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33 if[a] I have covered my transgressions as men do,[b]
by hiding[c] iniquity in my heart,[d]
34 because I was terrified[e] of the great multitude,[f]
and the contempt of families terrified me,
so that I remained silent
and would not go outdoors—

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Footnotes

  1. Job 31:33 tn Now the protasis continues again.
  2. Job 31:33 sn Some commentators suggest taking the meaning here to be “as Adam,” referring to the Paradise story of the sin and denial.
  3. Job 31:33 tn The infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first line.
  4. Job 31:33 tn The MT has “in my bosom.” This is the only place in the OT where this word is found. But its meaning is well attested from Aramaic.
  5. Job 31:34 tn Here too the verb will be the customary imperfect—it explains what he continually did in past time.
  6. Job 31:34 tn Heb “the great multitude.” But some commentators take רַבָּה (rabbah) adverbially: “greatly” (see RSV).

33 Have I concealed[a] my transgressions as other human beings
to hide my iniquity in my bosom
34 because I dreaded the great multitude,
and the contempt of clans terrified me,
so that I kept quiet, I did not go out of the doorway?

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Footnotes

  1. Job 31:33 Literally “If I have concealed”