Ayub 9:20

9:20 Although I am innocent, ¹ 

my mouth ²  would condemn me; ³ 

although I am blameless,

it would declare me perverse. ⁴ 

Ayub 11:20

11:20 But the eyes of the wicked fail, ⁵ 

and escape ⁶  eludes them;

their one hope ⁷  is to breathe their last.” ⁸ 

Ayub 22:6

22:6 “For you took pledges ⁹  from your brothers

for no reason,

and you stripped the clothing from the naked. ¹⁰ 

Ayub 24:18

24:18 ¹¹ “You say, ¹²  ‘He is foam ¹³  on the face of the waters; ¹⁴ 

their portion of the land is cursed

so that no one goes to their vineyard. ¹⁵ 

Ayub 34:25

34:25 Therefore, he knows their deeds,

he overthrows them ¹⁶  in the night ¹⁷ 

and they are crushed.

[9:20]  ¹ tn The idea is the same as that expressed in v. 15, although here the imperfect verb is used and not the perfect. Once again with the concessive clause (“although I am right”) Job knows that in a legal dispute he would be confused and would end up arguing against himself.

[9:20]  ² tn Some commentators wish to change this to “his mouth,” meaning God’s response to Job’s complaints. But the MT is far more expressive, and “my mouth” fits the context in which Job is saying that even though he is innocent, if he spoke in a court setting in the presence of God he would be overwhelmed, confused, and no doubt condemn himself.

[9:20]  ³ tn The verb has the declarative sense in the Hiphil, “to declare guilty [or wicked]” or “to condemn.”

[9:20]  ⁴ tn The verb עָקַשׁ (’aqash) means “to be twisted; to be tortuous.” The Piel has a meaning “to bend; to twist” (Mic 3:9) and “to pervert” (Jer 59:8). The form here is classified as a Hiphil, with the softening of the vowel i (see GKC 147 §53.n). It would then also be a declarative use of the Hiphil.

[11:20]  ⁵ tn The verb כָּלָה (kalah) means “to fail, cease, fade away.” The fading of the eyes, i.e., loss of sight, loss of life’s vitality, indicates imminent death.

[11:20]  ⁶ tn Heb a “place of escape” (with this noun pattern). There is no place to escape to because they all perish.

[11:20]  ⁷ tn The word is to be interpreted as a metonymy; it represents what is hoped for.

[11:20]  ⁸ tn Heb “the breathing out of the soul”; cf. KJV, ASV “the giving up of the ghost.” The line is simply saying that the brightest hope that the wicked have is death.

[22:6]  ⁹ tn The verb חָבַל (khaval) means “to take pledges.” In this verse Eliphaz says that Job not only took as pledge things the poor need, like clothing, but he did it for no reason.

[22:6]  ¹⁰ tn The “naked” here refers to people who are poorly clothed. Otherwise, a reading like the NIV would be necessary: “you stripped the clothes…[leaving them] naked.” So either he made them naked by stripping their garments off, or they were already in rags.

[24:18]  ¹¹ tc Many commentators find vv. 18-24 difficult on the lips of Job, and so identify this unit as a misplaced part of the speech of Zophar. They describe the enormities of the wicked. But a case can also be made for retaining it in this section. Gordis thinks it could be taken as a quotation by Job of his friends’ ideas.

[24:18]  ¹² tn The verb “say” is not in the text; it is supplied here to indicate that this is a different section.

[24:18]  ¹³ tn Or “is swift.”

[24:18]  ¹⁴ sn The wicked person is described here as a spray or foam upon the waters, built up in the agitation of the waters but dying away swiftly.

[24:18]  ¹⁵ tn The text reads, “he does not turn by the way of the vineyards.” This means that since the land is cursed, he/one does not go there. Bickell emended “the way of the vineyards” to “the treader of the vineyard” (see RSV, NRSV). This would mean that “no wine-presser would turn towards” their vineyards.

[34:25]  ¹⁶ tn The direct object “them” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[34:25]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term “night” is an accusative of time.