Ayub 14:11

14:11 As ¹  water disappears from the sea, ² 

or a river drains away and dries up,

Mazmur 58:8

58:8 Let them be ³  like a snail that melts away as it moves along! ⁴ 

Let them be like ⁵  stillborn babies ⁶  that never see the sun!

Yesaya 19:5

19:5 The water of the sea will be dried up,

and the river will dry up and be empty. ⁷ 

[14:11]  ¹ tn The comparative clause may be signaled simply by the context, especially when facts of a moral nature are compared with the physical world (see GKC 499 §161.a).

[14:11]  ² tn The Hebrew word יָם (yam) can mean “sea” or “lake.”

[58:8]  ³ tn There is no “to be” verb in the Hebrew text at this point, but a jussive tone can be assumed based on vv. 6-7.

[58:8]  ⁴ tn Heb “like a melting snail [that] moves along.” A. Cohen (Psalms [SoBB], 184) explains that the text here alludes “to the popular belief that the slimy trail which the snail leaves in its track is the dissolution of its substance.”

[58:8]  ⁵ tn The words “let them be like” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons. The jussive mood is implied from the preceding context, and “like” is understood by ellipsis (see the previous line).

[58:8]  ⁶ tn This rare word also appears in Job 3:16 and Eccles 6:3.

[19:5]  ⁷ tn Heb “will dry up and be dry.” Two synonyms are joined for emphasis.