Ayub 31:37

31:37 I would give him an accounting of my steps;

like a prince I would approach him.

Ayub 38:14

38:14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; ¹ 

its features ²  are dyed ³  like a garment.

Ayub 6:15

6:15 My brothers ⁴  have been as treacherous ⁵  as a seasonal stream, ⁶ 

and as the riverbeds of the intermittent streams ⁷ 

that flow away. ⁸ 

Ayub 14:9

14:9 at the scent ⁹  of water it will flourish ¹⁰ 

and put forth ¹¹  shoots like a new plant.

Ayub 19:22

19:22 Why do you pursue me like God does? ¹² 

Will you never be satiated with my flesh? ¹³ 

Ayub 28:5

28:5 The earth, from which food comes,

is overturned below as though by fire; ¹⁴ 

Ayub 40:17

40:17 It makes its tail stiff ¹⁵  like a cedar,

the sinews of its thighs are tightly wound.

Ayub 41:24

41:24 Its heart ¹⁶  is hard as rock,

hard as a lower millstone.

[38:14]  ¹ sn The verse needs to be understood in the context: as the light shines in the dawn, the features of the earth take on a recognizable shape or form. The language is phenomenological.

[38:14]  ² tn Heb “they”; the referent (the objects or features on the earth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[38:14]  ³ tc The MT reads “they stand up like a garment” (NASB, NIV) or “its features stand out like a garment” (ESV). The reference could be either to embroidered decoration on a garment or to the folds of a garment (REB: “until all things stand out like the folds of a cloak”; cf. J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 497, “the early light of day makes the earth appear as a beautiful garment, exquisite in design and glorious in color”). Since this is thought to be an odd statement, some suggest with Ehrlich that the text be changed to תִּצָּבַּע (titsabba’, “is dyed [like a garment]”). This reference would be to the colors appearing on the earth’s surface under daylight. The present translation follows the emendation.

[6:15]  ⁴ sn Here the brothers are all his relatives as well as these intimate friends of Job. In contrast to what a friend should do (show kindness/loyalty), these friends have provided no support whatsoever.

[6:15]  ⁵ tn The verb בָּגְדוּ (bagÿdu, “dealt treacherously) has been translated “dealt deceitfully,” but it is a very strong word. It means “to act treacherously [or deceitfully].” The deception is the treachery, because the deception is not innocent – it is in the place of a great need. The imagery will compare it to the brook that may or may not have water. If one finds no water when one expected it and needed it, there is deception and treachery. The LXX softens it considerably: “have not regarded me.”

[6:15]  ⁶ tn The Hebrew term used here is נָחַל (nakhal); this word differs from words for rivers or streams in that it describes a brook with an intermittent flow of water. A brook where the waters are not flowing is called a deceitful brook (Jer 15:18; Mic 1:14); one where the waters flow is called faithful (Isa 33:16).

[6:15]  ⁷ tn Heb “and as a stream bed of brooks/torrents.” The word אָפִיק (’afiq) is the river bed or stream bed where the water flows. What is more disconcerting than finding a well-known torrent whose bed is dry when one expects it to be gushing with water (E. Dhorme, Job, 86)?

[6:15]  ⁸ tn The verb is rather simple – יַעֲבֹרוּ (ya’avoru). But some translate it “pass away” or “flow away,” and others “overflow.” In the rainy season they are deep and flowing, or “overflow” their banks. This is a natural sense to the verb, and since the next verse focuses on this, some follow this interpretation (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 15). But this idea does not parallel the first part of v. 15. So it makes better sense to render it “flow away” and see the reference to the summer dry spells when one wants the water but is disappointed.

[14:9]  ⁹ tn The personification adds to the comparison with people – the tree is credited with the sense of smell to detect the water.

[14:9]  ¹⁰ tn The sense of “flourish” for this verb is found in Ps 92:12,13[13,14], and Prov 14:11. It makes an appropriate parallel with “bring forth boughs” in the second half.

[14:9]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and will make.”

[19:22]  ¹² sn Strahan comments, “The whole tragedy of the book is packed into these extraordinary words.”

[19:22]  ¹³ sn The idiom of eating the pieces of someone means “slander” in Aramaic (see Dan 3:8), Arabic and Akkadian.

[28:5]  ¹⁴ sn The verse has been properly understood, on the whole, as comparing the earth above and all its produce with the upheaval down below.

[40:17]  ¹⁵ tn The verb חָפַץ (khafats) occurs only here. It may have the meaning “to make stiff; to make taut” (Arabic). The LXX and the Syriac versions support this with “erects.” But there is another Arabic word that could be cognate, meaning “arch, bend.” This would give the idea of the tail swaying. The other reading seems to make better sense here. However, “stiff” presents a serious problem with the view that the animal is the hippopotamus.

[41:24]  ¹⁶ tn The description of his heart being “hard” means that he is cruel and fearless. The word for “hard” is the word encountered before for molten or cast metal.