The ‘religious’ T/O paradigm builds around a spectrum ranging from enjoyable experiences of being ‘blessed’ to unambiguous experiences of being ‘cursed’. This spectrum has two thresholds – (1) a threshold separating enjoyable experiences of being ‘blessed’ from painful reproving experiences of being ‘blessed’ and (2) a threshold separating these two ways to experience being ‘blessed’ from the experiences of being ‘cursed’. Some individuals loyal to the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm (strain to) see the intention/assessment of ‘God’ in every experience as an indication of a person’s place on the spectrum. Others withhold such an interpretation until the indications of reproof or curse become a strong cluster of experiences that leads to an undeniable conclusion. The evidence for as well as the meaning of being ‘blessed’ steadily shift as the spectrum is crossed. In other words, there is a sub-spectrum (or a shading) re ‘blessed’ before the threshold into ‘reproof’ is crossed and there is a sub-spectrum (or a shading) re ‘reproof’. Being ‘cursed’ is both the last chance for the one cursed (i.e., discipline by shunning) and protection for the community gathered around the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm. ‘Repenting’ when being reproved has to do with a course correction or adjustment (e.g., steering a car or navigating a plane when one is overall going in the right direction). ‘Repenting’ when cursed has more to do with a reversal or turn around due to going in the wrong direction.
At some points (e.g., 5:17), the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s three close friends see him as being reproved and, therefore, still among the blessed. At other points, they see him as being cursed. The ‘scrapheap’ Job clearly sees himself as unjustifiably cursed. The three close friends see him after he has been devastated/humiliated by all the tragedies and they still try to apply the reproof model. What more could happen that would move them to consider the ‘scrapheap’ Job cursed? In spite of the cursed evidence, they seem to be grasping for some way to continue considering him to be among the blessed, hoping to avoid the consequences of considering him instead to be among the cursed. I suspect this line of reasoning frames their conversations re how to be with the ‘scrapheap’ Job. What are the signals the three close friends have shifted from seeing him as reproved to seeing him cursed?
Why did the three close friends not advocate for the ‘scrapheap’ Job (e.g., the story of Abraham pleading for Lot), given their long friendship with him? Why does the ‘scrapheap’ Job expect such? Is there any indication the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm is melting down for his three close friends?
There are two ways within the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm to assess one’s spiritual status – (1) to reason inductively from observable behavior to conclusions re being among the ‘righteous’ or the ‘unrighteous’ or (2) to reason deductively from life circumstances re being ‘blessed’ or being ‘cursed’ to conclusions re being among the ‘righteous’ or the ‘unrighteous’. Painful experiences may initially be classified as misfortune and set aside as analogous to statistical anomalies that do not melt/hollow/ruin the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm. If the wicked (as determined by observable behavior) are not cursed, at what point does the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm begin to break down?
The ‘scrapheap’ Job points to caravan travelers (6:18; see also 6:19, 8:13, 30:12). (Peterson also has “merchants” and “tourists”.) Peterson’s “tourists” is quite a stretch for antiquity. Few people took long vacations in antiquity. ‘Traveling merchants’ would be better wording. I find insight in associating the caravan travelers in antiquity with the modern taxi driver. The caravan travelers in antiquity saw more widely than those who had not traveled. They had time to ponder what they had seen. Here the focus is on the risk that a caravan gets turned around and lost (like wagon trains in the American West). A wrong turn could move a caravan farther away from water or into greater danger as winter approached. Looking at the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s three close friends with this metaphor, they are like a caravan that loses its way and is never heard from again. The ‘scrapheap’ Job spots his three close friends. He goes out of his way for a drink from them. He is confident. But he is soon disappointed. His countenance falls.
Do the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s three close friends turn out to be no more than ‘so called friends’ (Peterson)? If so, they are parallel to the ‘pretend to be friends’ in Proverbs.
Peterson (6:21b) has “a hard scene” (RSV “calamity”). I think Peterson is too casual with “hard scene”. The Hebrew word is better translated as terror or fear. What makes a condition hard? terrifying? fearful?
Peterson (6:23a) has “Nor did I beg you to go out on a limb for me” (RSV “save me from an opponent’s hand”). Peterson does not appear to retain 6:23b in the Hebrew text (RSV “ransom me from the hand of oppressors”). What would “go out on a limb” have entailed, had the ‘scrapheap’ Job so urged his three close friends to do so? Does he expect his three close friends to join him in challenging the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm or in condemning traditional understandings of ‘God’? The ‘scrapheap’ Job may not be begging them to do so. But he does appear to be stating an expectation.
When compared with the RSV, Peterson (6:24-27) seems to be translating rather freely. How well does his translation align with the Hebrew text (especially the underlined phrases)?
“Gone off track” is much more vivid than “gone wrong”. Would there have been a track in antiquity as rigid/fixed as a train track is today? The track analogy suggests both a path and a destination. What is the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm’s expected destination?
At some points (e.g., 5:17), the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s three close friends see him as being reproved and, therefore, still among the blessed. At other points, they see him as being cursed. The ‘scrapheap’ Job clearly sees himself as unjustifiably cursed. The three close friends see him after he has been devastated/humiliated by all the tragedies and they still try to apply the reproof model. What more could happen that would move them to consider the ‘scrapheap’ Job cursed? In spite of the cursed evidence, they seem to be grasping for some way to continue considering him to be among the blessed, hoping to avoid the consequences of considering him instead to be among the cursed. I suspect this line of reasoning frames their conversations re how to be with the ‘scrapheap’ Job. What are the signals the three close friends have shifted from seeing him as reproved to seeing him cursed?
Why did the three close friends not advocate for the ‘scrapheap’ Job (e.g., the story of Abraham pleading for Lot), given their long friendship with him? Why does the ‘scrapheap’ Job expect such? Is there any indication the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm is melting down for his three close friends?
There are two ways within the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm to assess one’s spiritual status – (1) to reason inductively from observable behavior to conclusions re being among the ‘righteous’ or the ‘unrighteous’ or (2) to reason deductively from life circumstances re being ‘blessed’ or being ‘cursed’ to conclusions re being among the ‘righteous’ or the ‘unrighteous’. Painful experiences may initially be classified as misfortune and set aside as analogous to statistical anomalies that do not melt/hollow/ruin the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm. If the wicked (as determined by observable behavior) are not cursed, at what point does the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm begin to break down?
The ‘scrapheap’ Job points to caravan travelers (6:18; see also 6:19, 8:13, 30:12). (Peterson also has “merchants” and “tourists”.) Peterson’s “tourists” is quite a stretch for antiquity. Few people took long vacations in antiquity. ‘Traveling merchants’ would be better wording. I find insight in associating the caravan travelers in antiquity with the modern taxi driver. The caravan travelers in antiquity saw more widely than those who had not traveled. They had time to ponder what they had seen. Here the focus is on the risk that a caravan gets turned around and lost (like wagon trains in the American West). A wrong turn could move a caravan farther away from water or into greater danger as winter approached. Looking at the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s three close friends with this metaphor, they are like a caravan that loses its way and is never heard from again. The ‘scrapheap’ Job spots his three close friends. He goes out of his way for a drink from them. He is confident. But he is soon disappointed. His countenance falls.
Do the ‘scrapheap’ Job’s three close friends turn out to be no more than ‘so called friends’ (Peterson)? If so, they are parallel to the ‘pretend to be friends’ in Proverbs.
Peterson (6:21b) has “a hard scene” (RSV “calamity”). I think Peterson is too casual with “hard scene”. The Hebrew word is better translated as terror or fear. What makes a condition hard? terrifying? fearful?
Peterson (6:23a) has “Nor did I beg you to go out on a limb for me” (RSV “save me from an opponent’s hand”). Peterson does not appear to retain 6:23b in the Hebrew text (RSV “ransom me from the hand of oppressors”). What would “go out on a limb” have entailed, had the ‘scrapheap’ Job so urged his three close friends to do so? Does he expect his three close friends to join him in challenging the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm or in condemning traditional understandings of ‘God’? The ‘scrapheap’ Job may not be begging them to do so. But he does appear to be stating an expectation.
When compared with the RSV, Peterson (6:24-27) seems to be translating rather freely. How well does his translation align with the Hebrew text (especially the underlined phrases)?
[Peterson]
Confront me with the truth and I’ll shut up. Show me where I’ve gone off the track. Honest words never hurt anyone, but what’s the point of all this pious bluster? You pretend to tell me what’s wrong with my life, but treat my words of anguish as so much hot air. Are people mere things to you? Are friends just items of profit?
[RSV]
Teach me, and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone wrong. How forceful are honest words. But your reproof, what does it reprove? Do you think that you can reprove words, as if the speech of the desperate were wind? You would even cast lots over the orphan, and bargain over your friend.
“Gone off track” is much more vivid than “gone wrong”. Would there have been a track in antiquity as rigid/fixed as a train track is today? The track analogy suggests both a path and a destination. What is the ‘religious’ T/O paradigm’s expected destination?
