5:20 In time of famine 1 he will redeem you from death,
and in time of war from the power of the sword. 2
21:21 For what is his interest 3 in his home
after his death, 4
when the number of his months
has been broken off? 5
1 sn Targum Job here sees an allusion to the famine of Egypt and the war with Amalek.
2 tn Heb “from the hand of the sword.” This is idiomatic for “the power of the sword.” The expression is also metonymical, meaning from the effect of the sword, which is death.
3 tn Heb “his desire.” The meaning is that after he is gone he does not care about what happens to his household (“house” meaning “family” here).
4 tn Heb “after him,” but clearly the meaning is “after he is gone.”
5 tc The rare word חֻצָּצוּ (khutsatsu) is probably a cognate of hassa in Arabic, meaning “to cut off.” There is also an Akkadian word “to cut in two” and “to break.” These fit the context here rather well. The other Hebrew words that are connected to the root חָצַצ (khatsats) do not offer any help.