Ayub 4:21

4:21 Is not their excess wealth ¹  taken away from them? ² 

They die, ³  yet without attaining wisdom. ⁴ 

Ayub 5:13

5:13 He catches ⁵  the wise in their own craftiness, ⁶ 

and the counsel of the cunning ⁷  is brought to a quick end. ⁸ 

Ayub 8:10

8:10 Will they not ⁹  instruct you and ¹⁰  speak to you,

and bring forth words ¹¹ 

from their understanding? ¹² 

Ayub 11:6

11:6 and reveal to you the secrets of wisdom –

for true wisdom has two sides ¹³  –

so that you would know ¹⁴ 

that God has forgiven some of your sins. ¹⁵ 

Ayub 12:1-2

Job’s Reply to Zophar ¹⁶ 

12:1 Then Job answered:

12:2 “Without a doubt you are the people, ¹⁷ 

and wisdom will die with you. ¹⁸ 

Ayub 12:12-13

12:12 Is not wisdom found among the aged? ¹⁹ 

Does not long life bring understanding?

12:13 “With God ²⁰  are wisdom and power;

counsel and understanding are his. ²¹ 

Ayub 12:16-17

12:16 With him are strength and prudence; ²² 

both the one who goes astray ²³ 

and the one who misleads are his.

12:17 He ²⁴  leads ²⁵  counselors away stripped ²⁶ 

and makes judges ²⁷  into fools. ²⁸ 

Ayub 12:20

12:20 He deprives the trusted advisers ²⁹  of speech ³⁰ 

and takes away the discernment ³¹  of elders.

Ayub 13:5

13:5 If only you would keep completely silent! ³² 

For you, that would be wisdom. ³³ 

Ayub 15:2

15:2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, ³⁴ 

or fill his belly ³⁵  with the east wind? ³⁶ 

Ayub 15:7-8

15:7 “Were you the first man ever born?

Were you brought forth before the hills?

15:8 Do you listen in on God’s secret council? ³⁷ 

Do you limit ³⁸  wisdom to yourself?

Ayub 15:10

15:10 The gray-haired ³⁹  and the aged are on our side, ⁴⁰ 

men far older than your father. ⁴¹ 

Ayub 15:18

15:18 what wise men declare,

hiding nothing,

from the tradition of ⁴²  their ancestors, ⁴³ 

Ayub 17:10

Anticipation of Death

17:10 “But turn, all of you, ⁴⁴  and come ⁴⁵  now! ⁴⁶ 

I will not find a wise man among you.

Ayub 21:22

21:22 Can anyone teach ⁴⁷  God knowledge,

since ⁴⁸  he judges those that are on high? ⁴⁹ 

Ayub 26:3

26:3 How you have advised the one without wisdom,

and abundantly ⁵⁰  revealed your insight!

Ayub 26:12

26:12 By his power he stills ⁵¹  the sea;

by his wisdom he cut Rahab the great sea monster ⁵²  to pieces. ⁵³ 

Ayub 28:12-15

No Price Can Buy Wisdom

28:12 “But wisdom – where can it be found?

Where is the place of understanding?

28:13 Mankind does not know its place; ⁵⁴ 

it cannot be found in the land of the living.

28:14 The deep ⁵⁵  says, ‘It is not with ⁵⁶  me.’

And the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’

28:15 Fine gold cannot be given in exchange for it,

nor can its price be weighed out in silver.

Ayub 28:17-23

28:17 Neither gold nor crystal ⁵⁷  can be compared with it,

nor can a vase ⁵⁸  of gold match its worth.

28:18 Of coral and jasper no mention will be made;

the price ⁵⁹  of wisdom is more than pearls. ⁶⁰ 

28:19 The topaz of Cush ⁶¹  cannot be compared with it;

it cannot be purchased with pure gold.

God Alone Has Wisdom

28:20 “But wisdom – where does it come from? ⁶² 

Where is the place of understanding?

28:21 For ⁶³  it has been hidden

from the eyes of every living creature,

and from the birds of the sky it has been concealed.

28:22 Destruction ⁶⁴  and Death say,

‘With our ears we have heard a rumor about where it can be found.’ ⁶⁵ 

28:23 God understands the way to it,

and he alone knows its place.

Ayub 28:27-28

28:27 then he looked at wisdom ⁶⁶  and assessed its value; ⁶⁷ 

he established ⁶⁸  it and examined it closely. ⁶⁹ 

28:28 And he said to mankind,

‘The fear of the Lord ⁷⁰  – that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” ⁷¹ 

Ayub 32:7-9

32:7 I said to myself, ‘Age ⁷²  should speak, ⁷³ 

and length of years ⁷⁴  should make wisdom known.’

32:8 But it is a spirit in people,

the breath ⁷⁵  of the Almighty,

that makes them understand.

32:9 It is not the aged ⁷⁶  who are wise,

nor old men who understand what is right.

Ayub 32:13

32:13 So do not say, ⁷⁷  ‘We have found wisdom!

God will refute ⁷⁸  him, not man!’

Ayub 33:16

33:16 Then he gives a revelation ⁷⁹  to people,

and terrifies them with warnings, ⁸⁰ 

Ayub 33:33

33:33 If not, you listen to me;

be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

Ayub 34:2

34:2 “Listen to my words, you wise men;

hear ⁸¹  me, you learned men. ⁸² 

Ayub 34:34

34:34 Men of understanding say to me –

any wise man listening to me says –

Ayub 35:11

35:11 who teaches us ⁸³  more than ⁸⁴  the wild animals of the earth,

and makes us wiser than the birds of the sky?’

Ayub 36:5

36:5 Indeed, God is mighty; and he does not despise people, ⁸⁵ 

he ⁸⁶  is mighty, and firm ⁸⁷  in his intent. ⁸⁸ 

Ayub 37:20

37:20 Should he be informed that I want ⁸⁹  to speak?

If a man speaks, surely he would be swallowed up!

Ayub 37:24

37:24 Therefore people fear him,

for he does not regard all the wise in heart.” ⁹⁰ 

Ayub 38:2

38:2 “Who is this ⁹¹  who darkens counsel ⁹² 

with words without knowledge?

Ayub 38:36-37

38:36 Who has put wisdom in the heart, ⁹³ 

or has imparted understanding to the mind?

38:37 Who by wisdom can count the clouds,

and who can tip over ⁹⁴  the water jars of heaven,

Ayub 39:17

39:17 For God deprived her of wisdom,

and did not impart understanding to her.

Ayub 42:3

42:3 you asked, ⁹⁵ 

‘Who is this who darkens counsel

without knowledge?’

But ⁹⁶  I have declared without understanding ⁹⁷ 

things too wonderful for me to know. ⁹⁸ 

[4:21]  ¹ tn The word יֶתֶר (yeter, here with the suffix, יִתְרָם [yitram]) can mean “what remains” or “rope.” Of the variety of translations, the most frequently used idea seems to be “their rope,” meaning their tent cord. This would indicate that their life was compared to a tent – perfectly reasonable in a passage that has already used the image “houses of clay.” The difficulty is that the verb נָסַע (nasa’) means more properly “to tear up; to uproot.” and not “to cut off.” A similar idea is found in Isa 38:12, but there the image is explicitly that of cutting the life off from the loom. Some have posited that the original must have said their tent peg was pulled up” as in Isa 33:20 (A. B. Davidson, Job, 34; cf. NAB). But perhaps the idea of “what remains” would be easier to defend here. Besides, it is used in 22:20. The wealth of an individual is what has been acquired and usually is left over when he dies. Here it would mean that the superfluous wealth would be snatched away. The preposition בּ (bet) would carry the meaning “from” with this verb.

[4:21]  ² tc The text of the LXX does not seem to be connected to the Hebrew of v. 21a. It reads something like “for he blows on them and they are withered” (see Isa 40:24b). The Targum to Job has “Is it not by their lack of righteousness that they have been deprived of all support?”

[4:21]  tn On the interpretation of the preposition in this construction, see N. Sarna, “The Interchange of the Preposition bet and min in Biblical Hebrew,” JBL 78 (1959): 310-16.

[4:21]  ³ sn They die. This clear verb interprets all the images in these verses – they die. When the house of clay collapses, or when their excess perishes – their life is over.

[4:21]  ⁴ tn Heb “and without wisdom.” The word “attaining” is supplied in the translation as a clarification.

[4:21]  sn The expression without attaining wisdom is parallel to the previous without anyone regarding it. Both verses describe how easily humans perish: there is no concern for it, nor any sense to it. Humans die without attaining wisdom which can solve the mystery of human life.

[5:13]  ⁵ tn The participles continue the description of God. Here he captures or ensnares the wise in their wickedly clever plans. See also Ps 7:16, where the wicked are caught in the pit they have dug – they are only wise in their own eyes.

[5:13]  ⁶ sn This is the only quotation from the Book of Job in the NT (although Rom 11:35 seems to reflect 41:11, and Phil 1:19 is similar to 13:6). Paul cites it in 1 Cor 3:19.

[5:13]  ⁷ tn The etymology of נִפְתָּלִים (niftalim) suggests a meaning of “twisted” (see Prov 8:8) in the sense of tortuous. See Gen 30:8; Ps 18:26 [27].

[5:13]  ⁸ tn The Niphal of מָהַר (mahar) means “to be hasty; to be irresponsible.” The meaning in the line may be understood in this sense: The counsel of the wily is hastened, that is, precipitated before it is ripe, i.e., frustrated (A. B. Davidson, Job, 39).

[8:10]  ⁹ tn The sentence begins emphatically: “Is it not they.”

[8:10]  ¹⁰ tn The “and” is not present in the line. The second clause seems to be in apposition to the first, explaining it more thoroughly: “Is it not they [who] will instruct you, [who] will speak to you.”

[8:10]  ¹¹ tn The noun may have been left indeterminate for the sake of emphasis (GKC 401-2 §125.c), meaning “important words.”

[8:10]  ¹² tn Heb “from their heart.”

[11:6]  ¹³ tn The text seems to be saying “that it [wisdom] is double in understanding.” The point is that it is different than Job conceived it – it far exceeded all perception. But some commentators have thought this still too difficult, and so have replaced the word כִפְלַיִם (khiflayim, “two sides”) with כִפְלָאִים (khifla’im, “like wonders,” or, more simply, “wonders” without the preposition). But it is still a little strange to talk about God’s wisdom being like wonders. Others have had more radical changes in the text; J. J. Slotki has “for sound wisdom is his. And know that double [punishment] shall God exact of you” (“Job 11:6,” VT 35 [1985]: 229-30).

[11:6]  ¹⁴ tn The verb is the imperative with a ו (vav). Following the jussive, this clause would be subordinated to the preceding (see GKC 325 §110.i).

[11:6]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “God causes to be forgotten for you part of your iniquity.” The meaning is that God was exacting less punishment from Job than Job deserved, for Job could not remember all his sins. This statement is fitting for Zophar, who is the cruelest of Job’s friends (see H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 88). Others in an attempt to improve the text make too many unwarranted changes. Some would read יִשְׁאָלְךָ (yish’alkha, “he asks of you”) instead of יַשֶּׂה לְךָ (yasseh lÿka, “he causes to be forgotten for you”). This would mean that God demands an account of Job’s sin. But, as D. J. A. Clines says, this change is weak and needless (Job [WBC], 254-55).

[12:1]  ¹⁶ sn This long speech of Job falls into three parts: in 12:2-25 Job expresses his resentment at his friends’ attitude of superiority and acknowledges the wisdom of God; then, in 13:1-28 Job expresses his determination to reason with God, expresses his scorn for his friends’ advice, and demands to know what his sins are; and finally, in 14:1-22 Job laments the brevity of life and the finality of death.

[12:2]  ¹⁷ tn The expression “you are the people” is a way of saying that the friends hold the popular opinion – they represent it. The line is sarcastic. Commentators do not think the parallelism is served well by this, and so offer changes for “people.” Some have suggested “you are complete” (based on Arabic), “you are the strong one” (based on Ugaritic), etc. J. A. Davies tried to solve the difficulty by making the second clause in the verse a paratactic relative clause: “you are the people with whom wisdom will die” (“Note on Job 12:2,” VT 25 [1975]: 670-71).

[12:2]  ¹⁸ sn The sarcasm of Job admits their claim to wisdom, as if no one has it besides them. But the rest of his speech will show that they do not have a monopoly on it.

[12:12]  ¹⁹ tn The statement in the Hebrew Bible simply has “among the aged – wisdom.” Since this seems to be more the idea of the friends than of Job, scholars have variously tried to rearrange it. Some have proposed that Job is citing his friends: “With the old men, you say, is wisdom” (Budde, Gray, Hitzig). Others have simply made it a question (Weiser). But others take לֹא (lo’) from the previous verse and make it the negative here, to say, “wisdom is not….” But Job will draw on the wisdom of the aged, only with discernment, for ultimately all wisdom is with God.

[12:13]  ²⁰ tn Heb “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:13]  ²¹ sn A. B. Davidson (Job, 91) says, “These attributes of God’s [sic] confound and bring to nought everything bearing the same name among men.”

[12:16]  ²² tn The word תּוּשִׁיָּה (tushiyyah) is here rendered “prudence.” Some object that God’s power is intended here, and so a word for power and not wisdom should be included. But v. 13 mentioned wisdom. The point is that it is God’s efficient wisdom that leads to success. One could interpret this as a metonymy of cause, the intended meaning being victory or success.

[12:16]  ²³ tn The Hebrew text uses a wordplay here: שֹׁגֵג (shogeg) is “the one going astray,” i.e., the one who is unable to guard and guide his life. The second word is מַשְׁגֶּה (mashgeh), from a different but historically related root שָׁגָה (shagah), which here in the Hiphil means “the one who misleads, causes to go astray.” These two words are designed to include everybody – all are under the wisdom of God.

[12:17]  ²⁴ tn The personal pronoun normally present as the subject of the participle is frequently omitted (see GKC 381 §119.s).

[12:17]  ²⁵ tn GKC 361-62 §116.x notes that almost as a rule a participle beginning a sentence is continued with a finite verb with or without a ו (vav). Here the participle (“leads”) is followed by an imperfect (“makes fools”) after a ו (vav).

[12:17]  ²⁶ tn The word שׁוֹלָל (sholal), from the root שָׁלַל (shalal, “to plunder; to strip”), is an adjective expressing the state (and is in the singular, as if to say, “in the state of one naked” [GKC 375 §118.o]). The word is found in military contexts (see Mic 1:8). It refers to the carrying away of people in nakedness and shame by enemies who plunder (see also Isa 8:1-4). They will go away as slaves and captives, deprived of their outer garments. Some (cf. NAB) suggest “barefoot,” based on the LXX of Mic 1:8; but the meaning of that is uncertain. G. R. Driver wanted to derive the word from an Arabic root “to be mad; to be giddy,” forming a better parallel.

[12:17]  ²⁷ sn The judges, like the counselors, are nobles in the cities. God may reverse their lot, either by captivity or by shame, and they cannot resist his power.

[12:17]  ²⁸ tn Some translate this “makes mad” as in Isa 44:25, but this gives the wrong connotation today; more likely God shows them to be fools.

[12:20]  ²⁹ tn The Hebrew נֶאֱמָנִים (ne’emanim) is the Niphal participle; it is often translated “the faithful” in the Bible. The Rabbis rather fancifully took the word from נְאֻם (nÿ’um, “oracle, utterance”) and so rendered it “those who are eloquent, fluent in words.” But that would make this the only place in the Bible where this form came from that root or any other root besides אָמַן (’aman, “confirm, support”). But to say that God takes away the speech of the truthful or the faithful would be very difficult. It has to refer to reliable men, because it is parallel to the elders or old men. The NIV has “trusted advisers,” which fits well with kings and judges and priests.

[12:20]  ³⁰ tn Heb “he removes the lip of the trusted ones.”

[12:20]  ³¹ tn Heb “taste,” meaning “opinion” or “decision.”

[13:5]  ³² tn The construction is the imperfect verb in the wish formula preceded by the infinitive that intensifies it. The Hiphil is not directly causative here, but internally – “keep silent.”

[13:5]  ³³ tn The text literally reads, “and it would be for you for wisdom,” or “that it would become your wisdom.” Job is rather sarcastic here, indicating if they shut up they would prove themselves to be wise (see Prov 17:28).

[15:2]  ³⁴ tn The Hebrew is דַעַת־רוּחַ (da’at-ruakh). This means knowledge without any content, vain knowledge.

[15:2]  ³⁵ tn The image is rather graphic. It is saying that he puffs himself up with the wind and then brings out of his mouth blasts of this wind.

[15:2]  ³⁶ tn The word for “east wind,” קָדִים (qadim), is parallel to “spirit/wind” also in Hos 12:2. The east wind is maleficent, but here in the parallelism it is so much hot air.

[15:8]  ³⁷ tn The meaning of סוֹד (sod) is “confidence.” In the context the implication is “secret counsel” of the Lord God (see Jer 23:18). It is a question of confidence on the part of God, that only wisdom can know (see Prov 8:30,31). Job seemed to them to claim to have access to the mind of God.

[15:8]  ³⁸ tn In v. 4 the word meant “limit”; here it has a slightly different sense, namely, “to reserve for oneself.”

[15:10]  ³⁹ tn The participle שָׂב (sav), from שִׂיב (siv, “to have white hair”; 1 Sam 12:2), only occurs elsewhere in the Bible in the Aramaic sections of Ezra. The word יָשִׁישׁ (yashish, “aged”) occurred in 12:12.

[15:10]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “with us.”

[15:10]  ⁴¹ tn The line reads: “[men] greater than your father [in] days.” The expression “in days” underscores their age – they were older than Job’s father, and therefore wiser.

[15:18]  ⁴² tn The word “tradition” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied in the translation.

[15:18]  ⁴³ tn Heb “their fathers.” Some commentators change one letter and follow the reading of the LXX: “and their fathers have not hidden.” Pope tries to get the same reading by classifying the מ (mem) as an enclitic mem. The MT on first glance would read “and did not hide from their fathers.” Some take the clause “and they did not hide” as adverbial and belonging to the first part of the verse: “what wise men declare, hiding nothing, according to the tradition of their fathers.”

[17:10]  ⁴⁴ tn The form says “all of them.” Several editors would change it to “all of you,” but the lack of concord is not surprising; the vocative elsewhere uses the third person (see Mic 1:2; see also GKC 441 §135.r).

[17:10]  ⁴⁵ tn The first verb, the jussive, means “to return”; the second verb, the imperative, means “to come.” The two could be taken as a hendiadys, the first verb becoming adverbial: “to come again.”

[17:10]  ⁴⁶ tn Instead of the exact correspondence between coordinate verbs, other combinations occur – here we have a jussive and an imperative (see GKC 386 §120.e).

[21:22]  ⁴⁷ tn The imperfect verb in this question should be given the modal nuance of potential imperfect. The question is rhetorical – it is affirming that no one can teach God.

[21:22]  ⁴⁸ tn The clause begins with the disjunctive vav (ו) and the pronoun, “and he.” This is to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause. See GKC 456 §142.d.

[21:22]  ⁴⁹ tc The Hebrew has רָמִים (ramim), a plural masculine participle of רוּם (rum, “to be high; to be exalted”). This is probably a reference to the angels. But M. Dahood restores an older interpretation that it refers to “the Most High” (“Some Northwest Semitic words in Job,”Bib 38 [1957]: 316-17). He would take the word as a singular form with an enclitic mem (ם). He reads the verse, “will he judge the Most High?”

[26:3]  ⁵⁰ tc The phrase לָרֹב (larov) means “to abundance” or “in a large quantity.” It is also used ironically like all these expressions. This makes very good sense, but some wish to see a closer parallel and so offer emendations. Reiske and Kissane thought “to the tender” for the word. But the timid are not the same as the ignorant and unwise. So Graetz supplied “to the boorish” by reading לְבָעַר (lÿba’ar). G. R. Driver did the same with less of a change: לַבּוֹר (labbor; HTR 29 [1936]: 172).

[26:12]  ⁵¹ 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]  ⁵² 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]  ⁵³ 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).

[28:13]  ⁵⁴ tc The LXX has “its way, apparently reading דַּרְכָה (darkhah) in place of עֶרְכָּהּ (’erkah, “place”). This is adopted by most modern commentators. But R. Gordis (Job, 308) shows that this change is not necessary, for עֶרֶךְ (’erekh) in the Bible means “order; row; disposition,” and here “place.” An alternate meaning would be “worth” (NIV, ESV).

[28:14]  ⁵⁵ sn The תְּהוֹם (tÿhom) is the “deep” of Gen 1:2, the abyss or primordial sea. It was always understood to be a place of darkness and danger. As remote as it is, it asserts that wisdom is not found there (personification). So here we have the abyss and the sea, then death and destruction – but they are not the places that wisdom resides.

[28:14]  ⁵⁶ tn The בּ (bet) preposition is taken here to mean “with” in the light of the parallel preposition.

[28:17]  ⁵⁷ tn The word is from זָכַךְ (zakhakh, “clear”). It describes a transparent substance, and so “glass” is an appropriate translation. In the ancient world it was precious and so expensive.

[28:17]  ⁵⁸ tc The MT has “vase”; but the versions have a plural here, suggesting jewels of gold.

[28:18]  ⁵⁹ tn The word מֶשֶׁךְ (meshekh) comes from a root meaning “to grasp; to seize; to hold,” and so the derived noun means “grasping; acquiring; taking possession,” and therefore, “price” (see the discussion in R. Gordis, Job, 309). Gray renders it “acquisition” (so A. Cohen, AJSL 40 [1923/24]: 175).

[28:18]  ⁶⁰ tn In Lam 4:7 these are described as red, and so have been identified as rubies (so NIV) or corals.

[28:19]  ⁶¹ tn Or “Ethiopia.” In ancient times this referred to the region of the upper Nile, rather than modern Ethiopia (formerly known as Abyssinia).

[28:20]  ⁶² tn The refrain is repeated, except now the verb is תָּבוֹא (tavo’, “come”).

[28:21]  ⁶³ tn The vav on the verb is unexpressed in the LXX. It should not be overlooked, for it introduces a subordinate clause of condition (R. Gordis, Job, 310).

[28:22]  ⁶⁴ tn Heb “Abaddon.”

[28:22]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “heard a report of it,” which means a report of its location, thus “where it can be found.”

[28:27]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “it”; the referent (wisdom) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[28:27]  ⁶⁷ tn The verb סָפַר (safar) in the Piel basically means “to tell; to declare; to show” or “to count; to number.” Many commentators offer different suggestions for the translation. “Declared” (as in the RSV, NASB, and NRSV) would be the simplest – but to whom did God declare it? Besides “appraised” which is the view of Pope, Dhorme and others (cf. NAB, NIV), J. Reider has suggested “probed” (“Etymological studies in biblical Hebrew,” VT 2 [1952]: 127), Strahan has “studied,” and Kissane has “reckoned.” The difficulty is that the line has a series of verbs, which seem to build to a climax; but without more details it is hard to know how to translate them when they have such a range of meaning.

[28:27]  ⁶⁸ tc The verb כּוּן (kun) means “to establish; to prepare” in this stem. There are several mss that have the form from בִּין (bin, “discern”), giving “he discerned it,” making more of a parallel with the first colon. But the weight of the evidence supports the traditional MT reading.

[28:27]  ⁶⁹ tn The verb חָקַר (khaqar) means “to examine; to search out.” Some of the language used here is anthropomorphic, for the sovereign Lord did not have to research or investigate wisdom. The point is that it is as if he did this human activity, meaning that as in the results of such a search God knows everything about wisdom.

[28:28]  ⁷⁰ tc A number of medieval Hebrew manuscripts have YHWH (“Lord”); BHS has אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”). As J. E. Hartley (Job [NICOT], 383) points out, this is the only occurrence of אֲדֹנָי (’adonay, “Lord”) in the book of Job, creating doubt for retaining it. Normally, YHWH is avoided in the book. “Fear of” (יִרְאַת, yir’at) is followed by שַׁדַּי (shadday, “Almighty”) in 6:14 – the only other occurrence of this term for “fear” in construct with a divine title.

[28:28]  ⁷¹ tc Many commentators delete this verse because (1) many read the divine name Yahweh (translated “Lord”) here, and (2) it is not consistent with the argument that precedes it. But as H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 185) points out, there is inconsistency in this reasoning, for many of the critics have already said that this chapter is an interpolation. Following that line of thought, then, one would not expect it to conform to the rest of the book in this matter of the divine name. And concerning the second difficulty, the point of this chapter is that wisdom is beyond human comprehension and control. It belongs to God alone. So the conclusion that the fear of the Lord is wisdom is the necessary conclusion. Rowley concludes: “It is a pity to rob the poem of its climax and turn it into the expression of unrelieved agnosticism.”

[32:7]  ⁷² tn Heb “days.”

[32:7]  ⁷³ tn The imperfect here is to be classified as an obligatory imperfect.

[32:7]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “abundance of years.”

[32:8]  ⁷⁵ tn This is the word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah, “breath”); according to Gen 2:7 it was breathed into Adam to make him a living person (“soul”). With that divine impartation came this spiritual understanding. Some commentators identify the רוּחַ (ruakh) in the first line as the Spirit of God; this “breath” would then be the human spirit. Whether Elihu knew that much, however, is hard to prove.

[32:9]  ⁷⁶ tn The MT has “the great” or “the many,” meaning great in years according to the parallelism.

[32:13]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “lest you say.” R. Gordis (Job, 368) calls this a breviloquence: “beware lest [you say].” He then suggests the best reading for their quote to be, “We have attained wisdom, but only God can refute him, not man.” H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 209) suggests the meaning is a little different, namely, that they are saying they have found wisdom in Job, and only God can deal with it. Elihu is in effect saying that they do not need God, for he is quite capable for this.

[32:13]  ⁷⁸ tn The root is נָדַף (nadaf, “to drive away; to drive off”). Here it is in the abstract sense of “succeed in doing something; confound,” and so “refute; rebut.” Dhorme wants to change the meaning of the word with a slight emendation in the text, deriving it from אָלַף (’alaf, “instruct”) the form becoming יַלְּפֶנוּ (yallÿfenu) instead of יִדְּפֶנּוּ (yiddÿfenu), obtaining the translation “God will instruct us.” This makes a smoother reading, but does not have much support for it.

[33:16]  ⁷⁹ tn The idiom is “he uncovers the ear of men.” This expression means “inform” in Ruth 4:4; 1 Sam 20:2, etc. But when God is the subject it means “make a revelation” (see 1 Sam 9:15; 2 Sam 7:27).

[33:16]  ⁸⁰ tc Heb “and seals their bonds.” The form of the present translation, “and terrifies them with warnings,” is derived only by emending the text. Aquila, the Vulgate, Syriac, and Targum Job have “their correction” for “their bond,” which is what the KJV used. But the LXX, Aquila, and the Syriac have “terrifies” for the verb. This involves a change in pointing from יָחְתֹּם (yakhtom) to יְחִתֵּם (yÿkhittem). The LXX has “appearances of fear” instead of “bonds.” The point of the verse seems to be that by terrifying dreams God makes people aware of their ways.

[34:2]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “give ear to me.”

[34:2]  ⁸² tn The Hebrew word means “the men who know,” and without a complement it means “to possess knowledge.”

[35:11]  ⁸³ tn The form in the text, the Piel participle from אָלַף (’alaf, “teach”) is written in a contracted form; the full form is מְאַלְּפֵנוּ (mÿ’allÿfenu).

[35:11]  ⁸⁴ tn Some would render this “teaches us by the beasts.” But Elihu is stressing the unique privilege humans have.

[36:5]  ⁸⁵ tn The object “people” is not in the Hebrew text but is implied.

[36:5]  ⁸⁶ tn The text simply repeats “mighty.”

[36:5]  ⁸⁷ tn The last two words are simply כֹּחַ לֵב (koakh lev, “strong in heart”), meaning something like “strong; firm in his decisions.”

[36:5]  ⁸⁸ tc There are several problems in this verse: the repetition of “mighty,” the lack of an object for “despise,” and the meaning of “strength of heart.” Many commentators reduce the verse to a single line, reading something like “Lo, God does not reject the pure in heart” (Kissane). Dhorme and Pope follow Nichols with: “Lo, God is mighty in strength, and rejects not the pure in heart.” This reading moved “mighty” to the first line and took the second to be בַּר (bar, “pure”).

[37:20]  ⁸⁹ tn This imperfect works well as a desiderative imperfect.

[37:24]  ⁹⁰ sn The phrase “wise of heart” was used in Job 9:4 in a negative sense.

[38:2]  ⁹¹ tn The demonstrative pronoun is used here to emphasize the interrogative pronoun (see GKC 442 §136.c).

[38:2]  ⁹² sn The referent of “counsel” here is not the debate between Job and the friends, but the purposes of God (see Ps 33:10; Prov 19:21; Isa 19:17). Dhorme translates it “Providence.”

[38:36]  ⁹³ tn This verse is difficult because of the two words, טֻחוֹת (tukhot, rendered here “heart”) and שֶׂכְוִי (sekhvi, here “mind”). They have been translated a number of ways: “meteor” and “celestial appearance”; the stars “Procyon” and “Sirius”; “inward part” and “mind”; even as birds, “ibis” and “cock.” One expects them to have something to do with nature – clouds and the like. The RSV accordingly took them to mean “meteor” (from a verb “to wander”) and “a celestial appearance.” But these meanings are not well-attested.

[38:37]  ⁹⁴ tn The word actually means “to cause to lie down.”

[42:3]  ⁹⁵ tn The expression “you asked” is added here to clarify the presence of the line to follow. Many commentators delete it as a gloss from Job 38:2. If it is retained, then Job has to be recalling God’s question before he answers it.

[42:3]  ⁹⁶ tn The word לָכֵן (lakhen) is simply “but,” as in Job 31:37.

[42:3]  ⁹⁷ tn Heb “and I do not understand.” The expression serves here in an adverbial capacity. It also could be subordinated as a complement: “I have declared [things that] I do not understand.”

[42:3]  ⁹⁸ tn The last clause is “and I do not know.” This is also subordinated to become a dependent clause.