JOB - The Complete Solution To Suffering
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| JOB |
|(c) Jul 2003 RashiYomi Incorporated |
| Posting 13 of 25 |
| Jul 20, 2003 |
| In Memory of Abraham Hendel |
| Translated by Dr Russell Hendel |
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FOR NEWCOMERS--ARCHIVES
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The book of Job naturally divides into 25 units---
this is the 13th.
CHAPTER 20
==========
Today we translate chapter 20 which
according to the outline contains
- ROUND 2
- DIALOG 3
- Tzofars refutation of Jobs answer of Tzofar
A summary of dialogs till now is as follows
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ELIPHAZ: Suffering comes to teach & improve
JOB: SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents improvement
BILDAD: Suffering comes from sin;Success from observance
JOB: But national tragedies affect righteous/wicked alike
TZORFAR: Suffering comes to encourage more Learning
JOB: Mans life is too short; he cant learn that much more
ELIPHAZ(ROUND 1): Suffering comes to teach and improve
ELIPHAZ(ROUND 2): Suffering/happiness is INNER not OUTER
JOB (Round 1): SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents improvement
JOB (Round 2): UNJUST PAIN prevents learning; I-m unjustly
tortured
BILDAD(ROUND 2): Success/Failure comes from presence/absence of
dreams
JOB(Round 2): But my suffering prevents me from dreaming
TZORFAR(Round 1): Suffering comes to encourage more Learning
JOB(Round 2): Mans life is too short; he cant learn that much more
TZOFAR(Round 2): Wicked go quickly-righteous gradually(Time to learn)
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Here is the MAIN sentence for this round
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TZOFAR(Round 2): Wicked go quickly(righteous gradually-Time to learn)
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We briefly explain this
- Tzofar originally said that suffering is to teach
- Job responded that life is too short with too much to learn
- Tzofar now refutes this answer of Job:
- The wicked are punished quickly
Tzofar does not say anything more explicitly.
But I would argue that by saying that the
WICKED ARE PUNISHED QUICKLY Tzofar intends to imply
- BUT the righteous are punished gradually
- and HENCE they have time to learn
Job of course will refute this easily (In chapter 21)
Job will simply deny Tzofars premise. Job will point
out how many wicked live luxurious lives and are not
punished quickly.
NOTE
----
By reviewing the summary of the book above,
the reader will notice that we have NATURALLY
COMBINED Elihu and Tzofars dialogs in ROUNDS 1
and 2 as forming a whole. We have not done this
for BILDAD. I suspect that this indicates an
error in our translation. As the book and
its WHOLENESS develops we will closely monitor
this omission and try and rectify it.
We now apply our 3 fold
approach(TOPIC,SUBTOPICS, WORDS)
to Chapter 20(See posting 1 for
an explanation of this approach)
Here are the 4 sections of this chapter. Notice how they
naturally have the following form
- a general theme (WICKED GO QUICKLY)
- 3 specific examples (WICKED POSITION, AMBITION, THEFTS)
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TZOFAR(Round 2): Wicked go quickly(righteous gradually-Time to learn)
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Job20-02:05 Its obvious - the wicked go quickly
Job20-06:11 The wickeds HIGH SOCIAL POSITION deteriorates
Job20-12:18 The wickeds PLANS/AMBITIONS fall apart
Job20-19:29 The wickeds is double crossed by those he ROBBED
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On a technical point, the reader can of
course recognize chapter subsections by content.
However the reader can also recognize chapter
subsections by KEYWORDS which introduce these
subsections. The sections of this chapter begin
with the Hebrew Keywords
- THEREFORE
- IF(IM)
- IF(IM)
- IF(KI)
We could have also separated the last sentence as a
5th sentence indicating a summary. But we dont see
the need to do this.(The last sentence begins with
the keyword THIS)
Let us now review the 4 individual sections
-----------------------SECTION 1----------------------
TZOFAR: Wicked go quickly(righteous gradually-Time to learn)
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Job20-02:05 Its obvious - the wicked go quickly
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(Job20-02) Indeed my thoughts answer me
(Job20-02) As I get angry I feel it(answer) inside me
(Job20-03) I can hear the rebuke associated with my shame
(Job20-03) A throbbing spirit from my understanding answers me
-
(Job20-04) Don-t you(Job) know this basic fact
(Job20-04) ------------------ a fact as old as man
-
(Job20-05) The joy of the wicked is temporary
(Job20-05) The happiness of the flatterer is but for a second
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-----------------------SECTION 2----------------------
TZOFAR: Wicked go quickly(righteous gradually-Time to learn)
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Job20-06:11 The wickeds HIGH SOCIAL POSITION deteriorates
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(Job20-06) IF his SOCIAL POSITION is as high as heaven
(Job20-06) -- his leadership reaches the clouds
(Job20-07) THEN it will be lost like dung
(Job20-07) ---- those who saw him will say WHERE IS HE
(Job20-08) ---- like a fleeting dream he will not be found
(Job20-08) ---- he will totter like a night vision
(Job20-09) ---- The eye that scans for him will stop
(Job20-09) ---- he will not be walled in his place
(Job20-10) ---- His underlings stole the poor
(Job20-10) ---- but he must personally return their wealth
(Job20-11) ---- His support is filled with hidden (wealth)
(Job20-11) ---- but they too will lie with him in dust
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NOTES
-----
I have taken the poetic liberty of translating words
like SONS, BONES as UNDERLINGS, SUPPORT. Such translations
are justified by the overall paragraph structure. In a
fuller version we would footnote these translations
and indicate the original meaning.
-----------------------SECTION 3----------------------
TZOFAR: Wicked go quickly(righteous gradually-Time to learn)
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Job20-12:18 The wickeds PLANS/AMBITIONS fall apart
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(Job20-12) IF he(the wicked) has a hidden plan
(Job20-12) IF he hides it(the plan) under his tongue
(Job20-13) ----- cares for it(under his tongue)
(Job20-13) ----- doesnt give it up
(Job20-13) ----- doesnt let it out of his palate
(Job20-14) THEN his hidden food for thought causes indigestion
(Job20-14) ---- (like) internal venomous poison
(Job20-15) ---- The wealth he hoped to consume he now vomits
(Job20-15) ---- God ousts it(this wealth) from his belly
(Job20-16) ---- He (instead) nurses the head of a snake
(Job20-16) ---- he is killed by the tongue of snakes
(Job20-17) ---- He will not see the tributaries
(Job20-17) ---- ------------- the rivers of honey and cream
(Job20-18) ---- He works but does not consume
(Job20-18) ---- As his wealth so is his double cross
(Job20-18) ---- He has no successes
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NOTE: In the following section TZOFAR describes how
the wicked person who steals wealth is destroyed.
First the poor he oppressed becomes gangs who destroy
his neighborhood with muggings and flashing knives
Then people are aware of his wickedness and he gets caught
Again I have taken the poetic liberty of translating such
terms as BELLY to mean HOUSE (Both have spacious insides)
Such translations are justified by the overall structure
and content.
-----------------------SECTION 4----------------------
TZOFAR: Wicked go quickly(righteous gradually-Time to learn)
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Job20-19:29 The wickeds is double crossed by those he ROBBED
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(Job20-19) WHEN he tries to mug-and-dump the poor
(Job20-19) THEN the house he stole will not be built
-
(Job20-20) ---- For he will see no tranquility in this house
(Job20-20) ---- he will not save himself with his plunders
(Job20-21) ---- for no one (in the community) will be with him
(Job20-21) ---- therefore he cannot begin to enjoy
(Job20-22) ---- WHEN he completes his desires(of theft)
(Job20-22) ---- ---- his troubles begin
(Job20-22) ---- ---- because the poor-troubled will come on him
(Job20-23) ---- ---- They will fill his house
(Job20-23) ---- ---- they will vent their wrath on him
(Job20-23) ---- ---- they will descend warlike on him
(Job20-24) ---- ---- He will have to flee from iron weapons
(Job20-24) ---- ---- ------------------------- copper bows
(Job20-25) ---- ---- They will only take it out of its sheath
(Job20-25) ---- ---- the glittering (weapon) from its sheath
(Job20-25) ---- ---- and anxiety will come on him
(Job20-26) ---- the darkness(of hell) is his only buried treasure
(Job20-26) ---- he will be consumed by the unmanned fires(of hell)
(Job20-26) ---- he will suffer like a lone survivor in a burning tent
(Job20-27) ---- People in their dreams will be told of his bad deeds
(Job20-27) ---- and the authorities will come on him
(Job20-28) ---- His household accomplices will leave him
(Job20-29) ---- ------------------------ will desert him on that day
-
(Job20-30) This is the portion of a person wicked to God
(Job20-30) and his inheritance from God
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