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1And Job took up his discourse again:[#tn The Hebrew word מָשָׁל (mashal) is characteristically “proverb; by-word.” It normally refers to a brief saying, but can be used for a discourse (see A. R. Johnson, “MasŒal,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 162ff.).]
2“As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice,[#tn The expression חַי־אֵל (khay-’el) is the oath formula: “as God lives.” In other words, the speaker is staking God’s life on the credibility of the words. It is like saying, “As truly as God is alive.”; #tn “My judgment” would here, as before, be “my right.” God has taken this away by afflicting Job unjustly (A. B. Davidson, Job, 187).]
the Almighty, who has made my life bitter –
3for while my spirit is still in me,[#tn The adverb עוֹד (’od) was originally a noun, and so here it could be rendered “all the existence of my spirit.” The word comes between the noun in construct and its actual genitive (see GKC 415 §128.e).; #tn The word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah) is the “breath” that was breathed into Adam in Gen 2:7. Its usage includes the animating breath, the spiritual understanding, and the functioning conscience – so the whole spirit of the person. The other word in this verse, רוּחַ (ruakh), may be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit/Spirit” depending on the context. Here, since it talks about the nostrils, it should be translated “breath.”]
and the breath from God is in my nostrils,
4my lips will not speak wickedness,[#tn The verse begins with אִם (’im), the formula used for the content of the oath (“God lives…if I do/do not…”). Thus, the content of the oath proper is here in v. 4.]
and my tongue will whisper no deceit.
5I will never declare that you three are in the right;[#tn The text uses חָלִילָה לִּי (khalilah li) meaning “far be it from me,” or more strongly, something akin to “sacrilege.”; #tn In the Hebrew text “you” is plural – a reference to Eliphaz, Zophar, and Bildad. To make this clear, “three” is supplied in the translation.]
until I die, I will not set aside my integrity!
6I will maintain my righteousness
and never let it go;
my conscience will not reproach me
for as long as I live.
7“May my enemy be like the wicked,[#sn Of course, he means like his enemy when he is judged, not when he is thriving in prosperity and luxury.]
my adversary like the unrighteous.
8For what hope does the godless have when he is cut off,[#tn The verb יִבְצָע (yivtsa’) means “to cut off.” It could be translated transitively or intransitively – the latter is better here (“when he is cut off”). Since the next line speaks of prayer, some have thought this verse should be about prayer. Mandelkern, in his concordance (p. 228b), suggested the verb should be “when he prays” (reading יִפְגַּע [yifga’] in place of יִבְצָע [yivtsa’]).]
when God takes away his life?
9Does God listen to his cry
when distress overtakes him?
10Will he find delight in the Almighty?[#tn See the note on 22:26 where the same verb is employed.]
Will he call out to God at all times?
11I will teach you about the power of God;[#tn The object suffix is in the plural, which gives some support to the idea Job is speaking to them.; #tn Heb “the hand of.”]
What is on the Almighty’s mind I will not conceal.
12If you yourselves have all seen this,
Why in the world do you continue this meaningless talk?
13This is the portion of the wicked man
allotted by God,
the inheritance that evildoers receive
from the Almighty.
14If his children increase – it is for the sword![#tn R. Gordis (Job, 294) identifies this as a breviloquence. Compare Ps 92:8 where the last two words also constitute the apodosis.]
His offspring never have enough to eat.
15Those who survive him are buried by the plague,[#tn The text says “will be buried in/by death.” A number of passages in the Bible use “death” to mean the plague that kills (see Jer 15:2; Isa 28:3; and BDB 89 s.v. בְּ 2.a). In this sense it is like the English expression for the plague, “the Black Death.”]
and their widows do not mourn for them.
16If he piles up silver like dust
and stores up clothing like mounds of clay,
17what he stores up a righteous man will wear,[#tn The text simply repeats the verb from the last clause. It could be treated as a separate short clause: “He may store it up, but the righteous will wear it. But it also could be understood as the object of the following verb, “[what] he stores up the righteous will wear.” The LXX simply has, “All these things shall the righteous gain.”]
and an innocent man will inherit his silver.
18The house he builds is as fragile as a moth’s cocoon,[#tn Heb כָעָשׁ (kha’ash, “like a moth”), but this leaves room for clarification. Some commentators wanted to change it to “bird’s nest” or just “nest” (cf. NRSV) to make the parallelism; see Job 4:14. But the word is not found. The LXX has a double expression, “as moths, as a spider.” So several take it as the spider’s web, which is certainly unsubstantial (cf. NAB, NASB, NLT; see Job 8:14).]
like a hut that a watchman has made.
19He goes to bed wealthy, but will do so no more.[#tc The verb is the Niphal יֵאָסֵף (ye’asef), from אָסַף (’asaf, “to gather”). So, “he lies down rich, but he is not gathered.” This does not make much sense. It would mean “he will not be gathered for burial,” but that does not belong here. Many commentators accept the variant יֹאסִף (yo’sif) stood for יוֹסִיף (yosif, “will [not] add”). This is what the LXX and the Syriac have. This leads to the interpretive translation that “he will do so no longer.”]
When he opens his eyes, it is all gone.
20Terrors overwhelm him like a flood;[#tn Many commentators want a word parallel to “in the night.” And so we are offered בַּיּוֹם (bayyom, “in the day”) for כַמַּיִם (khammayim, “like waters”) as well as a number of others. But “waters” sometimes stand for major calamities, and so may be retained here. Besides, not all parallel structures are synonymous.]
at night a whirlwind carries him off.
21The east wind carries him away, and he is gone;
it sweeps him out of his place.
22It hurls itself against him without pity[#tn The verb is once again functioning in an adverbial sense. The text has “it hurls itself against him and shows no mercy.”]
as he flees headlong from its power.
23It claps its hands at him in derision[#tn If the same subject is to be carried through here, it is the wind. That would make this a bold personification, perhaps suggesting the force of the wind. Others argue that it is unlikely that the wind claps its hands. They suggest taking the verb with an indefinite subject: “he claps” means “one claps. The idea is that of people rejoicing when the wicked are gone. But the parallelism is against this unless the second line is changed as well. R. Gordis (Job, 296) has “men will clap their hands…men will whistle upon him.”]
and hisses him away from his place.