34:9 For he says, ‘It does not profit a man
when he makes his delight with God.’ 1
35:3 But you say, ‘What will it profit you,’ 2
and, ‘What do I gain by not sinning?’ 3
1 tn Gordis, however, takes this expression in the sense of “being in favor with God.”
2 tn The referent of “you” is usually understood to be God.
3 tn The Hebrew text merely says, “What do I gain from my sin?” But Job has claimed that he has not sinned, and so this has to be elliptical: “more than if I had sinned” (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 224). It could also be, “What do I gain without sin?”