ח (Khet)
4:8 Now their appearance 1 is darker than soot;
they are not recognized in the streets.
Their skin has shriveled on their bones;
it is dried up, like tree bark.
צ (Tsade)
4:18 Our enemies 2 hunted us down at every step 3
so that we could not walk about in our streets.
Our end drew near, our days were numbered, 4
for our end had come!
1 tn Heb “their outline” or “their form.” The Hebrew noun תֹּאַר (to’ar, “outline, form”) is related to the Phoenician noun תֹּאַר (to’ar, “something gazed at”), and Aramaic verb תָּאַר (ta’ar, “to gaze at”). It is used in reference to the form of a woman (Gen 29:17; Deut 21:11; 1 Sam 25:3; Esth 2:7) and of a man (Gen 39:11; Judg 8:18; 1 Sam 16:18; 28:14; 1 Kgs 1:6; 1 Chr 17:17; Isa 52:14; 53:2). Here it is used in a metonymical sense: “appearance.”
2 tn Heb “they”; this has been specified in the translation as “our enemies” for clarity.
3 tn Heb “they hunted our steps.”
4 tn Heb “our days were full.”