Ayub 36:16

36:16 And surely, he drew you ¹  from the mouth of distress,

to a wide place, unrestricted, ² 

and to the comfort ³  of your table

filled with rich food. ⁴ 

Mazmur 31:9

31:9 Have mercy on me, for I am in distress!

My eyes grow dim ⁵  from suffering. ⁶ 

I have lost my strength. ⁷ 

[36:16]  ¹ tn The Hebrew verb means “to entice; to lure; to allure; to seduce,” but these have negative connotations. The English “to persuade; to draw” might work better. The verb is the Hiphil perfect of סוּת (sut). But the nuance of the verb is difficult. It can be equivalent to an English present expressing what God is doing (Peake). But the subject is contested as well. Since the verb usually has an evil connotation, there have been attempts to make the “plaza” the subject – “the wide place has led you astray” (Ewald).

[36:16]  ² tn Heb “a broad place where there is no cramping beneath [or under] it.”

[36:16]  ³ tn The word נַחַת (nakhat) could be translated “set” if it is connected with the verb נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest,” but then “to lay to rest, to set”). Kissane translates it “comfort.” Dhorme thinks it could come from נוּחַ (nuakh, “to rest”) or נָחַת (nakhat, “to descend”). But his conclusion is that it is a dittography after “under it” (p. 545).

[36:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “filled with fat.”

[31:9]  ⁵ tn Or perhaps, “are swollen.”

[31:9]  ⁶ tn Cf. Ps 6:7, which has a similar line.

[31:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “my breath and my stomach [grow weak].” Apparently the verb in the previous line (“grow dim, be weakened”) is to be understood here. The Hebrew term נפשׁ can mean “life,” or, more specifically, “throat, breath.” The psalmist seems to be lamenting that his breathing is impaired because of the physical and emotional suffering he is forced to endure.