Ayub 40:4

40:4 “Indeed, I am completely unworthy ¹  – how could I reply to you?

I put ²  my hand over my mouth to silence myself. ³ 

Yesaya 52:10

52:10 The Lord reveals ⁴  his royal power ⁵ 

in the sight of all the nations;

the entire ⁶  earth sees

our God deliver. ⁷ 

Yeremia 17:5

Individuals Are Challenged to Put Their Trust in the Lord ⁸ 

17:5 The Lord says,

“I will put a curse on people

who trust in mere human beings,

who depend on mere flesh and blood for their strength, ⁹ 

and whose hearts ¹⁰  have turned away from the Lord.

[40:4]  ¹ tn The word קַלֹּתִי (qalloti) means “to be light; to be of small account; to be unimportant.” From this comes the meaning “contemptible,” which in the causative stem would mean “to treat with contempt; to curse.” Dhorme tries to make the sentence a conditional clause and suggests this meaning: “If I have been thoughtless.” There is really no “if” in Job’s mind.

[40:4]  ² tn The perfect verb here should be classified as an instantaneous perfect; the action is simultaneous with the words.

[40:4]  ³ tn The words “to silence myself” are supplied in the translation for clarity.

[52:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “lays bare”; NLT “will demonstrate.”

[52:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “his holy arm.” This is a metonymy for his power.

[52:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “the remote regions,” which here stand for the extremities and everything in between.

[52:10]  ⁷ tn Heb “the deliverance of our God.” “God” is a subjective genitive here.

[17:5]  ⁸ sn Verses 5-11 are a collection of wisdom-like sayings (cf. Ps 1) which set forth the theme of the two ways and their consequences. It has as its background the blessings and the curses of Deut 28 and the challenge to faith in Deut 29-30 which climaxes in Deut 30:15-20. The nation is sinful and God is weary of showing them patience. However, there is hope for individuals within the nation if they will trust in him.

[17:5]  ⁹ tn Heb “who make flesh their arm.” The “arm” is the symbol of strength and the flesh is the symbol of mortal man in relation to the omnipotent God. The translation “mere flesh and blood” reflects this.

[17:5]  ¹⁰ sn In the psychology of ancient Hebrew thought the heart was the center not only of the emotions but of the thoughts and motivations. It was also the seat of moral conduct (cf. its placement in the middle of the discussion of moral conduct in Prov 4:20-27, i.e., in v. 23).