Friday, April 10, 2009

Getting back into the groove

Job is intimidating to say the least. Several of the essays and books I have read suggest that chapter 3 - the undoing of Job's creation, is countered by the speeches of יהוה

So I have just looked briefly at 3:8-14 and listed below painstakingly the common words between that speech and those in chapters 38-41. Many words repeat only in these two areas or there and in a couple of other places. Is it significant? or accidental? ++ means there are other uses I did not list.

Of course a 'conversation' especially a set of staged conversations about a troubling subject, is more complex than frame and thread can encompass. But it gets me thinking... The links which allow you to see the KJV on hover show that whatever structure is implied is often hidden by synonyms or must be obscured in translation because of Hebrew homonyms.

Frame

Leviathan Job 3:8, 41:1 לויתן
Curse / pierce Job 3:8, 5:3, 40:24, 41:2 נקב
Raise up / awaken Job 3:8, 41:10 ++ עור
stars Job 3:9, 38:7 ++ כוכב
darken Job 3:9, 38:2 חשך
eyelids Job 3:9, 16:16, 41:18 עפעפים
cattle / substance, Job 1:3, 1:10 36:33 מקנה
shut up Job 3:10, 41:15 סגר
doors Job 3:10, 41:14 דלת ++
belly Job 3:10, 38:29, 40:16 בטן
eyes Job 3:10, 41:18 עין ++
womb Job 3:11, 38:8 רחם ++
prevent Job 3:12, 41:11 קדם
king Job 3:14, 41:34 מלך ++
counsellor - Job 3:14, 26:3 יעץ also frame for the 'speeches'
build - similar to counsellor בנה
waste Job 3:14, 30:30, 39:22, 40:19, 41:26 ++ חרבה חרב
and so on - a detailed comparison of chapter 3 and 38-41 is called for.

Thread

Day יום
Life, beasts חי - also frame Job 3:20, 38:39, 39:15, 40:20
beasts 'of the field' Job 5:23, 40:20 שדה
going forth Job 3:11++ יצא
stillness Job 3:13 ++ שכב
Quiet Job 3:13 שקט - four synonyms in this verse

No comments: