job 8 and 9

Read Job 8 and 9 at Bible Gateway.

Hebrew paragraph divisions

For the series of speeches from Job 3:2-28:10, the Hebrew paragraph divisions for each man’s speech are like the divisions in the Psalms that we studied in 2014. There is an understood {s} division at the end of each numbered line, with an {n} marking where a new line begins within a numbered line. There is one {n} division in the speeches from Job 8:1-9:35:

9:24a The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. {n}

Job 8:1-22, Bildad’s speech

Bildad next tries to encourage Job, and his speech has some merit. He doesn’t realize it, but he prophesies Job’s latter end, when he says,

“Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly,” Job 8:7

This reveals something about wisdom: properly applied wisdom can function prophetically, because truth is universal; it applies across times and cultures and circumstances.

Bildad’s speech forms a reverse parallelism:

1a) Job 8:1-7, God who does not pervert justice will prosper your rightful dwelling place;

1) Job 8:3-4, Does God subvert judgment or pervert justice?
2) Job 8:5-6a, Surely He will awake for you;
3) Job 8:6b-7, And prosper your rightful dwelling place;

1b) Job 8:8-13, Papyrus grows green but withers like those who forget God;

1) Job 8:8-12, Papyrus withers while it is still green;
2) Job 8:13, So are the paths of all who forget God, and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish;

2b) Job 8:14-19, The hypocrite grows green but will perish from his place;

1) Job 8:14-18, The hypocrite likewise grows green and spreads, but his trust has no substance;
2) Job 8:19, This is the joy of His way, and out of the earth others will grow;

2a) Job 8:20-22, God who does not uphold evildoers will bring to nothing the dwelling place of the wicked;

1) Job 8:20, God will not cast away the blameless nor uphold evildoers;
2) Job 8:21, He will yet fill your mouth with laughing + lips with rejoicing;
3) Job 8:22, The dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.