Ayub 1:22

1:22 In all this Job did not sin, nor did he charge God with moral impropriety. ¹ 

Ayub 13:19

13:19 Who ²  will contend with me?

If anyone can, I will be silent and die. ³ 

Ayub 15:6

15:6 Your own mouth condemns ⁴  you, not I;

your own lips testify against ⁵  you.

Ayub 19:5

19:5 If indeed ⁶  you would exalt yourselves ⁷  above me

and plead my disgrace against me, ⁸ 

Ayub 22:4

22:4 Is it because of your piety ⁹  that he rebukes you

and goes to judgment with you? ¹⁰ 

Ayub 31:36

31:36 Surely ¹¹  I would wear it proudly ¹²  on my shoulder,

I would bind ¹³  it on me like a crown;

Ayub 31:38

Job’s Final Solemn Oath ¹⁴ 

31:38 “If my land cried out against me ¹⁵ 

and all its furrows wept together,

Ayub 33:13

33:13 Why do you contend against him,

that he does not answer all a person’s ¹⁶  words?

[1:22]  ¹ tn The last clause is difficult to translate. It simply reads, “and he did not give unseemliness to God.” The word תִּפְלָה (tiflah) means “unsavoriness” or “unseemliness” in a moral sense. The sense is that Job did not charge God with any moral impropriety in his dealings with him. God did nothing worthless or tasteless. The ancient versions saw the word connected with “foolishness” or “stupidity” (תָּפֵל, tafel, “to be tasteless”). It is possible that “folly” would capture some of what Job meant here. See also M. Dahood, “Hebrew-Ugaritic Lexicography XII,” Bib 55 (1974): 381-93.

[13:19]  ² tn The interrogative is joined with the emphatic pronoun, stressing “who is he [who] will contend,” or more emphatically, “who in the world will contend.” Job is confident that no one can bring charges against him. He is certain of success.

[13:19]  ³ sn Job is confident that he will be vindicated. But if someone were to show up and have proof of sin against him, he would be silent and die (literally “keep silent and expire”).

[15:6]  ⁴ tn The Hiphil of this root means “declare wicked, guilty” (a declarative Hiphil), and so “condemns.”

[15:6]  ⁵ tn The verb עָנָה (’anah) with the ל (lamed) preposition following it means “to testify against.” For Eliphaz, it is enough to listen to Job to condemn him.

[19:5]  ⁶ tn The introductory particles repeat אָמְנָם (’amnam, “indeed”) but now with אִם (’im, “if”). It could be interpreted to mean “is it not true,” or as here in another conditional clause.

[19:5]  ⁷ tn The verb is the Hiphil of גָּדַל (gadal); it can mean “to make great” or as an internal causative “to make oneself great” or “to assume a lofty attitude, to be insolent.” There is no reason to assume another root here with the meaning of “quarrel” (as Gordis does).

[19:5]  ⁸ sn Job’s friends have been using his shame, his humiliation in all his sufferings, as proof against him in their case.

[22:4]  ⁹ tn The word “your fear” or “your piety” refers to Job’s reverence – it is his fear of God (thus a subjective genitive). When “fear” is used of religion, it includes faith and adoration on the positive side, fear and obedience on the negative.

[22:4]  ¹⁰ sn Of course the point is that God does not charge Job because he is righteous; the point is he must be unrighteous.

[31:36]  ¹¹ tn The clause begins with the positive oath formula, אִם־לֹא (’im-lo’).

[31:36]  ¹² tn The word “proudly” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied (note the following line).

[31:36]  ¹³ tn This verb is only found in Prov 6:21. But E. Dhorme (Job, 470) suggests that (with metathesis) we have a derivative מַעֲדַנּוֹת (ma’adannot, “bonds; ties”) in 38:31.

[31:38]  ¹⁴ sn Many commentators place vv. 38-40b at the end of v. 34, so that there is no return to these conditional clauses after his final appeal.

[31:38]  ¹⁵ sn Some commentators have suggested that the meaning behind this is that Job might not have kept the year of release (Deut 15:1), and the law against mixing seed (Lev 19:19). But the context will make clear that the case considered is obtaining the land without paying for it and causing the death of its lawful owner (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 206). Similar to this would be the case of Naboth’s vineyard.

[33:13]  ¹⁶ tc The MT has “all his words.” This must refer to “man” in the previous verse. But many wish to change it to “my words,” since it would be summarizing Job’s complaint to God.