Ayub 10:2

10:2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn ¹  me;

tell me ²  why you are contending ³  with me.’

Ayub 16:6

Abandonment by God and Man

16:6 “But ⁴  if I speak, my pain is not relieved, ⁵ 

and if I refrain from speaking

– how ⁶  much of it goes away?

Ayub 34:4

34:4 Let us evaluate ⁷  for ourselves what is right; ⁸ 

let us come to know among ourselves what is good.

Ayub 38:6

38:6 On what ⁹  were its bases ¹⁰  set,

or who laid its cornerstone –

[10:2]  ¹ tn The negated jussive is the Hiphil jussive of רָשַׁע (rasha’); its meaning then would be literally “do not declare me guilty.” The negated jussive stresses the immediacy of the request.

[10:2]  ² tn The Hiphil imperative of יָדַע (yada’) would more literally be “cause me to know.” It is a plea for God to help him understand the afflictions.

[10:2]  ³ tn The verb is רִיב (riv), meaning “to dispute; to contend; to strive; to quarrel” – often in the legal sense. The precise words chosen in this verse show that the setting is legal. The imperfect verb here is progressive, expressing what is currently going on.

[16:6]  ⁴ tn “But” is supplied in the translation to strengthen the contrast.

[16:6]  ⁵ tn The Niphal יֵחָשֵׂךְ (yekhasekh) means “to be soothed; to be assuaged.”

[16:6]  ⁶ tn Some argue that מָה (mah) in the text is the Arabic ma, the simple negative. This would then mean “it does not depart far from me.” The interrogative used rhetorically amounts to the same thing, however, so the suggestion is not necessary.

[34:4]  ⁷ sn Elihu means “choose after careful examination.”

[34:4]  ⁸ tn The word is מִשְׁפָּט (mishpat) again, with the sense of what is right or just.

[38:6]  ⁹ tn For the interrogative serving as a genitive, see GKC 442 §136.b.

[38:6]  ¹⁰ sn The world was conceived of as having bases and pillars, but these poetic descriptions should not be pressed too far (e.g., see Ps 24:2, which may be worded as much for its polemics against Canaanite mythology as anything).