Zophar's Rebuke and Call to Repentance
Job 11:1-20
Job.11.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- צפר: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- הנעמתי: ADJ,m,sg,def
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 4:1 (structural): Formulaic speech introduction — 'Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said' marking the first friend's response in the dialogue, parallel to Zophar's opening line.
- Job 8:1 (structural): Another friend’s reply — 'Bildad the Shuhite answered and said,' a comparable speech-heading that structures the three-cycle debate among Job and his friends.
- Job 16:1 (structural): Job’s own reply introduced by the same formula ('Then Job answered and said'), showing the alternating pattern of speeches between Job and his interlocutors.
- Job 32:6 (structural): Introduction of Elihu’s speech ('Elihu answered and said' / the opening of Elihu’s address) — likewise a speech-heading that signals a new speaker entering the debate.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
- Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
Job.11.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הרב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- דברים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- יענה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- ואם: CONJ
- איש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שפתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יצדק: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:19 (verbal): Both contrast 'many words' with the wisdom of restraint—Proverbs states that many words lead to transgression and that restraining the lips is prudent, echoing Job/Zophar's challenge about excessive talk.
- Proverbs 17:27-28 (thematic): Emphasizes restraint of speech and the wisdom of silence ('he who restrains his words has knowledge'), paralleling the implied criticism in Job 11:2 of a man who speaks much.
- Ecclesiastes 5:2 (thematic): Warns against hastiness of speech before God and the folly of too many words—resonates with the rhetorical question in Job about whether many words should go unanswered or justify a man.
- James 1:19 (thematic): Advises being 'quick to hear, slow to speak,' reflecting the biblical wisdom motif that restraint in speech is preferable to excessive talk, as critiqued in Job 11:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- Shall many words go unanswered? Or shall a man be vindicated by his lips?
- Will an abundance of words go unanswered? Can a man be justified by his many words?
Job.11.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בדיך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- מתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יחרישו: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- ותלעג: VERB,qal,imperf,3,f,sg
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- מכלם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 115:17 (thematic): Both verses invoke the silence of the dead (’the dead do not praise…/go down into silence’) to contrast living speech with the inability of the dead to answer or praise.
- Isaiah 38:18 (thematic): Isaiah’s declaration that Sheol and death cannot thank or praise God echoes the motif of the dead’s silence and inability to respond found in Job 11:3.
- Proverbs 10:19 (verbal): Proverbs warns that ‘in the multitude of words there lacks not sin’ (or that many words lead to trouble), paralleling Job 11:3’s critique of excessive or empty speech.
- Ecclesiastes 5:2–3 (thematic): Ecclesiastes cautions against rash, excessive speech and links many words to vanity or folly, resonating with Job 11:3’s condemnation of abundant, unavailing words.
Alternative generated candidates
- By your words men are silenced; the slain are hushed, the scoffers deride—and there is no reply.
- Do your words make men fall silent? When you mock, will no one put you to shame?
Job.11.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- זך: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- לקחי: VERB,qal,infc
- ובר: CONJ+PREP
- הייתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,sg
- בעיניך: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,const,2,ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 20:9 (verbal): Closely parallels the claim of personal purity—'Who can say, I have made my heart clean? I am pure from my sin?' (similar language challenging assertions of being 'clean' before God).
- 1 John 1:8-10 (thematic): Directly addresses the danger of claiming sinlessness: 'If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,' echoing the motif that asserting personal purity is false and self-deceptive.
- Psalm 143:2 (143:2 LXX/MT 143:2) (verbal): 'Enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified.' Counters the claim of being 'clean in your eyes' by declaring no one is justified before God by their own claim.
- Isaiah 64:6 (thematic): Affirms the insufficiency of human righteousness—'all our righteous acts are like filthy rags'—undermining any boast of being 'clean' in God's sight.
- Job 9:20 (structural): Within the same book Job already recognizes the problem of self-justification ('If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me'), providing an internal counterpoint to the claim of unblemished purity quoted in 11:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- You say, “My conduct is pure, and I am clean in your sight.”
- You say, “Pure are my hands; I am clean before your eyes.”
Job.11.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואולם: CONJ
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- אלוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויפתח: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שפתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- עמך: NOUN,m,sg,suff-2m
Parallels
- Job 23:3-7 (thematic): Job expresses a parallel longing to find God and present his case—like Zophar’s wish that God would speak and confront Job, both reflecting desire for direct divine speech and vindication.
- Job 28:12-28 (thematic): The chapter meditates on the hiddenness of divine wisdom (‘where shall wisdom be found?’), paralleling Zophar’s claim that God could reveal secret wisdom if he were to speak.
- 1 Samuel 3:10 (verbal): Samuel’s prayer “Speak, LORD; for thy servant hears” echoes the same basic petition for God to speak and open his lips, a direct verbal/thematic parallel.
- Psalm 85:8 (thematic): “I will hear what God the LORD will speak” (or similar readings) parallels the expectation and hope that God would speak to people and disclose his word.
- Job 33:14-16 (allusion): Elihu’s description that God speaks by dreams, visions, or direct words to warn and instruct humans connects to Zophar’s claim about God speaking and revealing wisdom to men.
Alternative generated candidates
- If only God would speak, and open his lips to you!
- O that God would speak, and open his lips to you,
Job.11.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- תעלמות: NOUN,f,pl,cs
- חכמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כי: CONJ
- כפלים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לתושיה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ודע: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- ישה: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- אלוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מעונך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2m
Parallels
- Daniel 2:22 (verbal): Speaks of God revealing “deep and hidden things,” closely echoing Job 11:6’s language about disclosing secrets of wisdom.
- Deuteronomy 29:29 (allusion): Contrasts and complements Job’s claim about hidden wisdom by stating that secret things belong to the LORD while revealed things belong to humans—both address divine possession and disclosure of hidden knowledge.
- Psalm 25:14 (verbal): Affirms that “the secret of the LORD is with those who fear him,” paralleling Job 11:6’s theme that God makes secret wisdom known to (or judges) humans.
- Proverbs 2:6 (thematic): Declares that the LORD gives wisdom and understanding, linking Job 11:6’s assertion that wisdom/secrets come from God.
- Isaiah 45:3 (verbal): Promises to give “treasures of darkness” and “hidden riches,” paralleling the motif of God revealing hidden or secret things found in Job 11:6.
Alternative generated candidates
- If he would tell you the secrets of wisdom—how manifold are they in insight—then you would know that God exacts of you less than your guilt deserves.
- and declare to you the secrets of wisdom—would he not show you that true prudence is deep?—and that God would restore you from your adversity.
Job.11.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- החקר: NOUN,m,sg,def
- אלוה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תמצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- אם: CONJ
- עד: PREP
- תכלית: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שדי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תמצא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 (verbal): Paul speaks of the Spirit searching “even the depths of God,” using the same language of 'depths' and conveying the idea that God's inner purposes are beyond unaided human discovery.
- Romans 11:33 (thematic): “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments…” echoes Job’s theme that God’s wisdom and ways are inscrutable and cannot be fully fathomed.
- Isaiah 40:13 (thematic): Rhetorical question—'Who has understood the mind of the Lord?'—parallels Job’s challenge about finding out God, both stressing human inability to comprehend the divine.
- Job 28:23-24 (thematic): In the same book, Job affirms that 'God understands the way to it' (wisdom) and alone knows where it is found, paralleling Zophar’s claim that the Almighty’s depths cannot be fully discovered.
Alternative generated candidates
- Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find out the Almighty to perfection?
- Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find the limits of the Almighty?
Job.11.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גבהי: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- שמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- תפעל: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- עמקה: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- משאול: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מה: PRON,int
- תדע: VERB,qal,impf,2,ms,sg
Parallels
- Job 11:7 (verbal): Immediate context in Zophar's speech — a series of rhetorical questions about searching out God's counsel and the limits of human understanding closely parallels v.8's theme and wording.
- Job 26:14 (thematic): Affirms the inscrutability of God's ways and the smallness of human knowledge, echoing the contrast between divine heights/depths and human comprehension.
- Isaiah 55:8-9 (thematic): Declares that God's thoughts and ways are higher than human thoughts and ways, directly mirroring the motif of divine transcendence over human understanding.
- Romans 11:33 (allusion): Paul's doxology on the depth, wisdom and knowledge of God echoes the OT theme that God's judgments and ways are unsearchable and beyond human grasp.
- Psalm 139:6 (verbal): Speaks of God's knowledge as too wonderful/high to attain, using language of height and inaccessibility that parallels the imagery of v.8.
Alternative generated candidates
- They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
- They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
Job.11.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ארכה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מדה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- ורחבה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- מני: PREP+PRON,1,_,sg
- ים: NOUN,m,sg,cs
Parallels
- Romans 11:33 (thematic): Speaks of the depth and unsearchable wisdom and judgments of God, paralleling Job 11:9's claim that God's ways/measure exceed earth and sea.
- Isaiah 40:12 (verbal): Uses measuring imagery (who has measured the waters, weighed the dust of the earth) to portray God's incomparability—close verbal/imagistic parallel to 'longer than the earth and broader than the sea.'
- Job 26:14 (structural): Within Job itself this verse emphasizes that human knowledge perceives only the outskirts of God's ways—echoing Job 11:9's stress on the vast, unmeasurable scope of divine wisdom.
- Psalm 147:5 (verbal): Declares that God's understanding is infinite (beyond measure), a concise parallel to the claim that God's measure surpasses earth and sea.
Alternative generated candidates
- Their measure is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.
- Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.
Job.11.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- יחלף: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ויסגיר: VERB,hifil,impf,3,m,sg
- ויקהיל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ומי: PRON,interr
- ישיבנו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 34:14-15 (verbal): Nearly identical language: if God gathers back His spirit/breath all flesh would perish—direct parallel in theme and wording.
- Psalm 104:29-30 (thematic): Speaks of God hiding His face/taking away breath so creatures die, and God renewing life—connects God's control of breath and life.
- Psalm 146:4 (thematic): Notes that when a person's breath departs their plans perish—echoes the link between God's withdrawal of breath and human incapacity.
- Ecclesiastes 12:7 (verbal): States that the spirit returns to God who gave it and the body to dust—parallels the idea of God reclaiming the spirit.
- Genesis 6:3 (allusion): God declares His spirit will not contend/abide forever with man—an earlier theological motif of divine withdrawal of spirit leading to judgment.
Alternative generated candidates
- If he passes by and shuts up, and summons to account, who can restrain him?
- If he passes by and shuts up, who can hinder him? If he gathers, who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’
Job.11.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מתי: ADV,int
- שוא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- און: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- יתבונן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 94:11 (verbal): Both verses use the claim that Yahweh 'knows' human thoughts/men and links that knowledge to the vanity or futility of human intention ('vanity'/'are vanity').
- Habakkuk 1:13 (verbal): Habakkuk states that God is too pure to behold evil and cannot look on iniquity—closely echoing Job 11:11's idea that God 'sees' wickedness and will not regard it.
- Psalm 139:2–4 (thematic): Both passages emphasize God's penetrating knowledge of human inner life (thoughts, words, ways), underpinning the claim that God 'knows' and thus discerns the vanity or wickedness of people.
- Proverbs 15:3 (thematic): Proverbs affirms that the Lord's eyes are everywhere, watching evil and good—paralleling Job's assertion that God 'sees' human wickedness.
- Psalm 5:5 (thematic): This verse declares that the foolish/workers of iniquity cannot stand in God's sight and are hated by him, resonating with Job 11:11's claim that God perceives wickedness and will not regard it favorably.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he knows vain men; he sees iniquity, yet he does not at once regard it.
- For he knows the conceit of men; he sees wickedness—will he not take it into account?
Job.11.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואיש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נבוב: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ילבב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ועיר: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,const
- פרא: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אדם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יולד: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 1:7 (thematic): Both contrast 'fools' with true wisdom — Job 11:12 depicts a vain/foolish man pretending to be wise, echoing Proverbs' theme that fools despise or lack the fear of the LORD and thus miss wisdom.
- Proverbs 12:15 (thematic): Proverbs states 'the way of a fool is right in his own eyes,' paralleling Job's picture of a vain man who presumes wisdom despite his folly.
- Job 39:5-8 (allusion): Job 11:12’s image of being 'born like a wild ass's colt' resonates with Job 39’s depiction of the untamable wild donkey — a biblical motif for untamed, reckless nature and inherent wildness.
- Proverbs 26:11 (verbal): The proverb about a fool repeating his folly (as a dog returns to its vomit) parallels Job’s critique of vain folly — both underscore the persistent, self-defeating character of foolishness.
Alternative generated candidates
- A senseless man is put to shame; a fool is born among men.
- Can a senseless man be made wise? Can the offspring of a wild ass be born a man?
Job.11.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- הכינות: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לבך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ופרשת: CONJ+VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- כפך: NOUN,f,sg+PRON,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 88:9 (verbal): Uses the same supplicatory gesture—“I spread out my hands to you”—paralleling Job 11:13’s “stretch out your hands to him.”
- Psalm 28:2 (verbal): Speaks of lifting/spreading hands toward God in plea (“lift up my hands to your holy sanctuary”), echoing the physical act of reaching toward God in Job 11:13.
- Isaiah 1:15 (structural): Also uses the motif of spreading out hands; here the gesture contrasts with God’s rejection (“when you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes”), offering a counterpoint to Zophar’s call to reach out to God.
- Psalm 51:17 (thematic): Emphasizes heart-attitude before God (“a broken and contrite heart”), corresponding to Job 11:13’s injunction to ‘prepare your heart’ as the proper inner disposition.
- James 4:8 (thematic): New Testament parallel that links cleansing/raising of hands and purifying the heart (“cleanse your hands... purify your hearts”), thematically echoing the combined call in Job 11:13 to ready the heart and reach to God.
Alternative generated candidates
- If you would prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands toward him,
- If you would prepare your heart, and stretch out your hands to him,
Job.11.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אם: CONJ
- און: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בידך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,suff,2,m,sg
- הרחיקהו: VERB,hiphil,imp,2,m,sg
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- תשכן: VERB,qal,imprf,3,f,sg
- באהליך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- עולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:16 (verbal): Both call for cleansing and removal of evil deeds—"Wash yourselves...put away the evil of your doings" parallels removing iniquity from your hand.
- Psalm 101:7 (thematic): Declares that those who practice deceit or wickedness must not dwell in the psalmist's house, echoing the injunction not to let evil dwell in one's tent.
- Proverbs 4:14-15 (thematic): Commands avoidance of the path of the wicked—an exhortation to keep evil away from one's dwelling and life, similar to removing iniquity.
- James 4:8 (thematic): Urges sinners to cleanse their hands and purify their hearts as a prerequisite for drawing near to God, resonating with the call to remove wrongdoing from oneself.
- 1 Corinthians 5:13 (thematic): Calls for purging the evil person from the community—comparable to the demand that evil not be allowed to remain within one's house or circle.
Alternative generated candidates
- if there is iniquity in your hand, put it far away, and let not injustice dwell in your tents;
- if iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, and let not unrighteousness dwell in your tents,
Job.11.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- אז: ADV
- תשא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- ממום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- והיית: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- מצק: ADJ,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- תירא: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 22:21-26 (verbal): A close verbal and thematic parallel in another friend's speech: obedience/conciliation with God leads to lifting up one's face, security, and lack of fear.
- Psalm 34:5 (thematic): Speaks of looking to God and becoming radiant so that 'their faces shall never be ashamed,' paralleling the image of lifting up the face and not fearing.
- Psalm 112:7-8 (thematic): Describes the righteous as not fearing bad news and having a steadfast heart—echoing Job 11:15's promise of firmness and absence of fear for the blameless.
- Proverbs 28:1 (thematic): Contrasts the fearful wicked with the boldness of the righteous ('the righteous are bold as a lion'), thematically similar to the idea that the blameless will not fear.
Alternative generated candidates
- then you will lift up your face without blemish; you will be steadfast and will not fear.
- then you will lift up your face without blemish; you shall be steadfast and shall not fear.
Job.11.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- אתה: PRON,2,m,sg
- עמל: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תשכח: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- כמים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- עברו: VERB,qal,imp,2,pl
- תזכר: VERB,qal,imperfect,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Isaiah 43:18 (allusion): God's command to 'remember not the former things' parallels the idea that past suffering should be abandoned/forgotten as something gone by.
- Isaiah 65:17 (thematic): The promise that former things will not be remembered echoes Job 11:16's image of misery becoming like past waters—no longer present or recalled.
- Psalm 30:5 (thematic): 'Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning' expresses the same thought of suffering as temporary and passing like waters.
- 2 Corinthians 4:17 (thematic): Paul's contrast of 'light momentary affliction' with future glory parallels Job's claim that current misery will be remembered only as passing water.
- 1 Peter 1:6 (thematic): Peter's note that believers rejoice despite 'for a little while' of grief aligns with the theme that present suffering is transient and will be like waters that have passed.
Alternative generated candidates
- For you will forget your misery; it will be like waters that have gone by.
- For you will forget your toil; you will remember it as waters that have passed by.
Job.11.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומצהרים: CONJ+PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חלד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תעפה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- כבקר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- תהיה: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,f,sg
Parallels
- Job 8:7 (thematic): Shared motif of reversal/restoration of fortune — the sufferer’s end will be brighter or greater than his beginning, paralleling imagery of rising/renewal in 11:17.
- Isaiah 58:8 (verbal): Uses almost identical simile—"your light shall break forth as the morning"—linking deliverance and healing with dawn-like brightness as in Job 11:17.
- Isaiah 60:1 (verbal): "Arise, shine" and the summons to brightness echo Job’s image of becoming like the morning, portraying restoration as dawning light.
- Proverbs 4:18 (verbal): The righteous’ path is compared to the increasing light of dawn — a close verbal/thematic parallel to Job’s morning-brightness metaphor.
- Malachi 4:2 (thematic): Speaks of the rising of light (the 'Sun of righteousness') bringing healing — thematically akin to Job’s association of renewal and exaltation with morning light.
Alternative generated candidates
- Your life will be renewed; you will be like the dawn.
- And your life will arise secure; your freshness will be renewed like the morning—you shall be like the noonday.
Job.11.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ובטחת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- יש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תקוה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- וחפרת: VERB,qal,perf,2,m,sg
- לבטח: ADV
- תשכב: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 4:8 (verbal): Same imagery of lying down and sleeping in safety—'I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety,' echoing assurance of secure rest.
- Proverbs 3:24 (verbal): Promises peaceful, untroubled sleep ('when you lie down you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet'), paralleling the theme of safe repose grounded in trust/wisdom.
- Isaiah 32:18 (structural): Speaks of dwelling in peaceful, secure habitation and quiet resting places—parallel structural theme of hopeful security and restful settlement.
- Jeremiah 17:7-8 (thematic): Trust in the LORD yields stability and flourishing ('Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD... he is like a tree planted by water'), thematically linked to hope leading to safety and confidence.
Alternative generated candidates
- You will be secure, because there is hope; you will lie down in safety.
- You will have confidence because there is hope; you will lie down and none shall make you afraid.
Job.11.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ורבצת: VERB,qal,perf,2,f,sg
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- מחריד: VERB,piel,ptc,0,m,sg
- וחלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- פניך: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,2,m,sg
- רבים: ADJ,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 3:24 (verbal): Uses nearly the same image and wording—lying down without fear and enjoying secure, undisturbed rest as the payoff of wisdom/righteousness.
- Psalm 4:8 (thematic): Speaks of lying down and sleeping in peace because the LORD provides safety, echoing Job 11:19’s promise of rest without terror.
- Job 29:25 (allusion): Job’s own reminiscence that people sought his favor and valued his presence parallels the clause 'many will seek your favor,' linking restoration to social honor.
- Proverbs 1:33 (structural): Promises that those who heed wisdom will 'dwell secure' and be 'at ease, without dread of disaster,' reflecting the same theme of security and absence of fear in Job 11:19.
Alternative generated candidates
- You will lie down untroubled, and many will entreat your favor.
- You will lie down in security, and many will seek your favor.
Job.11.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועיני: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- רשעים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תכלינה: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,pl
- ומנוס: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אבד: VERB,qal,infabs
- מנהם: PREP+PRON,3,pl
- ותקותם: NOUN,f,sg,abs,3,pl
- מפח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נפש: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Proverbs 10:28 (verbal): Direct verbal/thematic parallel: both declare that the hope or expectation of the wicked will come to nothing or perish.
- Proverbs 11:7 (verbal): Very close verbal parallel: the verse states that the expectation of the wicked perishes (at death), echoing Job’s note on the fate of the wicked’s hope.
- Psalm 37:9-10 (thematic): Thematic parallel: describes the ultimate cutting off/perishing of the wicked and the futility of their hopes, contrasting with the inheritance or endurance of the righteous.
- Psalm 73:18-19 (thematic): Thematic/allusive parallel: depicts God’s judging and casting down of the wicked to ruin, similar to Job’s depiction of the failure and loss of hope among the wicked.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the eyes of the wicked shall fail; escape will perish for them, and their hope shall be the last breath.
- But the eyes of the wicked shall fail; their escape shall perish, and their hope is the fleeting breath of the dying.
Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said:
Are many words to go unanswered? Can a man of mere lips be vindicated?
Your words would silence the dead; they would provoke derision—there is nothing in them.
You say, ‘I am pure, and innocent before your eyes.’
Oh, that God would speak, and open his lips to you,
and would disclose to you the secrets of wisdom—its depths are manifold; then know that God requires of you less than your guilt deserves.
Can you search out the deep things of God? Can you find the limits of the Almighty?
They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know?
Their measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.
If he passes by and shuts up, and summons, who can turn him back?
For he knows the ways of the worthless and sees wickedness—will he not take it into account?
Does a senseless man become wise? Is a wild ass’s colt born a man?
If you would set your heart aright and stretch out your hands toward him,
if you would put away iniquity from your hand and let not wickedness dwell in your tents,
then you would lift up your face without blemish, you would be firm and would not fear.
For you would forget your misery; it would be like water that has passed away— you would remember it no more.
Your life would be clearer than the noonday; darkness would be as the morning.
You would be confident, for there is hope; you would look about you and lie down in security.
You would lie down without dread, and many would seek your favor. But the eyes of the wicked shall fail; escape will perish for them, and their hope will be the last gasp.