Ayub 6:25

6:25 How painful ¹  are honest words!

But ²  what does your reproof ³  prove? ⁴ 

Ayub 13:12

13:12 Your maxims ⁵  are proverbs of ashes; ⁶ 

your defenses ⁷  are defenses of clay. ⁸ 

Ayub 16:5

16:5 But ⁹  I would strengthen ¹⁰  you with my words; ¹¹ 

comfort from my lips would bring ¹²  you relief.

Ayub 32:7

32:7 I said to myself, ‘Age ¹³  should speak, ¹⁴ 

and length of years ¹⁵  should make wisdom known.’

Ayub 37:2

37:2 Listen carefully ¹⁶  to the thunder of his voice,

to the rumbling ¹⁷  that proceeds from his mouth.

[6:25]  ¹ tn The word נִּמְרְצוּ (nimrÿtsu, “[they] painful are”) may be connected to מָרַץ (marats, “to be ill”). This would give the idea of “how distressing,” or “painful” in this stem. G. R. Driver (JTS 29 [1927/28]: 390-96) connected it to an Akkadian cognate “to be ill” and rendered it “bitter.” It has also been linked with מָרַס (maras), meaning “to be hard, strong,” giving the idea of “how persuasive” (see N. S. Doniach and W. E. Barnes, “Job 4:25: The Root Maras,” JTS [1929/30]: 291-92). There seems more support for the meaning “to be ill” (cf. Mal 2:10). Others follow Targum Job “how pleasant [to my palate are your words]”; E. Dhorme (Job, 92) follows this without changing the text but noting that the word has an interchange of letter with מָלַץ (malats) for מָרַץ (marats).

[6:25]  ² tn The וּ (vav) here introduces the antithesis (GKC 484-85 §154.a).

[6:25]  ³ tn The infinitive הוֹכֵחַ (hokheakh, “reproof,” from יָכַח [yakhakh, “prove”]) becomes the subject of the verb from the same root, יוֹכִיהַ (yokhiakh), and so serves as a noun (see GKC 340 §113.b). This verb means “to dispute, quarrel, argue, contend” (see BDB 406-7 s.v. יָכַח). Job is saying, “What does reproof from you prove?”

[6:25]  ⁴ tn The LXX again paraphrases this line: “But as it seems, the words of a true man are vain, because I do not ask strength of you.” But the rest of the versions are equally divided on the verse.

[13:12]  ⁵ tn The word is זִכְרֹנֵיכֶם (zikhronekhem, “your remembrances”). The word זִכָּרֹן (zikkaron) not only can mean the act of remembering, but also what is remembered – what provokes memory or is worth being remembered. In the plural it can mean all the memorabilia, and in this verse all the sayings and teachings. H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 99) suggests that in Job’s speech it could mean “all your memorized sayings.”

[13:12]  ⁶ tn The parallelism of “dust” and “ashes” is fairly frequent in scripture. But “proverbs of ashes” is difficult. The genitive is certainly describing the proverbs; it could be classified as a genitive of apposition, proverbs that are/have become ashes. Ashes represent something that at one time may have been useful, but now has been reduced to what is worthless.

[13:12]  ⁷ tn There is a division of opinion on the source of this word. Some take it from “answer”, related to Arabic, Aramaic, and Syriac words for “answer,” and so translate it “responses” (JB). Others take it from a word for “back,” with a derived meaning of the “boss” of the shield, and translate it bulwark or “defenses” (NEB, RSV, NIV). The idea of “answers” may fit the parallelism better, but “defenses” can be taken figuratively to refer to verbal defenses.

[13:12]  ⁸ sn Any defense made with clay would crumble on impact.

[16:5]  ⁹ tn “But” has been added in the translation to strengthen the contrast.

[16:5]  ¹⁰ tn The Piel of אָמַץ (’amats) means “to strengthen, fortify.”

[16:5]  ¹¹ tn Heb “my mouth.”

[16:5]  ¹² tn The verb יַחְשֹׂךְ (yakhsokh) means “to restrain; to withhold.” There is no object, so many make it first person subject, “I will not restrain.” The LXX and the Syriac have a different person – “I would not restrain.” G. R. Driver, arguing that the verb is intransitive here, made it “the solace of my lips would not [added] be withheld” (see JTS 34 [1933]: 380). D. J. A. Clines says that what is definitive is the use of the verb in the next line, where it clearly means “soothed, assuaged.”

[32:7]  ¹³ tn Heb “days.”

[32:7]  ¹⁴ tn The imperfect here is to be classified as an obligatory imperfect.

[32:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “abundance of years.”

[37:2]  ¹⁶ tn The imperative is followed by the infinitive absolute from the same root to express the intensity of the verb.

[37:2]  ¹⁷ tn The word is the usual word for “to meditate; to murmur; to groan”; here it refers to the low building of the thunder as it rumbles in the sky. The thunder is the voice of God (see Ps 29).