Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Reginald Wallace Ponder, Jr." <rwponder AT lycos.com>]

> Dear Bill -- Thanks for your interest in this topic.  This has been a 
> helpful discussion for me.
Shalom -- Reggie

I wrote:-
> 
> >RWP: It is exactly "just how little he understood of YHWH," coupled with 
> >the
> >conventional widsom dispensed by the friends (who themselves understand 
> >much
> >less of YHWH than they realize) that sparked Job's grief-unto-despair.  
> >What
> >Job finally does in Chapter 42, perhaps, is to *rest* -- something he has 
> >not
> >done for the rest of the book.

And you responded:-
> 
> This is an excellent point. In the few discussions of Job I've had in
> study groups several times I've tried to make the point that it is
> possible that Job's speeches are an over-reaction to the persistant
> accusation of personal wickedness leveled at him by his friends.
> I don't think I've gotten anyone to buy into that argument yet.
> But if true then YHWH's speeches give him reason to rest from his
> labour of words.

I wrote:> 
> >     Although it could be that Job *cannot* speak, as you suggest, the
> >alternative is that he *doesn't have to* -- he has been freed from the
> >treadmill of his own words.

And you responded:-> 
> I think it's clear he can speak -- 42:2-6 are his words. I wasn't
> intending to say he couldn't, just that given the opportunity he
> has nothing to say.
>  
RWP: You're exactly right here. Shalom.

> Bill Rea, Information Technology Dept., Canterbury  University  \_ 
> E-Mail b dot rea at it dot canterbury dot ac dot nz             </   New
> Phone   64-3-364-2331, Fax     64-3-364-2332                   /)  Zealand
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