3:9 He has blocked 1 every road I take 2 with a wall of hewn stones;
he has made every path impassable. 3
3:32 Though he causes us 4 grief, he then has compassion on us 5
according to the abundance of his loyal kindness. 6
1 tn The verb גָּדַר (garad) has a two-fold range of meanings: (1) “to build up a wall” with stones, and (2) “to block a road” with a wall of stones. The collocated terms דְּרָכַי (dÿrakhay, “my roads”) in 3:9 clearly indicate that the second category of meaning is in view.
2 tn Heb “my roads.”
3 tn Heb “he had made my paths crooked.” The implication is that the paths by which one might escape cannot be traversed.
4 tn Heb “Although he has caused grief.” The word “us” is added in the translation.
5 tn Heb “He will have compassion.” The words “on us” are added in the translation.
6 tc The Kethib preserves the singular form חַסְדּוֹ (khasdo, “his kindness”), also reflected in the LXX and Aramaic Targum. The Qere reads the plural form חֲסָדָיו (khasadayv, “his kindnesses”) which is reflected in the Latin Vulgate.