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.”
9:19 If it is a matter of strength, 3
most certainly 4 he is the strong one!
And if it is a matter of justice,
he will say, ‘Who will summon me?’ 5
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 MT has only “if of strength.”
4 tn “Most certainly” translates the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh).
5 tn The question could be taken as “who will summon me?” (see Jer 49:19 and 50:44). This does not make immediate sense. Some have simply changed the suffix to “who will summon him.” If the MT is retained, then supplying something like “he will say” could make the last clause fit the whole passage. Another option is to take it as “Who will reveal it to me?” – i.e., Job could be questioning his friends’ qualifications for being God’s emissaries to bring God’s charges against him (cf. KJV, NKJV; and see 10:2 where Job uses the same verb in the Hiphil to request that God reveal what his sin has been that has led to his suffering).
sn Job is saying that whether it is a trial of strength or an appeal to justice, he is unable to go against God.