Job Seeks God and Laments Injustice
Job 23:1-24:25
Job.23.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויען: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- איוב: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 6:1 (verbal): Uses the same introductory speech formula (ויען איוב ויאמר), marking the opening of a response by Job and structurally parallel to 23:1.
- Job 3:1 (structural): Another instance where Job's address is introduced (ויאמר איוב/ויען איוב), signaling the start of a major speech—parallels in function and placement within Job's speeches.
- Job 12:1 (structural): Begins a response by Job (ויאמר איוב/ויאמר), serving a similar rhetorical role as 23:1 in launching a sustained speech defending Job's perspective.
- Job 29:1 (verbal): Introduces Job's long retrospective speech with the same or similar formula, paralleling 23:1 in form and in marking a distinct speech unit within the book.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Job answered and said:
- Then Job answered and said:
Job.23.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גם: ADV
- היום: NOUN,m,sg,def
- מרי: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שחי: VERB,qal,impv,2,,sg
- ידי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- כבדה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- על: PREP
- אנחתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
Parallels
- Job 10:1 (verbal): Job here resolves to 'give free course to my complaint' and speaks of the bitterness of his soul—language and tone closely echo the 'bitter' complaint of 23:2.
- Job 7:11 (verbal): 'I will not keep silent... my sighing comes not to an end' parallels 23:2's reference to ongoing groaning and the inability to find relief.
- Lamentations 3:1-5 (thematic): The speaker describes being overwhelmed by affliction and the Lord's oppressive hand—themes of sustained suffering and God's heavy hand parallel Job's sense of bitter complaint under divine pressure.
- Psalm 88:7-9 (thematic): The psalmist depicts God's wrath as overwhelming and his cries unanswered—resonates with Job's persistent, bitter complaint and the experience of being 'under' God's heavy hand.
Alternative generated candidates
- Even today my complaint is this: the hand of the Almighty lies heavy upon my groaning.
- Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy upon my groaning.
Job.23.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- ידעתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,?,sg
- ואמצאהו: CONJ+VERB,qal,imperf,1,NA,sg,prsfx:3,m,sg
- אבוא: VERB,qal,impf,1,NA,sg
- עד: PREP
- תכונתו: NOUN,f,sg,abs,prsfx:3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 27:8 (verbal): Both verses express an urgent desire to seek God's presence/face and to come into his presence — 'seek my face' parallels 'I would come to his dwelling.'
- Psalm 42:1-2 (thematic): Imagery of deep yearning for God: the psalmist's soul longs and pants for God, echoing Job's longing to find and come to the LORD.
- Psalm 63:1 (thematic): A cry of earnest pursuit and thirst for God in a place of absence mirrors Job's wish to know where to find God and come to him.
- Jeremiah 29:13 (allusion): The promise that seeking God wholeheartedly will lead to finding him resonates with Job's expressed wish, 'If only I knew where I might find him.'
- Deuteronomy 4:29 (verbal): Instructions that seeking the LORD will result in finding him if one searches with heart and soul parallel Job's desire to locate and come to God's dwelling.
Alternative generated candidates
- Oh that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling!
- O that I knew where I might find him! I would come to his dwelling place.
Job.23.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אערכה: VERB,qal,impf,1,m,sg
- לפניו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- משפט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ופי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אמלא: VERB,piel,impf,1,m,sg
- תוכחות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 1:18 (verbal): Both verses use the language of reasoning/pleading before God (“Come now, and let us reason together” — parallel to presenting a case and filling the mouth with arguments).
- Isaiah 43:26 (verbal): Explicit courtroom language—“Put me in remembrance; let us plead together”—echoes Job’s desire to set his case before God and argue his cause.
- Proverbs 18:17 (thematic): Courtroom imagery about stating a case and examination (“The one who states his case first seems right, until the other comes and examines him”) parallels Job’s intention to present and argue his cause.
- Jeremiah 12:1 (thematic): The prophet’s complaint and request to argue about God’s judgments (“Righteous art thou, O LORD... yet I will speak with thee of thy judgments”) matches Job’s confrontational, forensic stance toward God.
Alternative generated candidates
- I would set my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.
- I would set my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
Job.23.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- אדעה: VERB,qal,imperfect,1,com,sg
- מלים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- יענני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+1s.obj
- ואבינה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,c,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- יאמר: VERB,qal,imperfect,3,m,sg
- לי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Job 10:2 (verbal): Job directly asks God to explain why He contends with him—same motif of pleading for God’s answer and an account of divine reasons.
- Psalm 139:23 (thematic): A prayer requesting God’s searching and disclosure of inner thoughts—parallels Job’s desire to know how God would answer and what He would say.
- Isaiah 41:21 (structural): A prophetic summons to present one’s case and produce reasons—structurally similar to Job’s wish to hear God’s answer and understand His speech.
- Job 38:3 (structural): God turns the tables and demands that Job answer Him—this contrasts but closely parallels Job’s earlier desire to know what God would say and how He would reply.
- Habakkuk 1:2 (thematic): A lament asking how long God will remain silent—echoes Job’s longing for a spoken response and clarification from God.
Alternative generated candidates
- I would know the words that he would answer me, and understand what he would tell me.
- I would know the words that he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me.
Job.23.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הברב: NOUN,m,sg,def
- כח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יריב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- עמדי: PREP+1cs
- לא: PART_NEG
- אך: PART
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- ישם: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בי: PREP+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Job 9:20 (verbal): Job expresses the same conviction that even if he were blameless God would ‘prove’ or contend against him — language and theme of divine prosecution against the sufferer.
- Job 23:10 (structural): Immediate chapter parallel: the same speaker moves from the thought that God sets him against charges (v.6) to the claim that God ‘tests’ him and he will come forth purified (v.10).
- Psalm 139:23–24 (thematic): Prayer asking God to ‘search’ and ‘try’ the psalmist parallels the motif of God as one who examines or tests the individual’s inner life.
- Zechariah 3:1–2 (thematic): Vision of an adversary (Satan) standing to oppose/accuse the priest Joshua before the LORD parallels the image of an opponent contending against a person in the divine court.
- Revelation 12:10 (allusion): The figure of the ‘accuser’ who accuses the brethren before God echoes the theme of an adversary bringing charges against a person in the heavenly tribunal.
Alternative generated candidates
- Would he contend with me by the greatness of his power? No; rather he would put strength in me.
- Would he contend with me by the greatness of his power? No—he would give heed to me.
Job.23.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שם: ADV
- ישר: ADJ,m,sg
- נוכח: PREP
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ואפלטה: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- לנצח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- משפטי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
Parallels
- Isaiah 50:8-9 (verbal): Both passages use the language of a challenger/contender and assert vindication before God—'who will contend/argue with me?' echoes Job’s claim that an upright man could argue with Him and secure vindication.
- Job 19:25-27 (thematic): Expresses the same hope for vindication by a heavenly vindicator/redeemer who will stand for the sufferer, paralleling Job’s desire to be delivered from his judge.
- Job 16:19 (thematic): Speaks of a heavenly witness/record ('my witness is in heaven') and the hope for someone to plead the sufferer’s case—similar concern for vindication before a divine judge.
- Psalm 26:1 (verbal): Uses judge/upright language ('Judge me, O LORD, for I have walked in mine integrity'), paralleling Job’s appeal to integrity and judgment before God.
Alternative generated candidates
- There the upright stand in his presence, and I would be delivered forever from my judge.
- There the upright could stand before him, and I should be delivered forever from my judge.
Job.23.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הן: PART
- קדם: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- אהלך: NOUN,m,sg,abs+2fs
- ואיננו: VERB,qal,pres,3,m,sg
- ואחור: CONJ+ADV
- ולא: CONJ
- אבין: VERB,qal,imf,1,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 19:11-12 (thematic): Elijah seeks the presence of God but does not find Him in wind, earthquake, or fire; God appears instead in a still small voice—parallels Job’s searching and inability to perceive God in expected places.
- Psalm 10:1 (thematic): The psalmist asks why the LORD stands afar off and hides in times of trouble, echoing Job’s complaint that he goes forward and backward but cannot find or perceive God.
- Habakkuk 1:2 (thematic): The prophet laments crying to God without answer and questions God’s apparent silence—similar to Job’s experience of seeking God yet not finding Him.
- Psalm 139:7-8 (thematic): Affirms God’s ubiquitous presence (‘where shall I go from your Spirit?’), serving as a theological contrast to Job’s sense that God is not to be found when he searches.
- Jeremiah 23:23-24 (thematic): God rhetorically denies being distant or unknowable and insists he sees hidden places—a counterpoint to Job’s claim that he goes forward and backward yet cannot perceive God.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he is at one place, and I at another; I go forward, but he is not there; I go back, yet I cannot perceive him.
- For he is before me, and I do not see him; he is behind me, and I cannot perceive him.
Job.23.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- שמאול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בעשתו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- אחז: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- יעטף: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- ימין: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ולא: CONJ
- אראה: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Job 9:12 (verbal): Very close/near-verbatim parallel within Job: the same rhetorical complaint—if God takes away, who can hinder him or ask him, 'What are you doing?'."
- Deuteronomy 32:39 (verbal): God’s sovereign power over life and death and the inability of anyone to deliver from his hand ('I kill and make alive... there is none that can deliver') parallels Job’s sense that none can stop God when he acts.
- Isaiah 45:15 (thematic): Confesses the paradox of a hidden deity ('Truly you are a God who hides himself'), echoing Job’s experience of God acting while remaining unseen and unanswerable.
- Ecclesiastes 7:13 (thematic): 'Consider the work of God: who can make straight what he has made crooked?' Expresses the same conviction that humans cannot reverse or successfully challenge God’s actions.
- Romans 9:20 (allusion): Paul’s rhetorical question ('Who are you, O man, to answer back to God?') parallels Job’s challenge about questioning or confronting God when he acts.
Alternative generated candidates
- If he goes to the left, I do not see him; he turns to the right, and I do not behold him.
- When he moves to the left, I cannot behold him; he turns to the right, and I do not see him.
Job.23.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- ידע: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עמדי: PREP+1cs
- בחנני: VERB,qal,imp,2,m,sg
- כזהב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אצא: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 66:10-12 (verbal): Speaks of God testing/trying his people 'as silver is tried' and bringing them through fire and water—same refining/testing metaphor as Job's emergence 'as gold.'
- Proverbs 17:3 (verbal): Uses crucible/furnace imagery—'the crucible is for silver, and the furnace for gold; the LORD tests hearts'—a direct proverbial parallel to divine testing and refining.
- Isaiah 48:10 (verbal): God says 'I have refined you, but not as silver' and 'I have tested you in the furnace of affliction,' closely echoing the motif of divine testing that produces purity.
- Zechariah 13:9 (thematic): Declares 'I will refine them like silver and test them like gold'—a near-verbal promise of purification through testing, paralleling Job's confidence in coming forth refined.
- 1 Peter 1:6-7 (allusion): Describes believers' trials as testing faith 'by fire' so that it may be proved genuine like gold—New Testament appropriation of the OT refining metaphor reflected in Job 23:10.
Alternative generated candidates
- But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me I shall come forth as gold.
- But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me I shall come forth as gold.
Job.23.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- באשרו: PREP+PRON,rel,3,m,sg
- אחזה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רגלי: NOUN,f,pl,cons
- דרכו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- שמרתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- אט: ADV
Parallels
- Psalm 119:30 (verbal): Both speak of choosing or holding fast to the way of faithfulness before God — 'I have chosen the way of faithfulness' echoes holding to God's path.
- Psalm 119:10 (verbal): Expresses wholehearted seeking of God and a plea not to wander from his commandments, paralleling Job's claim that he kept God's way and did not turn.
- Deuteronomy 5:33 (structural): Command to 'walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you' matches the structural motif of walking/keeping God's path in Job 23:11.
- Jeremiah 7:23 (thematic): God's summons to obey his voice and 'walk in all the way that I command you' parallels Job's emphasis on fidelity to God's way and keeping his statutes.
- Psalm 119:1 (thematic): Pronouncement of blessing on those who 'walk in the law of the LORD' resonates with Job's assertion that his foot has held fast to God's steps and he has kept God's way.
Alternative generated candidates
- My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
- My foot has held fast to his steps; I have kept his way and not turned aside.
Job.23.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מצות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- שפתיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- אמיש: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- מחקי: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- צפנתי: VERB,qal,perf,1,_,sg
- אמרי: VERB,qal,impv,2,f,sg
- פיו: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3ms
Parallels
- Psalm 119:11 (thematic): Both speak of internalizing and keeping God’s words as a guiding safeguard—hiding God’s word in the heart vs. treasuring the words of his mouth.
- Psalm 119:103 (verbal): Directly compares God’s words to food/honey; ‘sweeter than honey’ echoes valuing God’s words above ordinary sustenance.
- Deuteronomy 8:3 (thematic): Affirms dependence on God’s word over physical bread—‘man does not live by bread alone, but by every word…’ echoes valuing divine speech above food.
- Jeremiah 15:16 (verbal): Uses the eating-metaphor for receiving God’s words—‘thy words were found, and I did eat them’ parallels treasuring God’s words more than necessary food.
- Matthew 4:4 (quotation): Jesus quotes Deut 8:3—‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word…’—reiterating the same priority of God’s word that Job expresses.
Alternative generated candidates
- I have not departed from the command of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
- I have not departed from the command of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion.
Job.23.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- באחד: PREP
- ומי: PRON,interr
- ישיבנו: VERB,hiph,impf,3,m,sg
- ונפשו: NOUN,f,sg,suff
- אותה: PRON,dem,3,f,sg
- ויעש: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Psalm 115:3 (verbal): Expresses the same idea that God 'has done whatsoever he pleased'—a near verbal parallel asserting God's uncontested will.
- Psalm 135:6 (verbal): States that 'whatsoever the LORD pleased, that did he,' closely echoing Job's assertion that God acts according to his single, irresistible purpose.
- Isaiah 46:10 (verbal): God declares his counsel will stand and he will 'do all my pleasure,' paralleling Job's claim that God is single‑minded and none can turn him.
- Job 42:2 (structural): Within the same book, Job acknowledges God's omnipotence and that no purpose of God can be thwarted—reiterating the theme of divine will's inviolability found in 23:13.
- Daniel 4:35 (thematic): Affirms that the Most High does according to his will over kings and nations—a thematic parallel emphasizing God's sovereign, irresistible control described in Job 23:13.
Alternative generated candidates
- But he is one, and who can turn him? What his soul desires, that he does.
- For he is one—who can turn him? What his soul desires, that he does.
Job.23.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- ישלים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- חקי: NOUN,m,sg,abs+1s
- וכהנה: ADV
- רבות: ADJ,f,pl,abs
- עמו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 23:13 (verbal): Immediate context: both verses stress God's single-minded will and action — 23:13 says he is of one mind and does what he desires, and 23:14 affirms he carries out what is appointed for the speaker.
- Job 42:2 (thematic): Job's later confession that God can do all and that no purpose of his can be frustrated echoes the theme of God's purposes being accomplished expressed in 23:14.
- Isaiah 46:10 (thematic): God declares his counsel and asserts he will accomplish all his purpose — a parallel affirmation that divine plans are certain to be fulfilled, as in 23:14.
- Psalm 33:11 (thematic): The psalm states the counsel of the LORD stands forever, aligning with Job's claim that what God has appointed will be completed.
- Proverbs 19:21 (thematic): Though many human plans exist, the LORD's purpose prevails; this contrast echoes 23:14's emphasis on the divine determination and its enactment.
Alternative generated candidates
- For he will accomplish what concerns me; and many such things are with him.
- For he will complete what concerns me; and many such things are with him.
Job.23.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- על: PREP
- כן: ADV
- מפניו: PREP+3ms
- אבהל: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- אתבונן: VERB,hitpael,impf,1,sg
- ואפחד: VERB,qal,impf,1,_,sg
- ממנו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 3:6 (verbal): Moses 'hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God'—language and motif of hiding one's face in fear before God's presence closely mirror Job 23:15.
- Isaiah 6:5 (thematic): Isaiah's 'Woe is me... for I am undone' expresses overwhelming terror and awe at seeing the holy LORD, thematically paralleling Job's fear of God.
- Hebrews 12:21 (allusion): The New Testament comment that Moses 'was afraid and quaked' at Sinai alludes to the same reverential fear of God's presence that Job articulates.
- Psalm 119:120 (verbal): 'My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy judgments' uses language of trembling and fear before God similar to Job's statement.
- Job 23:16 (structural): The immediately following verse develops the same scene—God's presence causing dread and an inability to perceive him—so it functions as an internal parallel continuity.
Alternative generated candidates
- Therefore I am dismayed before him; when I consider, I am afraid of him.
- Therefore I am terrified at his presence; when I consider, I am afraid of him.
Job.23.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואל: CONJ+PREP
- הרך: ADJ,m,sg,def
- לבי: NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- ושדי: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs,1cs
- הבהילני: VERB,hiphil,perf,3,m,sg,obj1cs
Parallels
- Psalm 55:5 (verbal): Speaks of ‘fearfulness and trembling’ and horror overwhelming the psalmist—language and inner state closely matching Job’s terror before God.
- Habakkuk 3:16 (thematic): The prophet describes bodily trembling and terror at God’s presence/voice (‘my lips quivered… my bones trembled’), paralleling Job’s fearful physical/psychological reaction.
- Isaiah 6:5 (thematic): Isaiah’s cry ‘Woe is me… for I am undone’ on seeing the LORD echoes the motif of being overwhelmed and terrified in God’s presence.
- Job 4:15–16 (structural): Eliphaz’s report of a terrifying vision (a spirit causing hair to stand up and overwhelming fear) mirrors the book’s recurring trope of divine-induced terror experienced by humans.
- Psalm 77:3–4 (allusion): The psalmist describes being troubled, unable to speak, and remembering God with distress—similar emotional turmoil and fear in the face of God found in Job 23:16.
Alternative generated candidates
- God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me.
- God has made my heart faint, and the Almighty has terrified me.
Job.23.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- נצמתי: VERB,niphal,perf,1,com,sg
- מפני: PREP
- חשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ומפני: CONJ+PREP
- כסה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אפל: ADV
Parallels
- Job 10:21-22 (structural): Within Job the fear of going to the ‘land of darkness and deep shadow’ echoes the same motif—Job’s concern about being covered by darkness and abandoned by God.
- Psalm 139:11-12 (verbal): Uses near-verbatim vocabulary about darkness covering one’s self and God’s light dispelling it—affirming that darkness cannot hide from the divine presence.
- Psalm 23:4 (thematic): The ‘valley of the shadow of death’ motif likewise treats darkness as a threatening realm from which God’s presence delivers and dispels fear.
- 1 Peter 2:9 (thematic): New Testament contrast of being ‘called out of darkness into his marvellous light’ echoes the theological theme that believers are not to remain under the power or covering of darkness.
Alternative generated candidates
- For I am not concealed by darkness, nor does thick gloom cover my face.
- For I am not cut off because of the darkness, nor because the thick gloom covers me.
Job.24.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מדוע: ADV
- משדי: PREP+NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- נצפנו: VERB,nip,perf,1,pl
- עתים: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- וידעיו: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs+PRS,3,m
- לא: PART_NEG
- חזו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ימיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Job 21:7-16 (verbal): Job there complains that the wicked live long and prosper without seeing divine retribution—close thematic and verbal parallel to the question why the righteous do not behold God’s days.
- Habakkuk 1:2-4 (thematic): The prophet asks 'How long, O Lord?' and accuses God of idly looking while injustice continues—an explicit lament about the delay of God’s judgment like Job’s question.
- Psalm 73:2-3,12-13 (thematic): Asaph wrestles with the prosperity of the wicked and the apparent absence of God’s justice, echoing Job’s perplexity over why the godly do not see God’s vindication.
- Ecclesiastes 8:14 (structural): Solomon observes that the righteous sometimes fare as the wicked and vice versa, reflecting the same observation about the uneven distribution of days and justice in life.
- Jeremiah 12:1 (thematic): Jeremiah challenges God about the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering of the righteous—another prophetic complaint about the postponed or hidden workings of divine justice.
Alternative generated candidates
- Why are not the appointed times with the Almighty, and why do those who know him not mark his days?
- Why are not the times appointed by the Almighty? Why do those who know him not mark his days?
Job.24.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- גבלות: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ישיגו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- עדר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- גזלו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- וירעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Deuteronomy 19:14 (verbal): Direct prohibition against moving a neighbor’s boundary marker — contrasts Job’s depiction of people who 'move boundaries' to seize land.
- Proverbs 23:10 (verbal): Warning not to move the ancient boundary — uses similar language about shifting landmarks and unlawful encroachment.
- Micah 2:2 (thematic): Accuses people of coveting and seizing fields and houses — parallels Job’s image of taking stolen flocks and pasturing them.
- Isaiah 5:8 (thematic): Condemns those who amass fields and houses (joining house to house, field to field) — thematically similar to land-grabbing and unjust enrichment in Job 24:2.
- Exodus 22:1 (thematic): Law concerning theft of an ox or sheep and required restitution — relates to the motif of stealing flocks and illicit possession found in Job 24:2.
Alternative generated candidates
- They remove the boundary stone, they seize the flock, and they drive it away.
- They remove the boundary stones, they seize the flock, and lead it away.
Job.24.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חמור: PNOUN,m,sg
- יתומים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ינהגו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- יחבלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- שור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אלמנה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 22:22-23 (verbal): Explicit injunction not to afflict widows and orphans; shares the same concern and vocabulary (widow/orphan) against exploiting the vulnerable.
- Deuteronomy 24:10-13 (verbal): Laws about returning a pledge to a poor person (e.g., garment) and not holding essential items overnight — parallels Job's complaint about seizing the widow's ox as collateral.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (verbal): States that God executes justice for the fatherless and widow; provides the theological/legal background to condemn the mistreatment described in Job 24:3.
- Psalm 82:3 (verbal): Call to defend the weak and the fatherless and to uphold the poor and needy — a direct ethical parallel to opposing seizure of orphans' and widows' property.
- Isaiah 1:17 (thematic): Prophetic summons to seek justice, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow — thematically aligned with Job's indictment of societal injustice toward orphans and widows.
Alternative generated candidates
- They lead away the fatherless's donkey, they take the widow's ox as a pledge.
- They drive off the fatherless's donkey; they take the widow's ox as a pledge.
Job.24.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יטו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- אביונים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- מדרך: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יחד: ADV
- חבאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עניי: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss,1,sg
- ארץ: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 10:2-4 (thematic): Describes the proud persecuting and seeking out the poor while God seems absent — parallels Job's complaint that the needy are driven from the way and hidden.
- Proverbs 22:22-23 (verbal): Explicit prohibition against robbing the poor and promise of divine vindication — echoes the image of the poor being pushed aside and deprived of justice.
- Amos 5:11-12 (thematic): Condemns trampling and exploiting the poor and predicts communal judgment — resonates with Job's depiction of social injustice against the needy.
- Isaiah 10:2 (verbal): Speaks of depriving the poor of their rights and taking what they need — closely parallels the language and theme of dispossessing the needy.
- Micah 2:1-2 (thematic): Describes coveting and seizing land and plotting against the poor (working in darkness) — similar to the forcible removal and concealment of the poor in Job 24:4.
Alternative generated candidates
- They thrust the poor from the road; the needy of the land hide themselves together.
- They thrust the poor from the road; the needy of the land hide themselves together.
Job.24.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- הן: PART
- פראים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יצאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בפעלם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs+3,m,pl
- משחרי: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- לטרף: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ערבה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- לחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לנערים: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 104:21 (verbal): ‘The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God’—a near verbal parallel: wild predators seeking/receiving food is ascribed to God’s providence.
- Job 38:39-41 (allusion): Yahweh’s challenge about hunting provision—‘Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions?’—echoes the theme of wild animals going out to secure food and God’s role in their sustenance.
- Psalm 147:9 (verbal): ‘He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens which cry’—directly parallels the idea that animals obtain their food by God’s provision.
- Psalm 104:27-28 (thematic): ‘These wait all upon thee, that thou mayest give them their meat in due season’—develops the broader theme that wild creatures depend on God for sustenance, as in Job 24:5.
Alternative generated candidates
- Behold, they go out at dawn to their toil; in the fields they glean food for their children in the wilderness.
- Behold, like wild asses in the wilderness they go out to their work; they rise early to plunder—seeking food for their young in the waste.
Job.24.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בשדה: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בלילו: PREP,3,m,sg
- יקצורו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וכרם: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- רשע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ילקשו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Leviticus 19:9-10 (verbal): Commands leaving the edges of the field and the fallen grapes for the poor and sojourners — the legal/ritual background for gleaning that Job’s image subverts when harvest is taken at night.
- Deuteronomy 24:19-21 (verbal): Instructs leaving gleanings for the needy and alien; directly relates to the social-legal expectation of leaving produce that Job implies is being violated by nocturnal reapers.
- Ruth 2:2 (structural): Narrative portrayal of a poor woman gleaning in a field after the harvest — provides the cultural practice of gleaning that contrasts with the lawless night-harvesters in Job.
- Micah 2:2 (thematic): Denounces those who covet fields and seize them and defraud people of their inheritance — thematically parallel to the violent appropriation of others’ produce pictured in Job 24.
- Matthew 21:33 (allusion): Parable of the tenants who seize the vineyard’s produce and abuse the owner’s servants — a New Testament echo of illegal expropriation of vineyard harvests and social injustice similar to Job’s image.
Alternative generated candidates
- By night they reap the harvest in the fields, and the wicked make a vineyard their spoil.
- In the field by night they reap; they glean the vineyard of the wicked.
Job.24.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ערום: ADJ,m,sg
- ילינו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- מבלי: PREP
- לבוש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ואין: CONJ+PART,exist
- כסות: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- בקרה: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Isaiah 58:7 (verbal): Explicitly commands believers to 'cover the naked' (הָעָרֹם) and share clothing/food with the poor — a close verbal and thematic echo of lack of clothing and need for covering.
- Deuteronomy 24:12-13 (verbal): Law requiring the prompt return of a pledged cloak because it may be the owner's only covering — addresses the social reality and vulnerability behind being 'without clothing.'
- Exodus 22:26-27 (thematic): Protective legislation about not depriving a poor man of his cloak, which functioned as his covering and bedding; parallels concern for those left naked and uncovered.
- Matthew 25:36 (thematic): In the eschatological judgment scene Jesus commends clothing the naked as an act of mercy — draws out the moral responsibility toward those described as 'without clothing.'
- Luke 3:11 (thematic): John the Baptist's ethical injunction to share clothing with those who have none ('He who has two tunics...') — a New Testament ethical parallel to the distress of the unclothed in Job.
Alternative generated candidates
- They lie down naked, without clothing, and have no cover in the cold.
- They lie down naked without clothing, and have no covering in the cold.
Job.24.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מזרם: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- הרים: NOUN,m,pl,cons
- ירטבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- ומבלי: CONJ+PREP
- מחסה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חבקו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- צור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 30:3-8 (verbal): Same literary setting: describes the despised poor who dwell in wastelands and among rocks, exposed to wind and rain—echoing the image of being wet from mountain streams and clinging to rock for lack of shelter.
- Isaiah 32:2 (thematic): Uses the image of a refuge from wind and storm (‘a hiding place from the wind, a shelter from the tempest’); parallels the theme of seeking shelter from harsh elements.
- Matthew 8:20 (thematic): Jesus’ remark that ‘the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head’ invokes the motif of homelessness and lack of shelter found in Job 24:8.
- Psalm 18:2 (thematic): Describes God as ‘rock’ and refuge; thematically related to Job’s image of people clinging to rock for shelter—contrast between human seeking of a rock and divine protection as true refuge.
Alternative generated candidates
- From the clefts of the ravines they are drenched, without shelter; they cling to the rocks.
- From the mountain torrents they are wet; without shelter they cling to the rocks.
Job.24.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יגזלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- משד: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יתום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ועל: CONJ+PREP
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- יחבלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Exodus 22:22-24 (verbal): Explicit legal prohibition against afflicting widows and orphans—shares the same key vocabulary (widow, orphan/fatherless) and addresses the mistreatment Job depicts.
- Deuteronomy 24:17 (verbal): Forbids perverting justice for the fatherless and taking a widow's pledge; echoes the concern for protection of orphans and widows that Job laments as violated.
- Psalm 82:3 (thematic): Calls for defending the weak and fatherless and upholding the poor—the ethical opposite of the exploitative behavior described in Job 24:9.
- Isaiah 1:17 (thematic): Commands seeking justice, correcting oppression, and pleading for the fatherless and widow; thematically parallels Job's observation of social injustice toward vulnerable groups.
- Zechariah 7:10 (thematic): Condemns oppressing widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor—another prophetic rebuke that corresponds to the abuses Job reports.
Alternative generated candidates
- They snatch the orphan's property and take a pledge from the poor.
- They snatch the orphan from the breast, and take a pledge against the poor.
Job.24.10 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ערום: ADJ,m,sg
- הלכו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- בלי: PREP
- לבוש: ADJ,m,sg,abs
- ורעבים: CONJ+ADJ,m,pl,abs
- נשאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- עמר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Leviticus 19:9-10 (thematic): Law directing landowners to leave the gleanings and edges of the harvest for the poor and stranger — directly related to the image of needy people going hungry and gathering (or being denied) sheaves.
- Ruth 2:15-16 (verbal): Narrative scene of a gleaner gathering behind the reapers and carrying food (sheaves/grain), echoing the concrete image of the hungry and needy carrying off sheaves in Job 24:10.
- Amos 8:4-6 (thematic): Prophetic denunciation of those who trample the needy and manipulate market/harvest practices for profit — parallels Job's picture of the poor left naked and hungry amid social injustice.
- Isaiah 58:7 (thematic): Call to feed the hungry and clothe the naked; thematically contrasts and responds to the situation in Job where people go about naked and hungry, highlighting social responsibility toward the poor.
Alternative generated candidates
- They walk about naked without clothing, and hungry they carry the sheaves.
- They go about naked, without clothing, and hungry they carry off the harvest.
Job.24.11 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- בין: PREP
- שורתם: NOUN,f,sg,abs+3mp
- יצהירו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- יקבים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- דרכו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויצמאו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 10:2-11 (thematic): Describes the wicked prospering while oppressing the poor and causing the needy to cry out—echoes Job’s portrayal of social injustice and the suffering/thirst of the powerless.
- Amos 5:11-12 (thematic): Condemns those who trample the needy, exact heavy rents and make the poor work for nothing—parallels Job’s critique of exploitation and deprivation of the vulnerable.
- Proverbs 14:31 (verbal): States that oppressing the poor is an offense against God—provides a direct moral aphorism corresponding to Job’s depiction of oppression of the poor.
- Isaiah 3:14-15 (thematic): Accuses rulers of taking from the needy and causing their lament—connects with Job’s theme of social oppression and the helplessness of the poor.
Alternative generated candidates
- In their villages they press for wine; at the presses they are thirsty and faint.
- Among their rows they make merry; they tread the winepress and seek revelry, and at night they thirst not for drink.
Job.24.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- מעיר: PREP
- מתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ינאקו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- ונפש: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- חללים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תשוע: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- ואלוה: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ישים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- תפלה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 10:1-2, 12-14 (thematic): Like Job 24:12, Psalm 10 depicts the oppressed crying out and questions God’s apparent remoteness—the helpless cry for help while God seems to hide his face and the wicked go unpunished.
- Psalm 22:1-2, 24-26 (thematic): Psalm 22 opens with a cry of abandonment and describes suffering and pleading that at first go unanswered, paralleling the image of the dying and wounded crying in the city and apparent divine silence.
- Psalm 88:14-18 (thematic): An extended lament in which the psalmist complains that God has cast him off and his prayers seem unanswered, echoing the despairing tone of Job 24:12 about cries that do not find a response.
- Habakkuk 1:2-4 (thematic): Habakkuk’s complaint—'How long, O Lord, must I cry for help, and you will not listen?'—resonates with Job’s picture of sufferers whose cries do not gain God’s intervention.
- Proverbs 21:13 (thematic): Proverbs warns that one who ignores the cry of the poor will himself go unanswered; this wisdom proverb thematically parallels Job 24:12’s portrayal of cries that receive no response, highlighting concerns about justice and hearing.
Alternative generated candidates
- In the city the dying groan, the souls of the slain cry for help; yet God does not regard their plea.
- From out of the city the dying groan; the souls of the wounded cry for help—yet God does not regard their plea.
Job.24.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- המה: PRON,3,m,pl
- היו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- במרדי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,const
- אור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- הכירו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- דרכיו: NOUN,f,pl,abs,3ms
- ולא: CONJ
- ישבו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- בנתיבתיו: PREP+NOUN,f,pl,abs+3ms
Parallels
- Proverbs 4:19 (verbal): Contrasts the way of the wicked with darkness and says they ‘do not know’ what causes them to stumble—echoing Job’s language of not knowing the ways of light.
- Psalm 82:5 (verbal): Speaks of not knowing and walking about in darkness, a close verbal and thematic parallel to rebellious ones who are ignorant of the paths of light.
- Isaiah 59:9-10 (thematic): Describes people walking in darkness and groping like the blind because justice and truth are absent—echoing Job’s image of those alienated from the ways of light.
- John 3:20 (thematic): Says evildoers hate the light and do not come to it so their deeds are not exposed, paralleling Job’s ‘rebellion against the light’ and refusal to follow its ways.
- 1 John 1:6-7 (thematic): Contrasts walking in darkness with walking in the light, linking moral status and knowledge of the way—resonant with Job’s claim that some do not abide in the paths of light.
Alternative generated candidates
- They are the ones who rebel against the light; they do not know its ways, nor abide in its paths.
- They are rebels against the light; they do not know its ways, nor abide in its paths.
Job.24.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- לאור: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- רוצח: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יקטל: VERB,niphal,impf,3,m,sg
- עני: ADJ,m,sg
- ואביון: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ובלילה: CONJ+PREP
- יהי: VERB,qal,juss,3,m,sg
- כגנב: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Psalm 10:8-9 (verbal): Describes the wicked lying in ambush and secretly murdering the helpless/poor—very close imagery to rising to kill the needy and acting like a thief by night.
- Proverbs 1:11-12 (verbal): Speaks of conspirators who 'lie in wait to shed blood' and 'lurking secretly'—a parallel verbal motif of secret violence against the innocent/poor.
- Isaiah 59:6-7 (thematic): Condemns those whose feet run to evil and who rush to shed innocent blood; thematically parallels Job's picture of violent exploitation and nocturnal predation.
- Psalm 37:32-33 (thematic): Notes the wicked watching and seeking to put the righteous/helpless to death—a thematic echo of covert murder and persecution of the vulnerable.
Alternative generated candidates
- A murderer rises by day to kill the poor and needy, and by night he is like a thief.
- A murderer rises with the light to kill the poor and needy; by night he is like a thief.
Job.24.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ועין: CONJ+NOUN,prop,f,sg,abs
- נאף: NOUN,m,sg,cs
- שמרה: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- נשף: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- לא: PART_NEG
- תשורני: VERB,qal,impf,2,m,sg
- עין: NOUN,f,sg,cons
- וסתר: CONJ+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- פנים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ישים: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Proverbs 7:10-12 (verbal): Depicts an adulterous woman prowling at night and lying in wait to seduce — closely parallels Job's nocturnal/sexual imagery and the figure of the harlot who goes out by night.
- Proverbs 5:3-6 (thematic): Warns against the seductive speech and secret ways of the immoral woman and the shame that follows — thematically linked to Job's treatment of sexual transgression and its social concealment.
- Ezekiel 16:25-34 (allusion): Uses extended prostitution imagery to accuse Jerusalem of harlotry, including lovers and nighttime rendezvous; echoes the motif of a woman’s sexual exposure and ensuing disgrace found in Job.
- Hosea 3:1 (structural): Portrays Israel as an adulterous woman whom the prophet is commanded to love again — structurally parallels the biblical motif of the unfaithful/wandering woman and the responses (appeal, judgment, or restoration) she elicits.
Alternative generated candidates
- An adulterous eye watches for the dusk, saying, 'No one will see me,' and conceals her face.
- A harlot watches by night, saying, 'Who will see me?' She hides her face.
Job.24.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- חתר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- בחשך: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בתים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- יומם: ADV
- חתמו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- לא: PART_NEG
- ידעו: VERB,qal,perf,3,pl
- אור: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 5:14 (verbal): Uses closely parallel wording and imagery: ‘they meet with darkness in the day, and groped in the noonday as in the night,’ echoing Job 24:16’s picture of acting in darkness and lacking light.
- Proverbs 4:19 (thematic): ‘The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble’ — similar vocabulary (darkness, not knowing) describing the wicked’s ignorance and lack of light.
- Isaiah 59:10 (thematic): ‘We grope for the wall like the blind…we grope as if we had no eyes’ — comparable imagery of groping in darkness and being without light or sight.
- Ecclesiastes 2:14 (thematic): ‘The wise man’s eyes are in his head, but the fool walks in darkness’ — parallel theme of walking/acting in darkness as a marker of ignorance or moral failure.
- Isaiah 9:2 (thematic): ‘The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light’ — presents a direct theological contrast to Job 24:16’s depiction of those who do not know the light, highlighting the motif of darkness vs. light.
Alternative generated candidates
- They dig through houses by night; by day they are shut up, and they do not know the light.
- They dig through houses in the darkness; by day they shut themselves in— they know not the light.
Job.24.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- כי: CONJ
- יחדו: ADV
- בקר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- למו: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
- צלמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- כי: CONJ
- יכיר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בלהות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
- צלמות: NOUN,f,pl,abs
Parallels
- Job 10:21-22 (verbal): Speaks of going to a land of darkness and thick gloom—close verbal and thematic overlap with Job 24:17’s language of knowing the terrors/darkness.
- Job 17:13-16 (verbal): Job’s imagery of a grave/bed in darkness and abandonment echoes the experience of terror and engulfing darkness found in 24:17.
- Psalm 88:6-7 (thematic): A psalmist describes being laid in the depths and in darkness, sharing the theme of suffering amid oppressive darkness and fear.
- Lamentations 3:2,6 (thematic): The poet describes being driven into darkness and constrained by distress—parallel theme of experiencing the horrors and confinement of darkness.
Alternative generated candidates
- For morning is to them the shadow of death; they are acquainted with the terrors of deep darkness.
- For morning to them is darkness; they are acquainted with the terrors of deep gloom.
Job.24.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- קל: ADV
- הוא: PRON,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- פני: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- תקלל: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- חלקתם: NOUN,m,sg,abs+3mp
- בארץ: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,def
- לא: PART_NEG
- יפנה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- כרמים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
Parallels
- Genesis 1:2 (verbal): Uses the same phrase 'על פני המים' ('upon the face of the waters'); verbal resonance with Job's wording about something being 'on the surface of the waters.'
- Deuteronomy 28:23-24 (thematic): Curse on the land and its produce (including vineyards) as punishment; parallels Job's reference to a cursed portion in the earth and failure of vineyards to yield.
- Isaiah 5:1-7 (thematic): The 'Song of the Vineyard'—God's judgment on a vineyard that fails to produce fruit; thematically parallels imagery of vineyards not being visited/producing and divine judgment on the land.
- Jeremiah 12:10-11 (thematic): Speaks of vineyards and cultivated land becoming waste and of the people's portion being despoiled—echoes Job's language about cursed portions and neglected vineyards.
Alternative generated candidates
- Light is scant for them; their portion is cursed on the earth, and they do not turn aside from the paths of the vineyards.
- Swift as waters upon the earth, their portion is cursed in the land; they do not turn aside to the vineyards.
Job.24.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ציה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- גם: ADV
- חם: ADJ,m,sg
- יגזלו: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- מימי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,cons
- שלג: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שאול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- חטאו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 49:14-15 (thematic): Describes the wicked as appointed for Sheol and death as their shepherd—parallels Job's theme of Sheol taking sinners.
- Isaiah 5:14 (verbal): Personifies Sheol as widening its appetite and opening its mouth to swallow—similar imagery of Sheol consuming people.
- Hosea 13:14 (thematic): Speaks of redeeming from the power of Sheol and laments death's claim on the sinful—close thematic parallel concerning sin and Sheol.
- 1 Corinthians 15:55 (quotation): Quotes the Old Testament taunt against Death/Sheol (‘O death, where is your sting?’), echoing the motif of death/Sheol confronting sinners.
Alternative generated candidates
- Drought and heat consume the waters of the snow; the grave is their harvest.
- Drought and heat carry off the waters of the snow; Sheol swallows those who sin.
Job.24.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ישכחהו: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg+3,m,sg.obj
- רחם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מתקו: NOUN,m,sg,suff
- רמה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עוד: ADV
- לא: PART_NEG
- יזכר: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ותשבר: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- כעץ: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עולה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Job 18:17 (verbal): Bildad uses nearly the same language: the wicked’s remembrance perishes and he has no name—directly parallels Job 24:20’s wording about being forgotten and having no name.
- Proverbs 10:7 (verbal): Contrasts the fate of the righteous and the wicked: 'The memory of the righteous is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall rot'—echoes Job 24:20’s theme of a vanished name/memory.
- Job 14:7–9 (thematic): Job compares human life to a tree cut down that may sprout again; Job 24:20 likewise uses a tree image (‘cut off like a tree’) to portray human perishing.
- Ecclesiastes 2:16 (thematic): Speaks of lack of remembrance—'there is no remembrance of the wise more than of the fool'—paralleling Job 24:20’s motif of being forgotten and losing one’s name.
Alternative generated candidates
- A mother is forgotten in the dust; she who was pregnant is bereaved—no one remembers her; she is cast off like a broken tree.
- A woman with child is forgotten in her travail; no one remembers the babe, and it is dashed to pieces like a sapling.
Job.24.21 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רעה: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- עקרה: ADJ,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- תלד: VERB,qal,impf,3,f,sg
- ואלמנה: CONJ+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- לא: PART_NEG
- ייטיב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- Exodus 22:22-24 (thematic): Law forbids afflicting widows and orphans; echoes Job’s concern with the mistreatment of the widow and fatherless and condemns such oppression.
- Deuteronomy 10:18 (allusion): Describes God as executing justice for the fatherless and widow — a theological counterpoint to the social violence depicted in Job 24:21.
- Psalm 68:5-6 (thematic): Portrays God as father of the fatherless and defender of widows, contrasting Job’s portrait of human cruelty toward the vulnerable.
- Psalm 146:9 (thematic): Affirms that the Lord upholds the widow and the fatherless, reinforcing the biblical concern for those Job says are mistreated.
- James 1:27 (thematic): Early Christian instruction that true religion cares for orphans and widows, reflecting the ethical response to the abuse of the vulnerable criticized in Job 24:21.
Alternative generated candidates
- The oppressing do not bear fruit, and no good comes to the widow.
- Evil is done to the barren, and the widow finds no good.
Job.24.22 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ומשך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אבירים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- בכחו: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3ms
- יקום: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ולא: CONJ
- יאמין: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בחיין: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Samuel 2:6 (verbal): Same theological motif and similar language of Yahweh exercising power over life and death—He brings down and raises up the mighty, showing divine sovereignty over human life.
- Psalm 75:6-7 (thematic): Affirms that exaltation and humiliation come from God, not human strength—God alone lifts up or brings low the proud and mighty.
- Isaiah 40:23 (thematic): Declares that God reduces princes (rulers/mighty) to nothing, paralleling Job's picture of God’s control over the fate of the powerful.
- Psalm 37:35-36 (thematic): Observes the sudden downfall and disappearance of a once-powerful wicked man—reflects Job’s theme that the mighty may be raised yet have no secure hope in life.
Alternative generated candidates
- He snatches up the mighty by his power and rises; yet he places no trust in life.
- He raises up the mighty by his power, yet he does not put his trust in life.
Job.24.23 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- יתן: VERB,qal,imperf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- לבטח: ADV
- וישען: CONJ+VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ועיניהו: CONJ+NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- על: PREP
- דרכיהם: NOUN,f,pl,abs+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Job 21:7-9 (thematic): Describes the wicked living in safety and their houses being secure—closely mirrors Job 24's observation that evildoers are allowed to be secure.
- Job 34:21 (verbal): Uses virtually the same language about God's eyes being upon human ways ('For his eyes are upon the ways of a man...'), a near-verbatim verbal parallel on divine watchfulness.
- Proverbs 15:3 (verbal): Speaks of the LORD's eyes being everywhere, watching the evil and the good—parallels the motif of God observing people's ways.
- Psalm 73:3-12 (thematic): A lament over the prosperity and apparent security of the wicked; thematically echoes Job 24's concern about the wicked flourishing under God's gaze.
- Jeremiah 12:1-2 (thematic): The prophet questions why the way of the wicked prospers while the righteous suffer—parallels Job's observation about evildoers being allowed security.
Alternative generated candidates
- He is established and leans on it; his eyes are on their ways.
- He is secure and leans upon it; his eyes are on their ways.
Job.24.24 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- רומו: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,pl
- מעט: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ואיננו: VERB,qal,pres,3,m,sg
- והמכו: NOUN,m,pl,def
- ככל: PREP
- יקפצון: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- וכראש: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שבלת: NOUN,f,sg,cs
- ימלו: VERB,qal,imprf,3,m,pl
Parallels
- Psalm 37:10 (verbal): “A little while, and the wicked will be no more” echoes Job’s ‘they are exalted for a little while, and then are gone’ — the short-lived prosperity of the wicked.
- Psalm 37:2 (verbal): “They will soon be cut down like the grass” closely parallels Job’s image of being cut off like the head of a grain‑sheaf — sudden removal like a harvested stalk.
- Isaiah 40:6-8 (thematic): “All flesh is grass... the grass withers” uses the same vegetation/harvest metaphor to express human transience and the futility of earthly flourishing, comparable to Job’s ‘cut off like heads of grain.’
- Psalm 90:5-6 (verbal): “They are like a dream... like grass that is renewed in the morning, in the evening it fades” parallels Job’s contrast between brief elevation and rapid disappearance — the ephemeral nature of life and success.
Alternative generated candidates
- A little while and they are exalted—then they are gone; though they flourish, they vanish; like the top of a stalk they wither away.
- They are exalted a little while, and then they are gone; they are brought low like others and vanish like the head of the grain.
Job.24.25 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ואם: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- אפו: NOUN,m,sg,abs,suff3ms
- מי: PRON,interr,sg
- יכזיבני: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg,+obj:1cs
- וישם: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לאל: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- מלתי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Job 27:5-6 (thematic): Job affirms his integrity and refuses to recant—an insistence on innocence and challenge to be shown false, paralleling the appeal for someone to prove him wrong.
- Job 13:23-24 (verbal): Job demands that his accuser show him his transgression—a direct request to be told where he is wrong, closely related to asking who will prove him a liar.
- Job 10:2 (verbal): Job asks God to disclose why He contends with him ('show me wherefore thou contendest with me'), echoing the petition for clarification or refutation of his claims.
- Psalm 26:1 (thematic): A plea for vindication ('Judge me, O LORD; for I have walked in mine integrity') that parallels Job’s appeal to be vindicated and his protestation of honest speech.
Alternative generated candidates
- And if I am in error, who can prove me false and make my words of no effect?
- And if not—who has wronged me? If my speech is false, who will prove me a liar?
Then Job answered and said:
Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy upon my groaning.
O that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his dwelling,
and present my case before him, and fill my mouth with arguments.
I would know the words that he would answer me, and understand what he would say to me. But if he should summon all his strength to contend with me, who could withstand him? He would overwhelm me.
There, the upright stand before him; then I would be acquitted forever from my judge.
Behold, he goes before me, and I cannot see him; he passes on, and I do not perceive him.
He withdraws to the right, and I cannot behold him; he hides himself on the left, and I do not perceive him.
Yet he knows the way that I take; when he has tried me, I shall come forth as gold.
My foot has followed his path; I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
I have not turned from the command of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily food. But he is one— who can turn him? Whatever his soul desires, he does.
For he will accomplish what he appoints for me, and many such things are with him.
Therefore because of him I am dismayed; before him I am afraid.
God has made my heart faint, and the Almighty has terrified me.
For I am not silenced by darkness, nor by the thick gloom that covers.
Why has the Almighty not fixed appointed times, and why do those who know him not see his days?
They seize the pasturelands, they drive off the flocks; they plunder and graze them.
They lead away the fatherless' donkey, and take a widow's ox as a pledge.
They turn the needy off the road; the poor of the land hide themselves together.
Behold, like wild asses in the desert they set out to their work; at dawn they go forth for prey—the wilderness is their bread for their young.
By night they harvest the fields; they pluck the vineyard of the wicked.
They lie naked without clothing and have no covering against the cold.
They are drenched by mountain torrents; without shelter they cling to the rocks.
They snatch away the orphan's property and take the poor's pledge.
They go about naked, without garments, hungry— yet they carry the sheaves.
In the midst of their rows they shout; they tread the winepresses and are still thirsty.
From the city the dying groan; the souls of the slain cry for help, yet God does not regard their prayer.
They are rebels against the light; they do not know its ways and do not stay in its paths.
In daylight a murderer rises, kills the poor and needy; by night he is like a thief.
The adulteress waits for the twilight, saying, 'No eye will see me,' and she conceals her face.
They break into houses by night; in the daytime they seal them up—they know not the light.
For to them morning is as darkness; they are acquainted with the terrors of gloom.
Light as water is their portion on the face of the earth; their inheritance on the land is accursed; they do not turn aside from the paths of the vineyards.
Drought and heat carry them off; the grave swallows up the guilty.
The womb forgets them; they perish unremembered— they are broken like a sapling.
They oppress the barren and show no kindness to the widow.
They pull up the mighty by their might; he rises, yet will not place his trust in life.
He gives them security and they lean on him; their eyes are fixed on their ways.
They are lifted up for a little and then are gone; they are dashed aside like all others— like the head of a withered sheaf. And if it is not so, who can prove me a liar and make my speech worthless before God?