Job 32:13-15

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Job 32:13 tn Heb “lest you say.” R. Gordis (Job, 368) calls this a breviloquence: “beware lest [you say].” He then suggests the best reading for their quote to be, “We have attained wisdom, but only God can refute him, not man.” H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 209) suggests the meaning is a little different, namely, that they are saying they have found wisdom in Job, and only God can deal with it. Elihu is in effect saying that they do not need God, for he is quite capable for this.
2. Job 32:13 tn The root is נָדַף (nadaf, “to drive away; to drive off”). Here it is in the abstract sense of “succeed in doing something; confound,” and so “refute; rebut.” Dhorme wants to change the meaning of the word with a slight emendation in the text, deriving it from אָלַף (ʾalaf, “instruct”) the form becoming יַלְּפֶנוּ (yall^efenu) instead of יִדְּפֶנּוּ (yidd^efenu), obtaining the translation “God will instruct us.” This makes a smoother reading, but does not have much support for it.
3. Job 32:14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Job) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4. Job 32:14 tn The verb עַרַךְ (ʿarakh) means “to arrange in order; to set forth; to direct; to marshal.” It is used in military contexts for setting the battle array; it is used in legal settings for preparing the briefs.
5. Job 32:14 tn Heb “your words.”
6. Job 32:15 sn Elihu now will give another reason why he will speak—the arguments of these friends failed miserably. But before he gets to his argument, he will first qualify his authority.
7. Job 32:15 tn The verb חַתּוּ (khattu) is from חָתַת (khatat) which means “to be terrified.” But here it stresses the resulting dilemma. R. Gordis (Job, 369) renders it, “they are shattered, beaten in an argument.”
8. Job 32:15 tn Heb “words have moved away from them,” meaning words are gone from them, they have nothing left to say.