Page:03.BCOT.KD.HistoricalBooks.B.vol.3.LaterProphets.djvu/1503

 =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.,