tc Many commentators find vv. 18-24 difficult on the lips of Job, and so identify this unit as a misplaced part of the speech of Zophar. They describe the enormities of the wicked. But a case can also be made for retaining it in this section. Gordis thinks it could be taken as a quotation by Job of his friends’ ideas.

[24:18]  ² tn The verb “say” is not in the text; it is supplied here to indicate that this is a different section.

[24:18]  ³ tn Or “is swift.”

[24:18]  ⁴ sn The wicked person is described here as a spray or foam upon the waters, built up in the agitation of the waters but dying away swiftly.

[24:18]  ⁵ tn The text reads, “he does not turn by the way of the vineyards.” This means that since the land is cursed, he/one does not go there. Bickell emended “the way of the vineyards” to “the treader of the vineyard” (see RSV, NRSV). This would mean that “no wine-presser would turn towards” their vineyards.

[30:20]  ⁶ sn The implication from the sentence is that this is a cry to God for help. The sudden change from third person (v. 19) to second person (v. 20) is indicative of the intense emotion of the sufferer.

[30:20]  ⁷ sn The verb is simple, but the interpretation difficult. In this verse it probably means he stands up in prayer (Jer 15:1), but it could mean that he makes his case to God. Others suggest a more figurative sense, like the English expression “stand pat,” meaning “remain silent” (see Job 29:8).

[30:20]  ⁸ tn If the idea of prayer is meant, then a pejorative sense to the verb is required. Some supply a negative and translate “you do not pay heed to me.” This is supported by one Hebrew ms and the Vulgate. The Syriac has the whole colon read with God as the subject, “you stand and look at me.”

[33:24]  ⁹ tn This verse seems to continue the protasis begun in the last verse, with the apodosis coming in the next verse.

[33:24]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[33:24]  ¹¹ tc The verb is either taken as an anomalous form of פָּדַע (pada’, “to rescue; to redeem,” or “to exempt him”), or it is emended to some similar word, like פָּרַע (para’, “to let loose,” so Wright).

[33:24]  ¹² sn This verse and v. 28 should be compared with Ps 49:7-9, 15 (8-10, 16 HT) where the same basic vocabulary and concepts are employed.

[36:13]  ¹³ tn The expression “godless [or hypocrite] in heart” is an intensification of the description. It conveys that they are intentionally godless. See Matt 23:28.

[36:13]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “they put anger.” This is usually interpreted to mean they lay up anger, or put anger in their hearts.

[40:4]  ¹⁵ tn The word קַלֹּתִי (qalloti) means “to be light; to be of small account; to be unimportant.” From this comes the meaning “contemptible,” which in the causative stem would mean “to treat with contempt; to curse.” Dhorme tries to make the sentence a conditional clause and suggests this meaning: “If I have been thoughtless.” There is really no “if” in Job’s mind.

[40:4]  ¹⁶ tn The perfect verb here should be classified as an instantaneous perfect; the action is simultaneous with the words.

[40:4]  ¹⁷ tn The words “to silence myself” are supplied in the translation for clarity.