Ayub 8:3

8:3 Does God pervert ¹  justice? ² 

Or does the Almighty pervert ³  what is right?

Ayub 31:5

31:5 If ⁴  I have walked in falsehood,

and if ⁵  my foot has hastened ⁶  to deceit –

Ayub 31:30

31:30 I ⁷  have not even permitted my mouth ⁸  to sin

by asking ⁹  for his life through a curse –

Ayub 31:33

31:33 if ¹⁰  I have covered my transgressions as men do, ¹¹ 

by hiding ¹²  iniquity in my heart, ¹³ 

Ayub 38:12

38:12 Have you ever in your life ¹⁴  commanded the morning,

or made the dawn know ¹⁵  its place,

[8:3]  ¹ tn The Piel verb יְעַוֵּת (yÿ’avvet) means “to bend; to cause to swerve from the norm; to deviate; to pervert.” The LXX renders the first colon as “will the Lord be unjust when he judges?”

[8:3]  ² tn The first word is מִשְׁפָּת (mishpat, “justice”). It can mean an act of judgment, place of judgment, or what is just, that is, the outcome of the decision. It basically describes an umpire’s decision. The parallel word is צֶדֶק (tsedeq, “righteousness,” or “what is right”). The basic idea here is that which conforms to the standard, what is right. See S. H. Scholnick, “The Meaning of Mishpat in the Book of Job,” JBL 101 (1982): 521-29.

[8:3]  ³ tn Some commentators think that the second verb should be changed in order to avoid the repetition of the same word and to reflect the different words in the versions. The suggestion is to read יְעַוֵּה (yÿ’avveh) instead; this would mean “to cause someone to deviate,” for the root means “to bend.” The change is completely unwarranted; the LXX probably chose different words for stylistic reasons (see D. J. A. Clines, Job [WBC], 198). The repetition in the Hebrew text is a common type; it strengthens the enormity of the charge Job seems to be making.

[31:5]  ⁴ tn The normal approach is to take this as the protasis, and then have it resumed in v. 7 after a parenthesis in v. 6. But some take v. 6 as the apodosis and a new protasis in v. 7.

[31:5]  ⁵ tn The “if” is understood by the use of the consecutive verb.

[31:5]  ⁶ sn The verbs “walk” and “hasten” (referring in the verse to the foot) are used metaphorically for the manner of life Job lived.

[31:30]  ⁷ tn This verse would then be a parenthesis in which he stops to claim his innocence.

[31:30]  ⁸ tn Heb “I have not given my palate.”

[31:30]  ⁹ tn The infinitive construct with the ל (lamed) preposition (“by asking”) serves in an epexegetical capacity here, explaining the verb of the first colon (“permitted…to sin”). To seek a curse on anyone would be a sin.

[31:33]  ¹⁰ tn Now the protasis continues again.

[31:33]  ¹¹ sn Some commentators suggest taking the meaning here to be “as Adam,” referring to the Paradise story of the sin and denial.

[31:33]  ¹² tn The infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first line.

[31:33]  ¹³ tn The MT has “in my bosom.” This is the only place in the OT where this word is found. But its meaning is well attested from Aramaic.

[38:12]  ¹⁴ tn The Hebrew idiom is “have you from your days?” It means “never in your life” (see 1 Sam 25:28; 1 Kgs 1:6).

[38:12]  ¹⁵ tn The verb is the Piel of יָדַע (yada’, “to know”) with a double accusative.