Ayub 14:3

14:3 Do you fix your eye ¹  on such a one? ² 

And do you bring me ³  before you for judgment?

Mazmur 17:3

17:3 You have scrutinized my inner motives; ⁴ 

you have examined me during the night. ⁵ 

You have carefully evaluated me, but you find no sin.

I am determined I will say nothing sinful. ⁶ 

[14:3]  ¹ tn Heb “open the eye on,” an idiom meaning to prepare to judge someone.

[14:3]  ² tn The verse opens with אַף־עַל־זֶה (’af-’al-zeh), meaning “even on such a one!” It is an exclamation of surprise.

[14:3]  ³ tn The text clearly has “me” as the accusative; but many wish to emend it to say “him” (אֹתוֹ, ’oto). But D. J. A. Clines rightly rejects this in view of the way Job is written, often moving back and forth from his own tragedy and others’ tragedies (Job [WBC], 283).

[17:3]  ⁴ tn Heb “you tested my heart.”

[17:3]  ⁵ tn Heb “you visited [at] night.”

[17:3]  ⁶ tc Heb “you tested me, you do not find, I plan, my mouth will not cross over.” The Hebrew verbal form זַמֹּתִי (zammotiy) is a Qal perfect, first person singular from the root זָמַם (zamam, “plan, plan evil”). Some emend the form to a suffixed form of the noun, זִמָּתִי (zimmatiy, “my plan/evil plan”), and take it as the object of the preceding verb “find.” However, the suffix seems odd, since the psalmist is denying that he has any wrong thoughts. If one takes the form with what precedes, it might make better sense to read זִמּוֹת (zimmot, “evil plans”). However, this emendation leaves an unclear connection with the next line. The present translation maintains the verbal form found in the MT and understands it in a neutral sense, “I have decided” (see Jer 4:28). The words “my mouth will not cross over” (i.e., “transgress, sin”) can then be taken as a noun clause functioning as the object of the verb.