49:6 They trust 1 in their wealth
and boast 2 in their great riches.
49:12 but, despite their wealth, people do not last, 3
they are like animals 4 that perish. 5
49:16 Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich 6
and his wealth multiplies! 7
119:36 Give me a desire for your rules, 8
rather than for wealth gained unjustly. 9
1 tn Heb “the ones who trust.” The substantival participle stands in apposition to “those who deceive me” (v. 5).
2 tn The imperfect verbal form emphasizes their characteristic behavior.
3 tn Heb “but mankind in honor does not remain.” The construction vav (ו) + noun at the beginning of the verse can be taken as contrastive in relation to what precedes. The Hebrew term יְקָר (yÿqar, “honor”) probably refers here to the wealth mentioned in the preceding context. The imperfect verbal form draws attention to what is characteristically true. Some scholars emend יָלִין (yalin, “remains”) to יָבִין (yavin, “understands”) but this is an unnecessary accommodation to the wording of v. 20.
4 tn Or “cattle.”
5 tn The verb is derived from דָּמָה (damah, “cease; destroy”; BDB 198 s.v.). Another option is to derive the verb from דָּמָה (“be silent”; see HALOT 225 s.v. II דמה, which sees two homonymic roots [דָּמָה, “be silent,” and דָּמָה, “destroy”] rather than a single root) and translate, “they are like dumb beasts.” This makes particularly good sense in v. 20, where the preceding line focuses on mankind’s lack of understanding.
6 sn When a man becomes rich. Why would people fear such a development? The acquisition of wealth makes individuals powerful and enables them to oppress others (see vv. 5-6).
7 tn Heb “when the glory of his house grows great.”
8 tn Heb “turn my heart to your rules.”
9 tn Heb “and not unjust gain.”