8:15 He leans against his house but it does not hold up, 1
he takes hold 2 of it but it does not stand.
21:17 “How often 3 is the lamp of the wicked extinguished?
How often does their 4 misfortune come upon them?
How often does God apportion pain 5 to them 6 in his anger?
1 tn The verb עָמַד (’amad, “to stand”) is almost synonymous with the parallel קוּם (qum, “to rise; to stand”). The distinction is that the former means “to remain standing” (so it is translated here “hold up”), and the latter “rise, stand up.”
2 sn The idea is that he grabs hold of the house, not to hold it up, but to hold himself up or support himself. But it cannot support him. This idea applies to both the spider’s web and the false security of the pagan.
3 tn The interrogative “How often” occurs only with the first colon; it is supplied for smoother reading in the next two.
4 tn The pronominal suffix is objective; it re-enforces the object of the preposition, “upon them.” The verb in the clause is בּוֹא (bo’) followed by עַל (’al), “come upon [or against],” may be interpreted as meaning attack or strike.
5 tn חֲבָלִים (khavalim) can mean “ropes” or “cords,” but that would not go with the verb “apportion” in this line. The meaning of “pangs (as in “birth-pangs”) seems to fit best here. The wider meaning would be “physical agony.”
6 tn The phrase “to them” is understood and thus is supplied in the translation for clarification.