Job 16:17

16:17 although ¹  there is no violence in my hands

and my prayer is pure.

Job 16:21

16:21 and ²  he contends with God on behalf of man

as a man ³  pleads ⁴  for his friend.

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¹ tn For the use of the preposition עַל (’al) to introduce concessive clauses, see GKC 499 §160.c.

² tn E. Dhorme (Job, 240) alters this slightly to read “Would that” or “Ah! if only.”

³ tn This is the simple translation of the expression “son of man” in Job. But some commentators wish to change the word בֵּן (ben, “son”) to בֵּין (ben, “between”). It would then be “[as] between a man and [for] his friend.” Even though a few mss have this reading, it is to be rejected. But see J. Barr, “Some Notes on ‘ben’ in Classical Hebrew,” JSS 23 (1978): 1-22.

⁴ tn The verb is supplied from the parallel clause.