Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
A fourth friend named Elihu is introduced. Elihu has been listening to the friends’ speeches without taking part, and he tells them he is ready to speak up.

II. Photo
Elihu is eager to speak: “For I am full of words; The wind in my belly presses me. My belly is like wine not yet opened, Like jugs of new wine ready to burst. Let me speak, then, and get relief; Let me open my lips and reply.” (vv. 18-20)

III. Important Verses
vv. 2-3: Then Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was angry — angry at Job because he thought himself right against God. He was angry as well at his three friends, because they found no reply, but merely condemned Job.
vv. 7-10: I thought, “Let age speak; Let advanced years declare wise things.” But truly it is the spirit in men, The breath of Shaddai, that gives them understanding. It is not the aged who are wise, The elders, who understand how to judge. Therefore I say, “Listen to me; I too would hold forth.”
v. 13: I fear you will say, “We have found the wise course; God will defeat him, not man.”
vv. 21-22:  I would not show regard for any man, Or temper my speech for anyone’s sake; For I do not know how to temper my speech — My Maker would soon carry me off!

IV. Outline
1-6a. Introduction
6b-14. Elihu’s addresses the friends
15-22. Elihu addresses Job

V. Comment
The reader is introduced to Elihu in ch. 32 (vv. 1-5). Elihu tells his friends that he has remained silent out of deference to their age, but it has come time for him to speak up (vv. 6-14). He then introduces himself to Job (vv. 15-22). In terms of structure, the prose introduction in vv. 1-5 is similar to that of 2:11-13: both introductions describe the speakers’ family descent (cf. 32:2, 2:11), a preliminary state of silence (cf. 32:4, 2:13), the reason for that silence (cf. 32:4, 2:13), and the reason for breaking that silence (cf. 32:2-3, 2:12). Also, Elihu’s speech is similar to others in that he begins by mentioning the words/speech of his predecessors (vv. 7, 11-12, 16). For similar verses, see 4:2, 8:2, 9:2, 11:2–3, 15:2–3, 16:2–3, 18:2, 20:2, 21:2, 34:2, 36:2, and 38:2.

In v. 2 we are introduced to Elihu as “Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram.” The name Elihu belongs to four other characters in Tanakh (cf. 1 Sam 1:1, 1 Chr. 27:18, 1 Chr. 12:21, 1 Chr. 26:7). While many commentators try to find a hidden meaning in Elihu’s name, his location is much more important. In the comment to chapter 1 it was pointed out that Job and the three friends probably lived in Edom. Elihu, who comes from Buz, is no exception. The city of Buz is mentioned in Jer. 25:23, a passage about the people of Edom, Ammon, and Moab: “Dedan, Tema, and Buz, and all those who have their hair clipped.” Both Dedan and Tema were towns in Edom, and it seems that Elihu was an Edomite.

Crenshaw writes that, “More critical problems surround the book of Job than perhaps any other book of the [Hebrew Bible]. Many of these problems relate to the structure of the book itself.” (“Job, the Book of” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. III, pp. 858-868) Many critical issues arose in the past few chapters (cf. the comment to chaps. 24, 26, 27, 28), and the Elihu speeches are no exception. Crenshaw writes, “The nature and function of the Elihu speeches (chaps. 32–37) are problematic. Are these speeches secondary or original? Most scholars opt for the former, pointing out that their appearance breaks an otherwise clear pattern: Job never replies to Elihu, and in the epilogue neither God nor the narrator acknowledges his presence and participation in the dialogue (as they do Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar; 42:7–9). Indeed, the speeches seem intrusive—something even Elihu must apologetically admit (32:6–22): they delay the smooth movement from Job’s plea that God appear and respond (chap. 31) to God’s actual appearance and response (chap. 38).”

Yet, scholars such as Clines and Hakham do not view Elihu’s speeches to be a later edition. Clines makes two important points (p. 709): “(1) an editor capable of inserting the Elihu speeches in an existing book of Job would be capable also of making minimal adjustments to prologue and epilogue to incorporate his character with the framework of the book. The absence of Elihu from the framework is a problem for any view of the composition of the book. (2) A judgement of the dramatic dynamics of the book is a matter of opinion. Many have found the delay between Job’s final speech and the reply of [God] from the tempest exceedingly effective and tantalizing….” Clines ends firmly, stating that “debate over authorship seems rather futile.”

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Sefer Iyov (Daat Mikra [Hebrew])
Crenshaw, “Job, the Book of” (Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. III, pp. 858-868)
Photo taken from  http://winestudioone.com/images/WineBarrels300.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job ends his last speech defiantly. He recites a list of sins that he swears he did not commit, and expresses a futile wish to vindicate himself before God.

II. Photo
Not only does Job claim to be innocent, he asserts that God knew it all along: “Surely He observes my ways, Takes account of my every step.” (v. 4)

III. Important Verses
vv. 9-10: If my heart was ravished by the wife of my neighbor, And I lay in wait at his door, May my wife grind for another, May others kneel over her!
vv. 19-20: I never saw an unclad wretch, A needy man without clothing, Whose loins did not bless me As he warmed himself with the shearings of my sheep.
vv. 24-25: Did I put my reliance on gold, Or regard fine gold as my bulwark? Did I rejoice in my great wealth, In having attained plenty?
vv. 26-28: If ever I saw the light shining, The moon on its course in full glory, And I secretly succumbed, And my hand touched my mouth in a kiss, That, too, would have been a criminal offense, For I would have denied God above.
v. 32: No sojourner spent the night in the open; I opened my doors to the road.

IV. Outline
1-32. Oath of innocence (approximately 12 sins are listed)
33-34. Oath of transparency
35-37. Wish to testify his innocence before God
38-40ab. Final oath
40c. Conclusion

V. Comment
Job 31 is the final section of Job’s final speech. Job lists many sins (approximately 10-15, depending on how you break them up), and swears that he did not commit any of them (vv. 1-34). He then expresses a futile wish to testify before God (vv. 35-37), and ends with a final oath (vv. 38-40). In terms of form/structure, the chapter is dominated by the oath formulas ’im and and ’im lo’ which occur 17 times (vv. 5, 7, 9, 13, 16, 19, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 29, 31, 33, 36, 38, 39). This chapter stands alone in Tanakh in terms of the number of oaths it contains; no other chapter even comes close.

In term of the tone of Job’s final speech, Clines writes (p. 1011): “As Job’s final speech now moves into its third movement, the tone changes dramatically. In the first movement (chap. 29) he had been nostalgic, in the second (chap. 30) bitter, but now in the third he rises again to the challenge his treatment by God has set him. Here the tone is from the beginning a more confident, more aggressive one. Now he will take matters into his own hand with an oath of exculpation, which will testify that there is no reason in himself for God’s attack on him, and that, by implication, God has acted arbitrarily or even unjustly toward him.”

The dominating theme of the chapter is the oath formulas im and im lo’, which, as mentioned above, occur 17 times in the chapter. Job uses these terms to swear that he did not commit a sin. Hakham points out that these terms imply an accompanying curse which is sometimes enumerated and sometimes omitted. For example, while there is no accompanying curse after the oaths in vv. 5 and 13, Job elucidates the curse that should befall him if he had hit an orphan (vv. 21-22): “If I raised my hand against the fatherless, Looking to my supporters in the gate, May my arm drop off my shoulder; My forearm break off at the elbow.”

Amongst the sins that Job mentions are lust (vv. 1-4), associating with lawless men (vv. 5-6), greed/robbery (vv. 7-8), adultery (vv. 9-12), maltreatment of slaves (vv. 13-15), maltreatment of the poor (vv. 16-23), excessive trust in one’s possessions (vv. 24-25), moon worship (vv. 26-28), excessive hate of an enemy (vv. 29-30), and inhospitality (vv. 31-32). (For a similar breakdown, see Fohrer quoted in Clines, p. 1013.) While there are many reasons to believe that Job was not an Israelite (he seems to come from Edom, see comment to ch. 1), one might ask, “What is the relationship between the sins enumerated here and the Pentateuchal laws?” While Hakham believes that Job kept all of the Pentateuchal laws (this chapter, according to Hakham, gives examples of the laws that Job kept), it is entirely possible that the list is not a reflection of Pentateuchal law. Needless to say, more analysis is required.

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Sefer Iyov (Daat Mikra [Hebrew])
Photo taken from http://mt.odds-and-ends.net/yap/archives/footprints.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job laments how he has become a laughingstock to his neighbors. He then turns to God and expresses his sorrow.

II. Photo
Job laments what has happened to him: “I have become a brother to jackals…” (v. 29)

III. Important Verses
v. 1: But now those younger than I deride me, [Men] whose fathers I would have disdained to put among my sheep dogs.
vv. 9-10: Now I am the butt of their gibes; I have become a byword to them. They abhor me; they keep their distance from me; They do not withhold spittle from my face.
v. 18: With great effort I change clothing; The neck of my tunic fits my waist.
vv. 20-21: I cry out to You, but You do not answer me; I wait, but You do [not] consider me. You have become cruel to me; With Your powerful hand You harass me.
vv. 25-26: Did I not weep for the unfortunate? Did I not grieve for the needy? I looked forward to good fortune, but evil came; I hoped for light, but darkness came.

IV. Outline
1-15. Even men of low stature mock Job
16-19. Job’s pitiful state
20-31. Petition/accusation/lament

V. Comment
Chapter 30 is the second part of Job’s final speech. While he described the “good old days” in the previous chapter, here he describes his present wretched state (vv. 1-19). He then turns to God and expresses his frustrations and his sorrow (vv. 20-31). In terms of genre, the chapter has many similarities to the complaint/petition genre found in the book of psalms. For example, Job describes his enemies (human in vv. 9-14 and divine in vv. 18-23), a common element in the complaint/petition genre. In terms of form/structure, note the three instances of ve‘attah in vv. 1, 9, and 16.

Job begins his lament in v. 1: “But now those younger than I deride me, [Men] whose fathers I would have disdained to put among my sheep dogs.” Clines writes (p. 996): “Now he is dishonored, derided even by his inferiors. It is, evidently, bad enough to be scorned by one’s peers or one’s superiors, but to be derided by one’s inferiors is a double tribulation.” As one might expect, to call a man a dog is a way of belittling him in the Hebrew Bible. For example, see 1 Sam. 17:43: “And the Philistine called out to David, ‘Am I a dog that you come against me with sticks?’ The Philistine cursed David by his gods.” Also see 2 Kings 8:13: “‘But how,’ asked Hazael, ‘can your servant, who is a mere dog, perform such a mighty deed?’ Elisha replied, ‘The LORD has shown me a vision of you as king of Aram.’” Also see 2 Sam. 3:8.

Vv. 25-26 are the reason for Job’s despondency: “Did I not weep for the unfortunate? Did I not grieve for the needy? I looked forward to good fortune, but evil came; I hoped for light, but darkness came.” Clines quotes Rowley as saying (p. 1009): “While Job disputes the view of the friends that virtue leads to happiness, he shares with them the view that it ought to.” In other words, Job wanted the friends to be correct so that he could live a peaceful life, but his life experiences have proved them wrong. For verses which utilize a similar light/dark metaphor as v. 26, see Jer. 13:16, “Give honor to the LORD your God Before He brings darkness, Before your feet stumble On the mountains in shadow — When you hope for light, And it is turned to darkness And becomes deep gloom,” and Isa. 59:9, “That is why redress is far from us, And vindication does not reach us. We hope for light, and lo! there is darkness; For a gleam, and we must walk in gloom.”

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Sefer Iyov (Daat Mikra [Hebew])
Photo taken from  http://www.digitalapoptosis.com/archives/NY/jackals.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job recalls the “good old days,” a time when he was respected and happy.
II. Photo
Job speaks about the good deeds he once performed: “I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame.” (v. 15)

III. Important Verses
vv. 2-5: O that I were as in months gone by, In the days when God watched over me, When His lamp shone over my head, When I walked in the dark by its light, When I was in my prime, When God’s company graced my tent, When Shaddai was still with me, When my lads surrounded me
vv. 7-8: When I passed through the city gates To take my seat in the square, Young men saw me and hid, Elders rose and stood.
vv. 14-16: I clothed myself in righteousness and it robed me; Justice was my cloak and turban. I was eyes to the blind And feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy, And I looked into the case of the stranger.
v. 21, 25: Men would listen to me expectantly, And wait for my counsel… I decided their course and presided over them; I lived like a king among his troops, Like one who consoles mourners.

IV. Outline
1. Introduction
2-11. Job was once happy and respected
12-17. Job helped the downtrodden
18-20. Job anticipated a long and happy life
21-15. Men viewed Job as their leader

V. Comment
Job’s final speech has three components, and each component takes up a single chapter. Job begins his speech by reflecting on the “good old days,” a time when he was happy and respected (vv. 2-11). He also describes how he helped the downtrodden (vv. 12-17), expected to live a joyous life (vv. 18-20), and was a leader amongst his people. While it seems that Job is speaking to himself in ch. 29, he will eventually turn to God in chapter 30.

In terms of form/structure, Clines writes (p. 978): “The speech is striking from-critically speaking for its novelties. In chap. 29 the first person description of an experience, the predominant form, is almost unparalleled in the Hebrew Bible.” He goes on to cite similar passages such as Song 3:1-4, 5:2-7, and the communal psalms 105 and 106. The chapter also shares some language with the book of Psalms. For example, v. 3 says, “When His lamp shone over my head, When I walked in the dark by its light,” and Ps. 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, a light for my path.”

In v. 18 Job says: “I thought I would end my days with my family, And be as long-lived as the chol.” What does chol mean? Hakham points to two possible definitions. The first is “sand,” and the verse means “I will increase your days to be like the days of the sand on the seashore, which remains there forever” (p. 222, translation my own). For support, Hakham points to a verse which equates sand with eternity. Jer. 5:22 says, “Should you not revere Me — says the LORD — Should you not tremble before Me, Who set the sand as a boundary to the sea, As a limit for all time, not to be transgressed? Though its waves toss, they cannot prevail; Though they roar, they cannot pass it.” The strength in this translation is that the word chol means sand, just like the other 22 occurrences of the word in Tanakh.
The second possible translation for chol is “phoenix.” Hakham notes that B. Sanhedrin 108 speaks of a bird named “chol” which lived for a thousand years. This bird, called the phoenix in Greek and Latin, was an international symbol for long life (see ABD, “Phoenix,” Vol. V 363-365). Our verse would accordingly mean “may you be as long-lived as the phoenix.” While Bibles such as NJPS translate this way, Hakham points out that “there is no definitive proof” for such a translation. Indeed, he chooses the first explanation for his commentary, and only mentions the second in a footnote (fn. 21).

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Sefer Iyov (Daat Mikra [Hebrew])
Alderink, “Phoenix” in Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. V pp. 363-365
Photo taken from  http://churchtithesandofferings.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/12/blind1.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job praises mankind for its ability to mine precious materials from distant lands. He goes on to explain that Wisdom cannot be found using normal methods because it comes from God himself.

II. Photo
Job describes the incalculable value of wisdom: “Gold or glass cannot match its value, Nor vessels of fine gold be exchanged for it.” (v. 17)

III. Important Verses
vv. 7-11: No bird of prey knows the path to it; The falcon’s eye has not gazed upon it. The proud beasts have not reached it; The lion has not crossed it. Man sets his hand against the flinty rock And overturns mountains by the roots. He carves out channels through rock; His eyes behold every precious thing. He dams up the sources of the streams So that hidden things may be brought to light.
vv. 12-14: But where can wisdom be found; Where is the source of understanding? No man can set a value on it; It cannot be found in the land of the living. The deep says, “It is not in me”; The sea says, “I do not have it.”

IV. Outline
1-11. Man has found precious gems in distant lands
12-14. Wisdom cannot be found
15-19. Wisdom cannot be bought
20-27. Wisdom is with God
28. Fear of the Lord is Wisdom

V. Comment
In his tenth speech, Job gives an elaborate description of the precious metals and stones that humans mine from the earth (vv. 1-11). He praises man for his exalted status over the animals; the animals do not know how to find the treasures that man digs out of the ground. However, for all of man’s accomplishments, he does not know how to acquire wisdom (vv. 12-19). At the end of the day, Wisdom belongs to God (vv. 20-27), and God explains, “See! Fear of the Lord is wisdom; To shun evil is understanding” (v. 28). This chapter, which is a paean to wisdom, has many parallels to the book of Proverbs. For one example, see v. 18 which says, “Coral and crystal cannot be mentioned with it; A pouch of wisdom is better than rubies,” and Prov. 8:11 which says, “For wisdom is better than rubies; No goods can equal her.”

The major question regarding ch. 28 is, “Why is Job glorifying Wisdom at this point?” Also, “What exactly is the point of this passage?” Just as we did in the previous chapter, let us now analyze two approaches to answering these questions. We will call the first approach “traditional,” and the second “critical.” Due to its complexity, more attention will be paid to the critical approach.

Hakham takes a traditional approach. He explains that Job is arguing with the friends about the meaning of “Wisdom.” The friends have repeatedly made appeals to wisdom/tradition in their speeches (cf. 20:4-5, 8:8-10, 15:17-19, etc.), and Job thinks they have misunderstood the term. Job asserts that there are three types of Wisdom: (a) technological sophistication, (b) “fear of the Lord,” and (c) an understanding of why God treats people unfairly. Job explains, according to Hakham, that man has acquired the first type of wisdom (he can mine precious stones from the ground), knows about the second (God revealed it to him in v. 28), but cannot understand the third type (which will forever remain elusive). Hakham writes (p. 218, translation my own): “Job is not belittling the fear [of God]; he had taken a solemn oath at the beginning of the speech to adhere to it his entire life. Rather, he is claiming that ‘fear’ does not include the wisdom relating to God’s control of the world. This is the point of departure from his friends, and it is here that he defeats them.”

The strength in Hakham’s argument is that he is dealing with the text as it stands. Yet, in spite of the Masoretic Text, many scholars attempt to rearrange the third cycle of speeches. Clines writes (p. 908): “As the book of Job stands, this chapter forms the second part of the speech assigned to Job in chaps. 27-28. But we have seen good evidence for doubting that chap. 27 as a whole is Job’s, and have assigned vv 7-23 (with the exception of vv 11-12) to Zophar as his final speech…. Likewise, chap. 28 is almost universally denied to Job… mainly because there is no conceivable reason why Job should suddenly launch into a didactic speech about wisdom.”

The major questions that Clines then deals with are: (a) If this isn’t Job’s speech, whose is it? and (b) What is it doing here? He writes (p. 908-909): “To meet these difficulties (and others), a new proposal is made in this commentary, to regard the Elihu speeches (chaps. 32-37) as having been wrongly transposed from their original position before chap. 28. Originally, the theory is, when all three friends had finished speaking (at the end of chap. 27), Elihu interposed his own contribution – in agreement with the preface to Elihu’s speeches, which says that it was when the three friends ceased to answer Job that Elihu intervened, having waited to speak until they had finished because they were older than he (32:1-6). Elihu’s four speeches would have concluded with chap. 28, and that would have been followed by Job’s final speech in chaps. 29-31. Job’s concluding declaration of innocence (chap. 31) and his summons to the Almighty to answer him (31:35) would have been followed immediately by the speeches of [God] from the tempest (chaps. 38-41).” For support, Clines notes that Elihu is the character most concerned with wisdom; Elihu uses the term hakham/hokhma “wise/wisdom” twelve out of the twenty eight times that it appears in the book.

The self-acknowledged weakness in Clines’ approach is its inherent speculativeness. He writes (pp. 628-629): “We can never be sure, of course, whether our modern rearrangements of the order of the text successfully restore the attributions of speeches in the original text in its final form, especially when the speeches of the three friends have so much in common; but it is necessary for the sake of the exegesis to make decisions, right or wrong, about who is speaking at any point.”  Yet, in a creative thought experiment, he tries to explain how chapter 28 might have been transposed from what he believes to be its proper place. He writes (p. 909): “How could the disarrangement of the Elihu speeches have come about? We cannot know what the actual cause was, but it is helpful to recognize the kind of accident that could have befallen the text in the process of transmission. We could take as our model for a copy of Job the great Isaiah scroll from Qumran, written in columns on sheets of sheepskin, sewn together edge to edge to create the scroll. Each strip or sheet of skin contains either 3 or 4 columns of text, and columns are typically 29 lines long. There are 53.6 columns, each containing on average 316 words. Now if the book of Job were written on such a scroll, it would occupy about 26.6 columns. Chaps. 1-27 (5001 words) would have taken just 16 columns (on 4 sheets of sheepskin with 4 columns each, or else on 4 sheets with 3 columns each plus 1 sheet with 4 columns), chaps. 32-37 (1,284 words) 4 columns, chaps. 28-31 (913 words) 3 columns, and chaps. 38-42 (1,146 words) 4 columns, the last being 0.6 full. If by accident the sheet containing the 4 columns of chaps. 32-37 were sewn in after, instead of before, the sheet with the 3 columns of chaps. 28-31, the result would be the book in the form we now have. We would have to suppose that this disarranged manuscript became the ancestor of the Masoretic text, and so perhaps that the accident happened at an early stage in the transmission of the text. We should also need to suppose that in our putative manuscript 3 sheets began with the first verses of chaps. 28, 32, and 38, respectively.”

To sum up, there are two general approaches to explaining the difficulties found in the third cycle of speeches. The traditional approach attempts to interpret the difficulties that the Masoretic text presents, but the critical approach attempts to reconstruct the Masoretic text in order to make it as coherent as possible.
On a final note, v. 13 says that wisdom cannout be found be’eretz hachayim “in the land of the living.” What does this mean? The term is often used as a contrast to Sheol “the abode of the dead.” For example, see Ezek. 26:20: “Then I will bring you down, with those who go down to the Pit, to the people of old. I will install you in the netherworld, with those that go down to the Pit, like the ruins of old, so that you shall not be inhabited and shall not radiate splendor in the land of the living.” Yet, here it is contrasted with the tehom “deep” and the yam “sea.” It thus proably means “dry land,” i.e. a place that people can inhabit.

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Job (Daat Mikra [Hebrew])
Photo taken from  http://www.aandjantiques.net/Glasses_1B.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job defends his innocence and describes how wicked people are doomed to suffer.

II. Photo
Job describes what happens to the possessions of the wicked: “Should he lay up clothing like dirt — He may lay it up, but the righteous will wear it.” (vv. 16b, 17a)

III. Important Verses
vv. 13-15: This is the evil man’s portion from God, The lot that the ruthless receive from Shaddai: Should he have many sons — they are marked for the sword; His descendants will never have their fill of bread; Those who survive him will be buried in a plague, And their widows will not weep.
vv. 18-19: The house he built is like a bird’s nest, Like the booth a watchman makes. He lies down, a rich man, with his wealth intact; When he opens his eyes it is gone.

IV. Outline
1. Introduction
2-6. Assertion of innocence
7-23. The wicked are doomed

V. Comment
Job begins his tenth speech by asserting his innocence (vv. 2-6). Then, in an unexpected turn of events, he delivers a discourse about how the wicked are doomed (vv. 7-23). The major question is, “Why would Job, a man who believes that being wicked leads to prosperity (cf. ch. 24), deliver a speech which is appropriate for his friends to give (cf. 4:7-11, 8:3-19, 11:20, 15:17-35, etc.)?” Also, in the previous two cycles of dialogue, Zophar spoke after Eliphaz and Bildad. Yet, this is Job’s second speech in a row, and Zophar does not speak at all. Why? Let us now explore two approaches to these questions, one which we will call “traditional” and the other which we will call “critical”.

Hakham takes the traditional approach in answering these two questions. In regards to Zophar’s silence, he writes (p. 217, translation my own), “When it came the time for Zophar to speak, he was silent. Yet, the silence of Zophar and the friends was not a concession that Job was correct… [Rather, once Bildad had pointed out that nobody is perfect before God] there was no more need to debate Job, for his arguments were now rendered null and void. Therefore, the friends thought it best to be quiet.” Thus, according to Hakham, Zophar made a calculated decision to remain silent; speaking wouldn’t advance his cause. Also, Hakham attempts to explain why Job speaks about the impending doom of the wicked (p. 202): Job is describing the friends themselves. In other words, Job is cursing his friends for the way that they have treated him.

Clines opts for a more critical approach. He writes (p. 661): “The view that has been favored in this commentary is that, although the Masoretic text ascribes 27:7-23 to Job, these verses (with the exception of vv 11-12) in fact constitute the last speech of Zophar, which is otherwise entirely missing from the book… The other main element of Zophar’s third speech, as here reconstructed, is the strophe 24:18-24, which has been retrieved from Job’s eighth, and located after 27:17.” (In regards to 24:18-24, see the commentary to chapter 24.) This approach answers the two questions as follows: (a) Job does not completely change his outlook – this is not his speech , and (b) Zophar does have a speech, but it was lost in the transmission of the text. For interesting parallels between this speech and Zophar’s previous speeches, compare vv. 14-15 with 20:26, v. 20 with 20:28, and the nearly identical v. 13 and 20:29. Yet, it is important to point out Clines’ self-acknowledged speculation (pp. 628-629): “We can never be sure, of course, whether our modern rearrangements of the order of the text successfully restore the attributions of speeches in the original text in its final form, especially when the speeches of the three friends have so much in common; but it is necessary for the sake of the exegesis to make decisions, right or wrong, about who is speaking at any point.” (For more about Clines and other scholars rearrangement of the third cycle of speeches, see my comment to chaps. 24, 25, 26, and 28.)

Whether chapter 27 was originally Job’s words or not, v. 1 says the following: “Job again took up his theme (se’et meshalo) and said…” What exactly is a mashal? Fox writes (Proverbs 1-9, p. 54), “The word mashal is applied to a great range of utterances, from one-line adages to extended poems. ‘From evil comes forth evil’ (1 Sam 24:13) is [called] a mashal, but so is the allegory describing the great eagle (Ezek 17:1-10). It does not designate a single genre or category… The word has two distinct meanings: (a) A trope. A trope is a word, statement, or image displaced from its primary, surface meaning so as to represent something else, by virtue of an imputed similarity. (b) A saying that has currency among the people. This is its sense in Proverbs (1:1, 6; 10:1; 25:1; 26:7, 9).” Here the meaning seems to be a trope, much like the usage in the Balaam story (cf. Num. 23:7, 18; 24: 3, 15, 20, 21, 23). Note how in the Balaam story the word se’et appears before each occurrence of the word mashal.

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Job (Daat Mikra [Hebrew])
Fox, Proverbs 1-9 (Anchor Bible)
Photo taken from http://www.mccullagh.org/db9/3/clothes-stall-2.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job praises God for dominating nature and destroying the mythical creatures.
II. Photo
Job praises God: “The pillars of heaven tremble, Astounded at His blast. By His power He stilled the sea…” (vv. 11-12a)

III. Important Verses
vv. 2-3: You would help without having the strength; You would deliver with arms that have no power. Without having the wisdom, you offer advice And freely give your counsel.
v. 14: These are but glimpses of His rule, The mere whisper that we perceive of Him; Who can absorb the thunder of His mighty deeds?

IV. Outline
1. Introduction
2-4. Opening remarks
5-14. Hymnic praise

V. Comment
Chapter 26 is Job’s ninth speech. Job begins with a few opening remarks (vv. 2-4), and proceeds to praise God with excessively hymnic and mythical language (vv. 5-14). As one might expect, the chapter has many parallels to the hymns found in the book of Psalms.

While v. 1 ascribes this chapter’s speech to Job, it seems odd that Job would praise God at this point in time. Hakham (p. 201) believes that Job is trying to display his piety in order to convince the friends that he is being punished despite his innocence. However, Clines and other scholars take a different approach: they believe that the speech actually belongs to one of the friends. Clines writes (p. 630): “The whole of chap. 26 is ascribed to Job in the present form of the book. Most commentators, however, believe that in chaps. 24-48, at the end of the third cycle of speeches, there has been some damage to the text in the course of its transmission. Not only does the orderly succession of speeches break down, but, as the text stands, Job speaks twice (cf. 26:1; 27:1) without any intervening speech from one of the friends, and, more importantly, presents positions (especially on the fate of the wicked, 27:13-23) quite at odds with his consistent views throughout the rest of the book. For these reasons, I have regarded the present verse as an addition to the book, introduced by a copyist after the damage to the sequence has occurred.” It is important to point out Clines’ self-acknowledged speculation (pp. 628-629): “We can never be sure, of course, whether our modern rearrangements of the order of the text successfully restore the attributions of speeches in the original text in its final form, especially when the speeches of the three friends have so much in common; but it is necessary for the sake of the exegesis to make decisions, right or wrong, about who is speaking at any point.”

The speech contains many mythical elements. For example, it begins by mentioning the refa’im “departed spirits” in v. 5: “The shades (refa’im) tremble Beneath the waters and their denizens.” According to Smith (“Rephaim,” Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. V pp. 674-76), the word refa’im is a “term in the Hebrew Bible whose uses fall generally into two categories: (1) descriptions of the dead in the underworld, or (2) references to a group or nation of giants or warriors.” The term is often parallel to metim “the dead,” as in Ps. 88:11, “Do You work wonders for the dead (metim)? Do the shades (refa’im) rise to praise You? Selah.” It can also specifically refer to dead kings, as in Isa. 14:9: “Sheol below was astir To greet your coming — Rousing for you the shades Of all earth’s chieftains, Raising from their thrones All the kings of nations.” (See the ABD for similarities to Ugaritic rephaim texts.) For and example of the word’s second meaning, see Gen. 14:5, “In the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him came and defeated the Rephaim at Ashteroth-karnaim, the Zuzim at Ham, the Emim at Shaveh-kiriathaim.”

There is also a mention of God’s fight with the sea monsters in vv. 12-13: “By His power He stilled the sea; By His skill He struck down Rahab. By His wind the heavens were calmed; His hand pierced the Elusive Serpent.” Indeed, God appears to be at odds with the sea creatures in other places of Tanakh as well: Ps. 74:13-14 says, “it was You who drove back the sea with Your might, who smashed the heads of the monsters in the waters; it was You who crushed the heads of Leviathan, who left him as food for the denizens of the desert,” and Ps. 89:10-11 says, “You rule the swelling of the sea; when its waves surge, You still them. You crushed Rahab; he was like a corpse; with Your powerful arm You scattered Your enemies.” While some feel that these verses are speaking of powerful creatures such as the crocodile and the hippopotamus, chapters such as Job 40-41 seem to be describing more mythical beings. Scholars now believe that there was a common ancient Near Eastern conception of God fighting the Sea and it’s creatures. For instance, Day writes in the Anchor Bible Dictionary (“Dragon and Sea, God’s Conflict With,” Vol. II, pp. 228-31), “the background of this mythological imagery was previously believed to be Babylonian, but since the discovery of the Ugaritic texts it has become apparent that the more immediate source of the biblical allusions is Canaanite mythology.” With this background in mind, a verse from chapter 3 is now understandable. Job asks God, “Am I the sea or the Dragon, That You have set a watch over me?” Job is probably asking God, “am I some sort of enemy of yours, like the sea creatures with which you are at odds?” In other words, “I am not your enemy, let me be!”

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Job (Daat Mikra [Hebrew])
Day, “Dragon and Sea, God’s Conflict With” (Anchor Bible Dictionary, Vol. II, pp. 228-31)
Mark S. Smith, “Rephaim” (Anchor Bible Dictionary, vol. V pp. 674-76)

Photo taken from  http://farm1.static.flickr.com/46/125588314_b98905d403_m.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Bildad says that everyone sins; nobody is perfect before God.
II. Photo
Bildad tells Job that everyone sins: “How can man be in the right before God? How can one born of woman be cleared of guilt? Even the moon is not bright, And the stars are not pure in His sight.” (vv. 4-5)

III. Important Verses
vv. 4-5: How can man be in the right before God? How can one born of woman be cleared of guilt? Even the moon is not bright, And the stars are not pure in His sight.

IV. Outline
1. Introduction
2-3. Hymnic praise
4-6. All men are sinners

V. Comment
Bildad’s speech, which is only 5 verses long, is the shortest in the entire book. While Job stated (in the previous chapter) that God allows innocent people to suffer, Bildad argues that there is no such thing as an innocent person. Consequently, God has the right to punish anyone He chooses.

The major question regarding ch. 25 is in regards to its length: why is this speech so much shorter than every other speech in the book? Hakham writes (p. 193, translation my own): “This speech is the shortest of all speeches because Job has already denied everything that the friends could tell him.” In other words, the friends have given up on Job. However, Clines (and other scholars) take a more liberal approach, placing ch. 25 in the midst of ch. 26, and attributing both chapters to Bildad (v. 26:1 attributes chapter 26 to Job). He orders the verses as follows: 25:1. 26:2-4. 25:2-6, and 26:5-14. While this approach seems to make the book flow better, Clines himself notes the speculation involved (p. 628-629): “[The] evidences of general disarray in the attribution of speeches from 24:18 through to chap. 28 suggests rather that the text has been subjected to some damage in the course of transmission. We can never be sure, of course, whether our modern rearrangements of the order of the text successfully restore the attributions of speeches in the original text in its final form, especially when the speeches of the three friends have so much in common; but it is necessary for the sake of the exegesis to make decisions, right or wrong, about who is speaking at any point.”

The major thrust of the chapter is v. 4: “How can man be in the right before God? How can one born of woman be cleared of guilt?” It is interesting that the first half of this verse is identical to Job’s statement in 9:2b and the second half is closely related to Eliphaz’s statement in 15:14b. In 9:2 Job stated, “Indeed I know that it is so: Man cannot win a suit against God.” Both Clines and Hakham point out that Bildad and Job are using the phrase “How can man be in the right before God?” for different purposes. Clines writes (p. 633), “The issue for Bildad is not, of course, as it was for Job, whether humans can be declared innocent by God but whether they can in fact be so.”

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Job (Daat Mikra (Hebrew))
Photo taken from  http://www.uucsjs.org/pblog/images/DSC03488moon_500x350.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job ends his eighth speech by lamenting the injustices in the world. He is upset at God for allowing the wicked to take advantage of innocent victims.

II. Photo
Job laments how innocent people lead miserable lives: “They are drenched by the mountain rains, And huddle against the rock for lack of shelter.” (v. 8 )
III. Important Verses
v. 1: Why are times for judgment not reserved by Shaddai? Even those close to Him cannot foresee His actions.
vv. 2-4: People remove boundary-stones; They carry off flocks and pasture them; They lead away the donkeys of the fatherless, And seize the widow’s bull as a pledge; They chase the needy off the roads; All the poor of the land are forced into hiding.
v. 12: Men groan in the city; The souls of the dying cry out; Yet God does not regard it as a reproach.
v. 16: In the dark they break into houses; By day they shut themselves in; They do not know the light.

IV. Outline
1. Complaint: God does not judge mankind
2-17. The wicked take advantage of the poor
18-24. Imprecation of the wicked (see comment)
25. Confidence

V. Comment
Chapter 24 is the second part of Job’s eighth speech. It is a response to the parallel points made by Eliphaz in ch. 22, namely that God punishes those who sin and rewards those who are righteous. Job disputes both of those claims by bearing witness to the fact that there are wicked people who go unpunished, and, on the flip side, there are innocent people who are exploited and never given justice. In terms of structure, the chapter has an opening comment (v. 1), a discourse about the success of the wicked (vv. 2-17), and an enigmatic ending (vv. 18-24, see comment).

The chapter begins with a complaint (v. 1): “Why (maddua‘) are times for judgment (‘ittim) not reserved by Shaddai? Even those close to Him cannot foresee His actions (chazu yamaw).” It seems that Job is not seeking an answer to his question. Rather he is giving expression to his frustrations, much like he did in 3:11-12: “Why (lammah) did I not die at birth, Expire as I came forth from the womb? Why (maddua‘) were there knees to receive me, Or breasts for me to suck?” While it isn’t clear to me what ‘ittim means throughout Tanakh, it seems that it can refer to a judgement day. For example, Deut. 32:35 says, “… Yea, their day of disaster is near, And destiny (‘atidot) rushes upon them.” Also see the related Ezek. 12:27.

In vv. 2-17 Job gives examples of how the wicked “dispossess others of their livelihoods with impunity; there is no retribution for them, and there is no justice for the dispossessed any more than there is for Job.” (Clines, 601) In v. 2 Job describes their evils, “People remove boundary-stones; They carry off flocks and pasture them.” Moving another’s boundary marker in order to increase the size of one’s own field is a common sin in Tanakh. For example, see Deut. 19:14: “Cursed be he who moves his fellow countryman’s landmark. — And all the people shall say, Amen.” Also see Prov. 23:10, “Do not remove ancient boundary stones; Do not encroach upon the field of orphans,” and Hos. 5:10, “The officers of Judah have acted Like shifters of field boundaries; On them I will pour out My wrath like water.”

Vv. 18-25 are the subject of much scholarly debate. The major problem is that these verses, which seem to say that wicked people get what they deserve, are antithetical to Job’s well developed theology (i.e. that the wicked prosper). Hakham writes (p. 190, translation my own), “From here until the end of the speech the language is extremely difficult. Many explanations have been proposed for these verses. Here we will explain that these verses speak about the actions of the wicked. In the footnotes we will bring another view, which is that these verses are a curse that Job wishes upon the wicked.” To demonstrate these two approaches let us look at v. 21: ro‘eh ‘aqarah lo’ teled we’almanah lo’ yeitiv. According to the first approach the verse is condemning wicked deeds, “[The wicked] do evils to the barren woman who cannot give birth, and they deny good to the widow.” Yet, according to the second approach, the verse is cursing the wicked people themselves, “May he consort with a barren woman who bears no child, Leave his widow deprived of good.” Another possible approach to these verses is to say that Job is paraphrasing his friends in order to disparage them.

Clines, and other scholars for that matter, opt for a more liberal position. He writes (p. 667), “This strophe… appears to belong to a speech of Zophar rather than of Job. It forms one of the most difficult sets of verses encountered in the book. There are many textual and philological problems… It is so hard to see what these verses have to do with Job’s argument in this speech, indeed with Job’s argument at any point in the book. If they are really saying that the wicked get their just deserts, that is not only the position of the friends and not of Job, but it is also the very opposite of what Job has been arguing in this very speech in chaps. 23-24.”

Job ends his speech with confidence: “Surely no one can confute me, Or prove that I am wrong.” Note the confidence at the end of Job’s previous two speeches as well: v. 19:29 says, “Be in fear of the sword, For [your] fury is iniquity worthy of the sword; Know there is a judgment!” and 21:34 says, “Why then do you offer me empty consolation? Of your replies only the perfidy remains.”

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Job (Daat Mikra (Hebrew))

Photo taken from  http://levitan.files.wordpress.com/2007/06/little_rain_girl_by_pinaybaby.jpg

Hebrew-English Text
I. Summary
Job expresses his desire to debate God and vindicate himself, but he knows that God cannot be found. And, even if God could be found, Job is afraid that God wouldn’t play fair.

II. Photo
Although Job wants to debate God, he can’t find Him: “But if I go East — He is not there; West — I still do not perceive Him; North — since He is concealed, I do not behold Him; South — He is hidden, and I cannot see Him!” (vv. 8-9)

III. Important Verses
vv. 3-4: Would that I knew how to reach Him, How to get to His dwelling-place. I would set out my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments.
vv. 8-9: But if I go East — He is not there; West — I still do not perceive Him; North — since He is concealed, I do not behold Him; South — He is hidden, and I cannot see Him.
vv. 11-12: I have followed in His tracks, Kept His way without swerving, I have not deviated from what His lips commanded; I have treasured His words more than my daily bread.
vv. 13-15: He is one; who can dissuade Him? Whatever He desires, He does. For He will bring my term to an end, But He has many more such at His disposal. Therefore I am terrified at His presence; When I consider, I dread Him.

IV. Outline
1. Introduction
2. Opening remark
3-9. Desire to debate God
10-12. Self-described piety
13-17. Fear about God’s arbitrary wrath

V. Comment
Chapter 23 is the beginning of Job’s speech. Job expresses his desire to debate God (vv. 3-9), asserts his innocence (vv. 10-12), and complains that even if he could find God, God would never treat him fairly. Clines (p. 597) traces Job’s train of thought: “Despite my desire to find God and present my case to him (vv 3-7), I am unable to find him (vv 8-9). And he is elusive just because ([ki], ‘for,’ v 10) – although I am a righteous man who has always kept God’s commands (vv 10-12) – he is determined to make me suffer as long as he wants (vv 13-14).” As one might expect, the speech has elements common to the complaint/lament genre. Also, the piety described in vv. 10-12 is similar to the piety described in the books of Psalms (e.g. Ps. 119) and Proverbs.

Who is this speech addressed to? Clines writes (p. 589), The speech as a whole is a soliloquy, addressed at no point either to the friends or to God. Nevertheless, there seems to be a consciousness in Job that he has an audience.” Hakham disagrees (p. 193, translation my own): “From Eliphaz’s final words it has become clear to Job that the friends won’t budge even if he would return and speak to them again. Because of this, Job does not turn to his friends in this speech but directs his words to God. But, due to the fact that God hides himself from Job, Job does not speak to Him in second-person address. Rather, he speaks of him in the third-person.”

In vv. 3-4 Job expresses a futile wish: “If only (mi yitein) I knew how to reach Him (’emtza’ehu), How to get to His dwelling-place. I would set out my case before Him And fill my mouth with arguments.” The idiom mi yitein, which appears twelve times in the book (nine times more than in any other book) is what indicates Job’s pessimism. Another example of the phrase is Zophar’s statement in 11:5: “If only (mi yitein) God might speak, And talk to you Himself.” Also see 19:23-24: “If Only (mi yitein) my words were written down; If only (mi yitein) they were inscribed in a record, Incised on a rock forever With iron stylus and lead!” On an unrelated note, it isn’t clear what Job means when he says he wants to matza’ “find” God (is it a metaphor?). For similar verses, see Deut. 4:29, Jer. 29:13, 1 Chr. 28:9, 2 Chr. 15:4, and Job 37:23.

In vv. 8-9 Job expresses his dedication to find God: “But if I go East (qedem) — He is not there; West (’achor) — I still do not perceive Him; North (semo’l) — since He is concealed, I do not behold Him; South (yemin) — He is hidden, and I cannot see Him.” Here Job is imagined to be facing east. For a verse where qedem and ’achor are used together as “east and west,” see Isa. 9:11: “Aram from the east (qedem) And Philistia from the west (’achor)….” The word semo’l, which often means “left,” means “north” in Gen. 14:15: “… he pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north (misemo’l) of Damascus.” The word yemin, which often means “right,” means “south” in 1 Sam. 23:19: “… at the hill of Hachilah south (yemin) of Jeshimon.”

In the previous chapter Eliphaz advised Job to “turn to God” (cf. 22:23 and comment), and Clines points out that Job’s intense desire to find God might be a response to that suggestion. He describes Job’s outlook in the first-person (p. 593), “Turn to God? I want not just to ‘turn’ to him but to travel the path, no matter where it lies or how long it is, to be able to present my case before him in person.” Clines writes elsewhere (p. 594), “It is not the beatific vision that Job desires, not communion with the divine, not some placid sinking into the everlasting arms, but a face-to-face confrontation with the heavenly bully who maltreats him.” Indeed, this confrontation has been described before. For example, see 13:22-23 : “Then summon me and I will respond, Or I will speak and You reply to me. How many are my iniquities and sins? Advise me of my transgression and sin.”

VI. Works Used
(see “Commentaries” page)
Clines, Job 21-37 (Word Biblical Commentary)
Hakham, Job (Daat Mikra (Hebrew))
Photo taken from  http://www.uwp.edu/departments/advising.testing/weathervane.jpg