Ayub 13:24

13:24 Why do you hide your face ¹ 

and regard me as your enemy?

Ayub 23:9

23:9 In the north ²  when he is at work, ³ 

I do not see him; ⁴ 

when he turns ⁵  to the south,

I see no trace of him.

Ayub 34:29

34:29 But if God ⁶  is quiet, who can condemn ⁷  him?

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

Yet ⁸  he is over the individual and the nation alike, ⁹ 

[13:24]  ¹ sn The anthropomorphism of “hide the face” indicates a withdrawal of favor and an outpouring of wrath (see Ps 30:7 [8]; Isa 54:8; Ps 27:9). Sometimes God “hides his face” to make himself invisible or aloof (see 34:29). In either case, if God covers his face it is because he considers Job an enemy – at least this is what Job thinks.

[23:9]  ² sn The text has “the left hand,” the Semitic idiom for directions. One faces the rising sun, and so left is north, right is south.

[23:9]  ³ tc The form בַּעֲשֹׂתוֹ (ba’asoto) would be the temporal clause using the infinitive construct with a pronoun (subject genitive). This would be “when he works.” Several follow the Syriac with “I seek him.” The LXX has “[when] he turns.” R. Gordis (Job, 261) notes that there is no need to emend the text; he shows a link to the Arabic cognate ghasa, “to cover.” To him this is a perfect parallel to יַעְטֹף (ya’tof, “covers himself”).

[23:9]  ⁴ tn The verb is the apocopated form of the imperfect. The object is supplied.

[23:9]  ⁵ tn The MT has “he turns,” but the Syriac and Vulgate have “I turn.”

[34:29]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:29]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ 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.”