Ayub 5:21

5:21 You will be protected ¹  from malicious gossip, ² 

and will not be afraid of the destruction ³  when it comes.

Ayub 35:3

35:3 But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’ ⁴ 

and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’ ⁵ 

Ayub 39:18

39:18 But as soon as she springs up, ⁶ 

she laughs at the horse and its rider.

[5:21]  ¹ tn The Hebrew verb essentially means “you will be hidden.” In the Niphal the verb means “to be hidden, to be in a hiding place,” and protected (Ps 31:20).

[5:21]  ² tn Heb “from the lash [i.e., whip] of the tongue.” Sir 26:9 and 51:2 show usages of these kinds of expressions: “the lash of the tongue” or “the blow of the tongue.” The expression indicates that a malicious gossip is more painful than a blow.

[5:21]  sn The Targum saw here a reference to Balaam and the devastation brought on by the Midianites.

[5:21]  ³ tn The word here is שׁוֹד (shod); it means “destruction,” but some commentators conjecture alternate readings: שׁוֹאָה (sho’ah, “desolation”); or שֵׁד (shed, “demon”). One argument for maintaining שׁוֹד (shod) is that it fits the assonance within the verse שׁוֹד…לָשׁוֹן…שׁוֹט (shot…lashon…shod).

[35:3]  ⁴ tn The referent of “you” is usually understood to be God.

[35:3]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew text merely says, “What do I gain from my sin?” But Job has claimed that he has not sinned, and so this has to be elliptical: “more than if I had sinned” (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 224). It could also be, “What do I gain without sin?”

[39:18]  ⁶ tn The colon poses a slight problem here. The literal meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “springs up” (i.e., “lifts herself on high”) might suggest flight. But some of the proposals involve a reading about readying herself to run.