10:2 I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn 1 me;
tell me 2 why you are contending 3 with me.’
37:19 Tell us what we should 4 say to him.
We cannot prepare a case 5
because of the darkness.
38:4 “Where were you
when I laid the foundation 6 of the earth?
Tell me, 7 if you possess understanding!
1 tn The negated jussive is the Hiphil jussive of רָשַׁע (rasha’); its meaning then would be literally “do not declare me guilty.” The negated jussive stresses the immediacy of the request.
2 tn The Hiphil imperative of יָדַע (yada’) would more literally be “cause me to know.” It is a plea for God to help him understand the afflictions.
3 tn The verb is רִיב (riv), meaning “to dispute; to contend; to strive; to quarrel” – often in the legal sense. The precise words chosen in this verse show that the setting is legal. The imperfect verb here is progressive, expressing what is currently going on.
4 tn The imperfect verb here carries the obligatory nuance, “what we should say?”
5 tn The verb means “to arrange; to set in order.” From the context the idea of a legal case is included.
6 tn The construction is the infinitive construct in a temporal clause, using the preposition and the subjective genitive suffix.
7 tn The verb is the imperative; it has no object “me” in the text.