3:7 Indeed, 1 let that night be barren; 2
let no shout of joy 3 penetrate 4 it!
24:7 They spend the night naked because they lack clothing;
they have no covering against the cold.
27:20 Terrors overwhelm him like a flood; 5
at night a whirlwind carries him off.
29:19 My roots reach the water,
and the dew lies on my branches all night long.
34:25 Therefore, he knows their deeds,
he overthrows them 6 in the night 7
and they are crushed.
35:10 But no one says, ‘Where is God, my Creator,
who gives songs in the night, 8
36:20 Do not long for the cover of night
to drag people away from their homes. 9
1 tn The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “behold”) in this sentence focuses the reader’s attention on the statement to follow.
2 tn The word גַּלְמוּד (galmud) probably has here the idea of “barren” rather than “solitary.” See the parallelism in Isa 49:21. In Job it seems to carry the idea of “barren” in 15:34, and “gloomy” in 30:3. Barrenness can lead to gloom.
3 tn The word is from רָנַן (ranan, “to give a ringing cry” or “shout of joy”). The sound is loud and shrill.
4 tn The verb is simply בּוֹא (bo’, “to enter”). The NIV translates interpretively “be heard in it.” A shout of joy, such as at a birth, that “enters” a day is certainly heard on that day.
5 tn Many commentators want a word parallel to “in the night.” And so we are offered בַּיּוֹם (bayyom, “in the day”) for כַמַּיִם (khammayim, “like waters”) as well as a number of others. But “waters” sometimes stand for major calamities, and so may be retained here. Besides, not all parallel structures are synonymous.
6 tn The direct object “them” is implied and has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
7 tn The Hebrew term “night” is an accusative of time.
8 tn There have been several attempts to emend the line, none of which are particularly helpful or interesting. H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 225) says, “It is a pity to rob Elihu of a poetic line when he creates one.”
9 tn The meaning of this line is difficult. There are numerous suggestions for emending the text. Kissane takes the first verb in the sense of “oppress,” and for “the night” he has “belonging to you,” meaning “your people.” This reads: “Oppress not them that belong not to you, that your kinsmen may mount up in their place.”