Ayub 26:12

26:12 By his power he stills ¹  the sea;

by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea monster ²  to pieces. ³ 

Ayub 27:7

The Condition of the Wicked

27:7 “May my enemy be like the wicked, ⁴ 

my adversary ⁵  like the unrighteous. ⁶ 

Ayub 36:19

36:19 Would your wealth ⁷  sustain you,

so that you would not be in distress, ⁸ 

even all your mighty efforts? ⁹ 

[26:12]  ¹ tn The verb רָגַע (raga’) has developed a Semitic polarity, i.e., having totally opposite meanings. It can mean “to disturb; to stir up” or “to calm; to still.” Gordis thinks both meanings have been invoked here. But it seems more likely that “calm” fits the context better.

[26:12]  ² tn Heb “Rahab” (רָהַב), the mythical sea monster that represents the forces of chaos in ancient Near Eastern literature. In the translation the words “the great sea monster” have been supplied appositionally in order to clarify “Rahab.”

[26:12]  ³ sn Here again there are possible mythological allusions or polemics. The god Yam, “Sea,” was important in Ugaritic as a god of chaos. And Rahab is another name for the monster of the deep (see Job 9:13).

[27:7]  ⁴ sn Of course, he means like his enemy when he is judged, not when he is thriving in prosperity and luxury.

[27:7]  ⁵ tn The form is the Hitpolel participle from קוּם (qum): “those who are rising up against me,” or “my adversary.”

[27:7]  ⁶ tc The LXX made a free paraphrase: “No, but let my enemies be as the overthrow of the ungodly, and they that rise up against me as the destruction of transgressors.”

[36:19]  ⁷ tn The form in the MT is “your cry (for help).” See J. E. Hartley (Job [NICOT], 472-73) and E. Dhorme (Job, 547-48) on the difficulties.

[36:19]  ⁸ tn This part has only two words לֹא בְצָר (lo’ bÿtsar, “not in distress”). The negated phrase serves to explain the first colon.

[36:19]  ⁹ tc For the many suggestions and the reasoning here, see the commentaries.