5:17 “Therefore, 1 blessed 2 is the man whom God corrects, 3
so do not despise the discipline 4 of the Almighty. 5
6:14 “To the one in despair, kindness 6 should come from his friend 7
even if 8 he forsakes the fear of the Almighty.
13:3 But I wish to speak 9 to the Almighty, 10
and I desire to argue 11 my case 12 with God.
21:15 Who is the Almighty, that 13 we should serve him?
What would we gain
if we were to pray 14 to him?’ 15
22:17 They were saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’ 16
22:23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up; 17
if you remove wicked behavior far from your tent,
22:26 Surely then you will delight yourself 18 in the Almighty,
and will lift up your face toward God.
24:1 “Why are times not appointed by 19 the Almighty? 20
Why do those who know him not see his days?
27:2 “As surely as God lives, 21 who has denied me justice, 22
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter 23 –
27:13 This is the portion of the wicked man
allotted by God, 24
the inheritance that evildoers receive
from the Almighty.
31:2 What then would be one’s lot from God above,
one’s heritage from the Almighty 25 on high?
35:13 Surely it is an empty cry 26 – God does not hear it;
the Almighty does not take notice of it.
40:2 “Will the one who contends 27 with the Almighty correct him? 28
Let the person who accuses God give him an answer!”
1 tn The particle “therefore” links this section to the preceding; it points this out as the logical consequence of the previous discussion, and more generally, as the essence of Job’s suffering.
2 tn The word אַשְׁרֵי (’ashre, “blessed”) is often rendered “happy.” But “happy” relates to what happens. “Blessed” is a reference to the heavenly bliss of the one who is right with God.
3 tn The construction is an implied relative clause. The literal rendering would simply be “the man God corrects him.” The suffix on the verb is a resumptive pronoun, completing the use of the relative clause. The verb יָכַח (yakhakh) is a legal term; it always has some sense of a charge, dispute, or conflict. Its usages show that it may describe a strife breaking out, a charge or quarrel in progress, or the settling of a dispute (Isa 1:18). The derived noun can mean “reproach; recrimination; charge” (13:6; 23:4). Here the emphasis is on the consequence of the charge brought, namely, the correction.
4 tn The noun מוּסַר (musar) is parallel to the idea of the first colon. It means “discipline, correction” (from יָסַר, yasar). Prov 3:11 says almost the same thing as this line.
5 sn The name Shaddai occurs 31 times in the book. This is its first occurrence. It is often rendered “Almighty” because of the LXX and some of the early fathers. The etymology and meaning of the word otherwise remains uncertain, in spite of attempts to connect it to “mountains” or “breasts.”
6 tn In this context חֶסֶד (khesed) could be taken as “loyalty” (“loyalty should be shown by his friend”).
7 tn The Hebrew of this verse is extremely difficult, and while there are many suggestions, none of them has gained a consensus. The first colon simply has “to the despairing // from his friend // kindness.” Several commentators prefer to change the first word לַמָּס (lammas, “to the one in despair”) to some sort of verb; several adopt the reading “the one who withholds/he withholds mercy from his friend forsakes….” The point of the first half of the verse seems to be that one should expect kindness (or loyalty) from a friend in times of suffering.
8 tn The relationship of the second colon to the first is difficult. The line just reads literally “and the fear of the Almighty he forsakes.” The ו (vav) could be interpreted in several different ways: “else he will forsake…,” “although he forsakes…,” “even the one who forsakes…,” or “even if he forsakes…” – the reading adopted here. If the first colon receives the reading “His friend has scorned compassion,” then this clause would be simply coordinated with “and forsakes the fear of the Almighty.” The sense of the verse seems to say that kindness/loyalty should be shown to the despairing, even to the one who is forsaking the fear of the
9 tn The verb is simply the Piel imperfect אֲדַבֵּר (’adabber, “I speak”). It should be classified as a desiderative imperfect, saying, “I desire to speak.” This is reinforced with the verb “to wish, desire” in the second half of the verse.
10 tn The Hebrew title for God here is אֶל־שַׁדַּי (’el shadday, “El Shaddai”).
11 tn The infinitive absolute functions here as the direct object of the verb “desire” (see GKC 340 §113.b).
12 tn The infinitive הוֹכֵחַ (hokheakh) is from the verb יָכַח (yakhakh), which means “to argue, plead, debate.” It has the legal sense here of arguing a case (cf. 5:17).
13 tn The interrogative clause is followed by ki, similar to Exod 5:2, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him?”
14 tn The verb פָּגַע (paga’) means “to encounter; to meet,” but also “to meet with request; to intercede; to interpose.” The latter meaning is a derived meaning by usage.
15 tn The verse is not present in the LXX. It may be that it was considered too blasphemous and therefore omitted.
16 tn The form in the text is “to them.” The LXX and the Syriac versions have “to us.”
17 tc The MT has “you will be built up” (תִּבָּנֶה, tibbaneh). But the LXX has “humble yourself” (reading תְּעַנֶּה [tÿ’anneh] apparently). Many commentators read this; Dahood has “you will be healed.”
18 tc This is the same verb as in Ps 37:4. G. R. Driver suggests the word comes from another root that means “abandon oneself to, depend on” (“Problems in the Hebrew text of Job,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 84).
19 tn The preposition מִן (min) is used to express the cause (see GKC 389 §121.f).
20 tc The LXX reads “Why are times hidden from the Almighty?” as if to say that God is not interested in the events on the earth. The MT reading is saying that God fails to set the times for judgment and vindication and makes good sense as it stands.
21 tn The expression חַי־אֵל (khay-’el) is the oath formula: “as God lives.” In other words, the speaker is staking God’s life on the credibility of the words. It is like saying, “As truly as God is alive.”
22 tn “My judgment” would here, as before, be “my right.” God has taken this away by afflicting Job unjustly (A. B. Davidson, Job, 187).
23 tn The verb הֵמַר (hemar) is the Hiphil perfect from מָרַר (marar, “to be bitter”) and hence, “to make bitter.” The object of the verb is “my soul,” which is better translated as “me” or “my life.”
24 tn The expression “allotted by God” interprets the simple prepositional phrase in the text: “with/from God.”
25 tn Heb “lot of Shaddai,” which must mean “the lot from Shaddai,” a genitive of source.
26 tn Heb “surely – vanity, he does not hear.” The cry is an empty cry, not a prayer to God. Dhorme translates it, “It is a pure waste of words.”
27 tn The form רֹב (rov) is the infinitive absolute from the verb רִיב (riv, “contend”). Dhorme wishes to repoint it to make it the active participle, the “one who argues with the Almighty.”
28 tn The verb יִסּוֹר (yissor) is found only here, but comes from a common root meaning “to correct; to reprove.” Several suggestions have been made to improve on the MT. Dhorme read it יָסוּר (yasur) in the sense of “to turn aside; to yield.” Ehrlich read this emendation as “to come to an end.” But the MT could be read as “to correct; to instruct.”