1 Job 38:1-11, 34-41 (38:1) Qal imperative + 1cs ענה = I answer, respond under BDB 772b. Note form ענה suffix. 1 מנ rage. storm, = סער tempest, storm-wind under BDB 704a. Root = ס ע ר ה (38:2) be, grow dark, Hiphil cause darkness, hide, conceal, obscure under BDB = ח ש ך 364b-. Arm.ח ש ך Arb ḥasika = bear rancor. Wonder quite how it is being used here. word, speech, utterance (poetry especially = מ ל ה = unusual plural form of מ ל ין Job, common in Arm) under BDB 576a. Root מלל = speak, utter, say. The unusual plural form מ לין appears only in Job. Without going into all the details the Hebrew of Job is a little different. or עצה counsel, advice under BDB 420a. Not easy to find in BDB. Not = ע צ ה.יעץ so try עוץ/עיץ even (38:3) 25a. gird, encompass, equip, Piel gird under BDB = אזר be = גבר Akk gabru rival (LW). Root.ג ב ר man under BDB 149b. Arm = ג ב ר strong, mighty. 2 323a. loins (only dual) (as seat of strength, vigour) under BDB = ח ל ץ ח ל צ י ם Root חלץ II = equip for war. Interesting choice of word and form. Not simply answer but you will והודיעני make me know.. מ ן 1 Sure enough qre. כגי בור One manuscript 2
2 (38:4) 33a. where? whither? under BDB = א יפ ה establish, found, fix, Piel found, establish, appoint, ordain (late) under = יסד BDB 413b. Arm.י ס ד Arm wasādu(n) pillow. Note form יסד Qal infinitive construct + suffix. נגד = Hiphil declare, tell under BDB 616b. Note the small difference between נגד Hiphil affix and (here) imperative 2ms. The long I vowel shortens because it was originally closed (because no final short vowel). discern. = בין understanding under BDB 108a. Root = ב ינ ה (38:5) = מדד measurement (of the earth) under BDB 551b. Hapax. Root = מ מ ד measure. stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend under BDB 639b. Akk naṭā = נטה (w) stretch out. for. wait = קוה II = "line" under BDB 876a. Root ק ו which we see sometimes after the word ק Note the extra mappiq in the עליה קו before it ends in a vowel. Remember that the vocalic system of the Masoretic Text represents no more and no less than how that community pronounced the text of the Hebrew Bible. (38:6) firm, strong, put under = אדן "base, pedestals" under BDB 10b. Root = א ד ן command. Akk.ט ב ע sink, sink down, Hiphil be sunk, settled under BDB 371b. Arm = טבע ṭebû sink in. Arb ṭabaʿa seal, stamp, imprint. Here Hophal to were sunk, settled.
3 throw, shoot, Hiphil throw, shoot, point out, teach, instruct under BDB = ירה 434b-. Arm Aphel א ור י teach. Amharic warē information, news. Akk ārû lead, guide. Zinj ירי set, found. Interesting use of this verb in this context. Which itself.פנה = apparently form of פנן "corner" under BDB 819b. Root = פ נ ה is interesting. There is evidence that Hebrew is based on roots of two consontants (which have been modified or expanded to three). Compare to Quenya Elvish although they are of course completely unrelated. cornerstone. Literally stone of its corner = its אבן פנת ה This verse might provide insight into how the ancient Israelites understood cosmology. So the world is set on bases or pedestals? (38:7) give a ringing cry under BDB 943a. Ouch. Not easy to parse final geminate = רנן verbs. Note the form of רנן Qal infinitive construct. united. be = יחד unitedness, in union, together under BDB 403a. Root = י ח ד (meaning not wholly clear) roll threads = כבב "star" under BDB 456b. Root = כ וכ ב into a ball, burn, shields??? 133b. morning under BDB = ב ק ר What a remarkable image. Does this also provide insight into ברן יחד כוכבי בקר how ancient Israel understood the formation of the world? Not the angels (although that comes next sort of) but the stars of morning sang for joy. The world we know cannot exist without large and ancient stars that lives and died and went supernova. We are not only as Carl Sagan famously said made of star stuff. We are made partly from the remnants of dead stars that gave of themselves so that rocky worlds could form on which creatures like us could exist. 929b. = Hiphil raise a shout, give a blast (with clarion or horn) under BDB ר וע Arb raǵā utter a grumbling cry. God? Okay so who or what are these sons, children of בני אלהים
4 (38:8) probably more original) under BDB שכ ך ( cover I = overshadow, screen, סכ ך 696a-. Arb šakka. Hapax? under BDB 697a. ( שכ ך ( together II = weave סכ ך Is there a chance the writer is trying to capture both with one word? Probably not but (water). draw = דלה "door" under BDB 195a. Root = ד ל ת Arm. burst forth under BDB 161b. = גיח גוח gentle. be soft, = רחם "womb" under BDB 933a. Root = ר ח ם More remarkable imagery. And consistent with both the first creation narrative and the un-creation narrative aka Flood Story. (38:9) appear, (perhaps) cover; = ענן "cloud-mass, cloud" under BDB 777b. Root = ע נ ן present oneself; intervene as an obstacle. put on = לב ש garment, clothing, raiment under BDB 528b. Root = ל ב ו ש (garment). II ערף under BDB 791b. Root (ל + עריף cloud, heavy cloud (perhaps from = ע ר פ ל = drip, drop. (perhaps) = חתל swaddling-band under BDB 367b. Hapax. Root = ח ת ל ה entwine, enwrap. (38:10). ש ב ר < Denominative II (?) = buy grain under BDB 991b. שבר 349a. something prescribed, a statute or due under BDB = ח ק. שבר is being used and which שבר A little unclear especially how וא שבר... ח קי
5 138a. bar under BDB = ב ר יח (38:11) Ph.א וס יף add, Hiphil add, add to, increase under BDB 414b. Arm Aphel = יסף Akk esēpu (dubious). Being used a little differently and without a verb.וסף Sab.יסף in the infinitive construct. Simply (up to here) you come and not any more. Hunh. Two different spellings in the same verse. The latter might look a פה... פא little more Aramaic. up. rise גאה exaltation (pride?) under BDB 144b. Root = ג א ון 3 י שיתבגאון away. roll, roll = גלל "heap, wave, billow" under BDB 164b. Root = ג ל The syntax is a little unclear especially if God is speaking. And here ופא י שית... he puts (?) or And here are put/placed? And if so how is י שית a passive form?. י שבת גאון = obsistere? or perhaps read שית ב 3
6 (38:34) rise, be high, exalted, = רום = 2ms Hiphil prefix רום + ה - interrogative ה ת ר ים Polel raise, exalt under BDB 926b. Here Hiphil. flow abundantly, be = שפע abundance, quantity under BDB 1051a. Root = ש פ ע ה abundant. - Not too difficult to parse. Note the heavy accent which only appears after ת כ ס ך prefixed indicative or cohortative verbs and never after prefixed preterite or jussive (or imperative). כסה = Piel cover under BDB 491a. 4 (38:35) 1018a. send, Piel send away, dismiss (including divorce) under BDB = שלח Arm. ש ל ח Arb saraḥa (r = l) send forth, drive cattle to pasture, send messenger, and so on. Akk probably šalû send, hurl? I did some research and gave a short paper on 2 Samuel 11-12 and the theme of kings and/versus messengers in the David and Bathsheba story. Messengers do not go they are sent. Does the verse portray lightning as messengers of Yhwh? birqu. "lightning" (chiefly in poetry) under BDB 140b. Arb barqu(n). Akk = ב ר ק.ב ר ק Arm This is a remarkable image somewhat reminiscent of creation in וילכו ויאמר ל ך הנני Psalm 19:1-4. Does lightning speak? Perhaps not with thoughts and words. But every created thing (including what we think of as inanimate natural objects and phenomena) is portrayed as being able somehow to respond to its creator. (38:36) 1011a. put, set under BDB = שית uncertain - Some translations have a footnote saying meaning of Hebrew ב ט ח ות and/or translate (in) the inward parts). However almost certainly is related to Ancient Egyptian dhwt = ibis bird. So who put wisdom in the ibis? The Egyptian deity dhwty Thoth was the god of wisdom. The poet is?תענ ך = σου Septuagint ὑπακουσεται 4
7 probably not endorsing Egyptian religion but is aware of an ancient concept = ט ח ות knowledge. that the ibis bird somehow represents wisdom and inward parts under BDB 376a. Root טוח = over-spread, over-lay, coat, besmear. Or I would swear I looked this up in BDB under (?)טחה and now cannot seem to find it. discern. = בין understanding under BDB 108a. Root = ב ינ ה (perhaps a celestial) appearance, phenomenon under BDB 967b. Compare = ש כ ו י NH (= Late Hebrew) ש כ ו י cock (rooster). Perhaps of clouds (compare.( טח ות (38:37) 708a. = Piel recount, relate under BDB ספר rub away, beat = שחק dust, cloud (as fine, thin) under BDB 1007a. Root = ש ח ק fine, pulverize. I = (meaning נבל I = skin-bottle, skin; jar, pitcher under BDB 614a. Root נ ב ל dubious). = Hiphil lay, make lie down under BDB 1012b. Some English translations שכב read tilt rather than lay down. (38:38) = יצק.י שב < ש ב ת verb. Compare י A little tricky to parse since this is a 1 st ב צ ק ת pour, cast, flow under BDB 427a. flow. pour, cast, = יצק a casting under BDB 427b. Root מ וצ ק rare. clod of earth under BDB 918b. Very = ר ג ב.ד ב ק,ד ב ק cling, cleave, keep close under BDB 179b. Arab dabiqa. Aram = דבק Here Pual so stuck (together). (38:39)
8.צוד טיד I = hunt under BDB 844b. Akk ṣâdu = hunt. So Arb ṣāda. Arm צוד OArm צידא = hunting. lioness. = לבא lion (possible also lioness ) under BDB 522b. Root = ל ב יא There are other words for lion in ancient Hebrew. Either the poet is breaking out the thesaurus or we might be dealing with a dialect of ancient Hebrew other than the standard literary dialect of Jerusalem. 383a. prey, food; leaf under BDB = ט ר ף living thing, animal; animal; wild animals; life (only in late poetry); appetite = ח י ה (only here); revival, renewal under BDB 312b. 498b. young lion under BDB = כ פ יר (38:40) = Hitpalel bow down, prostrate oneself under BDB 1005a. Here Qal so שחה simply crouch. Once י שתחוה was parsed as a form of שחה but now almost universally understood as the Hishtaphal (causative-reflexive stem) of.חוה It is good to observe that שחה was still a verb root used to express crouch. = עון den, lair (of wild beasts); dwelling place under BDB 733a. Root = מ ע נ ה dwell. thicket, booth (in the sense of a shelter made from interwoven sticks and = ס כ ה branches) under BDB 697b. Interesting that here ס כ ה is a thicket, booth not made by human hands and yet even lions have a sukkah. 4x. under BDB 518a. Only Job and (ל (poetic for = ל מ ו wait. lie in = ארב rare. a lying-in-wait; covert, lair under BDB 70b. Very = א ר ב (38:41) be firm, Niphal be set up, established, fixed under BDB 465b. Akk kānu = כון be firm, right. Akk kāna exist, occur, be. Here Hiphil so established, set up.
9 I am beginning to notice a strong pattern here. How many words associated with establishing and building are employed in the first divine speech. The cosmos/universe is the temple of God. In the ancient Near East ritual and liturgy accompanied the foundation and the completion of buildings such as temples. Even the animal world is full of construction/building terms. = I צוד hunting, game; game (hunted and taken) under BDB 844b. Root = צ י ד hunt. raven under BDB 788a. This is probably a good time to let you know = ע ר ב something interesting about Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew has twenty characters in its alphabet right? However we know it had more than twenty sounds. Just as English has twenty six letters but more than forty different sounds. The Hebrew character ע actually stood for at least two sounds (1) (ayin and (2) ģayin. We know this from Greek transcriptions of Hebrew from the first few centuries CE. In Arabic the word for raven is ģurāb(un). Way back in Iron Age Israel ע ר ב was probably pronounced something like ģurib(u). Iron Age Hebrew! Do you speak it?!? child, son, boy, youth; young (of raven); descendants; youth under BDB = י ל ד 409a. Root ילד = bear, bring forth, beget. and not a hollow ו = Piel cry out for help under BDB 1002b. Note medial שוע verb..טעה err under BDB 1073a. Form of = תעה Akk akalu (which is a little.אכלא food under BDB 38a. Arb )uklu(n). Arm = א כ ל odd should be aklu?).