Introduction: I must admit that Zophar pissed me off and it is likely that he had the same affect upon Job. There

Transcription

1 Job 12 Job 12:1 25 Outlin of Chaptr 12: vv. 1 6 Job and his frinds vv All living craturs tach what Job's frinds hav said vv Tru wisdom is with God vv God's sovrignty Charts: v. 5 Various Intrprtations of Job 12:5 Introduction: I must admit that Zophar pissd m off and it is likly that h had th sam affct upon Job. Thr ar things that Job will say in th nxt coupl chaptrs which indicat that h is possibly out of fllowship. Job 12 bgins a thr-chaptr rspons of Job, both to his frinds in gnral and to Zophar in particular. What Zophar had to say got his dandr up and Job will giv th longst rspons in th ntir book of Job. Only Elihu, th mdiator btwn God and Job, will spak longr. Primarily, Job will b sarcastic and admit that vryon knows that it is God Who has put th hurt on him. Job s answr will b structurd lik his prvious answr as wll. H will first spak to his frinds (Job 12:1 13:19) and thn h will spak dirctly to God Job 13:20 14:22). In this chaptr, Job first dfnds his rlativ intllignc to his frinds, as wll his knowldg of God. Kil and Dlitzsch: Job rplis that th wisdom, of which thy profss to b th only possssors, is nothing rmarkabl, and th contmpt with which thy trat him is th common lot of th innocnt, whil th prosprity of th ungodly 1 rmains undisturbd. In th midst of this chaptr, h first tlls his frinds that th ssnc of much of what thy hav said that God is rsponsibl for what has happnd to Job is clar to all and that God s hand in this univrs is rvald in His cration, both th arth and th animal population of th arth. Finally, at th nd of this chaptr, Job thn spaks loquntly of th powr and sovrignty of God. H will show th frinds that th majsty of God, bfor which h ought, according to thir dmands, to humbl himslf in pnitnc, is not lss know to him than to thm. 2 McG: This lngthy rply...concluds th first round of discourss. Rmmbr that in Job s day folk njoyd intllctual comptition mn pitting thir minds against ach othr. Today it is not brain but brawn in athltic contsts...[job s thr frinds] mak an attack on Job which forcs Job to com back with a dfns of himslf. Thy did not introduc God into th scn. Thy did not spak of a God of mrcy and a God of grac, but a God of law. Although H is a God of law, H is also a God of grac and mrcy. Thy brought in xprinc and tradition and lgality, but thy didn t bring in th truth. Whn thy brought thir incriminations against Job, it causd Job to dfnd himslf and to dclar that h was right. Th minut Job startd justifying himslf h was not justifying God. Up to this point it look s as if Job is saying that God is wrong and that God is th On to b criticizd This is a position which many popl tak today, vn many Christian popl. Th frinds should hav ld Job to condmn himslf and to vindicat God. God has rcordd all ths discourss in His Word to rval this truth. Th uttrancs of Job will prov how far h was from that tru broknns s of spirit and humility of mind which flows from bing in th divin Prsnc. His frinds nvr brought him to th plac whr h said as Paul said, I know that within m, that is within my flsh, dwllth no good thing, or, I am what I am by th grac of God. Thr ar too many Christians to day who boast of who thy ar and what thy hav don and how much thy giv. It looks as if God is on th rciving sid and thy ar on th giving sid. It looks as if thy rathr than God ar suprior. My frind, w ar not witnssing corrct for God no mattr how many popl w buttonhol and tll about Jsus unlss you and I tak th plac whr w ar condmnd and God is vindicatd, and God is to b praisd 1 Kil & Dlitzsch s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; 1966 Hndrickson Publishrs, Inc.; Vol. IV, p Kil & Dlitzsch s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; 1966 Hndrickson Publishrs, Inc.; Vol. IV, p. 352.

2 Th Book of Job and honord. This is a trmndous lsson in this book. Whn all is said and don, whn w hav ntrd into trnity, what will b vindicatd is God s prfct charactr and His prfct plan. Evry objction or qustion which concrnd His prfct charactr and rightousnss which w hav had or which Satan has lodgd against Him will hav bn laid to rst by that tim. Part of our purpos of bing on this arth is that w will show that God s vry dcision is corrct and compltly in sync with His prfct rightousnss and justic and lov. Today, th typical unblivr asks, what about th hathn who hav nvr hard? What about thos who hav did bfor God mad th gospl availabl to thm in thir languag but thy wr good popl. What about suffring an trnity of pain bcaus on taks a fw dcads of plasur? Whn w hav ntrd into trnity, thos who ar in havn and thos who ar in hll will fully agr to thir placmnt and hav vry qustion that thy hav vr had answrd. Barns: [Following his sarcasm, Job]...affirms that h undrstood th points on which thy had insistd...that thy had advancd nothing that was nw to him, or which h had not oftn rflctd on; that by urging ths plain maxims and common-plac topics, thy had don him an unkindnss by undrvaluing his undrstanding, and complains that thy had addd to his sorrows by inflicting on him ths truisims, and complling him to har sntimnts with which h was so familiar, but which thy supposd wr profound and novl discovris. (Job 12:3 5). H thn raffirms his main position (vr. 6), maintaining that th worst of mn, so far from rciving th punishmnt which was thir du, wr in fac prosprd; and thn procds to show thm what h knw of God. Thy had spokn of his wosdom and powr, as if h wr ignorant on th subjct. H procds, thrfor, to discours of th Most High in a mannr calculatd to mak thm ashamd of thir comparativly obscur and 4 narrow viws, and to show that h had rflctd on that point much mor than thy had. (Job 12:7 13:2). Kil and Dlitzsch: As th frinds hav faild to solac him by thir dscriptions of God, so his own dscriptoin os also uttrly dvoid of compfort. For th wisdom of God, of which h spaks, is not th wisdom that ordrs th world in which on can confid, an din which on has th surty of sing vry mystry of lif soonr or latr gloriously solvd; but this wisdom is somthing purly ngativ, and rpulsiv rathr than attractiv, it is abstract xaltation ovr all cratd wisdom, whnc it follows that h puts to sham to wisdom of th wis. Of th justic of God h dos not spak at all, for in th narrow ida of th frinds h cannot rcognis its control; and of th lov of god h spaks as littl as th frinds, for as th sight of th divin lov is rmovd from thm by th on-siddnss of thir dogma, so is it from him by th fling of th wrath of God which at prsnt has possssion of his whol bing...th frinds conciv of God as th absolut On, who acts only according to justic; Job concivs of Him as th absolut On, who acts according to th arbitrarinss of His absolut powr. According to th ida of th book, th formr is dogmatic on-siddnss, th lattr th concption of on passing through tmptation. Th God of th Old Tstamnt consquntly ruls nithr according to justic alon, nor according to a sublim whim. 5 <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> Job and His Frinds Litrally: Smoothr English rndring: Thn Job answr and thn h said, Job 12:1 Thn Job answrd Zophar by saying, It is an unusual world that ths mn com from. Thy hav bcom antagonistic, yt no on is ylling or jumping into th middl of anothr prson s thought. 3 J. Vrnon McG, Job, pp Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p Kil & Dlitzsch s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; 1966 Hndrickson Publishrs, Inc.; Vol. IV, p. 374.

3 Job Most assurdly, you [ar th rac of] popl and with you will di wisdom. Job 12:2 No doubt you ar th rac of popl with whom wisdom will di. Th first word in this sntnc is th advrb âm nâm (í î à ð È Ó È ) [pronouncd awm -NAWM] and it mans vrily, truly; it is a word usd in assvrations [pronouncd uh-sev-uh-ray-shuns], which is an mphatic assrtion. W find this word usd in Scriptur only nin tims, most of thm in Job (Ruth 3:12 II Kings 19:17 Job 9:2 12:2 19:4, 5 34:12 36:4 Isa. 37:18).* A chang of th first vowl point givs us th sam word usd as an intrrogativ instad. Howvr, w nd to updat this word, as no on uss th word vrily or truly any mor. A mor modrn quivalnt would b crtainly, no doubt, indd, surly, most assurdly, unquivocally, for sur, for crtain. Strong s #551 BDB #53. nd Job dos not oftn stoop to a prsonal attack. H addrsss all thr of his comfortrs with th 2 prson masculin plural pronoun. Such a pronoun usually coms without a vrb, yt acts as though it is th subjct of th vrb to b. On th othr nd is th objct am (í òç ) [pronouncd ìahm], which mans popl. It is not th spcific word for Gntils nor is it a word which stands for Isral. It is prtty much quivalnt to a rac of mn. I ll covr this word in mor dtail in th futur (prhaps Dut. 33:3). Strong s #5971 BDB #766. I am gussing that this is an idiom, much lik th idiom you da man as usd in th lat 90's. Howvr, I think this is bttr undrstood in th English to lav out th conjunction. What is rally mant is No doubt you ar th [rac of ] popl with whom wisdom will di. Th Amplifid Bibl rndrs this: No doubt you ar th [only wis] popl [in th world], and wisdom will di with you! To Job, his thr compatriots think of thmslvs and th b-all, nd-all. Job maks light of thm. Whn thy di out, with thm will di wisdom this is how grat thy ar. Not also th word ordr of th Hbrw subjct and vrb. This is th norm in th Hbrw, not th xcption. McG: Now thr is a sarcastic statmnt and a prtty good on...[job s frinds] wr talking as if Job wr a 6 simplton and thy had all th answrs. This is grat sarcasm. His frinds hav all laid out thir opinions. Thy hav assumd thy thy wr absolutly right about th sins of Job. Thr was no qustion in thir mind, vn though thy wr frinds of Job th vidnc was too ovrwhlming against him. Job rcognizd this dogmatism and bratd thm for it with ths words. Onc you ar gon, that is th nd of wisdom. Job latr lts thm know how h fls in plain English: I do not find a wis man among you. (Job 17:10b). Eliphaz uss th sam sarcasm latr: Do you har th scrt counsl of God and limit wisdom to yourslf? (Job 15:8). Barns: [Job is saying, you ar]...th only wis popl. You hav ngrossd all th sidom of th world, and all ls ar to b rgardd as fools...job flt contmpt for thir rasoning, and mant to intimat that thir maxims, no which thy placd so much rlianc, wr common-plac, and such as vry on was familiar with...whn a sag intimats that h has suprior wisdom, or whn h is disposd to rally anothr for his magr attainmnts, h says, Ys, ys, you ar th man! 7 Furthrmor, to m hart [or, undrstanding] as wll as you; not falling I mor than you and procding from whom [ar] not ths things? Job 12:3 Furthrmor, I undrstand this situation as wll as you do; I am no mor sinful than you; and who dos not know ths things? This vrs is going to b troubl, so w nd to s th othr rndrings: Albrt Barns Yt I hav undrstanding as wll as you; I am not infrior to you; and with whom ar thr no sayings lik ths? 6 J. Vrnon McG, Job, p Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p. 244.

4 Th Book of Job 367 Th Amplifid Bibl Th Emphasizd Bibl Kil and Dlitzsch NJB NIV TEV Young's Lit. Translation But I hav undrstanding as wll as you; I am not infrior to you. Who dos not know such things as ths [of God s wisdom and might]? I also hav a mind [a hart] lik you, I fall not short of you, But who hath not such things as ths? I also hav a hart as wll as you; I do not stand bhind you; And to whom should not such things b known? But I hav a brain, as wll as you. I am in no way infrior to you. and who, in any cas, dos not know all that? But I hav a mind as wll as you; I am not infrior to you. Who dos not know all ths things? But I hav as much sns as you hav; I am in no way infrior to you; vryon knows all that you hav said. I also hav a hart lik you, I am not falln mor than you, And with whom is thr not lik ths? This vrs bgins with th advrb gam (í Ç ) [pronouncd gahm] which mans a lso, in addition to, morovr, futhrmor. Strong s #1571 BDB #168. This is followd by th lâmd prposition (to, for) and th suffixd 1 st prson prposition. b b b B b Th nxt word is lê va v (á áç ìå ) [pronouncd lay -V AHV], which obviously com from th Hbrw word lê v (hart); b this word mans mind, innr man. It appars to b usd intrchangably with lê v but I don t know that is ncssarily th cas. Emotion can b a part of this word (Dut. 13:3 Isa. 13:2 62:8), although that dos not appar to b its primary focus. Undrstanding, thinking and intllignc ar th words which should com to mind whn finding this word. Strong s #3824 BDB #523. Barns: Th word hart in th Scripturs is oftn usd to dnot th undrstanding or mind. It sms to hav bn rgardd as th sourc of that which was calld lif or soul. Indd, I don not rcall a singl instanc in th Scriputrs in which th word had is usd, as with us, as th sat of th intllct, or whr th distinction is advrtd to that is so common with us, btwn th had and th hart. With us, th hart is th sat of th affctions and motions; with th Hbrws, it was th sat of undrstanding, and...th bowls wr th sat of th motions...a mor corrct physiology has taught us that th brain is th organ of th intllct, and w now spak of th hart as th sat of th affctions. Th Romans rgardd th brast as th sat of th soul. 8 Th nxt word is th prposition k mô ( î ) [pronouncd k MOH], which mans lik, as, whn; it is quivalnt Ó nd to th kâph prfixd prposition whn usd bfor suffixs. Strong s #3644 BDB #455. Th suffix is th 2 prson masculin plural. Litrally, this is: Furthrmor, to m intllignc as you [all]. Th nxt lin bgins with th ngativ and th Qal activ participl of nâphal (ì ôç ðè ) [pronouncd naw-fahl], which mans to fall, to li, to di a violnt dath, to b brought down, to sttl, to slp dply, to prostrat onslf bfor anothr, to go to ruin. This is a word with a grat many applications, which is why w s this rndrd as infrior to in many of th English translations. Strong's #5307 BDB #656. This is followd by th prsonal prposition and nd thn th mîn prposition and th 2 prson plural suffix. Mîn, throughout th book of Job, oftn has th maning mor than. Strong's #4480 BDB #577. Most English vrsion rndr this lin as if it wr a continuation or a paralll 9 to th prvious thought. It is litrally: Not falln I mor than you. I don t bliv that w ar rfrring back to intllignc but mor to Job s sinfulnss rlativ to his frinds. Job has told his frinds that h is vry bit as prcptiv and intllignt as thy ar and h is no mor guilty or sinful than any of thm. W will s a vry similar phrasing in Job 13:2: As you know, I know vn I. Not falln am I mor than you. Eliphaz will throw this right back at him latr, as h did th prvious vrs: What do you know that w do not know? What do you undrstand that w do not? (Job 15:9). This tlls us that Eliphaz is listning carfully to Job, not to larn or to sympathiz, but to b abl to throw it back in his fac. 8 Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p Barns says th litral rndring is I do not fall bnath you ; howvr, this ignors th Qal activ participl and translats this as a Qal imprfct.

5 Job Th third lin is th toughst. It bgins with th wâw conjunction and th prposition êth (ú àå ) [pronouncd ayth] and it simply mans with, among, togthr. This can also rfr to bing in on s possssion or in on s kping. This can also man to procd from somon. Strong's #854 BDB #85. This is followd by th intrrogativ pronoun who. Thrfor, w hav from whom, with whom, procding from whom. Thn w hav th ngativ. Finally, th last two words ar th rpatd advrb k mô and th plural dmonstrativ adjctiv, usd as a substantiv, êllh (ä àå ) [pronouncd EEHL-lh] which mans ths things. Ths things can rfr to what has prcdd or to what follows. Hr, it rfrs to what has bn said by Job s thr associats. Strong's #428 BDB #41. Litrally, this givs us:...and procding from whom [ar] not ths things? Th maning hr is that Job s frinds hav prsntd thmslvs as grat intllcts and mn who undrstand what is going on; Job says, anyon ls would know ths things; that is, thy hav prsntd rathr innocuous and obvious truths about God that anyon ls knows. Thy undrstand God s dalings in this world as wll as anyon ls but not ncssarily bttr. So far, thy hav addd nothing to Job s undrstanding. Th NIV Study Bibl sums it up quit nicly: Th 10 advic of Job s frinds is trivial and commonplac. Barns: Instad of bing original, th sntimnts which thy advancd wr th most commonplac imaginabl. 11 Barns: Job...procds to adduc a numbr of provrbial sayings, occupying th rmaindr of this chaptr, to show that h was familiar with that mod of rasoning, and that in this rspct h was fully thir qual. This may b rgardd as a trial of skill, and was quit common in th East. Wisdom consistd in storing up a larg amount of provrbs and maxims, and in applying thm radily and prtinntly on all public occasions; and in this controvrsy, Job was by no mans disposd to yild to thm. 12 An objct of drision to his associats I am, calling to God thn H answrd him, an objct of drision. A justifid on; a blamlss on. Job 12:4 I am an objct of drision to my associats. Calling to God thn suddnly, H answrd him, th objct of drision. Who is, in truth, a justifid on; a blamlss on. In v. 4, w hav an appal...for th frinds [of Job] to considr th tru facts in th cas, which ar th maninglss contradictions of Job s lif. H, th just and blamlss man, is now th laughingstock, th symbol of forsaknnss and vn of God s judgmnt. 13 Th first word is th masculin singular of s chôq ( ç ) [pronouncd s KHOHK], which mans laughtr, Ó drision, and objct of drision and laughtr; a dup, a laughingstock. Strong s #7814 BDB #966. Svral tims throughout th book of Job, Job rcognizs how h is lookd upon my othrs: But H has mad m a byword of th popl, and I am on at whom mn spit. (Job 17:6; s also 30:1, :7). Job is a laughingstock to th masculin plural of a word commonly rndrd nighbor in th KJV: rêa ( òç øå ) [pronouncd RAY-ahì] and it is a prson with whom you com into contact. Thy might liv nxt door, you might do businss with thm, you run into thm in a stor, a rstaurant, tc. It is not ncssarily, a fllow Jw or a fllow blivr, a frind or your nxtdoor nighbor, although ths could possibly b includd. Hr, w will go with associats. Strong's #7453 BDB #945. Most commntaris hav multifarious rfrncs to Job s frinds; not that I hav calld thm companions, associats, compatriots. Thy may hav bn frinds at on tim. Howvr, vn Job hr dos not rfr to thm as frinds right hr. Job hrin says that ths mn do not tak him sriously; thy ar drisiv and insulting in thir spaking to him. Barns: Job complains that h was not tratd with du dfrnc. Thy had showd no rspct for his undrstanding and rank. Thy had urgd th most comomon-plac of topics; advancd stal and trit apothgms, as if h has nvr hard thm...to b approachd with vagu common-placs, and with rmarks wuch as would b usd in addrssing childrn, h rgardd as insult and mockry Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995; p Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; pp Th Layman's Bibl Commntary, Vol. 8, Balmr H. Klly, John Knox Prss, 1962, p Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p. 245.

6 Th Book of Job 369 With rspct to tim, thr ar two ways of looking at th scond lin. Job is ithr rfrring to what has occurd in th past that is, h has calld upon God and God has answrd him; or Job is looking into th futur and making a prdiction that God would vntually answr him. H has bn on hold for a long tim for God. Whn his calamitis first struck, Job crtainly wnt into prayr and continud off and on until this point. Th Qal activ participl indicats a continuous ptition bfor God. Job xpcts that God will answr him th man who is an objct of drision to his frinds. Howvr, to God, h has bn justifid and h is blamlss. H will call upon M, and I will answr him. I will b with him in troubl and I will rscu him and honor him. With a long lif, I will satisfy him. Lt him obsrv My dlivranc. (Psalm 91:15 16). Howvr, thr is anothr way of looking at th lattr portion of this vrs. Job s frinds hav urgd him to go to God, to call upon God. Job, in sarcasm, rplis, How can a man hld in such low stm go to God? How could a prson of my qustionabl charactr spak to God? Communication with God is rsrvd for th rightous. In rgards to th disastr, contmpt to [th] rasoning [or, thoughts] of on at as, it is prparing for a slipping of a foot. Job 12:5 In rgards to th disastr, thr is contmpt in th rasoning [or, thoughts] of on who is at as, for th on who is about to slip himslf. Th diffrnc btwn Owns and Young on this vrs is svr, so w had bttr look mor carfully at this vrs: Albrt Barns Th Amplifid Bibl Th Emphasizd Bibl Kil and Dlitzsch KJV NAB NASB NEB NJB NIV NRSV Own's Translation REB Th Sptuagint TEV Young's Lit. Translation H that is rady to slip with his ft, In th ys of him that is at as, Is as a castaway torch. In th thought of him who is at as thr is contmpt for misfortun; but it is rady for thos whos ft slip. For ruin thr is contmpt, in th thought of th man at as, Rady, for such as ar of faltring foot! Contmpt blongs to misfortun, according to th idas of th prosprous; It awaits thos who ar rady to slip. H that is rady to slip with his ft is as a lamp dspisd in th thought of him that is at as. Th undisturbd stm my downfall a disgrac such as awaits unstady ft; H who is at as holds calamity in contmpt, As prpard for thos wh o s f t slip. Prosprity and as look down on misfortun, on th blow that flls th man who is alrady rling,... Add insult to injury, think th prosprous, strik th fllow now that h is staggring! Mn hav contmpt for misfortun as th fat of thos whos ft ar slipping. Thos at as hav contmpt for misfortun, but it is rady for thos whos ft ar unstabl. For misfo r tu n th r is contmpt in thought of on who is at as; it is rady (or, prpard) for thos whos ft slip. Thos at as look down on misfortun on th flow that flls on who is alrady rling, For it has bn ordaind that h should fall undr othrs for th appointd tim, and that his houss should b spoild by transgrssors; lt not howvr any on trust that, bing vil, h shall b guiltlss. You hav no troubls and yt you mak fun of m; you hit a man who is about to fall. A torch dspisd in th thoughts of th scur Is prpard for thos sliding with th ft. Obviously th first word is a problm, and that sts th tnor of th vrs. Th first word, affixd to th prposition for, to, in rgards to, is th masculin singular substantiv of pîyd (ãé ò) [pronouncd pd] and it mans disastr, calamity, ruin. According to BDB, this word is found in Job 12:5 21:20 30:24 31:29 Prov. 24:22.* According to

7 Job Th Nw Englishman s Hbrw Concordanc this is found in th lattr thr passags. According to NEHC, this is th word lapîyd (ãé ò ìç ) [pronouncd lap-peed], which mans a torch, a lamp. Th most ancint translators 15 (Targums, Vulgat, Luthr) favord th lattr rndring. Kil and Dlitzsch said that modrn xpositors mor happily tak th formr maning, on of th rasons bing is that this is a word which occurs svral tims in th book of Job. Strong s #6365 BDB #810 (lapîyd is Strong s #3940 BDB #542). Th scond word is th masculin substantiv bûz (æ ) [pronouncd booz] and it mans contmpt, a word found in Gn. 38:23 and mor oftn in th potic litratur. Strong s #937 BDB #100. Th is followd by th lâmd prposition and th fminin construct of a word which occurs only hr and probably mans thought, rasoning. It is from a Hbrw vrb which occurs vry littl in Scriptur, and givn a rathr long xplanation. Th vrb mans to shin or to mak smooth, to mak shiny; thrfor, it mans to manufactor, to fabricat; this cam to man to carfully fabricat a thought in th mind. Gsnius says that this word is found in th singular in most manuscripts, but in th plural in a fw manuscripts and som arly printd ditions; h rjcts th plural bcaus h can find that usag nowhr ls, vn in th Aramaic. Noun: Strong s #6248 BDB #799 Vrb: Strong s #6245 BDB #799. So far, this givs us: For disastr, contmpt to thinking of... Th adjctiv which follows is th masculin singular of sha ãnân (ï ðè àá Ç ) [pronouncd shah-uh-nawn], which mans at as, on who is at as, scur, rmovd from misfortun. Strong s #7600 BDB #983. So far, this givs us: In rgards to disastr, contmpt for [or, to] [th] rasoning of on who is scur... Thr ar svral ways this can b viwd. (1) Job obviously is not fr from disastr, but h is scur in his opinion and in his knowldg. (2) A scond, but lss likly, intrprtation is that Job is th on viwing with contmpt th thinking and rasoning of thos who ar scur from disastr. (3) Howvr, what this apparntly mans is that: in rgards to th misfortun and suffring that Job has ndurd, thr is contmpt from th rasoning of th on who is at as or is scur (that is, any on of his frinds). Th gnral ida is that whn a prson undr no prssur obsrvs a prson undr grat prssur, thy tnd to b judgmntal and contmptuous. Popl who ar rich, tnd to b contmptuous of thos who ar poor. Popl who ar halthy and thin hav condscnding attituds toward thos who ar in ill halth and ovrwight. Thos whos lif is asy and rlativly fr of problms think that thos will troubl hav brought it upon thmslvs. NIV aptly obsrvs: Th prosprous dspis thos who, lik Job, hav 16 troubl. Our soul is gratly filld with th scoffing of thos who ar at as, with th contmpt of th proud (Psalm 123:4). H frinds hav shown nothing but contmpt for his rasoning. Also, on thing I am obligd to point out is that you will notic th diffrnc btwn Job s vocabulary and that of Zophar. Job uss som rlativly uncommon words, h uss fwr conjunctions, his sntncs ar constructd in a way which is lss confind than most. Th nxt word is th Niphal participl of kûwn (ï ) [pronouncd k oon] and its dfinition sms to b a littl obscur, dspit th fact that this word occurs in th Old Tstamnt almost 250 tims. It appars to man rct (to stand up prpndicular) and by application, to stablish, to prpar, to b stablizd. Strong s #3559 BDB #465. rd 17 This is followd by th lâmd prposition (3 tim in this vrs!) and th phras a slipping of a foot. This givs us In rgards to th disastr, contmpt to [th] rasoning [or, thoughts] of on at as, [th on] prparing for a slipping of a foot. I must admit that I had svral diffrnt idas as to what this vrs mant. Various Intrprtations of Job 12:5 15 This has ld to th following intrprtations (ths ar takn from Kil and Dlitzsch s Job, pp ): According to th viw of th prosprous and carnally scur, h who is rady for faltrings of th ft, i.., likly to fall, is lik a lightd torch which burns away and dstroys whatvr coms in contact with it and thrfor on kps aloof from him; but it is also mor than this: h is an objct of contmpt in thir ys. Th othr thought is that Job in th ys of th prosprous...is lik a dspisd, cast-away torch. 16 Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995; p A phras w also find in Psalm 38:16 73:2.

8 Th Book of Job On ida was th Job, saw his frinds as mn with slipping ft bcaus of thir accusations of him,. Thy ar about th slip and fall into th mir that thy s him in. 2. A scond thought was that with rgards to th disastr, Job had contmpt for th thinking of his frinds, who ar fr from disastr and prpard for th slipping of a foot. 3. Or Job s frinds viw his rasoning with contmpt, vn though h is at as with his opinions, scur in what h has don; howvr, th last phras dos not suit that thought. 4. Prhaps Job is just spaking philosophically, not rfrring dirctly to himslf or his frinds hr, that with rgards to a disastr, thr is contmpt for thos who ar at as, who ar scur, who hav prpard for a slipping of thir foot. 5. Howvr, an xamination of th corrctd translation hlps us hr: In rgards to th disastr, contmpt to [th] rasoning [or, thoughts] of on at as, it [th contmpt] is prparing for a slipping of a foot. In this rndring, it is thos who ar at as who hav contmpt for thos suffring grat disastr. Thir contmpt is just waiting for somon to slip. It coms out whn th prson slips up. On of th chif rasons I spnd so much tim on th translation, is that it maks th intrprtation much asir. <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> McG had th sam tak on this vrs: Job is a vry sick man but h is standing up to ths thr mn. H tlls thm, You fllows ar in a comfortabl position and you ar abl to giv advic to thm, but I am slipping, I am falling, and you hav not word for m at all. For yars I srvd as a pastor and I raliz now how a profssional attitud ntrs into our livs. I would go to th hospital to visit a sick prson, prhaps a dying prson. I would pat him on th hand and say, God will b with you, and I would pray for him and say, God will lad you. Thn I d walk out. Wll, th day cam whn I wnt to th hospital, not to visit somon, but to li on that bd myslf. Whn somon cam to pray with m and walkd out, I didn t walk out. I stayd thr. My frind, I want to say to you, that is quit a diffrnt position to b in. Now I was in th othr fllow s shos. Now I was in bd and I was facing surgry. That is th tim you nd somon to hlp you and to comfort you. That is what Job is nding. 18 Job continus with th thought of scurity in th nxt vrs: Tnts ar contnt [and at pac] with rgards to thugs [and criminals]; and assurancs of scurity to provokrs of God [ êl] to whom God [ ìlôah] brings in His hand. Job 12:6 Evn common thugs and criminals ar contnt and at pac in thir own tnts; and vn to provokrs of God, God brings in His hand assurancs of scurity. Thr is a fairly substantial diffrnc in som of th translations, particularly with rgards to th last lin, so lt m mntion thm hr: Albrt Barns Th Amplifid Bibl Th Emphasizd Bibl Kil and Dlitzsch NASB NJB Thn tnts of robbrs ar scur, Thy ar scur to thos who provok God, To whos hand God brings in abundanc. Th dwllings of robbrs prospr; thos who provok God ar [apparntly] scur; God supplis thm abundantly [who hav no god but thir own hand and powr]. At pac ar th tnts that blong to th spoils, And thr is scurity to thm who provok God, To him who bringth a god in his hand. Tnts of th dstroyr rmain in pac; And thos that dfy God ar prosprous, Who takth Eloah into his hand. Th tnts of th dstroyrs prospr, And thos who provok God ar scur, Whom God brings into his powr. And yt th tnts of brigands ar lft in pac: thos who provok God dwll scur and so dos anyon who maks a god of his fist! 18 J. Vrnon McG, Job, p. 81.

9 Job NRSV Own's Translation REB Th Sptuagint Young's Lit. Translation Thn tnts of robbrs ar at pac, and thos who provok God ar scur, who bring thir god in thir hands. Ar at pac tnts of robbrs; and scurity to thos who provok God, who bring God in his hand....whil th maraudrs tnts ar lft undisturbd and thos who provok God liv saf and sound. [...h will b guiltlss], vn as many as provok th Lord, as if thr wr indd to b no inquisition [or, trial] of thm. At pac ar th tnts of spoilrs, and thos provoking God hav confidnc, H into whos hand God hath brought. Th first word in this vrs is th Qal imprfct of shâlâh (ä ì È È ) [pronouncd shaw-law], which mans to b quit, to b at as, to b tranquil, to b at pac, carfr, thoughtlss, contnt, contntmnt partially du to prosprity. Strong s #7951, BDB #1017. Th subjct of th vrb is th word tnts, a mtonym [pronouncd MET- -nim] for on s family and possssions. T his is followd by th lâmd prposition and th Qal activ participl of shâdad (ã ã Ç È ) [pronouncd shaw-dahd], which mans to dal violntly with, to dspoil, to dvastat, to ruin; as a participl, it rfrs to on who would commit ths acts. A on word rndring of this would not b inclusiv nough this could b a thug, a rvolutionary, a criminal, a muggr, a thif. This is somon whos own prsonal wants or dsirs, whos political idology, far outwighs, in his own mind, th sanctity of your hom and family. This is th prson that if you hav a car, a stash of svral thousand dollars, or vn a $10 that h wants, thn h will trad your lif, scurity and hom for that which h wants. If it maks som kind of a political statmnt, thn h will trad your lif to mak that statmnt. Strong s #7703 BDB #994. Th pictur that Job paints hr is a criminal who is at pac in his hom. Th first lin rads: Tnts ar contnt [and at pac] with rgards to thugs [and criminals]... Frman: Robbry has from a vry arly priod of history bn a common occupation of lawlss mn, and has also oftn provd a profitabl mploymnt, as intimatd by th txt. Whol tribs, and in som instancs ntir nations, adoptd it as a mans of livlihood. Th Sabans stol Job s oxn and asss, and th Chaldans mad out thr bands and fll upon th camls. Job i, 15, 17. Th Shchmits st lirs in wait for Abimlch in th top of th mountains, and thy robbd all that cam along that way by thm. Judgs ix, Barns: Th tnts or dwllings of robbrs ar saf and scur. This is Job s original proposition, to which h all along adhrs. It is, that God dos not dal with mn in this lif according to thir charactr; and in support of this h now appals to th fact that th tnts or dwllings of robbrs ar saf. Arabia would furnish many illustrations of this, which could not b unknown to th frinds of Job. Th Arabs dwlt in tnts and th wr thn, as now, wandring, prdatory tribs. Thy livd, to a grat xtnt, by plundr, and doubtlss Job could appal to th obrsvation of his frinds for th proof of this. H affirms that so far from daling with mn according to thir charactr, God oftn smd to protct to public robbr and th blasphmr of his nam. 20 Th simpl point that Job is making is that pac and prosprity ar not ncssarily signs of rightousnss. Eliphaz disagrs compltly: For th company of th godlss is barrn and fir consums th tnts of th corrupt. (Job 15:34). To which Job answrs: Th arth is givn into th hand of th wickd on; h covrs th facs of its judgs if not him, thn who? (Job 9:24). Why do th wickd liv, continu on, and bcom vry powrful? Thir dscndants ar stablishd with thm in thir sight and thir offspring bfor thir ys. Thir houss ar saf from far; nithr is th rod of God upon thm (Job 21:7 9). Evn Asaph, th psalmist, obsrvd: Obsrv, ths ar th wickd and always at as thy hav incrasd thir walth. (Psalm 73:12; also s Jr. 12:1 Mal. 3:1). Now, th truth of what Job is saying must b admittd to by all blivrs from th standpoint of prsonal obsrvation. W know Christians who hav gon through difficult tims (somtims, ourslvs) and in som cass, ths hard tims ar dsrvd, and in som cass thy ar not (and, in most cass, w don t know for 19 Mannrs and Customs of th Bibl; Jams M. Frman; 1972; p Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p. 246.

10 Th Book of Job 373 crtain on way or th othr). W also know that thr ar hathn out thr who hav matrial prosprity byond what w can vn imagin. In fact, in th businss world, of thos who ar worth millions of dollars, likly th grat majority of thm ar hathn. Th scond lin bgins with th wâw conjunction and th fminin plural of a word found only hr, but closly rlatd to th vrb which mans trust, and th noun which mans scurity. This is translatd scurity (Own), ar scur (KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, Noys, NRSV), hav confidnc (Young), ar prosprous (Kil and Dlitzsch), and thr is scurity (Th Emphasizd Bibl). As you can s, th main problm with ths translations is that this word is not a vrb and it is in th plural. Lt s go with masurs of scurity, not in rfrnc to prsonal scurity systms but to divin scurity systms; or, assurancs of scurity. Strong s #987 BDB #105. Again with th lâmd prposition and th masculin plural, Hiphil participl of râgaz (æ ÇÈ ø) [pronouncd rawg- GAHZ], which mans to b agitatd, to quivr, to quak, to bcom xcitd, prturbd, disquitd. In th Hiphil, to bcom nragd, to b causd to disquitd, to b causd to quak, to provok. You will notic quit a diffrnc btwn th manings to b causd to b disquitd and to provok. Th diffrnc is th subjct and th vrb; hr is it found with th dirct objct God; no mattr who it is, thr is no disquiting of God. In othr portions of Scriptur, this has God as th subjct (I Sam. 28:15 Job 9:6 Isa. 23:11). Strong s #7264 BDB #919. With th dirct objct God, this givs us:...and assurancs of scurity to provokrs of God... Many popl who ar incrdibly rich look upon thir richs as somthing which thy hav rightfully arnd through thir own grat intllignc and businss savvy. God has blssd thm matrially and God has givn thm assurancs of scurity. Som of us, having com to Christ th hard way, through prsonal pain and suffring, may wondr why dos not God rach out to all popl in that way? W r hard-hadd and thy r hardhadd prhaps thy could b rachd as w wr. God knows th hart of man and God knows what it taks to rach any man and God knows what mn cannot b rachd. Som mn, undr th worst pain and suffring, would shak thir fist and curs God. Th sam mn, undr grat blssing and prosprity, will ignor God and th sacrific of Jsus Christ. For such mn, God is not undr any obligation to try to rach thm with all mans possibl thy will di, thy will oftn fac dath knowingly with tim to pondr what has thir lif mant and what do thy hav to tak into th nxt world and that may b th only tim during which thy ar rcptiv to th gospl. W cannot look into th harts of man and dtrmin what would it tak to rach thm. Sinc God is not willing 21 that any should prish and that all should com to a chang of attitud concrning Jsus Christ, w can rst assurd that God will rach ach and vry prson by whatvr mans would possibly work; and for thos whos hart is closd to th gospl, thn God may or may not bothr with thm. Th altrnat translations of this final portion of this v r s ar quit diffrnt. Barns nams som of thm: Eichhorn:...who rgard thir fist as thir God. Stuhlman:...and to whom th fist avails for thir God. Rosnmüllr:...who hav thir own hand, i.., powr for God. [a dscription, says h, of a wickd and violnt man who thinks it right for him to do as h plass]. Dr. Good:...of him who hath cratd all ths things with his hand. All of ths ar fanciful and hav only a partial basis in th Hbrw. 22 As you hav sn, in my litral translation, I hav notd that thr ar two diffrnt nams for God in this last lin. Latr in this chaptr w will s th vry prsonal nam for God, Y howah, usd by Job (th only tim this occurs in th discussion by Job and his frinds). What would b important to us is why do w hav diffrnt nams for God and what do thy all man? Thrfor this is a prfct tim to introduc th Doctrin of th Dsignations of God in th Old Tstamnt not finishd yt!! 34:6; and s Scofild's nots hr also). Yahwh, Elohim, El, tc. And assurancs of scurity to provokrs of God... is followd by to whom or for whom or with rspct to whom; rd and finally w hav a normal vrb; th 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil prfct of th vry common vrb bôw (à ) [pronouncd bo] which mans, in th causativ stm, to tak in, to bring, to com in with. Strong's #935 BDB #97. This is followd by th subjct God and th prpositional phras in His hand....and assurancs of 21 II Ptr 3:9. 22 All of ths cam from Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; pp

11 Job scurity provokrs of God to whom God brings in His hand. If w rarrang th word ordr to bttr suit our English, and add back in v. 5, w hav: In rgards to th disastr, contmpt to th rasoning of on at as, prparing for a slipping of a foot. Tnts ar contnt and at pac with rgards to common thugs and criminals; and [vn] to provokrs of God, God brings in His hand assurancs of scurity. Th REB points out that thr is this additional phras in th Hbrw, which thy and th Sptuagint hav lft out. My guss is that this vrs would b unpalatabl for som, who do not want to rad that God protcts and vn provids assurancs of scurity to thos who stand in dirct opposition to Him. My thinking is that thr is a crtain amount of scurity which God provids to all mn, vn to thos who ar at odds with Him. I can rcall to of th idols which I had as a tnagr, Frank Zappa and Mohammd Ali, both of whom wr anti-god (Zappa was irrligious and Ali was vry rligious). God gav ach of thm a momnt undr th sun, had prosprd both mn, who wr intnsly talntd in thir own filds, and thn God took from thm. Howvr, for a point of tim, vn though thy stood in opposition to Him, God gav thm som masur and assurancs of scurity. Thr was a famous athist, whos nam scaps m, who travld around publically daring God to strik him down and showing that God dos not xist bcaus God did not strik him down. Thr was Madalyn Murray O Hair, a brilliant woman, and a vry vocal athist, who God gav som masurs of scurity and som assurancs of scurity for a part of hr lif. God dos not go right aftr thos who ar in opposition to Him. Most st of us wouldn t mak it past 1 grad if H did. God protcts all of us to a crtain dgr. This is not th protction of a fathr, as H is not th Fathr of th unblivr this is th protction of a loving and just God, Who has did on our bhalf, and calls to us in our unblif, and allows us to liv, oftn long nought to har this call many tims. No on burning in hll, including Satan himslf, will point to God and call God unjust. Human history will compltly and prmanntly rsolv that conflict. W may hav our thological p r oblms now and our qustions; howvr, in trnity, what has occurrd on arth will solv vry qustion concrning God s grac and justic that w will vr hav. Barns is in ssntial agrmnt:...th common intrprtation, which is th most simpl, is most in accordanc with th Hbrw, and with th drift of th passag. According to this, it mans, that thr is scurity to th man who lifs to provok that God who is constantly bringing to him in abundanc th tokns of kindsnss. This is th fact on which Job is insisting that God dos not trat mn in this world according to thir ral charactr, but that th wickd ar prosprd and th rightous ar afflictd. 23 <<Rturn to Chaptr Outlin>> <<Rturn to th Chart Indx>> All Living Craturs Tach What Job's Frinds Hav Said Indd, ask plas [th] animals and on [of thm] will inform you; and [th] bird of th [two] havns and h will mak it pitifully obvious to you. Job 12:7 Indd, why don t you ask th animals and on of thm will inform you; and ask th bird of th havns and h will mak it pitifully obvious to you. In vv. 7 12, Job appals to all cration to prov that God dos what h plass that h dos not us a prsonal 24 pity as th sol basis for granting frdom from affliction. This vrs bgins with th wâw conjunction and th advrb ûlâm (í ìè à) [pronouncd oo-lawm], which mans but or indd. Strong s #199 BDB #19. This is followd by th phras ask plas basts or ask now basts or inquir now [of th] basts. Typical of Job, h vairs his us of th languag. Whras th wâw conjunction gnrally bgins and nw thought or a nw sntnc, Job uss it hr mor as w would in th English, to continu th thought of his. Basts or animals is in th fminin plural and th vrb which follows is in th fminin singular. What Job tlls his compatriots to do is to inquir of vn th animals and on (singular) of th animals will caus th following. Th vrb is th fminin singular, Hiphil nd imprfct (with a 2 prson masculin singular) of yârâh (ä øè éè) [pronouncd yaw-rawh], which mans to throw, to shoot. In th Hiphil, this mans tach, instruct, inform, numrat (Ex. 24:12 Dut. 33:10 Judgs 13:8). Th 23 Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p Th NIV Study Bibl; 1995; p. 738.

12 Th Book of Job 375 connction is that w ar daling with th throwing of somthing in front of somon ls. Strong's #3384 BDB #434. Th scond lin is, litrally, and a bird of th [two] havns; maning for thm to ask th birds of th havns. Th rd wâw conjunction is usd as a continuativ again. Th vrb is th 3 prson masculin singular, Hiphil imprfct apocopatd voluntativ of nâgad (ã âç ðè ) [pronouncd naw-gahd], which mans to mak conspicuous, to mak known, to xpound, to dclar, to inform, to mak it pitifully obvious that. Strong's #5046 BDB #616. Zophar usd this word in his diatrib against Job and Job throws it right back to him. Th last words of th vrs ar to you; giving us: Indd, ask plas [th] animals and on [of thm] will inform you; and [th] bird of th [two] havns and h will mak it pitifully obvious to you. What thy will mak obvious to you is that th rightous oftn suffr and th wickd oftn ar prosprd. Animals ar outsid th ralm of morality. W crtainly train (as w should) our own pts to bhav lik dcnt human bings, but thir sns of morality is basd upon thir trust, affction and upon your absolut authority. Proprly spaking, animals ar not moral or immoral, vn though w might ascrib such charactristics to thm and som animals ar prosprd and som ar not. Throughout Scriptur, God uss animals, and natur in gnral, to tach us fundamntal principls. Elihu (th mdiator btwn Job and God) dos in Job 35:9 13; our Lord dos in Matt. 6:26; and Paul in Rom. 1:20. Barns: Evn among th lowr animals, th rapacious and th violnt ar prosprd, and th gntl and th innocnt ar th victims. Lions, wolvs, and panthrs ar prosprd th lamb, th kid, th gazll, ar th victims...th objct of Job is to show th a t r wa r d s and punishmnts ar not distributd according to charactr. This was so plain in his viw as scarcly to admit of argumnt It was sn all ovr th world not only among mn, but vn in th brut cration. Evry whr th strong pry upon th wak; th firc upon th tam; th violnt upon th timid. Yt God dos not com forth to dstroy th lion and th hyna, or to dlivr th lamb and th gazll from thir grasp. Lik robbrs...lions, panthrs, and wolvs prowl upon th arth; and th agl and th vultur from th air pounc upon th dfnclss, and th grat robbrs of th dp pry upon th fbl, and still ar prosprd. What a striking illustration of th cours of vnts among mn, and of th rlativ condition of th rightous and th wickd. Nothing could b mor prtinnt to th dsign of Job than this appal, and nothing was mor in accordanc with th whol structur of th argumnt in th pom, whr wisdom is sn mainly to consist in th rsult of carful obsrvation...god...dos not giv scurity to th gntl, th tam, and th innocnt, and punish th frocious, th blood-thirsty, and th crul...thos that pry upon othrs, th agl and th vultur ar not xposd at onc to th divin displasur, and th tndr and harmlss ar not protctd. 25 Or communicat to th arth and it will inform you, and fish of th sa dclar [it] to you. Job 12:8 Or spak to th arth and it will inform you, and th fish of th sa dclar it to you. nd This vrs bgins with th conjunction or and th 2 masculin singular, Qal imprativ of sîyach ( çç é ò ) [pronouncd SEE-ahkh], and it mans to communicat, to dclar, to spak of, to talk about. Strong s #7878 BDB #967. Th word for arth is rts (õ ø à ) [pronouncd EH-rts] is a fminin singular substantiv which mans arth (all or a portion), land. It can man plant arth (Gn. 18:18, 25 22:18 Job 37:12); a spcific portion of th arth, such as a country, rgion, or trritory (Gn. 11:28, 31 21:21 Psalm 78:12 you will not that in ths instancs, rts is in th construct and gnrally translatd th land of); th ground, th soil (Gn. 1:11 12, 30 18:2 33:3 Lv. 19:9); and rats is found in miscllanous phrass. Strong's #776 BDB #75 This first phras I find mor difficult to dtrmin its maning than I rally xpctd. Th translation is fairly straightforward. If w wr spaking of th marvlous crativ powr of God or to th intricacis to which H had dvotd Himslf, no mattr how closly w xamin th arth, thr is far mor thr than w could fully dscrib or undrstand. Howvr, th contxt hr is th arbitrarinss of blssing and cursing, totally apart from mrit. Thr was land which was blssd and land which was cursd; for yars, an ara might b blssd with rain, causing it to b lush and grn; thn for svral yars, it may suffr drought, its vgtation dying out to b rplacd by bar land. Thr is no inhrnt right or wrong that w can associat with th land, vn though, from our 25 Barns Nots, Job, Volum 1; Bakr Books, 1996; p. 247.

13 Job standpoint, w can associat it with cursing and with blssing. God is not portrayd hr as arbitrary, Himslf, but th rlationship btwn good and vil and cursing and blssing is not an issu which is fully sttld hr on this arth. And, in any cas, no mattr what w look to, God's hand is in it. Th scond lin bgins with th wâw conjunction and th Pil imprfct of çâphar (ø ôç ñè ) [pronouncd saw-fahr], which mans, in th Pil, to rcall, to rcount, to dclar. Strong s #5608 BDB #707. Th rmaindr of th vrs rads: And dclar to you fish of th sa (fish is th subjct bcaus it is th only noun which matchs th vrb; and this is th typical sntnc ordr of th Hbrw: conjunction, vrb, dirction objct and subjct). Kil and Dlitzsch: All ths living craturs, though without rason and spch, still uttr a languag which is hard by vry intllignt man. 26 T h is la ttr sntnc is on which surpriss m (at first). From th knowldg which I hav of th dp, I k n o w thr is no blssing and cursing to b associatd with that which is right and wrong. Apart from th rality that animals rally oprat outsid th sphr of right and wrong, still, som animals suffr pain and som grat blssing, and thr is no carful corrspondnc btwn this and whatvr moral charactr w can assign to thm. I think that w hav a gratr apprciation and knowldg of th sas than did Job and his frinds and w ar abl to attribut th ida of moral and immoral to som craturs of th sa. Job and his frinds wr ranchrs and thy proably had atn fish on occasion and prhaps had vn fishd. Howvr, to thir obsrvation, bcaus it was suprficial, thy did not associat morality with th craturs of th sa; no mor than thy could associat morality to th land. And, sinc thr is no ral morality that can b assignd th fishs of th sa, thn it maks th ida of cursing and blssing vn mor an anomaly. My thinking hr is that, in th prvious vrs, w might ascrib to th animals on th arth and to th birds of th sky som sort of a morality, which is oftn compltly rmovd from th fats which bfalls thm; whn it coms to th arth and th fishs of th sas, that which is amoral, thr still can b ascribd cursing and blssing. So, Job s point is that you cannot immdiatly associat God s blssing with that which is right and moral; and cursing dos not automatically follow that which is wrong and immoral. This ralization dos not rquir a PhD in thology vn natur tlls you that. Who dos not know among all of ths Job 12:9 that th hand of Y howah has don this? Who dos not know among all of ths that Y howah s hand has don this? I first dalt with this vrs without covring th othr translations, but in xamining Kil and Dlitzsch, I can s that an impropr translation can caus on to b mislad. Th Emphasizd Bibl Kil and Dlitzsch NASB Young's Lit. Translation Who knowth not among all ths, That th hand of Yahwh hath don this? Who would not rcogniz in all this That th hand of Jhovah hath wrought this,... Who among all ths dos not know That th hand of th LORD has don this,... Who hath not known in all ths, That th hand of Jhovah hath don this? Bcaus Rothrham, Young and Own all agrd, I thought it unncssary at first to go into th various translations; howvr, Kil and Dlitzsch rvald a diffrnt tak on this vrs and if you happn to b rading through Kil and Dlitzsch, who ar gnrally vry accurat, and you com across this, it might giv you paus. It sounds as though th translations man ssntially th sam thing; howvr, th intrrogativ who is associatd with th phras among all ths (or, in all ths), rfrring to th witnsss citd in th prvious vrss; th translation in all this is incorrct. Th primary problm is th collctiv plural of th dmonstrativ adjctiv êllh ( ä àå ) [pronouncd EEHL-lh], which mans ths, ths things. Ths things can rfr to what has prcdd (Gn. 9:19 10:20, 31) or to what follows (Gn. 6:9 10:1). Strong's #428 (vrb is #422) BDB #41. Th final dmonstrativ adjctiv is th fminin singular of zh (ä æ ) [pronouncd zh] which mans hr, this. Strong's #2063, 2088, 2090 BDB #260. Now lt s put th vrss togthr, to gt a flow of thought: Indd, ask plas th animals and on of thm will inform you; and th bird of th havns and h will mak it pitifully obvious to you; or communicat to th arth and it will inform you, and fish of th sa dclar it to you. Who dos not know among all of ths that th hand of Y howah has don this, in whos hand is th soul of all of lif and brath [or, spirit] of 26 Kil & Dlitzsch s Commntary on th Old Tstamnt; 1966 Hndrickson Publishrs, Inc.; Vol. IV, p. 353.