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Job 20-22
New English Translation

Zophar’s Second Speech[a]

20 Then Zophar the Naamathite answered:

2 “This is why[b] my troubled thoughts bring me back[c]—
because of my feelings[d] within me.
3 When[e] I hear a reproof that dishonors[f] me,
then my understanding[g] prompts me to answer.[h]
4 “Surely you know[i] that it has been from old,

ever since humankind was placed[j] on the earth,
5 that the elation of the wicked is brief,[k]
the joy of the godless[l] lasts but a moment.[m]
6 Even though his stature[n] reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
7 he will perish forever, like his own excrement;[o]
those who used to see him will say, ‘Where is he?’
8 Like a dream he flies away, never again to be found,[p]
and like a vision of the night he is put to flight.
9 People[q] who had seen him will not see him again,
and the place where he was
will recognize him no longer.
10 His sons must recompense[r] the poor;
his own hands[s] must return his wealth.
11 His bones[t] were full of his youthful vigor,[u]
but that vigor will lie down with him in the dust.
12 “If[v] evil is sweet in his mouth

and he hides it under his tongue,[w]
13 if he retains it for himself
and does not let it go,
and holds it fast in his mouth,[x]
14 his food is turned sour[y] in his stomach;[z]
it becomes the venom of serpents[aa] within him.
15 The wealth that he consumed[ab] he vomits up,
God will make him throw it out[ac] of his stomach.
16 He sucks the poison[ad] of serpents;[ae]
the fangs[af] of a viper[ag] kill him.
17 He will not look on the streams,[ah]
the rivers that are the torrents[ai]
of honey and butter.[aj]
18 He gives back the ill-gotten gain[ak]
without assimilating it;[al]
he will not enjoy the wealth from his commerce.[am]
19 For he has oppressed the poor and abandoned them;[an]
he has seized a house which he did not build.[ao]
20 For he knows no satisfaction in his appetite;[ap]
he does not let anything he desires[aq] escape.[ar]
21 “Nothing is left for him to devour;[as]
that is why his prosperity does not last.[at]
22 In the fullness of his sufficiency,[au]
distress overtakes[av] him.
The full force of misery will come upon him.[aw]
23 “While he is[ax] filling his belly,
God[ay] sends his burning anger[az] against him,
and rains down his blows upon him.[ba]
24 If he flees from an iron weapon,
then an arrow[bb] from a bronze bow pierces him.
25 When he pulls it out[bc] and it comes out of his back,
the gleaming point[bd] out of his liver,
terrors come over him.
26 Total darkness waits to receive his treasures;[be]
a fire that has not been kindled[bf]
will consume him and devour what is left in his tent.
27 The heavens reveal his iniquity;
the earth rises up against him.
28 A flood will carry off his house,
rushing waters on the day of God’s wrath.
29 Such is the lot God allots the wicked,
and the heritage of his appointment[bg] from God.”

Job’s Reply to Zophar[bh]

21 Then Job answered:

2 “Listen carefully[bi] to my words;
let this be[bj] the consolation you offer me.[bk]
3 Bear with me[bl] and I[bm] will speak,
and after I have spoken[bn] you may mock.[bo]
4 Is my[bp] complaint against a man?[bq]
If so,[br] why should I not be impatient?[bs]
5 Look[bt] at me and be appalled;
put your hands over your mouths.[bu]
6 For, when I think about[bv] this, I am terrified[bw]
and my body feels a shudder.[bx]

The Wicked Prosper

7 “Why do the wicked go on living,[by]
grow old,[bz] even increase in power?
8 Their children[ca] are firmly established in their presence,[cb]
their offspring before their eyes.
9 Their houses are safe[cc] and without fear;[cd]
and no rod of punishment[ce] from God is upon them.[cf]
10 Their bulls[cg] breed[ch] without fail;[ci]
their cows calve and do not miscarry.
11 They allow their children to run[cj] like a flock;
their little ones dance about.
12 They sing[ck] to the accompaniment of tambourine and harp,
and make merry to the sound of the flute.
13 They live out[cl] their years in prosperity
and go down[cm] to the grave[cn] in peace.
14 So they say to God, ‘Turn away from us!
We do not want to know your ways.[co]
15 Who is the Almighty, that[cp] we should serve him?
What would we gain
if we were to pray[cq] to him?’[cr]
16 But their prosperity is not their own doing.[cs]
The counsel of the wicked is far from me![ct]

How Often Do the Wicked Suffer?

17 “How often[cu] is the lamp of the wicked extinguished?
How often does their[cv] misfortune come upon them?
How often does God apportion pain[cw] to them[cx] in his anger?
18 How often[cy] are they like straw before the wind,
and like chaff swept away[cz] by a whirlwind?
19 You may say,[da] ‘God stores up a man’s[db] punishment for his children!’[dc]
Instead let him repay[dd] the man himself[de]
so that[df] he may be humbled![dg]
20 Let his own eyes see his destruction;[dh]
let him drink of the anger of the Almighty.
21 For what is his interest[di] in his home
after his death,[dj]
when the number of his months
has been broken off?[dk]
22 Can anyone teach[dl] God knowledge,
since[dm] he judges those that are on high?[dn]

Death Levels Everything

23 “One man dies in his full vigor,[do]
completely secure and prosperous,
24 his body[dp] well nourished,[dq]
and the marrow of his bones moist.[dr]
25 And another man[ds] dies in bitterness of soul,[dt]
never having tasted[du] anything good.
26 Together they lie down in the dust,
and worms cover over them both.

Futile Words, Deceptive Answers

27 “Yes, I know what you are thinking,[dv]
the schemes[dw] by which you would wrong me.[dx]
28 For you say,
‘Where now is the nobleman’s house,[dy]
and where are the tents in which the wicked lived?’[dz]
29 Have you never questioned those who travel the roads?
Do you not recognize their accounts[ea]—
30 that the evil man is spared
from the day of his misfortune,
that he is delivered[eb]
from the day of God’s wrath?
31 No one denounces his conduct to his face;
no one repays him for what[ec] he has done.[ed]
32 And when he is carried to the tombs,
and watch is kept[ee] over the funeral mound,[ef]
33 The clods of the torrent valley[eg] are sweet to him;
behind him everybody follows in procession,
and before him goes a countless throng.
34 So how can you console me with your futile words?
Nothing is left of your answers but deception!”[eh]

Eliphaz’s Third Speech[ei]

22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:

2 “Is it to God that a strong man is of benefit?
Is it to him that even a wise man is profitable?[ej]
3 Is it of any special benefit[ek] to the Almighty
that you should be righteous,
or is it any gain to him
that you make your ways blameless?[el]
4 Is it because of your piety[em] that he rebukes you
and goes to judgment with you?[en]
5 Is not your wickedness great[eo]
and is there no end to your iniquity?
6 “For you took pledges[ep] from your brothers

for no reason,
and you stripped the clothing from the naked.[eq]
7 You gave the weary[er] no water to drink
and from the hungry you withheld food.
8 Although you were a powerful man,[es] owning land,[et]
an honored man[eu] living on it,[ev]
9 you sent widows away empty-handed,
and the arms[ew] of the orphans you crushed.[ex]
10 That is why snares surround you,
and why sudden fear terrifies you,
11 why it is so dark you cannot see,[ey]
and why a flood[ez] of water covers you.
12 “Is not God on high in heaven?[fa]

And see[fb] the lofty stars,[fc] how high they are!
13 But you have said, ‘What does God know?
Does he judge through such deep darkness?[fd]
14 Thick clouds are a veil for him, so he does not see us,[fe]
as he goes back and forth
in the vault[ff] of heaven.’[fg]
15 Will you keep to the old path[fh]
that evil men have walked—
16 men[fi] who were carried off[fj] before their time,[fk]
when the flood[fl] was poured out[fm]
on their foundations?[fn]
17 They were saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
and, ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’[fo]
18 But it was he[fp] who filled their houses
with good things—
yet the counsel of the wicked[fq]
was far from me.[fr]
19 The righteous see their destruction[fs] and rejoice;
the innocent mock them scornfully,[ft] saying,
20 ‘Surely our enemies[fu] are destroyed,
and fire consumes their wealth.’
21 “Reconcile yourself[fv] with God,[fw]

and be at peace[fx] with him;
in this way your prosperity will be good.
22 Accept instruction[fy] from his mouth
and store up his words[fz] in your heart.
23 If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up;[ga]
if you remove wicked behavior far from your tent,
24 and throw[gb] your gold[gc] in the dust—
your gold[gd] of Ophir
among the rocks in the ravines—
25 then the Almighty himself will be your gold,[ge]
and the choicest[gf] silver for you.
26 Surely then you will delight yourself[gg] in the Almighty,
and will lift up your face toward God.
27 You will pray to him and he will hear you,
and you will fulfill your vows to him.[gh]
28 Whatever you decide on[gi] a matter,
it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
29 When people are brought low[gj] and you say,
‘Lift them up!’[gk]
then he will save the downcast;[gl]
30 he will deliver even someone who is not innocent,[gm]
who will escape[gn] through the cleanness of your hands.”

Footnotes

  1. Job 20:1 sn Zophar breaks in with an impassioned argument about the brevity and prosperity of the life of the wicked. But every statement that he makes is completely irrelevant to the case at hand. The speech has four sections: after a short preface (2-3) he portrays the brevity of the triumph of the wicked (4-11), retribution for sin (12-22), and God’s swift judgment (23-29). See further B. H. Kelly, “Truth in Contradiction, A Study of Job 20 and 21,” Int 15 (1961): 147-56.
  2. Job 20:2 tn The ordinary meaning of לָכֵן (lakhen) is “therefore,” coming after an argument. But at the beginning of a speech it is an allusion to what follows.
  3. Job 20:2 tn The verb is שׁוּב (shuv, “to return”), but in the Hiphil, “bring me back,” i.e., prompt me to make another speech. The text makes good sense as it is, and there is no reason to change the reading to make a closer parallel with the second half—indeed, the second part explains the first.
  4. Job 20:2 tn The word is normally taken from the root “to hasten,” and rendered “because of my haste within me.” But K&D 11:374 proposed another root, and similarly, but closer to the text, E. Dhorme (Job, 289-90) found an Arabic word with the meaning “feeling, sensation.” He argues that from this idea developed the meanings in the cognates of “thoughts” as well. Similarly, Gordis translates it “my feeling pain.” See also Eccl 2:25.
  5. Job 20:3 tn There is no indication that this clause is to be subordinated to the next, other than the logical connection, and the use of the ו (vav) in the second half.
  6. Job 20:3 tn See Job 19:3.
  7. Job 20:3 tn The phrase actually has רוּחַ מִבִּינָתִי (ruakh mibbinati, “a spirit/wind/breath/impulse from my understanding”). Some translate it “out of my understanding a spirit answers me.” The idea is not that difficult, and so the many proposals to rewrite the text can be rejected. The spirit of his understanding prompts the reply.
  8. Job 20:3 tn To take this verb as a simple Qal and read it “answers me,” does not provide a clear idea. The form can just as easily be taken as a Hiphil, with the sense “causes me to answer.” It is Zophar who will “return” and who will “answer.”
  9. Job 20:4 tn The MT has “Do you not know?” The question can be interpreted as a rhetorical question affirming that Job must know this. The question serves to express the conviction that the contents are well-known to the audience (see GKC 474 §150.e).
  10. Job 20:4 tn Heb “from the putting of man on earth.” The infinitive is the object of the preposition, which is here temporal. If “man” is taken as the subjective genitive, then the verb would be given a passive translation. Here “man” is a generic, referring to “mankind” or “the human race.”
  11. Job 20:5 tn The expression in the text is “quite near.” This indicates that it is easily attained, and that its end is near.
  12. Job 20:5 tn For the discussion of חָנֵף (khanef, “godless”) see Job 8:13.
  13. Job 20:5 tn The phrase is “until a moment,” meaning it is short-lived. But see J. Barr, “Hebrew ʿad, especially at Job 1:18 and Neh 7:3, ” JSS 27 (1982): 177-88.
  14. Job 20:6 tn The word שִׂיא (siʾ) has been connected with the verb נָשָׂא (nasaʾ, “to lift up”), and so interpreted here as “pride.” The form is parallel to “head” in the next part, and so here it refers to his stature, the part that rises up and is crowned. But the verse does describe the pride of such a person, with his head in the heavens.
  15. Job 20:7 tn There have been attempts to change the word here to “like a whirlwind,” or something similar. But many argue that there is no reason to remove a coarse expression from Zophar.
  16. Job 20:8 tn Heb “and they do not find him.” The verb has no expressed subject, and so here is equivalent to a passive. The clause itself is taken adverbially in the sentence.
  17. Job 20:9 tn Heb “the eye that had seen him.” Here a part of the person (the eye, the instrument of vision) is put by metonymy for the entire person.
  18. Job 20:10 tn The early versions confused the root of this verb, taking it from רָצַץ (ratsats, “mistreat”) and not from רָצָה (ratsah, “be please with”). So it was taken to mean, “Let inferiors destroy his children.” But the verb is רָצָה (ratsah). This has been taken to mean “his sons will seek the favor of the poor.” This would mean that they would be reduced to poverty and need help from even the poor. Some commentators see this as another root רָצָה (ratsah) meaning “to compensate; to restore” wealth their father had gained by impoverishing others. This fits the parallelism well, but not the whole context that well.
  19. Job 20:10 tn Some commentators are surprised to see “his hands” here, thinking the passage talks about his death. Budde changed it to “his children,” by altering one letter. R. Gordis argued that “hand” can mean offspring, and so translated it that way without changing anything in the text (“A note on YAD,” JBL 62 [1943]: 343).
  20. Job 20:11 tn “Bones” is often used metonymically for the whole person, the bones being the framework, meaning everything inside, as well as the body itself.
  21. Job 20:11 sn This line means that he dies prematurely—at the height of his youthful vigor.
  22. Job 20:12 tn The conjunction אִם (ʾim) introduces clauses that are conditional or concessive. With the imperfect verb in the protasis it indicates what is possible in the present or future. See GKC 496 §159.q).
  23. Job 20:12 sn The wicked person holds on to evil as long as he can, savoring the taste or the pleasure of it.
  24. Job 20:13 tn Heb “in the middle of his palate.”
  25. Job 20:14 tn The perfect verb in the apodosis might express the suddenness of the change (see S. R. Driver, Tenses in Hebrew, 204), or it might be a constative perfect looking at the action as a whole without reference to inception, progress, or completion (see IBHS 480-81 §30.1d). The Niphal perfect simply means “is turned” or “turns”; “sour” is supplied in the translation to clarify what is meant.
  26. Job 20:14 tn The word is “in his loins” or “within him.” Some translate more specifically “bowels.”
  27. Job 20:14 sn Some commentators suggest that the ancients believed that serpents secreted poison in the gall bladder, or that the poison came from the gall bladder of serpents. In any case, there is poison (from the root “bitter”) in the system of the wicked person; it may simply be saying it is that type of poison.
  28. Job 20:15 tn Heb “swallowed.”
  29. Job 20:15 tn The choice of words is excellent. The verb יָרַשׁ (yarash) means either “to inherit” or “to disinherit; to dispossess.” The context makes the figure clear that God is administering the emetic to make the wicked throw up the wealth (thus, “God will make him throw it out…”), but since wealth is the subject there is a disinheritance meant here.
  30. Job 20:16 tn The word is a homonym for the word for “head,” which has led to some confusion in the early versions.
  31. Job 20:16 sn To take the possessions of another person is hereby compared to sucking poison from a serpent—it will kill eventually.
  32. Job 20:16 tn Heb “tongue.”
  33. Job 20:16 tn Some have thought this verse is a gloss on v. 14 and should be deleted. But the word for “viper” (אֶפְעֶה, ʾefʿeh) is a rare word, occurring only here and in Isa 30:6; 59:5. It is unlikely that such a rare word would be used in a gloss. But the point is similar to v. 14—the wealth that was greedily sucked in by the wicked proves to be their undoing. Either this is totally irrelevant to Job’s case, a general discussion, or the man is raising questions about how Job got his wealth.
  34. Job 20:17 tn The word פְּלַגּוֹת (pelaggot) simply means “streams” or “channels.” Because the word is used elsewhere for “streams of oil” (cf. 29:6), which makes good parallelism here, some supply “oil” (cf. NAB, NLT). But the second colon of the verse is probably in apposition to the first. The verb “see” followed by the preposition bet (which would mean “to look on; to look over”) means “to enjoy as a possession,” an activity of the victor.
  35. Job 20:17 tn The construct nouns here have caused a certain amount of revision. It says “rivers of, torrents of.” The first has been emended by Klostermann to יִצְהָר (yitshar, “oil”) and connected to the first colon. Older editors argued for a נָהָר (nahar) that meant “oil,” but that was not convincing. On the other hand, there is support for having more than one construct together serving as apposition (see GKC 422 §130.e). If the word “streams” in the last colon is a construct, that would mean three of them, but that one need not be a construct. The reading would be “He will not see the streams, [that is] the rivers [which are] the torrents of honey and butter.” It is unusual, but workable.
  36. Job 20:17 sn This word is often translated “curds.” It is curdled milk, possibly a type of butter.
  37. Job 20:18 tn The idea is the fruit of his evil work. The word יָגָע (yagaʿ) occurs only here; it must mean ill-gotten gains. The verb is in 10:3.
  38. Job 20:18 tn Heb “and he does not swallow.” In the context this means “consume” for his own pleasure and prosperity. The verbal clause is here taken adverbially.
  39. Job 20:18 sn The expression is “according to the wealth of his exchange.” This means he cannot enjoy whatever he gained in his business deals. Some mss have the preposition ב (bet), making the translation easier, but this is evidence of a scribal correction.
  40. Job 20:19 tc The verb indicates that after he oppressed the poor he abandoned them to their fate. But there have been several attempts to improve on the text. Several have repointed the text to get a word parallel to “house.” Ehrlich came up with עֹזֵב (ʿozev, “mud hut”), Kissane had “hovel” (similar to Neh 3:8). M. Dahood did the same (“The Root ʿzb II in Job,” JBL 78 [1959]: 306-7). J. Reider came up with עֶזֶב (ʿezev, the “leavings”), what the rich were to leave for the poor (“Contributions to the Scriptural text,” HUCA 24 [1952/53]: 103-6). But an additional root עָזַב (ʿazav) is questionable. And while the text as it stands is general and not very striking, there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. Dhorme reverses the letters to gain בְּעֹז (beʿoz, “with force [or violence]”).
  41. Job 20:19 tn The last clause says, “and he did not build it.” This can be understood in an adverbial sense, supplying the relative pronoun to the translation.
  42. Job 20:20 tn Heb “belly,” which represents his cravings, his desires and appetites. The “satisfaction” is actually the word for “quiet; peace; calmness; ease.” He was driven by greedy desires, or he felt and displayed an insatiable greed.
  43. Job 20:20 tn The verb is the passive participle of the verb חָמַד (khamad) which is one of the words for “covet; desire.” This person is controlled by his desires; there is no escape. He is a slave.
  44. Job 20:20 tn The verb is difficult to translate in this line. It basically means “to cause to escape; to rescue.” Some translate this verb as “it is impossible to escape”; this may work, but is uncertain. Others translate the verb in the sense of saving something else: N. Sarna says, “Of his most cherished possessions he shall save nothing” (“The Interchange of the Preposition bet and min in Biblical Hebrew,” JBL 78 [1959]: 315-16). The RSV has “he will save nothing in which he delights”; NIV has “he cannot save himself by his treasure.”
  45. Job 20:21 tn Heb “for his eating,” which is frequently rendered “for his gluttony.” It refers, of course, to all the desires he has to take things from other people.
  46. Job 20:21 sn The point throughout is that insatiable greed and ruthless plundering to satisfy it will be recompensed with utter and complete loss.
  47. Job 20:22 tn The word שָׂפַק (safaq) occurs only here; it means “sufficiency; wealth; abundance (see D. W. Thomas, “The Text of Jesaia 2:6 and the Word שׂפק,” ZAW 75 [1963]: 88-90).
  48. Job 20:22 tn Heb “there is straightness for him.” The root צָרַר (tsarar) means “to be narrowed in straits, to be in a bind.” The word here would have the idea of pressure, stress, trouble. One could say he is in a bind.
  49. Job 20:22 tn Heb “every hand of trouble comes to him.” The pointing of עָמֵל (ʿamel) indicates it would refer to one who brings trouble; LXX and Latin read an abstract noun עָמָל (ʿamal, “trouble”) here.
  50. Job 20:23 tn D. J. A. Clines observes that to do justice to the three jussives in the verse, one would have to translate “May it be, to fill his belly to the full, that God should send…and rain” (Job [WBC], 477). The jussive form of the verb at the beginning of the verse could also simply introduce a protasis of a conditional clause (see GKC 323 §109.h, i). This would mean, “if he [God] is about to fill his [the wicked’s] belly to the full, he will send….” The NIV reads “when he has filled his belly.” These fit better, because the context is talking about the wicked in his evil pursuit being cut down.
  51. Job 20:23 tn “God” is understood as the subject of the judgment.
  52. Job 20:23 tn Heb “the anger of his wrath.”
  53. Job 20:23 tn Heb “rain down upon him, on his flesh.” Dhorme changes עָלֵימוֹ (ʿalemo, “upon him”) to “his arrows”; he translates the line as “he rains his arrows upon his flesh.” The word בִּלְחוּמוֹ (bilkhumo, “his flesh”) has been given a wide variety of translations: “as his food,” “on his flesh,” “upon him, his anger,” or “missiles or weapons of war.”
  54. Job 20:24 tn Heb “a bronze bow pierces him.” The words “an arrow from” are implied and are supplied in the translation; cf. “pulls it out” in the following verse.
  55. Job 20:25 tn The MT has “he draws out [or as a passive, “it is drawn out/forth”] and comes [or goes] out of his back.” For the first verb שָׁלַף (shalaf, “pull, draw”), many commentators follow the LXX and use שֶׁלַח (shelakh, “a spear”). It then reads “and a shaft comes out of his back, a sword flash comes out of his liver.” But the verse could also be a continuation of the preceding.
  56. Job 20:25 tn Possibly a reference to lightnings.
  57. Job 20:26 tn Heb “all darkness is hidden for his laid up things.” “All darkness” refers to the misfortunes and afflictions that await. The verb “hidden” means “is destined for.”
  58. Job 20:26 tn Heb “not blown upon,” i.e., not kindled by man. But G. R. Driver reads “unquenched” (“Hebrew notes on the ‘Wisdom of Jesus Ben Sirach’,” JBL 53 [1934]: 289).
  59. Job 20:29 tn For the word אִמְרוֹ (ʾimro) some propose reading “his appointment,” and the others, “his word.” Driver shows that “the heritage of his appointment” means “his appointed heritage” (see GKC 440 §135.n).
  60. Job 21:1 sn In this chapter Job actually answers the ideas of all three of his friends. Here Job finds the flaw in their argument—he can point to wicked people who prosper. But whereas in the last speech, when he looked on his suffering from the perspective of his innocence, he found great faith and hope, in this chapter when he surveys the divine government of the world, he sinks to despair. The speech can be divided into five parts: he appeals for a hearing (2-6), he points out the prosperity of the wicked (7-16), he wonders exactly when the godless suffer (17-22), he shows how death levels everything (23-26), and he reveals how experience contradicts his friends’ argument (27-34).
  61. Job 21:2 tn The intensity of the appeal is again expressed by the imperative followed by the infinitive absolute for emphasis. See note on “listen carefully” in 13:17.
  62. Job 21:2 tc The LXX negates the sentence, “that I may not have this consolation from you.”
  63. Job 21:2 tn The word תַּנְחוּמֹתֵיכֶם (tankhumotekhem) is literally “your consolations,” the suffix being a subjective genitive. The friends had thought they were offering Job consolation (Job 15:11), but the consolation he wants from them is that they listen to him and respond accordingly.
  64. Job 21:3 tn The verb נָשָׂא (nasaʾ) means “to lift up; to raise up,” but in this context it means “to endure; to tolerate” (see Job 7:21).
  65. Job 21:3 tn The conjunction and the independent personal pronoun draw emphatic attention to the subject of the verb: “and I on my part will speak.”
  66. Job 21:3 tn The adverbial clauses are constructed of the preposition “after” and the Piel infinitive construct with the subjective genitive suffix: “my speaking,” or “I speak.”
  67. Job 21:3 tn The verb is the imperfect of לָעַג (laʿag). The Hiphil has the same basic sense as the Qal, “to mock; to deride.” The imperfect here would be modal, expressing permission. The verb is in the singular, suggesting that Job is addressing Zophar; however, most of the versions put it into the plural. Note the singular in 16:3 between the plural in 16:1 and 16:4.
  68. Job 21:4 tn The addition of the independent pronoun at the beginning of the sentence (“Is it I / against a man / my complaint”) strengthens the pronominal suffix on “complaint” (see GKC 438 §135.f).
  69. Job 21:4 sn The point seems to be that if his complaint were merely against men he might expect sympathy from other men, but no one dares offer him sympathy when his complaint is against God. So he will give free expression to his spirit (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 147).
  70. Job 21:4 tn On disjunctive interrogatives, see GKC 475 §150.g.
  71. Job 21:4 tn Heb “why should my spirit/breath not be short” (see Num 21:4; Judg 16:16).
  72. Job 21:5 tn The verb פְּנוּ (penu) is from the verb “to turn,” related to the word for “face.” In calling for them to turn toward him, he is calling for them to look at him. But here it may be more in the sense of their attention rather than just a looking at him.
  73. Job 21:5 tn The idiom is “put a hand over a mouth,” the natural gesture for keeping silent and listening (cf. Job 29:9; 40:4; Mic 7:16).
  74. Job 21:6 tn The verb is זָכַר (zakhar, “to remember”). Here it has the sense of “to keep in memory; to meditate; to think upon.”
  75. Job 21:6 tn The main clause is introduced here by the conjunction, following the adverbial clause of time.
  76. Job 21:6 tn Some commentators take “shudder” to be the subject of the verb, “a shudder seizes my body.” But the word is feminine (and see the usage, especially in Job 9:6 and 18:20). It is the subject in Isa 21:4; Ps 55:6; and Ezek 7:18.
  77. Job 21:7 sn A. B. Davidson (Job, 154) clarifies that Job’s question is of a universal scope. In the government of God, why do the wicked exist at all? The verb could be translated “continue to live.”
  78. Job 21:7 tn The verb עָתַק (ʿataq) means “to move; to proceed; to advance.” Here it is “to advance in years” or “to grow old.” This clause could serve as an independent clause, a separate sentence, but it more likely continues the question of the first colon and is parallel to the verb “live.”
  79. Job 21:8 tn Heb “their seed.”
  80. Job 21:8 tn The text uses לִפְנֵיהֶם עִמָּם (lifnehem ʿimmam, “before them, with them”). Many editors think that these were alternative readings, and so omit one or the other. Dhorme moved עִמָּם (ʿimmam) to the second half of the verse and emended it to read עֹמְדִים (ʿomedim, “abide”). Kissane and Gordis changed only the vowels and came up with עַמָּם (ʿammam, “their kinfolk”). But Gordis thinks the presence of both of them in the line is evidence of a conflated reading (p. 229).
  81. Job 21:9 tn The word שָׁלוֹם (shalom, “peace, safety”) is here a substantive after a plural subject (see GKC 452 §141.c, n. 3).
  82. Job 21:9 tn The form מִפָּחַד (mippakhad) is translated “without fear,” literally “from fear”; the preposition is similar to the alpha privative in Greek. The word “fear, dread” means nothing that causes fear or dread—they are peaceful, secure. See GKC 382 §119.w.
  83. Job 21:9 tn Heb “no rod of God.” The words “punishment from” have been supplied in the translation to make the metaphor understandable for the modern reader by stating the purpose of the rod.
  84. Job 21:9 sn In 9:34 Job was complaining that there was no umpire to remove God’s rod from him, but here he observes no such rod is on the wicked.
  85. Job 21:10 tn Heb “his bull,” but it is meant to signify the bulls of the wicked.
  86. Job 21:10 tn The verb used here means “to impregnate,” and not to be confused with the verb עָבַר (ʿavar, “to pass over”).
  87. Job 21:10 tn The use of the verb גָּעַר (gaʿar) in this place is interesting. It means “to rebuke; to abhor; to loathe.” In the causative stem it means “to occasion impurity” or “to reject as loathsome.” The rabbinic interpretation is that it does not emit semen in vain, and so the meaning is it does not fail to breed (see E. Dhorme, Job, 311; R. Gordis, Job, 229).
  88. Job 21:11 tn The verb שָׁלַח (shalakh) means “to send forth,” but in the Piel “to release; to allow to run free.” The picture of children frolicking in the fields and singing and dancing is symbolic of peaceful, prosperous times.
  89. Job 21:12 tn The verb is simply “they take up [or lift up],” but the understood object is “their voices,” and so it means “they sing.”
  90. Job 21:13 tc The Kethib has “they wear out” but the Qere and the versions have יְכַלּוּ (yekhallu, “bring to an end”). The verb כָּלָה (kalah) means “to finish; to complete,” and here with the object “their days,” it means that they bring their life to a (successful) conclusion. Both readings are acceptable in the context, with very little difference in the overall meaning (which according to Gordis is proof the Qere does not always correct the Kethib).
  91. Job 21:13 tc The MT has יֵחָתּוּ (yekhattu, “they are frightened [or broken]”), taking the verb from חָתַת (khatat, “be terrified”). But most would slightly repoint it to יֵחָתוּ (yekhatu), an Aramaism, “they go down,” from נָחַת (nakhat, “go down”). See Job 17:16.
  92. Job 21:13 tn The word רֶגַע (regaʿ) has been interpreted as “in a moment” or “in peace” (on the basis of Arabic rajaʿa, “return to rest”). Gordis thinks this is a case of talhin— both meanings present in the mind of the writer.
  93. Job 21:14 sn Contrast Ps 25:4, which affirms that walking in God’s ways means to obey God’s will—the Torah.
  94. Job 21:15 tn The interrogative clause is followed by ki, similar to Exod 5:2, “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey him?”
  95. Job 21:15 tn The verb פָּגַע (pagaʿ) means “to encounter; to meet,” but also “to meet with request; to intercede; to interpose.” The latter meaning is a derived meaning by usage.
  96. Job 21:15 tn The verse is not present in the LXX. It may be that it was considered too blasphemous and therefore omitted.
  97. Job 21:16 tn Heb “is not in their hand.”sn The implication of this statement is that their well-being is from God, which is the problem Job is raising in the chapter. A number of commentators make it a question, interpreting it to mean that the wicked enjoy prosperity as if it is their right. Some emend the text to say “his hands”—Gordis reads it, “Indeed, our prosperity is not in his hands.”
  98. Job 21:16 sn Even though their life seems so good in contrast to his own plight, Job cannot and will not embrace their principles—“far be from me their counsel.”
  99. Job 21:17 tn The interrogative “How often” occurs only with the first colon; it is supplied for smoother reading in the next two.
  100. Job 21:17 tn The pronominal suffix is objective; it re-enforces the object of the preposition, “upon them.” The verb in the clause is בּוֹא (boʾ) followed by עַל (ʿal), “come upon [or against],” may be interpreted as meaning attack or strike.
  101. Job 21:17 tn חֲבָלִים (khavalim) can mean “ropes” or “cords,” but that would not go with the verb “apportion” in this line. The meaning of “pangs (as in “birth-pangs”) seems to fit best here. The wider meaning would be “physical agony.”
  102. Job 21:17 tn The phrase “to them” is understood and thus is supplied in the translation for clarification.
  103. Job 21:18 tn To retain the sense that the wicked do not suffer as others, this verse must either be taken as a question or a continuation of the question in v. 17.
  104. Job 21:18 tn The verb used actually means “rob.” It is appropriate to the image of a whirlwind suddenly taking away the wisp of straw.
  105. Job 21:19 tn These words are supplied. The verse records an idea that Job suspected they might have, namely, that if the wicked die well God will make their children pay for their sins (see Job 5:4; 20:10; as well as Exod 20:5).
  106. Job 21:19 tn The text simply has אוֹנוֹ (ʾono, “his iniquity”), but by usage, “the punishment for the iniquity.”
  107. Job 21:19 tn Heb “his sons.”
  108. Job 21:19 tn The verb שָׁלַם (shalam) in the Piel has the meaning of restoring things to normal, making whole, and so reward, repay (if for sins), or recompense in general.
  109. Job 21:19 tn The text simply has “let him repay [to] him.”
  110. Job 21:19 tn The imperfect verb after the jussive carries the meaning of a purpose clause, and so taken as a final imperfect: “in order that he may be humbled.”
  111. Job 21:19 tn The common verb יָדַע (yadaʿ) means “to know.” Among homophonous roots DCH includes יָדַע II meaning “be quiet, at rest; be submissive, humbled” (cf. Prov 5:6; Isa 45:4; Jer 14:18; Hos 9:7).
  112. Job 21:20 tc This word occurs only here. The word כִּיד (kid) was connected to Arabic kaid, “fraud, trickery,” or “warfare.” The word is emended by the commentators to other ideas, such as פִּיד (pid, “[his] calamity”). Dahood and others alter it to “cup”; Wright to “weapons.” A. F. L. Beeston argues for a meaning “condemnation” for the MT form, and so makes no change in the text (Mus 67 [1954]: 315-16). If the connection to Arabic “warfare” is sustained, or if such explanations of the existing MT can be sustained, then the text need not be emended. In any case, the sense of the line is clear.
  113. Job 21:21 tn Heb “his desire.” The meaning is that after he is gone he does not care about what happens to his household (“house” meaning “family” here).
  114. Job 21:21 tn Heb “after him,” but clearly the meaning is “after he is gone.”
  115. Job 21:21 tc The rare word חֻצָּצוּ (khutsatsu) is probably a cognate of hassa in Arabic, meaning “to cut off.” There is also an Akkadian word “to cut in two” and “to break.” These fit the context here rather well. The other Hebrew words that are connected to the root חָצַץ (khatsats) do not offer any help.
  116. Job 21:22 tn The imperfect verb in this question should be given the modal nuance of potential imperfect. The question is rhetorical—it is affirming that no one can teach God.
  117. Job 21:22 tn The clause begins with the disjunctive vav (ו) and the pronoun, “and he.” This is to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause. See GKC 456 §142.d.
  118. Job 21:22 tc The Hebrew has רָמִים (ramim), a plural masculine participle of רוּם (rum, “to be high; to be exalted”). This is probably a reference to the angels. But M. Dahood restores an older interpretation that it refers to “the Most High” (“Some Northwest Semitic words in Job,”Bib 38 [1957]: 316-17). He would take the word as a singular form with an enclitic mem (ם). He reads the verse, “will he judge the Most High?”
  119. Job 21:23 tn The line has “in the bone of his perfection.” The word עֶצֶם (ʾetsem), which means “bone,” is used pronominally to express “the same, very”; here it is “in the very fullness of his strength” (see GKC 449 §139.g). The abstract תֹּם (tom) is used here in the sense of physical perfection and strengths.
  120. Job 21:24 tn The verb עָטַן (ʿatan) has the precise meaning of “press olives.” But because here it says “full of milk,” the derived meaning for the noun has been made to mean “breasts” or “pails” (although in later Hebrew this word occurs—but with olives, not with milk). Dhorme takes it to refer to “his sides,” and repoints the word for “milk” (חָלָב, khalav) to get “fat” (חֶלֶב, khelev)—“his sides are full of fat,” a rendering followed by NASB. However, this weakens the parallelism.
  121. Job 21:24 tn This interpretation, adopted by several commentaries and modern translations (cf. NAB, NIV), is a general rendering to capture the sense of the line.
  122. Job 21:24 tn The verb שָׁקָה (shaqah) means “to water” and here “to be watered thoroughly.” The picture in the line is that of health and vigor.
  123. Job 21:25 tn The expression “this (v. 23)…and this” (v. 25) means “one…the other.”
  124. Job 21:25 tn The text literally has “and this [man] dies in soul of bitterness.” Some simply reverse it and translate “in the bitterness of soul.” The genitive “bitterness” may be an attribute adjective, “with a bitter soul.”
  125. Job 21:25 tn Heb “eaten what is good.” It means he died without having enjoyed the good life.
  126. Job 21:27 tn The word is “your thoughts.” The word for “thoughts” (from חָצַב [khatsav, “to think; to reckon; to plan”]) has more to do with their intent than their general thoughts. He knows that when they talked about the fate of the wicked they really were talking about him.
  127. Job 21:27 tn For the meaning of this word, and its root זָמַם (zamam), see Job 17:11. It usually means the “plans” or “schemes” that are concocted against someone.
  128. Job 21:27 tn E. Dhorme (Job, 321) distinguishes the verb חָמַס (khamas) from the noun for “violence.” He proposes a meaning of “think, imagine”: “and the ideas you imagined about me.”
  129. Job 21:28 sn The question implies the answer will be “vanished” or “gone.”
  130. Job 21:28 tn Heb “And where is the tent, the dwellings of the wicked.” The word “dwellings of the wicked” is in apposition to “tent.” A relative pronoun must be supplied in the translation.
  131. Job 21:29 tc The LXX reads, “Ask those who go by the way, and do not disown their signs.”tn The idea is that the merchants who travel widely will talk about what they have seen and heard. These travelers give a different account of the wicked; they tell how he is spared. E. Dhorme (Job, 322) interprets “signs” concretely: “Their custom was to write their names and their thoughts somewhere at the main cross-roads. The main roads of Sinai are dotted with these scribblings made by such passers of a day.”
  132. Job 21:30 tn The verb means “to be led forth.” To be “led forth in the day of trouble” means to be delivered.
  133. Job 21:31 tn The expression “and he has done” is taken here to mean “what he has done.”
  134. Job 21:31 tn Heb “Who declares his way to his face? // Who repays him for what he has done?” These rhetorical questions, which expect a negative answer (“No one!”) have been translated as indicative statements to bring out their force clearly.
  135. Job 21:32 tn The verb says “he will watch.” The subject is unspecified, so the translation is passive.
  136. Job 21:32 tn The Hebrew word refers to the tumulus, the burial mound that is erected on the spot where the person is buried.
  137. Job 21:33 tn The clods are those that are used to make a mound over the body. And, for a burial in the valley, see Deut 34:6. The verse here sees him as participating in his funeral and enjoying it. Nothing seems to go wrong with the wicked.
  138. Job 21:34 tn The word מָעַל (maʿal) is used for “treachery; deception; fraud.” Here Job is saying that their way of interpreting reality is dangerously unfaithful.
  139. Job 22:1 sn The third and final cycle of speeches now begins with Eliphaz’ final speech. Eliphaz will here underscore the argument that man’s ills are brought about by sin; he will then deduce from Job’s sufferings the sins he must have committed and the sinful attitude he has about God. The speech has four parts: Job’s suffering is proof of his sin (2-5), Job’s sufferings demonstrate the kinds of sin Job committed (6-11), Job’s attitude about God (12-20), and the final appeal and promise to Job (21-30).
  140. Job 22:2 tn Some do not take this to be parallel to the first colon, taking this line as a statement, but the parallel expressions here suggest the question is repeated.
  141. Job 22:3 tn The word חֵפֶץ (khefets) in this passage has the nuance of “special benefit; favor.” It does not just express the desire for something or the interest in it, but the profit one derives from it.
  142. Job 22:3 tn The verb תַתֵּם (tattem) is the Hiphil imperfect of תָּמַם (tamam, “be complete, finished”), following the Aramaic form of the geminate verb with a doubling of the first letter.
  143. Job 22:4 tn The word “your fear” or “your piety” refers to Job’s reverence—it is his fear of God (thus a subjective genitive). When “fear” is used of religion, it includes faith and adoration on the positive side, fear and obedience on the negative.
  144. Job 22:4 sn Of course the point is that God does not charge Job because he is righteous; the point is he must be unrighteous.
  145. Job 22:5 tn The adjective רַבָּה (rabbah) normally has the idea of “great” in quantity (“abundant,” ESV) rather than “great” in quality.
  146. Job 22:6 tn The verb חָבַל (khaval) means “to take pledges.” In this verse Eliphaz says that Job not only took as pledge things the poor need, like clothing, but he did it for no reason.
  147. Job 22:6 tn The “naked” here refers to people who are poorly clothed. Otherwise, a reading like the NIV would be necessary: “you stripped the clothes…[leaving them] naked.” So either he made them naked by stripping their garments off, or they were already in rags.
  148. Job 22:7 tn The term עָיֵף (ʿayef) can be translated “weary,” “faint,” “exhausted,” or “tired.” Here it may refer to the fainting because of thirst—that would make a good parallel to the second part.
  149. Job 22:8 tn The idiom is “a man of arm” (= “powerful”; see Ps 10:15). This is in comparison to the next line, “man of face” (= “dignity; high rank”; see Isa 3:5).
  150. Job 22:8 tn Heb “and a man of arm, to whom [was] land.” The line is in contrast to the preceding one, and so the vav here introduces a concessive clause.
  151. Job 22:8 tn The expression is unusual: “the one lifted up of face.” This is the “honored one,” the one to whom the dignity will be given.
  152. Job 22:8 tn Many commentators simply delete the verse or move it elsewhere. Most take it as a general reference to Job, perhaps in apposition to the preceding verse.
  153. Job 22:9 tn The “arms of the orphans” are their helps or rights on which they depended for support.
  154. Job 22:9 tn The verb in the text is Pual: יְדֻכָּא (yedukkaʾ, “was [were] crushed”). GKC 388 §121.b would explain “arms” as the complement of a passive imperfect. But if that is too difficult, then a change to Piel imperfect, second person, will solve the difficulty. In its favor is the parallelism, the use of the second person all throughout the section, and the reading in all the versions. The versions may have simply assumed the easier reading, however.
  155. Job 22:11 tn Heb “or dark you cannot see.” Some commentators and the RSV follow the LXX in reading אוֹ (ʾo, “or”) as אוֹר (ʾor, “light”) and translate it “The light has become dark” or “Your light has become dark.” A. B. Davidson suggests the reading “Or seest thou not the darkness.” This would mean Job does not understand the true meaning of the darkness and the calamities.
  156. Job 22:11 tn The word שִׁפְעַת (shifʿat) means “multitude of.” It is used of men, camels, horses, and here of waters in the heavens.
  157. Job 22:12 tn This reading preserves the text as it is. The nouns “high” and “heavens” would then be taken as adverbial accusatives of place (see GKC 373-74 §118.g).
  158. Job 22:12 tn The parallel passage in Isa 40:26-27, as well as the context here, shows that the imperative is to be retained here. The LXX has “he sees.”
  159. Job 22:12 tn Heb “head of the stars.”
  160. Job 22:13 sn Eliphaz is giving to Job the thoughts and words of the pagans, for they say, “How does God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?” (see Pss 73:11; 94:11).
  161. Job 22:14 tn Heb “and he does not see.” The implied object is “us.”
  162. Job 22:14 sn The word is “circle; dome”; here it is the dome that covers the earth, beyond which God sits enthroned. A. B. Davidson (Job, 165) suggests “on the arch of heaven” that covers the earth.
  163. Job 22:14 sn The idea suggested here is that God is not only far off, but he is unconcerned as he strolls around heaven—this is what Eliphaz says Job means.
  164. Job 22:15 tn The “old path” here is the way of defiance to God. The text in these two verses is no doubt making reference to the flood in Genesis, one of the perennial examples of divine judgment.
  165. Job 22:16 tn The word “men” is not in the Hebrew text, but has been supplied to clarify the relative pronoun “who.”
  166. Job 22:16 tn The verb קָמַט (qamat) basically means “to seize; to tie together to make a bundle.” So the Pual will mean “to be bundled away; to be carried off.”
  167. Job 22:16 tn The clause has “and [it was] not the time.” It may be used adverbially here.
  168. Job 22:16 tn The word is נָהַר (nahar, “river” or “current”); it is taken here in its broadest sense of the waters on the earth that formed the current of the flood (Gen 7:6, 10).
  169. Job 22:16 tn The verb יָצַק (yatsaq) means “to pour out; to shed; to spill; to flow.” The Hophal means “to be poured out” (as in Lev 21:10 and Ps 45:3).
  170. Job 22:16 tn This word is then to be taken as an adverbial accusative of place. Another way to look at this verse is what A. B. Davidson (Job, 165) proposes “whose foundation was poured away and became a flood.” This would mean that that on which they stood sank away.
  171. Job 22:17 tn The form in the text is “to them.” The LXX and the Syriac versions have “to us.”
  172. Job 22:18 tn The pronoun is added for this emphasis; it has “but he” before the verb.
  173. Job 22:18 tn See Job 10:3.
  174. Job 22:18 tc The LXX has “from him,” and this is followed by several commentators. But the MT is to be retained, for Eliphaz is recalling the words of Job. Verses 17 and 18 are deleted by a number of commentators as a gloss because they have many similarities to 21:14-16. But Eliphaz is recalling what Job said, in order to say that the prosperity to which Job alluded was only the prelude to a disaster he denied (H. H. Rowley, Job [NCBC], 156).
  175. Job 22:19 tn The line is talking about the rejoicing of the righteous when judgment falls on the wicked. An object (“destruction”) has to be supplied here to clarify this (see Pss 52:6 [8]; 69:32 [33]; 107:42).
  176. Job 22:19 sn In Ps 2:4 it was God who mocked the wicked by judging them.
  177. Job 22:20 tc The word translated “our enemies” is found only here. The word means “hostility,” but used here as a collective for those who are hostile—“enemies.” Some commentators follow the LXX and read “possessions,” explaining its meaning and derivation in different ways. Gordis simply takes the word in the text and affirms that this is the meaning. On the other hand, to get this, E. Dhorme (Job, 336) repoints קִימָנוּ (qimanu) of the MT to יְקוּמַם (yequmam), arguing that יְקוּם (yequm) means “what exists [or has substance]” (although that is used of animals). He translates: “have not their possessions been destroyed.”
  178. Job 22:21 tn The verb סָכַן (sakhan) meant “to be useful; to be profitable” in v. 2. Now, in the Hiphil it means “to be accustomed to” or “to have experience with.” Joined by the preposition “with” it means “to be reconciled with him.” W. B. Bishai cites Arabic and Ugaritic words to support a meaning “acquiesce” (“Notes on hskn in Job 22:21, ” JNES 20 [1961]: 258-59).
  179. Job 22:21 tn Heb “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  180. Job 22:21 tn The two imperatives in this verse imply a relationship of succession and not consequence.
  181. Job 22:22 tn The Hebrew word here is תּוֹרָה (torah), its only occurrence in the book of Job.
  182. Job 22:22 tc M. Dahood has “write his words” (“Metaphor in Job 22:22, ” Bib 47 [1966]: 108-9).
  183. Job 22:23 tc The MT has “you will be built up” (תִּבָּנֶה, tibbaneh). But the LXX has “humble yourself” (reading תְּעַנֶּה [teʿanneh] apparently). Many commentators read this; Dahood has “you will be healed.”
  184. Job 22:24 tc The form is the imperative. Eliphaz is telling Job to get rid of his gold as evidence of his repentance. Many commentators think that this is too improbable for Eliphaz to have said, and that Job has lost everything anyway, and so they make proposals for the text. Most would follow Theodotion and the Syriac to read וְשָׁתָּ (veshatta, “and you will esteem….”). This would mean that he is promising Job restoration of his wealth.tn Heb “place.”
  185. Job 22:24 tn The word for “gold” is the rare בֶּצֶר (betser), which may be derived from a cognate of Arabic basara, “to see; to examine.” If this is the case, the word here would refer to refined gold. The word also forms a fine wordplay with בְצוּר (vetsur, “in the rock”).
  186. Job 22:24 tn The Hebrew text simply has “Ophir,” a metonymy for the gold that comes from there.
  187. Job 22:25 tn The form for “gold” here is plural, which could be a plural of extension. The LXX and Latin versions have “The Almighty will be your helper against your enemies.”
  188. Job 22:25 tn E. Dhorme (Job, 339) connects this word with an Arabic root meaning “to be elevated, steep.” From that he gets “heaps of silver.”
  189. Job 22:26 tc This is the same verb as in Ps 37:4. G. R. Driver suggests the word comes from another root that means “abandon oneself to, depend on” (“Problems in the Hebrew text of Job,” VTSup 3 [1955]: 84).
  190. Job 22:27 tn The words “to him” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
  191. Job 22:28 tn The word is גָּזַר (gazar, “to cut”), in the sense of deciding a matter.
  192. Job 22:29 tn There is no expressed subject here, and so the verb is taken as a passive voice again.
  193. Job 22:29 tn The word גֵּוָה (gevah) means “loftiness; pride.” Here it simply says “up,” or “pride.” The rest is paraphrased. Of the many suggestions, the following provide a sampling: “It is because of pride” (ESV), “he abases pride” (H. H. Rowley); “[he abases] the lofty and the proud” (Beer); “[he abases] the word of pride” [Duhm]; “[he abases] the haughtiness of pride” [Fohrer and others]; “[he abases] the one who speaks proudly” [Weiser]; “[he abases] the one who boasts in pride” [Kissane]; and “God [abases] pride” [Budde, Gray].
  194. Job 22:29 tn Or “humble”; Heb “the lowly of eyes.”
  195. Job 22:30 tc The Hebrew has אִי־נָקִי (ʾi naqi), which could be taken as “island of the innocent” (so Ibn-Ezra), or “him that is not innocent” (so Rashi). But some have changed אִי (ʾi) to אִישׁ (ʾish, “the innocent man”). Others differ: A. Guillaume links אִי (ʾi) to Arabic ʿayya “whosoever,” and so leaves the text alone. M. Dahood secures the same idea from Ugaritic, but reads it אֵי (ʾe).
  196. Job 22:30 tc The MT has “he will escape [or be delivered].” Theodotion has the second person, “you will be delivered.”
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Acts 22:30-23:35
New English Translation

Paul Before the Sanhedrin

30 The next day, because the commanding officer[a] wanted to know the true reason[b] Paul[c] was being accused by the Jews, he released him and ordered the chief priests and the whole council[d] to assemble. He then brought[e] Paul down and had him stand before them.

23 Paul looked directly[f] at the council[g] and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with a clear conscience[h] before God to this day.” 2 At that[i] the high priest Ananias ordered those standing near[j] Paul[k] to strike[l] him on the mouth. 3 Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall![m] Do[n] you sit there judging me according to the law,[o] and in violation of the law[p] you order me to be struck?” 4 Those standing near him[q] said, “Do you dare insult[r] God’s high priest?” 5 Paul replied,[s] “I did not realize,[t] brothers, that he was the high priest, for it is written, ‘You must not speak evil about a ruler of your people.’”[u]

6 Then when Paul noticed[v] that part of them were Sadducees[w] and the others Pharisees,[x] he shouted out in the council,[y] “Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection[z] of the dead!” 7 When he said this,[aa] an argument[ab] began[ac] between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)[ad] 9 There was a great commotion,[ae] and some experts in the law[af] from the party of the Pharisees stood up[ag] and protested strongly,[ah] “We find nothing wrong[ai] with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” 10 When the argument became[aj] so great the commanding officer[ak] feared that they would tear Paul to pieces,[al] he ordered the detachment[am] to go down, take him away from them by force,[an] and bring him into the barracks.[ao]

11 The following night the Lord[ap] stood near[aq] Paul[ar] and said, “Have courage,[as] for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.”[at]

The Plot to Kill Paul

12 When morning came,[au] the Jews formed[av] a conspiracy[aw] and bound themselves with an oath[ax] not to eat or drink anything[ay] until they had killed Paul. 13 There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy.[az] 14 They[ba] went[bb] to the chief priests[bc] and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath[bd] not to partake[be] of anything until we have killed Paul. 15 So now you and the council[bf] request the commanding officer[bg] to bring him down to you, as if you were going to determine[bh] his case[bi] by conducting a more thorough inquiry.[bj] We are ready to kill him[bk] before he comes near this place.”[bl]

16 But when the son of Paul’s sister heard about the ambush,[bm] he came and entered[bn] the barracks[bo] and told Paul. 17 Paul called[bp] one of the centurions[bq] and said, “Take this young man to the commanding officer,[br] for he has something to report to him.” 18 So the centurion[bs] took him and brought him to the commanding officer[bt] and said, “The prisoner Paul called[bu] me and asked me to bring this young man to you because he has something to tell you.” 19 The commanding officer[bv] took him by the hand, withdrew privately, and asked, “What is it that you want[bw] to report to me?” 20 He replied,[bx] “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council[by] tomorrow, as if they were going to inquire more thoroughly about him. 21 So do not let them persuade you to do this,[bz] because more than forty of them[ca] are lying in ambush[cb] for him. They[cc] have bound themselves with an oath[cd] not to eat or drink anything[ce] until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.”[cf] 22 Then the commanding officer[cg] sent the young man away, directing him,[ch] “Tell no one that you have reported[ci] these things to me.” 23 Then[cj] he summoned[ck] two of the centurions[cl] and said, “Make ready 200 soldiers to go to Caesarea[cm] along with 70 horsemen[cn] and 200 spearmen[co] by[cp] nine o’clock tonight,[cq] 24 and provide mounts for Paul to ride[cr] so that he may be brought safely to Felix[cs] the governor.”[ct] 25 He wrote[cu] a letter that went like this:[cv]

26 Claudius Lysias to His Excellency Governor[cw] Felix,[cx] greetings. 27 This man was seized[cy] by the Jews and they were about to kill him,[cz] when I came up[da] with the detachment[db] and rescued him, because I had learned that he was[dc] a Roman citizen.[dd] 28 Since I wanted to know[de] what charge they were accusing him of,[df] I brought him down to their council.[dg] 29 I found he[dh] was accused with reference to controversial questions[di] about their law, but no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment.[dj] 30 When I was informed[dk] there would be a plot[dl] against this man, I sent him to you at once, also ordering his accusers to state their charges[dm] against him before you.

31 So the soldiers, in accordance with their orders,[dn] took[do] Paul and brought him to Antipatris[dp] during the night. 32 The next day they let[dq] the horsemen[dr] go on with him, and they returned to the barracks.[ds] 33 When the horsemen[dt] came to Caesarea[du] and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented[dv] Paul to him. 34 When the governor[dw] had read[dx] the letter,[dy] he asked[dz] what province he was from.[ea] When he learned[eb] that he was from Cilicia,[ec] 35 he said, “I will give you a hearing[ed] when your accusers arrive too.” Then[ee] he ordered that Paul[ef] be kept under guard in Herod’s palace.[eg]

Footnotes

  1. Acts 22:30 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the commanding officer) has been supplied here in the translation for clarity.
  2. Acts 22:30 tn Grk “the certainty, why.” BDAG 147 s.v. ἀσφαλής 2 has “τὸ ἀ. the certainty = the truth (in ref. to ferreting out the facts…ἵνα τὸ ἀ. ἐπιγνῶ) γνῶναι 21:34; 22:30.”
  3. Acts 22:30 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  4. Acts 22:30 tn Grk “the whole Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  5. Acts 22:30 tn Grk “and bringing.” The participle καταγαγών (katagagōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun in the translation, and καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to clarify the logical sequence.
  6. Acts 23:1 tn Grk “Paul, looking directly at the council, said.” The participle ἀτενίσας (atenisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  7. Acts 23:1 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  8. Acts 23:1 tn BDAG 846 s.v. πολιτεύομαι 3 has “W. a double dat. συνειδήσει ἀγαθῇ πεπολίτευμαι τῷ θεῷ I have lived my life with a clear conscience before God Ac 23:1.”
  9. Acts 23:2 tn Grk “and” (δέ, de); the phrase “at that” has been used in the translation to clarify the cause and effect relationship.
  10. Acts 23:2 tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 2.b.α has “οἱ παρεστῶτες αὐτῷ those standing near him Ac 23:2.”
  11. Acts 23:2 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  12. Acts 23:2 tn Or “hit” (“strike” maintains the wordplay with the following verse). The action was probably designed to indicate a rejection of Paul’s claim to a clear conscience in the previous verse.
  13. Acts 23:3 sn You whitewashed wall. This was an idiom for hypocrisy—just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (L&N 88.234; see also BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). Paul was claiming that the man’s response was two-faced (Ezek 13:10-16; Matt 23:27-28). See also Deut 28:22.
  14. Acts 23:3 tn Grk “And do.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
  15. Acts 23:3 tn The law refers to the law of Moses.
  16. Acts 23:3 tn BDAG 769 s.v. παρανομέω has “παρανομῶν κελεύεις in violation of the law you order Ac 23:3.”sn In violation of the law. Paul was claiming that punishment was given before the examination was complete (m. Sanhedrin 3:6-8). Luke’s noting of this detail shows how quickly the leadership moved to react against Paul.
  17. Acts 23:4 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text but is implied.
  18. Acts 23:4 tn L&N 33.393 has for λοιδορέω (loidoreō) “to speak in a highly insulting manner—‘to slander, to insult strongly, slander, insult.’”sn Insult God’s high priest. Paul was close to violation of the Mosaic law with his response, as the citation from Exod 22:28 in v. 5 makes clear.
  19. Acts 23:5 tn Grk “said.”
  20. Acts 23:5 tn Or “know.”
  21. Acts 23:5 sn A quotation from Exod 22:28. This text defines a form of blasphemy. Paul, aware of the fact that he came close to crossing the line, backed off out of respect for the law.
  22. Acts 23:6 tn BDAG 200 s.v. γινώσκω 4 has “to be aware of someth., perceive, notice, realize”; this is further clarified by section 4.c: “w. ὅτι foll….Ac 23:6.”
  23. Acts 23:6 sn See the note on Sadducees in 4:1.
  24. Acts 23:6 sn See the note on Pharisee in 5:34.
  25. Acts 23:6 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  26. Acts 23:6 tn That is, concerning the hope that the dead will be resurrected. Grk “concerning the hope and resurrection.” BDAG 320 s.v. ἐλπίς 1.b.α states, “Of Israel’s messianic hope Ac 23:6 (ἐ. καὶ ἀνάστασις for ἐ. τῆς ἀν. [obj. gen] as 2 Macc 3:29 ἐ. καὶ σωτηρία).” With an objective genitive construction, the resurrection of the dead would be the “object” of the hope.
  27. Acts 23:7 tn The participle εἰπόντος (eipontos) has been translated temporally.
  28. Acts 23:7 tn Or “a dispute” (BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3).
  29. Acts 23:7 tn Grk “there came about an argument.” This has been simplified to “an argument began”
  30. Acts 23:8 tn BDAG 55 s.v. ἀμφότεροι 2 has “all, even when more than two are involved…Φαρισαῖοι ὁμολογοῦσιν τὰ ἀ. believe in them all 23:8.” On this belief see Josephus, J. W. 2.8.14 (2.163); Ant. 18.1.3 (18.14).sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
  31. Acts 23:9 tn Or “clamor” (cf. BDAG 565 s.v. κραυγή 1.a, which has “there arose a loud outcry” here, and Exod 12:30).
  32. Acts 23:9 tn Or “and some scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 4:5.
  33. Acts 23:9 tn Grk “standing up.” The participle ἀναστάντες (anastantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  34. Acts 23:9 tn Grk “protested strongly, saying.” L&N 39.27 has “διαμάχομαι: to fight or contend with, involving severity and thoroughness—‘to protest strongly, to contend with.’…‘some scribes from the party of the Pharisees protested strongly’ Ac 23:9.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.
  35. Acts 23:9 sn “We find nothing wrong with this man.” Here is another declaration of innocence. These leaders recognized the possibility that Paul might have the right to make his claim.
  36. Acts 23:10 tn This genitive absolute construction with the participle γινομένης (ginomenēs) has been taken temporally (it could also be translated as causal).
  37. Acts 23:10 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). In Greek the term χιλίαρχος (chiliarchos) literally described the “commander of a thousand,” but it was used as the standard translation for the Latin tribunus militum or tribunus militare, the military tribune who commanded a cohort of 600 men.
  38. Acts 23:10 tn Grk “that Paul would be torn to pieces by them.” BDAG 236 s.v. διασπάω has “of an angry mob μὴ διασπασθῇ ὁ Παῦλος ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν that Paul would be torn in pieces by them Ac 23:10.” The passive construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been converted to an equivalent active construction in the translation.
  39. Acts 23:10 tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.
  40. Acts 23:10 tn Or “to go down, grab him out of their midst.”
  41. Acts 23:10 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
  42. Acts 23:11 sn The presence of the Lord indicated the vindicating presence and direction of God.
  43. Acts 23:11 tn Grk “standing near Paul, said.” The participle ἐπιστάς (epistas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  44. Acts 23:11 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  45. Acts 23:11 tn Or “Do not be afraid.”
  46. Acts 23:11 sn Like Jesus went to Jerusalem, Paul would now go to Rome. This trip forms the concluding backdrop to Acts. This is the second notice about going to Rome (see Acts 19:21 for the first).
  47. Acts 23:12 tn Grk “when it was day.”
  48. Acts 23:12 tn Grk “forming a conspiracy, bound.” The participle ποιήσαντες (poiēsantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  49. Acts 23:12 tn L&N 30.72 has ‘some Jews formed a conspiracy’ Ac 23:12”; BDAG 979 s.v. συστροφή 1 has “Judeans came together in a mob 23:12. But in the last pass. the word may also mean—2. the product of a clandestine gathering, plot, conspiracy” (see also Amos 7:10; Ps 63:3).
  50. Acts 23:12 tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” On such oaths see m. Shevi’it 3:1-5. The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
  51. Acts 23:12 tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  52. Acts 23:13 tn L&N 30.73 defines συνωμοσία (sunōmosia) as “a plan for taking secret action someone or some institution, with the implication of an oath binding the conspirators—‘conspiracy, plot.’…‘there were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy’ Ac 23:13.”
  53. Acts 23:14 tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“them”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
  54. Acts 23:14 tn Grk “going.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselthontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  55. Acts 23:14 sn They went to the chief priests. The fact that the high priest knew of this plot and did nothing shows the Jewish leadership would even become accomplices to murder to stop Paul. They would not allow Roman justice to take its course. Paul’s charge in v. 3 of superficially following the law is thus shown to be true.
  56. Acts 23:14 tn Or “bound ourselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…pleonastically ἀναθέματι ἀ. ἑαυτόν Ac 23:14…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.” The pleonastic use ἀναθέματι ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (literally “we have cursed ourselves with a curse”) probably serves as an intensifier following Semitic usage, and is represented in the translation by the word “solemn.” On such oaths see m. Nedarim 3:1, 3.
  57. Acts 23:14 tn This included both food and drink (γεύομαι [geuomai] is used of water turned to wine in John 2:9).
  58. Acts 23:15 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  59. Acts 23:15 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
  60. Acts 23:15 tn Or “decide.” BDAG 227 s.v. διαγινώσκω has “ἀκριβέστερον τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ to make a more thorough examination of his case Ac 23:15.”
  61. Acts 23:15 tn Grk “determine the things about him.”
  62. Acts 23:15 tn The expression “more thorough inquiry” reflects the comparative form of ἀκριβέστερον (akribesteron).
  63. Acts 23:15 sn “We are ready to kill him.” Now those Jews involved in the conspiracy, along with the leaders as accomplices, are going to break one of the ten commandments.
  64. Acts 23:15 tn The words “this place” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
  65. Acts 23:16 tn Or “plot” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνέδρα).
  66. Acts 23:16 tn Grk “coming and entering…, he told.” The participles παραγενόμενος (paragenomenos) and εἰσελθών (eiselthōn) have been translated as finite verbs due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  67. Acts 23:16 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
  68. Acts 23:17 tn Grk “calling…Paul said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  69. Acts 23:17 sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.
  70. Acts 23:17 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
  71. Acts 23:18 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the centurion) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  72. Acts 23:18 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
  73. Acts 23:18 tn Grk “calling.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  74. Acts 23:19 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
  75. Acts 23:19 tn Grk “you have,” but the expression “have to report” in English could be understood to mean “must report” rather than “possess to report.” For this reason the nearly equivalent expression “want to report,” which is not subject to misunderstanding, was used in the translation.
  76. Acts 23:20 tn Grk “He said.”
  77. Acts 23:20 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  78. Acts 23:21 tn Grk “do not be persuaded by them.” The passive construction μὴ πεισθῇς αὐτοῖς (mē peisthēs autois) has been converted to an active construction in the translation, and the phrase “to do this” supplied to indicate more clearly the object of their persuasion.
  79. Acts 23:21 tn Grk “forty men of them.” In the expression ἐξ αὐτῶν ἄνδρες (ex autōn andres) “men” is somewhat redundant and has not been included in the English translation.
  80. Acts 23:21 tn Grk “are lying in wait for him” (BDAG 334 s.v. ἐνεδρεύω); see also v. 16.
  81. Acts 23:21 tn Grk “for him, who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was translated by the third person plural pronoun (“they”) and a new sentence begun in the translation.
  82. Acts 23:21 tn Or “bound themselves under a curse.” BDAG 63 s.v. ἀναθεματίζω 1 has “trans. put under a curse τινά someone…ἀ. ἑαυτόν vss. 12, 21, 13 v.l.”
  83. Acts 23:21 tn The word “anything” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  84. Acts 23:21 tn Grk “waiting for your approval,” “waiting for your agreement.” Since it would be possible to misunderstand the literal translation “waiting for your approval” to mean that the Jews were waiting for the commander’s approval to carry out their plot or to kill Paul (as if he were to be an accomplice to their plot), the object of the commander’s approval (their request to bring Paul to the council) has been specified in the translation as “their request.”
  85. Acts 23:22 tn Grk “the chiliarch” (an officer in command of a thousand soldiers). See note on the term “commanding officer” in v. 10.
  86. Acts 23:22 tn BDAG 760 s.v. παραγγέλλω has “to make an announcement about someth. that must be done, give orders, command, instruct, direct of all kinds of persons in authority, worldly rulers, Jesus, the apostles…παραγγέλλειν w. an inf. and μή comes to mean forbid to do someth.: π. τινί w. aor. inf. Lk 5:14; 8:56; without the dat., which is easily supplied fr. the context Ac 23:22.” However, if the direct discourse which follows is to be retained in the translation, a different translation must be used since it is awkward to introduce direct discourse with the verb to forbid. Thus the alternative to direct was used.
  87. Acts 23:22 tn On this verb, see BDAG 325-26 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 2. The term was frequently used of an official report to authorities. In modern terms, this was a police tip.
  88. Acts 23:23 tn Grk “And.” Since this represents a response to the reported ambush, καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.
  89. Acts 23:23 tn Grk “summoning…he said.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  90. Acts 23:23 sn See the note on the word centurion in 10:1.
  91. Acts 23:23 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. This was a journey of about 65 mi (just over 100 km).
  92. Acts 23:23 tn Or “cavalrymen.”
  93. Acts 23:23 tn A military technical term of uncertain meaning. BDAG 217 s.v. δεξιολάβος states, “a word of uncertain mng., military t.t., acc. to Joannes Lydus…and Theophyl. Sim., Hist. 4, 1 a light-armed soldier, perh. bowman, slinger; acc. to a scholion in CMatthaei p. 342 body-guard….Spearman Goodspd., NRSV; ‘security officer’, GDKilpatrick, JTS 14, ’63, 393f.”sn 200 soldiers…along with 70 horsemen and 200 spearmen. The resulting force assembled to guard Paul was almost a full cohort. The Roman commander was taking no chances, but was sending the issue up the chain of command to the procurator to decide.
  94. Acts 23:23 tn Grk “from.”
  95. Acts 23:23 tn Grk “from the third hour of the night.”
  96. Acts 23:24 tn Grk “provide mounts to put Paul on.”sn Mounts for Paul to ride. The fact they were riding horses indicates they wanted everyone to move as quickly as possible.
  97. Acts 23:24 sn Felix the governor was Antonius Felix, a freedman of Antonia, mother of the Emperor Claudius. He was the brother of Pallas and became procurator of Palestine in a.d. 52/53. His administration was notorious for its corruption, cynicism, and cruelty. According to the historian Tacitus (History 5.9) Felix “reveled in cruelty and lust, and wielded the power of a king with the mind of a slave.”
  98. Acts 23:24 tn Grk “Felix the procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).
  99. Acts 23:25 tn Grk “writing.” Due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was begun here in the translation, supplying “he” (referring to the commanding officer, Claudius Lysias) as subject. The participle γράψας (grapsas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  100. Acts 23:25 tn Grk “having this form,” “having this content.” L&N 33.48 has “γράψσς ἐπιστολὴν ἔχουσαν τὸν τύπον τοῦτον ‘then he wrote a letter that went like this’ Ac 23:25. It is also possible to understand ἐπιστολή in Ac 23:25 not as a content or message, but as an object (see 6.63).”
  101. Acts 23:26 tn Grk “Procurator.” The official Roman title has been translated as “governor” (BDAG 433 s.v. ἡγεμών 2).
  102. Acts 23:26 sn Governor Felix. See the note on Felix in v. 24.
  103. Acts 23:27 tn The participle συλλημφθέντα (sullēmphthenta) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. The remark reviews events of Acts 21:27-40.
  104. Acts 23:27 tn Grk “and was about to be killed by them.” The passive construction has been converted to an active one in the translation for stylistic reasons.
  105. Acts 23:27 tn Or “approached.”
  106. Acts 23:27 tn Normally this term means “army,” but according to BDAG 947 s.v. στράτευμα, “Of a smaller detachment of soldiers, sing. Ac 23:10, 27.” In the plural it can be translated “troops,” but it is singular here.
  107. Acts 23:27 tn In Greek this is a present tense retained in indirect discourse.
  108. Acts 23:27 tn The word “citizen” is supplied here for emphasis and clarity.sn The letter written by the Roman commander Claudius Lysias was somewhat self-serving. He made it sound as if the rescue of a Roman citizen had been a conscious act on his part. In fact, he had made the discovery of Paul’s Roman citizenship somewhat later. See Acts 21:37-39 and 22:24-29.
  109. Acts 23:28 tn Or “determine.”
  110. Acts 23:28 tn Grk “to know the charge on account of which they were accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the prepositional phrase and relative pronoun δι᾿ ἣν (di’ hēn) similar to L&N 27.8 which has “‘I wanted to find out what they were accusing him of, so I took him down to their Council’ Ac 23:28.”
  111. Acts 23:28 tn Grk “their Sanhedrin” (the Sanhedrin was the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).
  112. Acts 23:29 tn Grk “whom I found.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) has been changed to a personal pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun in the translation at this point.
  113. Acts 23:29 tn BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.—In 23:29, since περί had already been used, the subj. of the discussion is added in the gen. ζ. τοῦ νόμου αὐτῶν.”sn With reference to controversial questions. Note how the “neutral” Roman authorities saw the issue. This was a religious rather than a civil dispute. See Acts 18:15.
  114. Acts 23:29 tn Grk “but having no charge worthy of death or imprisonment.” BDAG 273-74 s.v. ἔγκλημα 1 has “legal t.t.…ἔ. ἄξιον θανάτου ἢ δεσμῶν a charge deserving death or imprisonment 23:29.” sn Despite the official assessment that no charge against him deserved death or imprisonment, there was no effort to release Paul.
  115. Acts 23:30 tn Grk “It being revealed to me.” The participle μηνυθείσης (mēnutheisēs) has been taken temporally.
  116. Acts 23:30 tn The term translated “plot” here is a different one than the one in Acts 23:16 (see BDAG 368 s.v. ἐπιβουλή).
  117. Acts 23:30 tn Grk “the things against him.” This could be rendered as “accusations,” “grievances,” or “charges,” but since “ordered his accusers to state their accusations” sounds redundant in English, “charges” was used instead.
  118. Acts 23:31 tn BDAG 237-38 s.v. διατάσσω 2 has “κατὰ τὸ δ. αὐτοῖς in accordance w. their orders…Ac 23:31.”
  119. Acts 23:31 tn Grk “taking.” The participle ἀναλαβόντες (analabontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  120. Acts 23:31 sn Antipatris was a city in Judea about 35 mi (55 km) northwest of Jerusalem (about halfway to Caesarea). It was mentioned several times by Josephus (Ant. 13.15.1 [13.390]; J. W. 1.4.7 [1.99]).
  121. Acts 23:32 tn Grk “letting.” The participle ἐάσαντες (easantes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  122. Acts 23:32 tn Or “cavalrymen.”
  123. Acts 23:32 tn Or “the headquarters.” BDAG 775 s.v. παρεμβολή 2 has “barracks/headquarters of the Roman troops in Jerusalem Ac 21:34, 37; 22:24; 23:10, 16, 32.”
  124. Acts 23:33 tn Grk “who, coming to Caesarea.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek construction, a new sentence was begun here in the translation. The relative pronoun (“who”) has been replaced with the referent (the horsemen) in the translation for clarity.
  125. Acts 23:33 sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1. It was about 30 mi (50 km) from Antipatris.
  126. Acts 23:33 tn BDAG 778 s.v. παρίστημι/παριστάνω 1.b has “present, represent—α. lit. τινά τινι someone to someone παρέστησαν τὸν Παῦλον αὐτῷ Ac 23:33.”
  127. Acts 23:34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the governor) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  128. Acts 23:34 tn Grk “having read.” The participle ἀναγνούς (anagnous) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  129. Acts 23:34 tn The words “the letter” are not in the Greek text but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
  130. Acts 23:34 tn Grk “and asking.” The participle ἐπερωτήσας (eperōtēsas) has been translated as a finite verb and καί (kai) left untranslated due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  131. Acts 23:34 sn Governor Felix asked what province he was from to determine whether he had legal jurisdiction over Paul. He could have sent him to his home province for trial, but decided to hear the case himself.
  132. Acts 23:34 tn Grk “and learning.” The participle πυθόμενος (puthomenos) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
  133. Acts 23:34 sn Cilicia was a province in southeastern Asia Minor.
  134. Acts 23:35 tn Or “I will hear your case.” BDAG 231 s.v. διακούω has “as legal t.t. give someone an opportunity to be heard in court, give someone (τινός) a hearing Ac 23:35”; L&N 56.13 has “to give a judicial hearing in a legal matter—‘to hear a case, to provide a legal hearing, to hear a case in court.’”
  135. Acts 23:35 tn Grk “ordering.” The participle κελεύσας (keleusas) has been translated as a finite verb and a new sentence begun here due to the length and complexity of the Greek sentence. “Then” has also been supplied to indicate the logical and temporal sequence.
  136. Acts 23:35 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Paul) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  137. Acts 23:35 sn Herod’s palace (Grk “Herod’s praetorium”) was the palace built in Caesarea by Herod the Great. See Josephus, Ant. 15.9.6 (15.331). These events belong to the period of a.d. 56-57.
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