Ayub 9:35

9:35 Then ¹  would I speak and not fear him,

but it is not so with me. ² 

Ayub 13:3

13:3 But I wish to speak ³  to the Almighty, ⁴ 

and I desire to argue ⁵  my case ⁶  with God.

Ayub 14:9

14:9 at the scent ⁷  of water it will flourish ⁸ 

and put forth ⁹  shoots like a new plant.

Ayub 21:14

21:14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!

We do not want to ¹⁰  know your ways. ¹¹ 

Ayub 24:23

24:23 God ¹²  may let them rest in a feeling of security, ¹³ 

but he is constantly watching ¹⁴  all their ways. ¹⁵ 

Ayub 32:8

32:8 But it is a spirit in people,

the breath ¹⁶  of the Almighty,

that makes them understand.

Ayub 34:6

34:6 Concerning my right, should I lie? ¹⁷ 

My wound ¹⁸  is incurable,

although I am without transgression.’ ¹⁹ 

Ayub 39:18

39:18 But as soon as she springs up, ²⁰ 

she laughs at the horse and its rider.

[9:35]  ¹ tn There is no conjunction with this cohortative; but the implication from the context is that if God’s rod were withdrawn, if the terror were removed, then Job would speak up without fear.

[9:35]  ² tn The last half of the verse is rather cryptic: “but not so I with me.” NIV renders it “but as it now stands with me, I cannot.” This is very smooth and interpretive. Others transpose the two halves of the verse to read, “Since it is not so, I with myself // will commune and not fear him.” Job would be saying that since he cannot contend with God on equal terms, and since there is no arbiter, he will come on his own terms. English versions have handled this differently: “for I know I am not what I am thought to be” (NEB); “since this is not the case with me” (NAB); “I do not see myself like that at all” (JB).

[13:3]  ³ tn The verb is simply the Piel imperfect אֲדַבֵּר (’adabber, “I speak”). It should be classified as a desiderative imperfect, saying, “I desire to speak.” This is reinforced with the verb “to wish, desire” in the second half of the verse.

[13:3]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew title for God here is אֶל־שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”).

[13:3]  ⁵ tn The infinitive absolute functions here as the direct object of the verb “desire” (see GKC 340 §113.b).

[13:3]  ⁶ tn The infinitive הוֹכֵחַ (hokheakh) is from the verb יָכַח (yakhakh), which means “to argue, plead, debate.” It has the legal sense here of arguing a case (cf. 5:17).

[14:9]  ⁷ tn The personification adds to the comparison with people – the tree is credited with the sense of smell to detect the water.

[14:9]  ⁸ tn The sense of “flourish” for this verb is found in Ps 92:12,13[13,14], and Prov 14:11. It makes an appropriate parallel with “bring forth boughs” in the second half.

[14:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “and will make.”

[21:14]  ¹⁰ tn The absence of the preposition before the complement adds greater vividness to the statement: “and knowing your ways – we do not desire.”

[21:14]  ¹¹ sn Contrast Ps 25:4, which affirms that walking in God’s ways means to obey God’s will – the Torah.

[24:23]  ¹² tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[24:23]  ¹³ tn The expression לָבֶטַח (lavetakh, “in security”) precedes the verb that it qualifies – God “allows him to take root in security.” For the meaning of the verb, see Job 8:15.

[24:23]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “his eyes are on.”

[24:23]  ¹⁵ sn The meaning of the verse is that God may allow the wicked to rest in comfort and security, but all the time he is watching them closely with the idea of bringing judgment on them.

[32:8]  ¹⁶ tn This is the word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah, “breath”); according to Gen 2:7 it was breathed into Adam to make him a living person (“soul”). With that divine impartation came this spiritual understanding. Some commentators identify the רוּחַ (ruakh) in the first line as the Spirit of God; this “breath” would then be the human spirit. Whether Elihu knew that much, however, is hard to prove.

[34:6]  ¹⁷ tn The verb is the Piel imperfect of כָּזַב (kazav), meaning “to lie.” It could be a question: “Should I lie [against my right?] – when I am innocent. If it is repointed to the Pual, then it can be “I am made to lie,” or “I am deceived.” Taking it as a question makes good sense here, and so emendations are unnecessary.

[34:6]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew text has only “my arrow.” Some commentators emend that word slightly to get “my wound.” But the idea could be derived from “arrows” as well, the wounds caused by the arrows. The arrows are symbolic of God’s affliction.

[34:6]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “without transgression”; but this is parallel to the first part where the claim is innocence.

[39:18]  ²⁰ tn The colon poses a slight problem here. The literal meaning of the Hebrew verb translated “springs up” (i.e., “lifts herself on high”) might suggest flight. But some of the proposals involve a reading about readying herself to run.