20:11 His bones 1 were full of his youthful vigor, 2
but that vigor will lie down with him in the dust.
33:25 then his flesh is restored 3 like a youth’s;
he returns to the days of his youthful vigor. 4
1 tn “Bones” is often used metonymically for the whole person, the bones being the framework, meaning everything inside, as well as the body itself.
2 sn This line means that he dies prematurely – at the height of his youthful vigor.
3 tc The word רֻטֲפַשׁ (rutafash) is found nowhere else. One suggestion is that it should be יִרְטַב (yirtav, “to become fresh”), connected to רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered [or moist]”). It is also possible that it was a combination of רָטַב (ratav, “to be well watered”) and טָפַשׁ (tafash, “to grow fat”). But these are all guesses in the commentaries.
4 tn The word describes the period when the man is healthy and vigorous, ripe for what life brings his way.