Job 31:39-40

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Job 31:39 tn Heb “without silver.”
2. Job 31:39 tc The versions have the verb “grieved” here. The Hebrew verb means “to breathe,” but the form is Hiphil. This verb in that stem could mean something of a contemptuous gesture, like “sniff” in Mal 1:13. But with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) in Job 11:20 it means “to cause death,” i.e., “to cause to breathe out; to expire.” This is likely the meaning here, although it is possible that it only meant “to cause suffering” to the people.
3. Job 31:39 tn There is some debate over the meaning of בְּעָלֶיהָ (b^eʿaleha), usually translated “its owners.” Dahood, following others (although without their emendations), thought it referred to “laborers” (see M. Dahood, Bib 41 [1960]: 303; idem, Bib 43 [1962]: 362).
4. Job 31:40 tn The word בָּאְשָׁה (boʾshah, from בָּאַשׁ [baʾas, “to have a foul smell”]) must refer to foul smelling weeds.