22:2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit?
Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable? 1
22:3 Is it of any special benefit 2 to the Almighty
that you should be righteous,
or is it any gain to him
that you make your ways blameless? 3
1 tn Some do not take this to be parallel to the first colon, taking this line as a statement, but the parallel expressions here suggest the question is repeated.
2 tn The word חֵפֶץ (khefets) in this passage has the nuance of “special benefit; favor.” It does not just express the desire for something or the interest in it, but the profit one derives from it.
3 tn The verb תַתֵּם (tattem) is the Hiphil imperfect of תָּמַם (tamam, “be complete, finished”), following the Aramaic form of the geminate verb with a doubling of the first letter.