Ayub 34:29

34:29 But if God ¹  is quiet, who can condemn ²  him?

If he hides his face, then who can see him?

Yet ³  he is over the individual and the nation alike, ⁴ 

Mazmur 28:1

Psalm 28 ⁵ 

By David.

28:1 To you, O Lord, I cry out!

My protector, ⁶  do not ignore me! ⁷ 

If you do not respond to me, ⁸ 

I will join ⁹  those who are descending into the grave. ¹⁰ 

[34:29]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:29]  ² tn The verb in this position is somewhat difficult, although it does make good sense in the sentence – it is just not what the parallelism would suggest. So several emendations have been put forward, for which see the commentaries.

[34:29]  ³ tn The line simply reads “and over a nation and over a man together.” But it must be the qualification for the points being made in the previous lines, namely, that even if God hides himself so no one can see, yet he is still watching over them all (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 222).

[34:29]  ⁴ tn The word translated “alike” (Heb “together”) has bothered some interpreters. In the reading taken here it is acceptable. But others have emended it to gain a verb, such as “he visits” (Beer), “he watches over” (Duhm), “he is compassionate” (Kissane), etc. But it is sufficient to say “he is over.”

[28:1]  ⁵ sn Psalm 28. The author looks to the Lord for vindication, asks that the wicked be repaid in full for their evil deeds, and affirms his confidence that the Lord will protect his own.

[28:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “my rocky summit.” The Lord is compared to a rocky summit where one can find protection from enemies. See Ps 18:2.

[28:1]  ⁷ tn Heb “do not be deaf from me.”

[28:1]  ⁸ tn Heb “lest [if] you are silent from me.”

[28:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “I will be equal with.”

[28:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the pit.” The noun בּוֹר (bor, “pit, cistern”) is sometimes used of the grave and/or the realm of the dead.