which, being formed from סל, elevatio, with He of direction and Dag. forte implic., as פּדּנה, הרה = paddannah, harrah, - perhaps, however, it is to be read directly סלּה, with He fem., - is accordingly a substantive made directly into an adverb, like גּוה): suppose that (כּי = ἐάν, as אם = εἰ) thy ways lead downwards, thou sayest: on high! i.e., thy will being mighty in God, thy confidence derived from the Almighty, will all at once give them another and more favourable direction: God will again place in a condition of prosperity and happiness, - which יושׁע (defectively written; lxx: σώσει; Jer. and Syr., however, reading יוּשׁע: salvabitur), according to its etymon, Arab. ‘ws‛, signifies, - him who has downcast eyes (lxx κύφοντα ὀφθαλμοῖς).
Verse 30
It may seem at first sight, that by אי־נקי, the not-guiltless (אי[1] = אין = אין, e.g., Isa 40:29; 2Ch 14:10, Ges. §152, 1), Eliphaz means Job himself in his present condition; it would then be a mild periphrastic expression for “the guilty, who has merited his suffering.” If thou returnest in this manner to God, He will - this would be the idea of Job 22:30 - free thee, although thy suffering is not undeserved. Instead now of proceeding: and thou shalt be rescued on account of the purity of thy hands, i.e., because thou hast cleansed them from wrong, Eliphaz would say: and this not-guiltless one will be rescued, i.e., thou, the not-guiltless, wilt be rescued, by the purity of thy hands. But one feels at once how harsh this synallage would be. Even Hirzel, who refers Job 22:30 to Job, refers Job 22:30 to some one else. In reality, however, another is intended in both cases (Ew., Schlottm., Hahn, Olsh.); and Job 22:30 is just so arranged as to be supplemented by בּבר כּפּיך, Job 22:30. Even
- ↑ In Rabbinic also this abbreviated negative is not אי (as Dukes and Gieger point it), but according to the traditional pronunciation, אי, e.g., אי אפשׁר (impossibilie).
