Ayub 7:12

7:12 Am I the sea, or the creature of the deep, ¹ 

that you must put ²  me under guard? ³ 

Ayub 9:31

9:31 then you plunge me into a slimy pit ⁴ 

and my own clothes abhor me.

Ayub 13:22

13:22 Then call, ⁵  and I will answer,

or I will speak, and you respond to me.

Ayub 30:23

30:23 I know that you are bringing ⁶  me to death,

to the meeting place for all the living.

Ayub 33:32

33:32 If you have any words, ⁷  reply to me;

speak, for I want to justify you. ⁸ 

Ayub 36:24

36:24 Remember to extol ⁹  his work,

which people have praised in song.

Ayub 38:5

38:5 Who set its measurements – if ¹⁰  you know –

or who stretched a measuring line across it?

Ayub 41:1

The Description of Leviathan

41:1 (40:25) ¹¹  “Can you pull in ¹²  Leviathan with a hook,

and tie down ¹³  its tongue with a rope?

[7:12]  ¹ tn The word תַּנִּין (tannin) could be translated “whale” as well as the more mythological “dragon” or “monster of the deep” (see E. Dhorme, Job, 105). To the Hebrews this was part of God’s creation in Gen 1; in the pagan world it was a force to be reckoned with, and so the reference would be polemical. The sea is a symbol of the tumultuous elements of creation; in the sea were creatures that symbolized the powerful forces of chaos – Leviathan, Tannin, and Rahab. They required special attention.

[7:12]  ² tn The imperfect verb here receives the classification of obligatory imperfect. Job wonders if he is such a threat to God that God must do this.

[7:12]  ³ tn The word מִשְׁמָר (mishmar) means “guard; barrier.” M. Dahood suggested “muzzle” based on Ugaritic, but that has proven to be untenable (“Mismar, ‘Muzzle,’ in Job 7:12,” JBL 80 [1961]: 270-71).

[9:31]  ⁴ tn The pointing in the MT gives the meaning “pit” or “ditch.” A number of expositors change the pointing to שֻׁחוֹת (shukhot) to obtain the equivalent of שֻׂחוֹת (sukhot) / סֻחוֹת (sukhot): “filth” (Isa 5:25). This would make the contrast vivid – Job has just washed with pure water and soap, and now God plunges him into filth. M. H. Pope argues convincingly that the word “pit” in the MT includes the idea of “filth,” making the emendation unnecessary (“The Word sahat in Job 9:31,” JBL 83 [1964]: 269-78).

[13:22]  ⁵ tn The imperatives in the verse function like the future tense in view of their use for instruction or advice. The chiastic arrangement of the verb forms is interesting: imperative + imperfect, imperfect + imperative. The imperative is used for God, but the imperfect is used when Job is the subject. Job is calling for the court to convene – he will be either the defendant or the prosecutor.

[30:23]  ⁶ tn The imperfect verb would be a progressive imperfect, it is future, but it is also already underway.

[33:32]  ⁷ tn Heb “if there are words.”

[33:32]  ⁸ tn The infinitive construct serves as the complement or object of “I desire.” It could be rendered “to justify you” or “your justification, “namely, “that you be justified.”

[36:24]  ⁹ tn The expression is “that you extol,” serving as an object of the verb.

[38:5]  ¹⁰ tn The particle כּ (ki) is taken here for a conditional clause, “if you know” (see GKC 498 §159.dd). Others take it as “surely” with a biting irony.

[41:1]  ¹¹ sn Beginning with 41:1, the verse numbers through 41:9 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), with 41:1 ET = 40:25 HT, 41:2 ET = 40:26 HT, etc., through 41:34 ET = 41:26 HT. The Hebrew verse numbers in the remainder of the chapter differ from the verse numbers in the English Bible. Beginning with 42:1 the verse numbers in the ET and HT are again the same.

[41:1]  ¹² tn The verb מָשַׁךְ (mashakh) means “to extract from the water; to fish.” The question here includes the use of a hook to fish the creature out of the water so that its jaws can be tied safely.

[41:1]  ¹³ tn The verb שָׁקַע (shaqa’) means “to cause to sink,” if it is connected with the word in Amos 8:8 and 9:5. But it may have the sense of “to tie; to bind.” If the rope were put around the tongue and jaw, binding tightly would be the sense.