Ayub 6:23

6:23 Or ‘Deliver me ¹  from the enemy’s power, ² 

and from the hand of tyrants ³  ransom ⁴  me’?

Ayub 22:30

22:30 he will deliver even someone who is not innocent, ⁵ 

who will escape ⁶  through the cleanness of your hands.”

Ayub 27:6

27:6 I will maintain my righteousness

and never let it go;

my conscience ⁷  will not reproach me

for as long as I live. ⁸ 

Ayub 30:11

30:11 Because God has untied ⁹  my tent cord and afflicted me,

people throw off all restraint in my presence. ¹⁰ 

[6:23]  ¹ tn The verse now gives the ultimate reason why Job might have urged his friends to make a gift – if it were possible. The LXX, avoiding the direct speech in the preceding verse and this, does make this verse the purpose statement – “to deliver from enemies….”

[6:23]  ² tn Heb “hand,” as in the second half of the verse.

[6:23]  ³ tn The עָרִיצִים (’aritsim) are tyrants, the people who inspire fear (Job 15:20; 27:13); the root verb עָרַץ (’arats) means “to terrify” (Job 13:25).

[6:23]  ⁴ tn The verb now is the imperfect; since it is parallel to the imperative in the first half of the verse it is imperfect of instruction, much like English uses the future for instruction. The verb פָּדָה (padah) means “to ransom, redeem,” often in contexts where payment is made.

[22:30]  ⁵ tc The Hebrew has אִי־נָקִי (’i naqi), which could be taken as “island of the innocent” (so Ibn-Ezra), or “him that is not innocent” (so Rashi). But some have changed אִי (’i) to אִישׁ (’ish, “the innocent man”). Others differ: A. Guillaume links אִי (’i) to Arabic ‘ayya “whosoever,” and so leaves the text alone. M. Dahood secures the same idea from Ugaritic, but reads it אֵי (’e).

[22:30]  ⁶ tc The MT has “he will escape [or be delivered].” Theodotion has the second person, “you will be delivered.”

[27:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “my heart.”

[27:6]  ⁸ tn The prepositional phrase “from my days” probably means “from the days of my birth,” or “all my life.”

[30:11]  ⁹ tn The verb פָּתַח (patakh) means “to untie [or undo]” a rope or bonds. In this verse יִתְרוֹ (yitro, the Kethib, LXX, and Vulgate) would mean “his rope” (see יֶתֶר [yeter] in Judg 16:7-9). The Qere would be יִתְרִי (yitri, “my rope [or cord]”), meaning “me.” The word could mean “rope,” “cord,” or “bowstring.” If the reading “my cord” is accepted, the cord would be something like “my tent cord” (as in Job 29:20), more than K&D 12:147 “cord of life.” This has been followed in the present translation. If it were “my bowstring,” it would give the sense of disablement. If “his cord” is taken, it would signify that the restraint that God had in afflicting Job was loosened – nothing was held back.

[30:11]  ¹⁰ sn People throw off all restraint in my presence means that when people saw how God afflicted Job, robbing him of his influence and power, then they turned on him with unrestrained insolence (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 193).