Chap. 27
Verses 1-7
Job 27:1-7 1 Then Job continued to take up his proverb, and said: 2 As God liveth, who hath deprived me of my right,
And the Almighty, who hath sorely saddened my soul - 3 For still all my breath is in me,
And the breath of Eloah in my nostrils - 4 My lips do not speak what is false,
And my tongue uttereth not deceit! 5 Far be it from me, to grant that you are in the right:
Till I die I will not remove my innocence from me. 6 My righteousness I hold fast, and let it not go:
My heart reproacheth not any of my days. 7 Mine enemy must appear as an evil-doer,
And he who riseth up against me as unrighteous.
The friends are silent, Job remains master of the discourse, and his continued speech is introduced as a continued שׂאת משׁלו (after the analogy of the phrase נשׂא קול), as in Num 23:7 and further on, the oracles of Balaam. משׁל is speech of a more elevated tone and more figurative character; here, as frequently, the unaffected outgrowth of an elevated solemn mood. The introduction of the ultimatum, as משׁל, reminds one of “the proverb (el-methel) seals it” in the mouth of the Arab, since in common life it is customary to use a pithy saying as the final proof at the conclusion of a speech.
Job begins with an asseveration of his truthfulness (i.e.,
