7:21 And why do you not pardon my transgression,
and take away my iniquity?
For now I will lie down in the dust, 1
and you will seek me diligently, 2
but I will be gone.”
24:24 They are exalted for a little while,
and then they are gone, 3
they are brought low 4 like all others,
and gathered in, 5
and like a head of grain they are cut off.’ 6
1 tn The LXX has, “for now I will depart to the earth.”
2 tn The verb שָׁחַר (shakhar) in the Piel has been translated “to seek early in the morning” because of the possible link with the word “dawn.” But the verb more properly means “to seek diligently” (by implication).
3 tn The Hebrew throughout this section (vv. 18-24) interchanges the singular and the plural. Here again we have “they are exalted…but he is not.” The verse is clear nonetheless: the wicked rise high, and then suddenly they are gone.
4 tn The verb is the Hophal of the rare verb מָכַךְ (makhakh), which seems to mean “to bend; to collapse.” The text would read “they are made to collapse like all others.” There is no reason here to change “like others” just because the MT is banal. But many do, following the LXX with “like mallows.” The LXX was making a translation according to sense. R. Gordis (Job, 271) prefers “like grass.”
5 tn The verb קָפַץ (qafats) actually means “to shut in,” which does not provide exactly the idea of being gathered, not directly at least. But a change to קָטַף (qataf, “pluck”) while attractive, is not necessary.
6 sn This marks the end of the disputed section, taken here to be a quotation by Job of their sentiments.