Return to Part Two
A Special Series, Part Three
Days
of Awe, Day 10, Eve of Yom Kippur
1
Kings 19:4-18 (NET)
19:4 while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub5 and asked the Lord to take his life:6 “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.”7 19:5 He stretched out8 and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger9 touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 19:6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more.10 19:7 The Lord’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.”11 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
19:4 while he went a day’s journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub5 and asked the Lord to take his life:6 “I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.”7 19:5 He stretched out8 and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger9 touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 19:6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more.10 19:7 The Lord’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, for otherwise you won’t be able to make the journey.”11 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
19:9 He
went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, “Why are you here,
Elijah?” 19:10 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal12 to the Lord, the sovereign God,13 even
though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you,14 torn down
your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now
they want to take my life.”15
19:11 The Lord16 said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord. Look, the Lord
is ready to pass by.”
A very powerful wind went before the Lord, digging into the mountain and
causing landslides,17 but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an
earthquake, but the Lord was not
in the earthquake. 19:12
After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord
was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.18
19:13 When
Elijah heard it, he covered his face with his robe and went out and stood at
the entrance to the cave. All of a sudden19 a voice asked him, “Why are you here,
Elijah?” 19:14 He answered, “I have been absolutely loyal20 to the Lord, the sovereign God,21 even
though the Israelites have abandoned the agreement they made with you,22 torn down
your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left and now
they want to take my life.”23 19:15 The Lord said to him, “Go back the way you came and then head
for the Desert of Damascus. Go and anoint Hazael king over Syria. 19:16
You must anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat
from Abel Meholah to take your place as prophet. 19:17 Jehu
will kill anyone who escapes Hazael’s sword, and Elisha will kill anyone who
escapes Jehu’s sword.
19:18
I still have left in Israel seven thousand followers who have not bowed their
knees to Baal or kissed the images of him.”24 ([5])
Things don’t always turn out as we had hoped. This is the tenth day of the Days of Awe… I had hoped to be able to write something for every day, but it did not happen. TTonight,at sunset, Yom Kippur begins. I had hoped to help you prepare your heart, yet it was mine that needed to be prepared. How can I teach or even speak to you, my beloved readers, if the lesson is not impressed upon my heart first? How can I – no, let me rephrase – I cannot do any of these things, not without Elohim guiding me and pressing my heart.
It turns out that the whirlwind is
but a distraction; the earthquake, nothing but a nuisance. The fire burns and
destroys, yet even for all its power, life returns after it. I needed the small
whisper to break through my heart, to show me wisdom. When Job was suffering in
the wilderness one of his friends, Eliphaz the Temanite spoke thusly to him:
and you have strengthened the knees that gave way.12
it strikes you, and you are terrified.15
4:7
Call to mind now:19 Who,20 being
innocent, ever perished?21 and where were upright people22 ever
destroyed?23 4:8
Even as I have seen,24
those who plow25
iniquity26 and
those who sow trouble reap the same.27 4:9 By
the breath28 of
God they perish,29 and
by the blast30 of
his anger they are consumed. 4:10
There is31
the roaring of the lion32 and
the growling33 of
the young lion,
but the teeth of the young lions are broken.34
4:16 It
stands still,50 but
I cannot recognize51
its appearance; an image is before my eyes, and I hear a murmuring voice:52 4:17
“Is53 a
mortal man54
righteous55
before56 God?
Or a man pure57
before his Creator?58 4:18 If59 God60 puts no
trust in61
his servants62 and
attributes63
folly64 to
his angels,
4:19
how much more to those who live in houses of clay,65 whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed66 like67 a moth? 4:20
They are destroyed68
between morning and evening;69 they
perish forever70
without anyone regarding it.71 4:21 Is
not their excess wealth72
taken away from them?73 They
die,74
yet without attaining wisdom.75 ([6])
This is a long explanation of why good people suffer – to bring them in line, not to destroy them.
But is this answer
satisfactory for those in pain?
The short answer is no, of course not. Those that suffer, those in pain don’t want discipline, they want relief. Did the Jews in the Holocaust think that they suffered because they lacked discipline? Some maybe, but I would venture most questioned the existence of a God who would allow His chosen people to be destroyed in such an inhumane way. And yet, it was precisely this God that they clung too in their deepest despair… What lesson do we take from this?
Now, on the eve of
Yom Kippur, all I can do is tell you what I’ve learned.
About myself.
I found that I am easily offended. I’ve found myself distracted.
I have felt my heart ache. I have seen how much of the world still exists in me.
I have been tired, felt alone and without purpose.
It has been a rough ten days. I have been keeping the Feasts of the Lord now for over twelve years, ever sense He lifted me out of the wilderness. I spent forty years in the wilderness – to the day – and saw my share of suffering and I was also the cause of much suffering to others. This Yom Kippur is different for me; allow me to quote myself here before I go on:
“…Daniel 7:13-14 (NASB95)
13 “I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven
dHis dominion is an everlasting
dominion Which will not pass away;
Yeshua, the Son of Man, will
return one day on Yom Teruah, the Feast of Trumpets, and will preside over the
judgment; the books shall be opened and we all shall be judged by what is
written in them. But what is it that condemns or condones?
Matthew 7:1-5 (HCSB)
7 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. a 2 For with the judgment you use, b you will be judged, and with the measure you use, c it will be measured to you. d 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? e 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. [8]
7 “Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged. a 2 For with the judgment you use, b you will be judged, and with the measure you use, c it will be measured to you. d 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but don’t notice the log in your own eye? e 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and look, there’s a log in your eye? 5 Hypocrite! First take the log out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. [8]
Isaiah 65:2-7
(NET®)
65:2
I spread out my hands all day long to my rebellious people,
who
lived in a way that is morally unacceptable, and
who did what they desired.4
65:3
These people continually and blatantly offend me5 as
they sacrifice in their sacred orchards6 and burn incense
on brick altars.7 65:4
They sit among the tombs8 and keep watch all night long.9
They
eat pork,10 and broth11 from unclean
sacrificial meat is in their pans. 65:5
They say, ‘Keep to yourself! Don’t
get near me, for I am holier than you!’ These
people are like smoke in my nostrils, like a fire that keeps burning all day
long. 65:6
Look, I have decreed:12 I
will not keep silent, but will pay them back; I will pay them back exactly what
they deserve,13 65:7
for your sins and your ancestors’ sins,”14 says the Lord. “Because
they burned incense on the mountains and
offended15 me on the hills,
I will punish them in full measure.” 16 ([9])
Mat 12:30-37 OJB
The one
not with me [Moshiach] is against me [anti-Moshiach]. And the one not gathering
with me scatters. (31)
Therefore, I say to you, every chet
(sin) and gidduf (blasphemy) will be
forgiven men, but whoever commits Chillul Hashem[10]
against the Ruach Hakodesh (Holy
Spirit) will not be forgiven. (32) And
whoever speaks a word against the Ben
HaAdam [Moshiach] will be granted selicha
(forgiveness), but whoever speaks against the Ruach Hakodesh, selicha
will not be granted him either in the Olam
Hazeh (this world, this age) or in the Olam
Habah (the world to come, the age to come).
(33)
Either make the etz (tree) tov (good) and its pri (fruit) will be tov,
or make the etz nishchat (corrupt)
and its pri (fruit) will be rah[11];
for by its pri the etz is known. (34) You banim
of nechashim (sons of snakes), how are you able to speak tovot (good things), for out of the
abundance of the lev (heart) the
mouth speaks. (35) The ish
tov (good man) out of the good otzar
(treasure) brings forth good; and the ish
rah (evil man)out of the evil otzar
brings forth evil. (36) But I say
to you, that for every careless lashon
horah (evil speech) that men speak, they will be called to account on the Yom HaDin (the Day of Judgment).
(37)
For by your dvarim[12]
you will be pronounced tzodek
(righteous), and by your dvarim you
will be charged with guilt.[13]
Matthew 12:37 (JNT)
37 “…for by your own words you will be acquitted, and by your own words you will be condemned…” [14]
37 “…for by your own words you will be acquitted, and by your own words you will be condemned…” [14]
Our own words
condemn us, our thoughts, attitudes and deeds.
Measure for measure, the scales are weighed, the books are opened and
the judgment is set. Thus, this is why I
say that Yom Kippur is a defining moment.
What is a
defining moment? Well, we can call it by different names - life-changing
events, milestones, crisis points, opportunities, misfortunes, pivot points…
The Cambridge
Dictionary defines it as:
Another
way to put it is:
“…an event that typifies or determines all subsequent related
occurrences...”[16]
Mel Schwartz (LCSW, M.Phil., psychotherapist, marriage
counselor, executive coach, author and seminar leader), writes of a defining
moment as this:
“…From time to time, many of us tend to experience an occasional insight. An insight is simply the ability to change our filter and look at things differently. In moments of insight, there's a sudden burst of clarity where there had previously been static; there is an epiphany of movement. It's the-aha moment. When we are firmly entrenched in our beliefs and rooted in our certainty, we're not typically open to insights. To have an insight we need to temporarily suspend our beliefs and open to new possibilities. We're not so much working on the insight as we are creating the groundwork for it to come forth. In other words, we're getting out of our own way, and opening to new considerations. Without insights we're shackled to a fixed and stagnating reality in which little changes. It tends to look as if life is just replaying itself, day in and day out…
Defining moments occur when we direct our lives onto a new pathway, borne of an illuminating insight and an expanded awareness. Defining moments stand out in singularity and literally redefine our lives. This process moves us from the mental breakthrough of the moment into a state of action. Sustaining the defining moment requires a foundational shift in our lives. There is ordinarily a state of inertia at work, whereby we tend to slip back into the familiar zone. Therefore, making a commitment is truly essential to maintaining the change…” [17]
While I usually hesitate to include
psychology in any study about God, for the ways of man are usually in detriment
to God’s ways, I find his definition surprisingly enlightened. One other thought he had was this:
“…Defining moments speak to the deeper underlying questions and struggles of our lives…” [18]
Coming to God in repentance and humility on Yom Kippur is to redefine our lives. For too long we have walked our own ways, thought our own thoughts, and failed to take responsibility for our own actions. We struggle in the throes of life - with death, with love, with loneliness, with anger, with pride, with our finances, with all the things we consider wants and needs – and yet we fail to recognize that every year we put off the atonement that God has offered us for our lives, the next year is just a compound of the problems we had hoped to leave behind. Schwartz is right when he says “Defining moments speak to the deeper underlying questions and struggles of our lives”: the deepest underlying question and struggle in our life is the one that keeps us from God.
Measure for measure, we strive
with this mortal existence, never seeming able to break free from the shackles
that bind us. Like the pastors I
mentioned in the beginning of this epistle, they sought to help others without
conquering the demons in their own lives, and the stresses of life became too
much, and they fell away. It is the true
repentance of our hearts, with coming before the Living God and confessing that
we have sinned against Him alone and that we throw ourselves upon His mercy
that becomes our defining moment – where all things begin to change…” [19]
Now I can see the
changes wrought in myself over this past year.
Or the lack of changes.
My greatest pain is what I have learned about myself.
My greatest pain is what I have learned about myself.
The moed, the
feats or festivals of God aren’t just something we go through – they are
something we do, something that is supposed to “…speak to the
deeper underlying questions and struggles of our lives…”. Every year we celebrate the
seven feasts, gaining more insight and allowing the spiritual to invade our
natural world. Every year I see where I must change – and then struggle to make
it happen. What do I see this Yom Kippur?
I see what I have lacked: love.
It is
easy to be offended by the inroads of immorality into our culture. It is easy
to be offended by the redefinition of marriage. It is easy to be offended by
the influx of foreign nationals upon our soil and to see our own government
disregard the rule of law. It is easy to be offended and outraged by the
callousness of the pro-abortion lobby and Planned Parenthood – which is just
planned murder – and the daily sacrifice of the unborn. It is so easy to be
offended by another group of people calling for the murder of policemen simply
because of the color of their skin. It is easy to be offended and horrified by
the targeting of God’s people, Jews and Christians, by quasi-political
hate-filled regimes masquerading as a religion…
It..is..so..easy
What isn’t easy is what I and
all believers are called to do: love.
All these factions in our society, nay, in our world, are dancing on the border of hate and chaos. The world will do what it does: hate and be consumed by its fear of God. Yes, I say fear because the word says:
Instead of offense, should not my heart ache for them?
Instead of anger, should not my eyes weep for them?
Instead of the uncomplicated way of disgust and loathing, should not my prayers be directed toward them?
Does not God Himself take no pleasure in their death – does not He wish all to come to repentance and live? If that is His heart, where is mine? Have I not learnt anything from the moed? Should not my ways be defined by Messiah?
Ephesians
4:17-32 (NASB95)
17 aSo this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, bthat you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the cfutility of their mind, 18 being adarkened in their understanding, 1bexcluded from the life of God because of the cignorance that is in them, because of the dhardness of their heart;
17 aSo this I say, and affirm together with the Lord, bthat you walk no longer just as the Gentiles also walk, in the cfutility of their mind, 18 being adarkened in their understanding, 1bexcluded from the life of God because of the cignorance that is in them, because of the dhardness of their heart;
19 and
they, having abecome
callous, bhave
given themselves over to csensuality 1for the practice of every kind of
impurity with greediness.
20 But you did not alearn
1Christ
in this way, 21 if indeed you ahave
heard Him and have bbeen taught in Him, just as truth is in
Jesus, 22 that, in reference to your former
manner of life, you alay aside the bold
1self,
which is being corrupted in accordance with the clusts of deceit, 23 and that you be arenewed
in the spirit of your mind, 24 and aput on the bnew
1self,
which 2cin the
likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the
truth. 25 Therefore, alaying
aside falsehood, bspeak truth
each one of you with
his neighbor, for we are cmembers of one another.
26 aBe angry, and
yet do not sin; do
not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and
do not agive
the devil 1an
opportunity. 28 He
who steals must steal no longer; but rather ahe must labor, bperforming
with his own hands what is good, cso that he will have something to
share with 1one
who has need.
29 Let no 1aunwholesome
word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for bedification
2according
to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
31 aLet all bitterness and wrath and anger
and clamor and slander be bput away from you, along with all cmalice. 32 aBe kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving each other,
If
in the end, the unrepentant must meet judgment, let it be by their own choice,
and delivered at the hand and heart of the Father through Yeshua, but not in my
ways or by my heart.
On this Day of Atonement, may I
be forgiven for my hard heart, may I see that atonement is not just for me, but
can be had by all if I do what God requires of me, to love and pray. My best
sermon will not be in agreeing with the pundits and tilting at windmills, but
will be in how I let God shape and guide my heart and actions so that His love
and mercy will draw others to Him.
I am my brother’s keeper.
May your name be found written in the Book of Life this day,
Yom Kippur,
And may God richly bless you all, His beloved.
Amein.
[1] I
BEGIN WITH MY COMMON DISCLAIMERS.
Why do I use these on (almost) every epistle I write? It is for one, to be
sensitive to those resources I use, especially those of Jewish context that
might find my using their work in a Messianic document objectionable. It is
also to provide useful information that you, my readers, I hope find useful.
Mainly though, I am just trying to be accountable and if there are objections,
we can deal with them honestly and upfront.
2 Authors note: Use
of information from Jewish-themed websites should not be construed as these
sites endorsing or confirming any thesis introduced by the author of this
epistle. I present the information from their respective sites for
instructional purposes only and/or to aid in the readers understanding of the
subjects discussed and in full respect of the sensitivity of the subject matter
at hand.
3Author’s
note: Throughout this study I’ll be using the Net®
Bible and the Net® Notes: within the notes you’ll see symbols like this: (א B Ψ 892* 2427 sys). These are abbreviations used
by the NetBible© for identifying the principal manuscript evidence that they
(authors and translators of the NetBible©) used in translating the New
Testament. Please go to https://bible.org/netbible/ and
see their section labeled “NET Bible Principals of Translation” for a more
complete explanation on these symbols and other items pertinent to the way the
NET Bible uses them.
4 Author’s Note:
In these studies I have used the notes that come along with the passages I cite
from the sources that I cite: these need a bit of a disclaimer though. As in
all things, not everything that is footnoted is something that I necessarily
agree with, especially if it contradicts what I believe pertains to any matters
of the Torah or the commandments of God. I give you the notes as they are written by the authors of the
material I cite from, so that you can see the information contained within
them. It truly is not my place to edit or correct them; if they state anything
that is in opposition to what I teach, then so be it. I will address these
issues if requested, but for the sake of brevity (as if any of these posts of
mine are brief ☺) I insert them and let them stand as they are. If I don’t
agree with them, why do I include them you might ask? I don’t believe in
censuring anyone’s opinions or scholarship; as I would not want mine censured,
so I will not do to that to another. As Rabbi Hillel once stated, “What is
hateful to you, do not do to another. That is the whole Torah. Go and learn it.” Torah
leads me to respect others, even if I disagree; it leads me to present
both sides of the coin, even if it could mean I’d lose part of the argument.
That is not to say I should not challenge something I believe contradicts the
truth of God’s word; that I will do in the main body of my epistles; that is
where my gentle dissent belongs. Most (but not all) of the differences will
come when I quote from the NET® Bible (but not exclusively); it has a decidedly
Western/Greek mindset to it, but as a wise man once said “How do you eat
chicken? Swallow the meat and spit out the bones...” I do though want to
present the NET® notes because there is a wealth of information and research
contained within them that I hope you find helpful.
5 tn Or “broom tree” (also in v. 5).
6 tn Heb “and asked with respect to his life
to die.”
7 tn Heb “fathers.”
8 tn Or “lay down.”
9 tn Heb “Look, a messenger.”
10 tn Heb “and again lay down”
11 tn Heb “for the journey is too great for
you.”
12 tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute
preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.
13 tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”
14 tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”
15 tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to
take it.”
16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the
translation for clarity.
17 tn Heb “tearing away the mountains and
breaking the cliffs” (or perhaps, “breaking the stones”).
18 tn Heb “a voice, calm, soft.”
19 tn Heb “look.”
20 tn Or “very zealous.” The infinitive absolute
preceding the finite verb emphasizes the degree of his zeal and allegiance.
21 tn Traditionally, “the God of hosts.”
22 tn Heb “abandoned your covenant.”
23 tn Heb “and they are seeking my life to
take it.”
24 tn Heb “I have kept in Israel seven
thousand, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and all the mouths that
have not kissed him.”
·
End NET® Bible Notes
[5] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The
NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible.
Biblical Studies Press.
·
[The following notes are taken from the NET Bible® footnotes,
copyright (c) 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press L.L.C. All rights reserved.
Used by permission from www.bible.org, n.d. Numbering system is unique to NET®
Notes.. For more information see
footnote #3 and 4.]
2 tn The verb has no expressed subject, and so may
be translated with “one” or “someone.”
3 tn The Piel perfect is difficult here. It would
normally be translated “has one tried (words with you)?” Most commentaries
posit a conditional clause, however.
4 tn The verb means “to be weary.” But it can have
the extended sense of being either exhausted or impatient (see v. 5). A. B. Davidson
(Job, 29) takes it in the sense of “will it be too much for you?” There
is nothing in the sentence that indicates this should be an interrogative
clause; it is simply an imperfect. But in view of the juxtaposition of the
first part, this seems to make good sense. E. Dhorme (Job, 42) has
“Shall we address you? You are dejected.”
5 tn The construction uses a noun with the
preposition: “and to refrain with words – who is able?” The Aramaic plural of
“words” (מִלִּין,
millin) occurs 13 times in Job, with the Hebrew plural ten
times. The commentaries show that Eliphaz’s speech had a distinctly Aramaic
coloring to it.
6 tn The
deictic particle הִנֵּה
(hinneh, “behold”) summons attention; it has the sense of “consider,
look.”
7 tn The verb יָסַר (yasar) in the Piel means “to correct,” whether by words with the sense of teach,
or by chastening with the sense of punish, discipline. The double meaning of
“teach” and “discipline” is also found with the noun מוּסָר (musar).
8 tn The
parallelism again uses a perfect verb in the first colon and an imperfect in
the second; but since the sense of the line is clearly what Job has done in the
past, the second verb may be treated as a preterite, or a customary imperfect –
what Job repeatedly did in the past (GKC 315 §107.e). The words in this verse may have double meanings. The word יָסַר (yasar, “teach, discipline”) may have the idea of instruction and correction, but
also the connotation of strength (see Y. Hoffmann, “The Use of Equivocal Words
in the First Speech of Eliphaz [Job IV–V],” VT
30 [1980]: 114-19).
9 tn The
“feeble hands” are literally “hands hanging down.” This is a sign of weakness,
helplessness, or despondency (see 2 Sam 4:1; Isa 13:7).
10 tn Both verbs
in this line are imperfects, and probably carry the same nuance as the last
verb in v. 3, namely, either customary imperfect or preterite. The customary
has the aspect of stressing that this was what Job used to do.
11 tn The form
is the singular active participle, interpreted here collectively. The verb is
used of knees that give way (Isa 35:3; Ps 109:24).
12 tn The expression
is often translated as “feeble knees,” but it literally says “the bowing [or
“tottering”] knees.” The figure is one who may be under a heavy load whose
knees begin to shake and buckle (see also Heb 12:12).
sn Job had been successful at helping others not be crushed by the weight of
trouble and misfortune. It is easier to help others than to preserve a proper
perspective when one’s self is afflicted (E. Dhorme, Job, 44).
13 tn The
sentence has no subject, but the context demands that the subject be the same
kind of trouble that has come upon people that Job has helped.
14 tn This is
the same verb used in v. 2, meaning “to be exhausted” or “impatient.” Here with
the vav (ו)
consecutive the verb describes Job’s state of mind that is a consequence of the
trouble coming on him. In this sentence the form is given a present tense
translation (see GKC 329 §111.t).
15 tn This final
verb in the verse is vivid; it means “to terrify, dismay” (here the Niphal
preterite). Job will go on to speak about all the terrors that come on him.
16 tn The word יִרְאָה (yir’ah, “fear”) in this passage refers to Job’s fear of the Lord, his reverential devotion to God.
H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 46) says
that on the lips of Eliphaz the word almost means “your religion.” He refers to
Moffatt’s translation, “Let your religion reassure you.”
17 tn The word כִּסְלָתֶךָ (kislatekha, “your confidence”) is rendered in the LXX by “founded
in folly.” The word כֶּסֶל
(kesel) is “confidence” (see 8:14) and elsewhere “folly.” Since
it is parallel to “your hope” it must mean confidence here.
18 tn This
second half of the verse simply has “your hope and the integrity of your ways.”
The expression “the perfection of your ways” is parallel to “your fear,” and
“your hope” is parallel to “your confidence.” This sentence is an example of casus pendens or extraposition: “as for
your hope, it is the integrity of your ways” (see GKC 458 §143.d).
sn Eliphaz is not being sarcastic to Job. He knows that Job is a God-fearing
man who lives out his faith in life. But he also knows that Job should apply to
himself the same things he tells others.
19 sn Eliphaz
will put his thesis forward first negatively and then positively (vv. 8ff). He
will argue that the suffering of the righteous is disciplinary and not for
their destruction. He next will argue that it is the wicked who deserve
judgment.
20 tn The use of
the independent personal pronoun is emphatic, almost as an enclitic to
emphasize interrogatives: “who indeed….” (GKC 442 §136.c).
21 tn The
perfect verb in this line has the nuance of the past tense to express the
unique past – the uniqueness of the action is expressed with “ever” (“who has
ever perished”).
22 tn The
adjective is used here substantivally. Without the article the word stresses
the meaning of “uprightness.” Job will use “innocent” and “upright” together in
17:8.
23 tn The Niphal means “to be hidden” (see the Piel in
6:10; 15:18; and 27:11); the connotation here is “destroyed” or “annihilated.”
24 tn The
perfect verb here represents the indefinite past. It has no specific sighting in
mind, but refers to each time he has seen the wicked do this.
25 sn The figure
is an implied metaphor. Plowing suggests the idea of deliberately preparing (or
cultivating) life for evil. This describes those who are fundamentally wicked.
26 tn The LXX renders
this with a plural “barren places.”
27 tn Heb “reap it.”
28 tn The LXX in
the place of “breath” has “word” or “command,” probably to limit the
anthropomorphism. The word is מִנִּשְׁמַת
(minnishmat) comprising מִן (min) + נִשְׁמַת (nishmat, the construct of נְשָׁמָה [néshamah]): “from/at the breath of.” The “breath of God” occurs
frequently in Scripture. In Gen 2:7 it imparts life; but here it destroys it.
The figure probably does indicate a divine decree from God (e.g., “depart from
me”) – so the LXX may have been simply interpreting.
29 sn The
statement is saying that if some die by misfortune it is because divine
retribution or anger has come upon them. This is not necessarily the case, as
the NT declares (see Luke 13:1–5).
30 tn The word רוּחַ (ruakh) is now parallel to נְשָׁמָה
(néshamah); both can mean “breath” or “wind.” To avoid using
“breath” for both lines, “blast” has been employed here. The word is followed
by אַפוֹ (’afo) which could be translated “his anger” or “his nostril.” If “nostril” is
retained, then it is a very bold anthropomorphism to indicate the fuming wrath
of God. It is close to the picture of the hot wind coming off the desert to
scorch the plants (see Hos 13:15).
31 tn “There is”
has been supplied to make a smoother translation out of the clauses.
32 sn Eliphaz
takes up a new image here to make the point that the wicked are destroyed – the
breaking up and scattering of a den of lions. There are several words for
“lion” used in this section. D. J. A. Clines observes that it is probably
impossible to distinguish them (Job [WBC],
109, 110, which records some bibliography of those who have tried to work on
the etymologies and meanings). The first is אַרְיֵה (’aryeh) the generic term for “lion.” It is followed by שַׁחַל (shakhal) which, like כְּפִיר
(kéfir), is a “young lion.” Some have thought that the שַׁחַל (shakhal) is a lion-like animal, perhaps a panther or leopard. KBL takes it by
metathesis from Arabic “young one.” The LXX for this verse has “the strength of
the lion, and the voice of the lioness and the exulting cry of serpents are
quenched.”
33 tn Heb “voice.”
34 tn The verb
belongs to the subject “teeth” in this last colon; but it is used by zeugma (a
figure of speech in which one word is made to refer to two or more other words,
but has to be understood differently in the different contexts) of the three
subjects (see H. H. Rowley, Job
[NCBC], 46–47).
35 tn The word לַיִשׁ (layish) traditionally rendered “strong lion,” occurs only here and in Prov 30:30
and Isa 30:6. It has cognates in several of the Semitic languages, and so seems
to indicate lion as king of the beasts.
36 tn The form
of the verb is the Qal active participle; it stresses the characteristic action
of the verb as if a standard universal truth.
37 tn The text
literally has “sons of the lioness.”
38 tn The LXX of
this verse offers special problems. It reads, “But if there had been any truth
in your words, none of these evils would have fallen upon you; shall not my ear
receive excellent [information] from him?” The major error involves a
dittography from the word for “secret,” yielding “truth.”
39 tn The verb גָּנַב (ganav) means “to steal.” The Pual form in this verse is probably to be taken as
a preterite since it requires a past tense translation: “it was stolen for me”
meaning it was brought to me stealthily (see 2 Sam 19:3).
40 tn Heb “received.”
41 tn The word שֵׁמֶץ (shemets, “whisper”) is found only here and in Job 26:14. A cognate form שִׁמְצָה (shimtsah) is found in Exod 32:25 with the sense of “a whisper.”
In postbiblical Hebrew the word comes to mean “a little.” The point is that
Eliphaz caught just a bit, just a whisper of it, and will recount it to Job.
42 tn Here too
the word is rare. The form שְׂעִפִּים
(sé’ippim, “disquietings”) occurs only here and in 20:2. The form שַׂרְעַפִּים (sar’appim, “disquieting thoughts”), possibly related by dissimilation,
occurs in Pss 94:19 and 139:23. There seems to be a connection with סְעִפִּים (sé’ippim) in 1 Kgs 18:21 with the meaning “divided opinion”; this
is related to the idea of סְעִפָּה
(sé’ippah, “bough”). H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 47) concludes that the point is that like branches the
thoughts lead off into different and bewildering places. E. Dhorme (Job, 50) links the word to an Arabic
root (“to be passionately smitten”) for the idea of “intimate thoughts.” The
idea here and in Ps 139 has more to do with anxious, troubling, disquieting
thoughts, as in a nightmare.
43 tn Heb “visions” of the night.
44 tn The word תַּרְדֵּמָה (tardemah) is a “deep sleep.” It is used in the creation account
when the Lord God caused a deep
sleep to fall on Adam; and it is used in the story of Jonah when the prophet
was asleep during the storm. The LXX interprets it to mean “fear,” rendering
the whole verse “but terror falls upon men with dread and a sound in the
night.”
45 tn The two
words פַּחַד (pakhad, “trembling”) and רְעָדָה
(ré’adah, “terror”) strengthen each other as synonyms (see also
Ps 55:6). The subject of the verb קָרָא (qara’, “befall, encounter”) is פַּחַד
(pakhad, “trembling”); its compound subject has been placed at
the end of the colon.
46 tn The
subject of the Hiphil verb הִפְחִיד (hifkhid, “dread”) is פַּחַד
(pakhad, “trembling”), which is why it is in the singular. The
cognate verb intensifies and applies the meaning of the noun. BDB 808 s.v. פַּחַד Hiph translates it “fill my bones
with dread.” In that sense “bones” would have to be a metonymy of subject
representing the framework of the body, so that the meaning is that his whole
being was filled with trembling.
47 tn The word רוּחַ (ruakh) can be “spirit” or “breath.” The implication here is that it was
something that Eliphaz felt – what he saw follows in v. 16. The commentators
are divided on whether this is an apparition, a spirit, or a breath. The word
can be used in either the masculine or the feminine, and so the gender of the
verb does not favor the meaning “spirit.” In fact, in Isa 21:1 the same verb חָלַף (khalaf, “pass on, through”) is used with the subject being a strong wind or
hurricane “blowing across.” It may be that such a wind has caused Eliphaz’s
hair to stand on end here. D. J. A. Clines (Job
[WBC], 111) also concludes it means “wind,” noting that in Job a spirit or
spirits would be called רְפָאִים
(réfa’im), אֶלֹהִים (’elohim) or אוֹב
(’ov).
48 tn The verbs
in this verse are imperfects. In the last verse the verbs were perfects when
Eliphaz reported the fear that seized him. In this continuation of the report
the description becomes vivid with the change in verbs, as if the experience
were in progress.
49 tn The
subject of this verb is also רוּחַ
(ruakh, “spirit”), since it can assume either gender. The “hair
of my flesh” is the complement and not the subject; therefore the Piel is to be
retained and not changed to a Qal as some suggest (and compare with Ps
119:120).
50 tc The LXX
has the first person of the verb: “I arose and perceived it not, I looked and
there was no form before my eyes; but I only heard a breath and a voice.”
51 tn The
imperfect verb is to be classified as potential imperfect. Eliphaz is unable to
recognize the figure standing before him.
52 sn The colon
reads “a silence and a voice I hear.” Some have rendered it “there is a
silence, and then I hear.” The verb דָּמַם (damam) does mean “remain silent” (Job 29:21; 31:34) and then also “cease.” The
noun דְּמָמָה (démamah, “calm”) refers to the calm
after the storm in Ps 107:29. Joined with the true object of the verb, “voice,”
it probably means something like stillness or murmuring or whispering here. It
is joined to “voice” with a conjunction, indicating that it is a hendiadys,
“murmur and a voice” or a “murmuring voice.”
53 tn The
imperfect verbs in this verse express obvious truths known at all times (GKC
315 §107.f).
54 tn The word
for man here is first אֱנוֹשׁ
(’enosh), stressing man in all his frailty, his mortality. This
is paralleled with גֶּבֶר
(gever), a word that would stress more of the strength or might
of man. The verse is not making a great contrast between the two, but it is
rhetorical question merely stating that no human being of any kind is righteous
or pure before God the Creator. See H. Kosmala, “The Term geber in the OT and in the Scrolls,” VTSup 17 (1969): 159-69; and
E. Jacob, Theology of the Old Testament,
156–57.
55 tn The
imperfect verb in this interrogative sentence could also be interpreted with a
potential nuance: “Can a man be righteous?”
56 tn The
classification of מִן
(min) as a comparative in this verse (NIV, “more righteous
than God”; cf. also KJV, ASV, NCV) does not seem the most probable. The idea of
someone being more righteous than God is too strong to be reasonable. Job will
not do that – but he will imply that God is unjust. In addition, Eliphaz had
this vision before hearing of Job’s trouble and so is not addressing the idea
that Job is making himself more righteous than God. He is stating that no man
is righteous before God. Verses 18–21 will show that no one can claim
righteousness before God. In 9:2 and 25:4 the preposition “with” is used. See
also Jer 51:5 where the preposition should be rendered “before” [the Holy One].
57 sn In Job
15:14 and 25:4 the verb יִזְכֶּה
(yizkeh, from זָכָה
[zakhah, “be clean”]) is paralleled with יִצְדַּק (yitsdaq, from צָדֵק
[tsadeq, “be righteous”).
58 tn The double
question here merely repeats the same question with different words (see GKC
475 §150.h). The second member could
just as well have been connected with ו (vav).
59 tn The
particle הֵן
(hen) introduces a conditional clause here, although the
older translations used “behold.” The clause forms the foundation for the point
made in the next verse, an argument by analogy – if this be true, then how much
more/less the other.
60 tn Heb “he”; the referent (God) has been
specified in the translation for clarity.
61 tn The verb יַאֲמִין (ya’amin), a Hiphil imperfect from אָמַן (’aman) followed by the preposition בּ (bet), means “trust in.”
62 sn The
servants here must be angels in view of the parallelism. The Targum to Job
interpreted them to be the prophets. In the book we have already read about the
“sons of God” who take their stand as servants before the Lord (1:6; 2:1). And Ps 104:4 identifies
the angels as servants (using שָׁרַת,
sharat).
63 tn The verb שִׂים (sim, “set”) with the preposition בּ (bet) has the sense of “impute” or “attribute something to someone.”
64 tn The word תָּהֳלָה (toholah) is a hapax legomenon, and so
has created some confusion in the various translations. It seems to mean
“error; folly.” The word is translated “perverseness” in the LXX; but Symmachus
connects it with the word for “madness.” “Some commentators have repointed the
word to תְּהִלָּה
(téhillah, “praise”) making the line read: “he finds no [cause
for] praise in his angels.” Others suggest תִּפְלָה (tiflah, “offensiveness, silliness”) a bigger change; this matches the idiom in
Job 24:12. But if the etymology of the word is הָלַל (halal, “to be mad”) then that change is not necessary. The feminine noun
“madness” still leaves the meaning of the line a little uncertain: “[if] he
does not impute madness to his angels.” The point of the verse is that God
finds flaws in his angels and does not put his trust in them.
65 sn Those who live in houses of clay are
human beings, for the human body was made of clay (Job 10:9; 33:6; and Isa
64:7). In 2 Cor 4:7 the body is an “earthen vessel” – a clay pot. The verse
continues the analogy: houses have foundations, and the house of clay is
founded on dust, and will return to dust (Gen 3:19; Ps 103:14). The reasoning
is that if God finds defects in angels, he will surely find them in humans who
are inferior to the angels because they are but dust. In fact, they are easily
crushed like the moth.
66 tn The
imperfect verb is in the plural, suggesting “they crush.” But since there is no
subject expressed, the verb may be given an impersonal subject, or more simply,
treated as a passive (see GKC 460 §144.g).
67 tn The
prepositional compound לִפְנֵי
(lifne) normally has the sense of “before,” but it has been
used already in 3:24 in the sense of “like.” That is the most natural meaning
of this line. Otherwise, the interpretation must offer some explanation of a
comparison between how quickly a moth and a human can be crushed. There are
suggestions for different readings here; see for example G. R. Driver,
“Linguistic and Textual Problems: Jeremiah,” JQR 28 (1937/38): 97-129 for a change to “bird’s nest”; and J. A.
Rimbach, “‘Crushed before the Moth’ (Job 4:19),” JBL 100 (1981): 244-46, for a change of the verb to “they are pure
before their Maker.” However, these are unnecessary emendations.
68 tn The form יֻכַּתּוּ (yukkatu) is the Hophal imperfect of the root כָּתַת (katat, “to be pounded, pulverized, reduced to ashes” [Jer 46:5; Mic 1:7]). It follows the Aramaic formation (see
GKC 182 §67.y). This line appears to
form a parallelism with “they are crushed like a moth,” the third unit of the
last verse; but it has its own parallel idea in this verse. See D. J. A.
Clines, “Verb Modality and the Interpretation of Job 4:20, 21, ” VT 30 (1980): 354-57.
69 tn Or “from
morning to evening.” The expression “from morning to evening” is probably not a
merism, but rather describes the time between the morning and the evening, as
in Isa 38:12: “from day to night you make an end of me.”
70 sn The second
colon expresses the consequence of this day-long reducing to ashes – they perish forever! (see 20:7 and
14:20).
71 tn This
rendering is based on the interpretation that מִבְּלִי מֵשִׂים (mibbéli mesim) uses the Hiphil participle of שִׂים (sim, “set”) with an understood object “heart” to gain the idiom of “taking to
heart, considering, regarding it” – hence, “without anyone regarding it.” Some
commentators have attempted to resolve the difficulty by emending the text, a
procedure that has no more support than positing the ellipses. One suggested
emendation does have the LXX in its favor, namely, a reading of מֹשִׁיעַ (moshia’, “one who saves”) in place of מֵשִׂים (mesim, “one who sets”). This would lead to “without one who saves they perish
forever” (E. Dhorme, Job, 55).
72 tn The word יֶתֶר (yeter, here with the suffix, יִתְרָם
[yitram]) can mean “what remains” or “rope.” Of the variety of
translations, the most frequently used idea seems to be “their rope,” meaning
their tent cord. This would indicate that their life was compared to a tent –
perfectly reasonable in a passage that has already used the image “houses of
clay.” The difficulty is that the verb נָסַע (nasa’) means more properly “to tear up; to uproot.” and not “to cut off.” A
similar idea is found in Isa 38:12, but there the image is explicitly that of
cutting the life off from the loom. Some have posited that the original must
have said their tent peg was pulled up” as in Isa 33:20 (A. B. Davidson, Job, 34; cf. NAB). But perhaps the idea
of “what remains” would be easier to defend here. Besides, it is used in 22:20.
The wealth of an individual is what has been acquired and usually is left over
when he dies. Here it would mean that the superfluous wealth would be snatched
away. The preposition בּ
(bet) would carry the meaning “from” with this verb.
73 tc The text
of the LXX does not seem to be connected to the Hebrew of v. 21a. It reads
something like “for he blows on them and they are withered” (see Isa 40:24b).
The Targum to Job has “Is it not by their lack of righteousness that they have
been deprived of all support?”tn On
the interpretation of the preposition in this construction, see N. Sarna, “The
Interchange of the Preposition bet
and min in Biblical Hebrew,” JBL 78 (1959): 310-16.
74 sn They die. This clear verb interprets all
the images in these verses – they die. When the house of clay collapses, or
when their excess perishes – their life is over.
75 tn Heb “and without wisdom.” The word
“attaining” is supplied in the translation as a clarification.
sn The expression without attaining
wisdom is parallel to the previous without
anyone regarding it. Both verses describe how easily humans perish: there
is no concern for it, nor any sense to it. Humans die without attaining wisdom
which can solve the mystery of human life.
·
End NET® Bible Notes
[6] Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English.
NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.
a
Matt 24:30; 26:64;
Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27; Rev 1:7, 13; 14:14
a Dan 7:27; John 3:35;
1 Cor 15:27; Eph 1:20–22; Phil 2:9–11; Rev 1:6; 11:15
1 Or sovereignty
b Dan 2:37
c
Ps 72:11; 102:22
2 Lit tongue
d Mic 4:7; Luke 1:33
e
Heb 12:28
[7] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update.
1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
a
7:1-5 Mk 4:24-25; Lk 6:37-42
b
7:2 Lit you judge
c
7:2 Lit you measure
d
7:2 Mk 4:24; Lk 6:38; Rm 2:1; 14:10; Jms 2:13
e 7:3 Lk 6:41; Jn 8:7-9
[8] The Holy Bible : Holman Christian standard
version. 2003. Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers.
·
[The following
notes are taken from the NET Bible® footnotes, copyright (c) 1996-2006 by
Biblical Studies Press L.L.C. All rights reserved. Used by permission from
www.bible.org. Numbering system is unique to NET® Notes.. For more information see footnote #2 and 3.]
4 tn Heb “who
walked [in] the way that is not good, after their thoughts.”
5 tn Heb “the
people who provoke me to anger to my face continually.”
6 tn Or
“gardens” (KJV, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT).
7 tn Or
perhaps, “on tiles.”
8 sn Perhaps
the worship of underworld deities or dead spirits is in view.
9 tn The
Hebrew text reads literally, “and in the watches they spend the night.” Some
understand נְּצוּרִים
(nétsurim) as referring to “secret places” or “caves,” while others
emend the text to וּבֵין צוּרִים (uven tsurim, “between the rocky cliffs”).
10 tn Heb “the
flesh of the pig”; KJV, NAB, NASB “swine’s flesh.”
11 tc The
marginal reading (Qere), supported by the Qumran scroll 1QIsaa,
reads מְרַק (méraq,
“broth”), while the consonantal text (Kethib) has פְרַק (feraq, “fragment”).
12 tn Heb “Look,
it is written before me.”
13 tn Heb “I
will pay back into their lap.”
14 tn Heb
“the iniquities of your fathers.”
15 tn Or
perhaps, “taunted”; KJV “blasphemed”; NAB “disgraced”; NASB “scorned”; NIV “defied”;
NRSV “reviled.”
16 tn Heb “I
will measure out their pay [from the] beginning into their lap,” i.e., he will
give them everything they have earned.
·
End “NET®” notes
[9]Biblical Studies
Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET
Bible.; The NET Bible (Is 65:2-7). Biblical Studies Press.
[10] Chillul
haShem (Hebrew: חילול השם desecration of the Name), meaning desecration of
the name of God..)
[11] רַע mean, trouble,
wickedness, wrong, bad, evil, evil occurrence, misfortune bad, disaster [see Isa_28:29 ]
[12] words
[13] Phillip E. Goble. The Orthodox Jewish Bible: Tanakh and
Orthodox Jewish Brit Chadasha. 4th edition. Afi Intl Pub, 2010.
[14] Stern, D. H. (1989). Jewish New Testament :
A translation of the New Testament that expresses its Jewishness (1st ed.).
Jerusalem, Israel; Clarksville, Md., USA: Jewish New Testament Publications.
[18] …Ibid…
[19] From http://www.asearchformessiah.net/2014_10_01_archive.html
“Yom Kippur - A Defining Moment” by David Robinson, October 3, 2014.
a Ps 10:4; 14:1–7; 53:1–6
b Rom 3:10
[20] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update.
1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
a
Col 2:4
b Eph 2:2; 4:22
c Rom 1:21; Col 2:18; 1 Pet 1:18; 2 Pet 2:18
a Rom 1:21
1 Or alienated
b Eph 2:1, 12
c Acts 3:17; 17:30; 1 Cor 2:8; Heb 5:2; 9:7; 1 Pet 1:14
d Mark 3:5; Rom 11:7, 25; 2 Cor 3:14
a 1 Tim 4:2
b Rom 1:24
c Col 3:5
1 Or greedy for the practice of every kind of impurity
a Matt 11:29
1 I.e. the Messiah
a Rom 10:14; Eph 1:13; 2:17; Col 1:5
b Col 2:7
a Eph 4:25, 31; Col 3:8; Heb 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Pet 2:1
b Rom 6:6
1 Lit man
c 2 Cor 11:3; Heb 3:13
a Rom 12:2
a Rom 13:14
b Rom 6:4; 7:6; 12:2; 2 Cor 5:17; Col 3:10
1 Lit man
2 Lit according to God
c Eph 2:10
a Eph 4:22, 31; Col 3:8; Heb 12:1; James 1:21; 1 Pet 2:1
b Zech 8:16; Eph 4:15; Col 3:9
c Rom 12:5
a Ps 4:4
a Rom 12:19; James 4:7
1 Lit a place
a Acts 20:35; 1 Cor 4:12; Gal 6:10
b 1 Thess 4:11; 2 Thess 3:8, 11f; Titus 3:8, 14
c Luke 3:11; 1 Thess 4:12
1 Lit the one
1 Lit rotten
a Matt 12:34; Eph 5:4; Col 3:8
b Eccl 10:12; Rom 14:19; Col 4:6
2 Lit of the need
a Is 63:10; 1 Thess 5:19
1 Lit in
b John 3:33; Eph 1:13
a Rom 3:14; Col 3:8, 19
b Eph 4:22
c 1 Pet 2:1
a 1 Cor 13:4; Col 3:12f; 1 Pet 3:8
b Matt 6:14f; 2 Cor 2:10
1 Two early mss read us
[21] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update.
1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
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