Job 24:23-25

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Job 24:23 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2. Job 24:23 tn The expression לָבֶטַח (lavetakh, “in security”) precedes the verb that it qualifies—God “allows him to take root in security.” For the meaning of the verb, see Job 8:15.
3. Job 24:23 tn Heb “his eyes are on.”
4. Job 24:23 sn The meaning of the verse is that God may allow the wicked to rest in comfort and security, but all the time he is watching them closely with the idea of bringing judgment on them.
5. Job 24:24 tn The Hebrew throughout this section (vv. 18-24) interchanges the singular and the plural. Here again we have “they are exalted…but he is not.” The verse is clear nonetheless: the wicked rise high, and then suddenly they are gone.
6. Job 24:24 tn The verb is the Hophal of the rare verb מָכַךְ (makhakh), which seems to mean “to bend; to collapse.” The text would read “they are made to collapse like all others.” There is no reason here to change “like others” just because the MT is banal. But many do, following the LXX with “like mallows.” The LXX was making a translation according to sense. R. Gordis (Job, 271) prefers “like grass.”
7. Job 24:24 tn The verb קָפַץ (qafats) actually means “to shut in,” which does not provide exactly the idea of being gathered, not directly at least. But a change to קָטַף (qataf, “pluck”) while attractive, is not necessary.
8. Job 24:24 sn This marks the end of the disputed section, taken here to be a quotation by Job of their sentiments.
9. Job 24:25 tn The word אַל (ʾal, “not”) is used here substantivally (“nothing”).