33:8 “Indeed, you have said in my hearing 1
(I heard the sound of the words!):
33:9 2 ‘I am pure, without transgression;
I am clean 3 and have no iniquity.
33:10 4 Yet God 5 finds occasions 6 with me;
he regards me as his enemy!
33:11 7 He puts my feet in shackles;
he watches closely all my paths.’
33:12 Now in this, you are not right – I answer you, 8
for God is greater than a human being. 9
1 tn Heb “in my ears.”
2 sn See Job 9:21; 10:7; 23:7; 27:4; ch. 31.
3 tn The word is a hapax legomenon; hap is from חָפַף (khafaf). It is used in New Hebrew in expressions like “to wash” the head. Cognates in Syriac and Akkadian support the meaning “to wash; to clean.”
4 sn See Job 10:13ff.; 19:6ff.; and 13:24.
5 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn The Hebrew means “frustrations” or “oppositions.” The RSV has “displeasure,” NIV “faults,” and NRSV “occasions.” Rashi chose the word found in Judg 14:4 – with metathesis – meaning “pretexts” (תֹּאֲנוֹת, to’anot); this is followed by NAB, NASB.
7 sn See Job 13:27.
8 tn The meaning of this verb is “this is my answer to you.”
9 tc The LXX has “he that is above men is eternal.” Elihu is saying that God is far above Job’s petty problems.