31:30 I 1 have not even permitted my mouth 2 to sin
by asking 3 for his life through a curse –
34:37 For he adds transgression 4 to his sin;
in our midst he claps his hands, 5
and multiplies his words against God.”
35:6 If you sin, how does it affect God? 6
If your transgressions are many,
what does it do to him? 7
1 tn This verse would then be a parenthesis in which he stops to claim his innocence.
2 tn Heb “I have not given my palate.”
3 tn The infinitive construct with the ל (lamed) preposition (“by asking”) serves in an epexegetical capacity here, explaining the verb of the first colon (“permitted…to sin”). To seek a curse on anyone would be a sin.
4 tn Although frequently translated “rebellion,” the basic meaning of this Hebrew term is “transgression.”
5 tc If this reading stands, it would mean that Job shows contempt, meaning that he mocks them and accuses God. It is a bold touch, but workable. Of the many suggested emendations, Dhorme alters some of the vowels and obtains a reading “and casts doubt among us,” and then takes “transgression” from the first colon for the complement. Some commentators simply delete the line.
6 tn Heb “him” (also in v. 7); the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn See Job 7:20.