READ/LISTEN ONLINE:
SOME STUDY GEMS:
Click on the gem below to read the study notes:
Zophar
Job 11:1 “Then answered Zophar the Naamathite“
Zophar H6691 – ṣôp̄ar in Hebrew means sparrow. Like a little small bird that moves and hops around swiftly, chirping and twittering as it goes along. This is a great metaphor that would resemble Zophar from what we read in the Scriptures. He is very quick to judge Job, with very harsh words to Job, believing his misfortunates are a result of wickedness and calling for Job to repent.
Naamathite suggests he was from a city called Naamah. This city Naamah is also mentioned in the Book of Joshua (15:41), a city in the territory of Judah.
Zophar comes forth as a religious dogmatist who assumes to know all about Elohim. What Elohim will do in any given case, why He will do it, and all His thoughts about it, with little or no place for reasoning.
Easy life
What does your Bible say in Job 12:5?
This verse is a proverb. It expresses a general truth about human nature, specifically the tendency for those who are comfortable to look down on those who are struggling with misfortune, but also forgets to appreciate the little things in life, like a lamp. It is often the ones with whom it goes well, that they look down on the misfortune of others and think they deserve it somehow.
Here are some translations I found:
- A person who has an easy life has no appreciation for misfortune.
- He that is ready to slip with his feet is as a lamp despised in the thought of him that is at ease.
- A lamp is despised in the thought of one who is at ease – prepared for those whose feet slip.
- Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
- The one at ease, scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
Ancient
Job 12:12 “With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding.”
The word for ancient in this verse, should actually just be “very old”. This specific hebrew word is only used in the book of Job, and the word from Scripture here in Hebrew is Yasis H3453 – yāšîš, just meaning old age, or very old.
In our english translations, ancient means something that belongs to a very distant past. And in Hebrew the word ancient is actually Qedem H6924 – qeḏem, which could also mean from the east. This word we have covered before in Numbers 3-4 (click here to read more)
The correct word for ancient/Gedem is used in Job 29:2, “Oh that I were as in months past (ancient/qedem H6924) as in the days when Elohim preserved me“
Proverbs 8:22 “YHWH possessed me in the beginning of his way, before H6924 his works of old.”
