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| JOB                                |
|(c) Nov 2002 RashiYomi Incorporated |
| Posting 4 of 25                    |
| Nov 28, 2002                       |
| In Memory of Abraham Hendel        |
| Translated by Dr Russell Hendel    |
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CHAPTER 6,7
===========

Today we translate chapters 6,7 which
according to the outline contains
- ROUND 1
- DIALOG 1
- The 1st rebuttal by Job--Job refutes
Eliphaz's attempted solution of suffering

We apply our 3 fold
approach(TOPIC,SUBTOPICS, WORDS)
to Chapters 6-7.

We first present BOTH the one sentence
solution to suffering of Eliphaz as well
as Jobs answer
-------------------------------------------------
ELIPHAZ:Suffering comes to teach & improve
JOB:SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents learning
-------------------------------------------------

In other words, while Job acknowledges that
suffering can lead to learning and improvement,
Job posits that he is in severe terminal pain.
He points out that in such pain, learning and
improvement is impossible and the only remedy is
death.

This chapter naturally has
6 subtopics as follows:

---------------------------------------------------
MAIN SENTENCE: SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents learning
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jb06-02:12 I am not suffering but in pain;I cant learn
Jb06-13:20 My friends double crossed me with smooth talk
Jb06-21:30 Lets review again my case without insults
Jb07-01:11 Man is like a soldier/worker-suffering doesnt improve
Jb07-12:21 Please give me death,God-end my suffering
----------------------------------------------------------------

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, HA and KI.

-------------- 1st Section -------------------------------------
MAIN SENTENCE: SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents learning
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jb06-02:12 I am not suffering but in pain;I cant learn
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- IF my anger could be weighed
- ------anguish could be scaled
- THEN it would outweigh the sand
- This is why I appear weary
-
- I have been shot by God
- the arrow venom leeches my spirit
- Divine fright wages war on me
-
- Does a mule scream when he has grass?
- Does an ox murmur when he has fodder?
- Can one eat raw food without salt?
- Is there taste in the juice of bitter herbs?
- (Similarly my screams have reasons)
-
- The things I abhor most are now my meals
- Therefore I hope for my request(of death)
- --------- May God give me my hope(of death)
- May God prepare and crush me
- ------- unleash his hand and finish me off
- & I would have comfort,
- even though I burn in fright without mercy,
- that I have never insulted God & holiness
-
- Do I have strength to hope for (learning from suffering)?
- Do I have more years left (that I should lengthen my life)?
- am I made of stone(that I should endure suffering)?
- is my flesh copper(that I should endure suffering)?
----------------------------------------------------------------

COMMENT: Jobs thoughts are often not
smooth and structured; they are spotted
by stark analogies. But the main point
is that
- Job was in pain
- he is terminal with few years left
- he cant possibly learn
- he would like to die
- he wasnt complaining for nothing

If you read the above passage carefully
you will see this theme of PAIN as central

Let us now continue. Job now attacks his
friends for their callousness in attempting
to relieve his suffering by suggesting
that suffering happened to improve his lot

-------------- 2nd Section -------------------------------------
MAIN SENTENCE: SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents learning
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jb06-13:30 My friends double crossed me with smooth talk
----------------------------------------------------------------
- Do I have any helpers for my situation
- All success has been uprooted from me
- My friends have despised all kindness
- and further (say things) without fear of God
- My friends double cross
- -like a (winding) river
- -like swift rapids
- - - that were unleashed from melting frost
- - - that were covered by snow
- -When these snow covered rivers burn up they melt
- -when they heat up they uproot from their place
- -the melting rivers have winding paths
- -going to oblivion and disappearing
- -Some rivers melt southward
- -Some rivers melt to mineral rich lands
- -but those who wait for these waters are disappointed
- -even if they prepared & dig in for the melt
- -(So too now that I suffer my friends double cross me)
----------------------------------------------------------------

-------------- 3rd Section -------------------------------------
MAIN SENTENCE: SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents learning
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jb06-21:30 Lets review again my case without insults
----------------------------------------------------------------
- My friends are like these melting rivers
- They see my suffering & are afraid to tell the truth
-
- Did I ever ask you(my friends) for favors?
- Did I ever ask you to bribe for me?
- Did I ask you to save me from oppressors?
- Did I ask you to redeem me from strong men?
- Show me & I will shut up
- If I said something wrong present it
-
- How poetic is your slick smooth talk
- (That suffering redeems)
- How you look above rebuke
- Do you think you can appease me with words?
- Do you expect to uplift me because I am depressed?
- And you have the gall to slander my orphaned children
- (Saying that they deserved to die)
- and the nerve to plot against me(your friend)?
-
- Now prepare and confront me
- (I will reiterate my case)
- See if I betray you
- Let us have the dialog again(about suffering)
- without insults
- Let us have the dialog again(about suffering)
- Am I not right in it?
- See if I insult anyone (in my request for death)
- See if I dont understand my suffering?
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COMMENT:
--------
Recall that Job refuted Eliphazs attempted
solution to suffering by pointing out that
he was terminally ill, in severe pain and
couldnt learn. Job now further elaborates
on his thesis that suffering is not to learn
by creating the SOLDIER-WORKER model for mans
existence. After all a soldier or worker simply
does his tasks--they are not suppose to be learning--
they are suppose to be doing. Thus Job questions
the whole idea of LEARNING from suffering.
Let us now examine the actual words

-------------- 4th Section -------------------------------------
MAIN SENTENCE: SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents learning
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jb07-01:11 Man is like a soldier/worker-suffering doesnt improve
----------------------------------------------------------------
- Man is like a soldier on the earth
- ------ like a worker
- ------ like a servant hoping for a breather
- ------ (or) like a worker waiting for wages
- This is what I am like
- I have inherited a few futile months to live
- ------ been assigned suffering nights
- Indeed even after I sleep I get up & hope for night
- ----------------------------------------- for a nap
- My flesh is dressed with worms and scales
- My skin is cracked and oozing
- my days are more fragile than threads
- ------- withering without hope
-
- Remember God, that my remaining life is a breath
- ------------ I cannot recover
- No one can guard me (from my illness)
- one second eyes are on me and then I will be gone
- Like a dissipating cloud that goes away
- So too, I cannot ascend from my hellish illness
- I will never return home
- I will never even recognize my place
- It is for that reason that I wont shut up(about death)
- I will speak about my crushed spirit
- I will pray about my bitterness
----------------------------------------------------------------


-------------- 5th Section -------------------------------------
MAIN SENTENCE: SUFFERING improves;but PAIN prevents learning
----------------------------------------------------------------
Jb07-12:21 Please give me death,God-end my suffering
----------------------------------------------------------------
- Am I an ocean of tears
- Am I a sea monster
- (I dont complain so why not end my life)
- INDEED WHEN I tried to find comfort in sleep
- ----------------- to uplift myself in bed
- THEN you break me up with nightmears
- --------- frighten me with visions
-
- Therefore I chose death(over learning from suffering)
- ----------------- death then my bone pain
-
- I cant take it, God
- I will not live forever
- Get off me
- my life is a vapor anyway
-
- Who is man that you should try & greaten him (with suffering)?
- ------------that you should hope (for growth)?
- ------------that you should examine him daily?
- ------------that you should continuously test him?
- What do I have to do to get you off me
- -------------------- to release me before I am totally dry
-
- And even if I sinned to you, God?
- How could I pay you back?
- Why have you targeted me?
- Why have you made me a burden (to be redeemed)?
- What is the big deal in overlooking my possible sin
- ------------------------forgiving my sin?
- I am going to die soon anyway?
- And when you look to get me I wont be there
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STAY TUNED Tomorrow for the 2nd attempt to
solve the problem of suffering.