Job 8:5

But ¹  if you will look ²  to God, and make your supplication ³  to the Almighty,

2Ch 33:12,13; Job 5:8; Job 11:13; Job 22:21-23,24-30; Isa 55:6,7; Mt 7:7,8; Heb 3:7,8; Jas 4:7-10

¹ tn “But” is supplied to show the contrast between this verse and the preceding line.

² tn The verb שִׁחַר (shikhar) means “to seek; to seek earnestly” (see 7:21). With the preposition אֶל (’el) the verb may carry the nuance of “to address; to have recourse to” (see E. Dhorme, Job, 114). The LXX connected it etymologically to “early” and read, “Be early in prayer to the Lord Almighty.”

³ tn The verb תִּתְחַנָּן (titkhannan) means “to make supplication; to seek favor; to seek grace” (from חָנַן, khanan). Bildad is saying that there is only one way for Job to escape the same fate as his children – he must implore God’s mercy. Job’s speech had spoken about God’s seeking him and not finding him; but Bildad is speaking of the importance of Job’s seeking God.