18:6 The light in his tent grows dark;
his lamp above him is extinguished. 1
19:5 If indeed 2 you would exalt yourselves 3 above me
and plead my disgrace against me, 4
1 tn The LXX interprets a little more precisely: “his lamp shall be put out with him.”
sn This thesis of Bildad will be questioned by Job in 21:17 – how often is the lamp of the wicked snuffed out?
2 tn The introductory particles repeat אָמְנָם (’amnam, “indeed”) but now with אִם (’im, “if”). It could be interpreted to mean “is it not true,” or as here in another conditional clause.
3 tn The verb is the Hiphil of גָּדַל (gadal); it can mean “to make great” or as an internal causative “to make oneself great” or “to assume a lofty attitude, to be insolent.” There is no reason to assume another root here with the meaning of “quarrel” (as Gordis does).
4 sn Job’s friends have been using his shame, his humiliation in all his sufferings, as proof against him in their case.