Ayub 16:1

Job’s Reply to Eliphaz ¹ 

16:1 Then Job replied:

Ayub 21:1

Job’s Reply to Zophar ² 

21:1 Then Job answered:

Ayub 34:1

Elihu’s Second Speech ³ 

34:1 Elihu answered:

Ayub 36:1

Elihu’s Fourth Speech ⁴ 

36:1 Elihu said further: ⁵ 

Ayub 39:24

39:24 In excitement and impatience it consumes the ground; ⁶ 

it cannot stand still ⁷  when the trumpet is blown.

Ayub 29:10

29:10 the voices of the nobles fell silent, ⁸ 

and their tongues stuck to the roof of their mouths.

Ayub 34:3

34:3 For the ear assesses ⁹  words

as the mouth ¹⁰  tastes food.

[16:1]  ¹ sn In the next two chapters we have Job’s second reply to Eliphaz. Job now feels abandoned by God and by his friends, and so complains that this all intensifies his sufferings. But he still holds to his innocence as he continues his appeal to God as his witness. There are four sections to this speech: in vv. 2-5 he dismisses the consolation his friends offered; in vv. 6-17 he laments that he is abandoned by God and man; in 16:8–17:9 he makes his appeal to God in heaven as a witness; and finally, in 10-16 he anticipates death.

[21:1]  ² sn In this chapter Job actually answers the ideas of all three of his friends. Here Job finds the flaw in their argument – he can point to wicked people who prosper. But whereas in the last speech, when he looked on his suffering from the perspective of his innocence, he found great faith and hope, in this chapter when he surveys the divine government of the world, he sinks to despair. The speech can be divided into five parts: he appeals for a hearing (2-6), he points out the prosperity of the wicked (7-16), he wonders exactly when the godless suffer (17-22), he shows how death levels everything (23-26), and he reveals how experience contradicts his friends’ argument (27-34).

[34:1]  ³ sn This speech of Elihu focuses on defending God. It can be divided into these sections: Job is irreligious (2-9), God is just (10-15), God is impartial and omniscient (16-30), Job is foolish to rebel (31-37).

[36:1]  ⁴ sn This very lengthy speech can be broken down into the following sections: the discipline of suffering (36:2-25), the work and wisdom of God (36:26–37:24).

[36:1]  ⁵ tn The use of וַיֹּסֶף (vayyosef) is with the hendiadys construction: “and he added and said,” meaning “and he said again, further.”

[39:24]  ⁶ tn “Swallow the ground” is a metaphor for the horse’s running. Gray renders the line: “quivering and excited he dashes into the fray.”

[39:24]  ⁷ tn The use of אָמַן (’aman) in the Hiphil in this place is unique. Such a form would normally mean “to believe.” But its basic etymological meaning comes through here. The verb means “to be firm; to be reliable; to be dependable.” The causative here would mean “to make firm” or “to stand firm.”

[29:10]  ⁸ tn The verb here is “hidden” as well as in v. 8. But this is a strange expression for voices. Several argue that the word was erroneously inserted from 8a and needs to be emended. But the word “hide” can have extended meanings of “withdraw; be quiet; silent” (see Gen 31:27). A. Guillaume relates the Arabic habi’a, “the fire dies out,” applying the idea of “silent” only to v. 10 (it is a form of repetition of words with different senses, called jinas). The point here is that whatever conversation was going on would become silent or hushed to hear what Job had to say.

[34:3]  ⁹ tn Or “examines; tests; tries; discerns.”

[34:3]  ¹⁰ tn Or “palate”; the Hebrew term refers to the tongue or to the mouth in general.