Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>]

So it WAS that Satan was doing a job for G-d - that G-d commanded him to do.



First chapter


6. Now the day came about, and the angels of God came to stand beside 
the Lord, and the Adversary, too, came among them.

Now the day came about That day which was Rosh Hashanah, (known as a 
day of sounding the shofar, and the Holy One, blessed be He, 
commanded the Adversary to bring the merit and the guilt of all 
creatures. This is the meaning of "from going to and fro on the 
earth.")

and the angels of God came to stand beside the Lord to contend with 
Him, because the expression of standing refers only to judgment, as 
it is stated (Isa. 3:13): "The Lord stands to plead."

and the Adversary, too, came among them to accuse the people.

7. The Lord said to the Adversary, "Where are you coming from?" And 
the Adversary answered the Lord and said, "From going to and fro on 
the earth and from walking in it."

"From going to and fro on the earth and from walking in it." So is my 
wont to go to and fro, to see the evil ones and the good ones. Now I 
went to and fro throughout the entire earth and I did not find anyone 
like Abraham, about whom it is said (Gen. 13:17): "Rise, go to and 
fro in the land." The Sages of blessed memory (Baba Bathra 16a) said 
that the Adversary meant this for the sake of Heaven, in order that 
Abraham's merit not be forgotten by our God.

8. Now the Lord said to the Adversary, "Have you paid attention to My 
servant Job? For there is none like him on earth, a sincere and 
upright man, God-fearing and shunning evil."

Have you paid attention to My servant Job that you should desire to 
denounce him?

9. And the Adversary answered the Lord and said, "Does Job fear God 
for nothing?

"Does Job fear God for nothing?" This is a question.

10. Haven't You made a hedge around him, his household, and all that 
he has on all sides? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his 
livestock has spread out in the land.

Haven't You made a hedge around him Because he knows that You visit 
him frequently to perform miracles for him, and he is fruitful and 
multiplies; therefore he performs all these righteous deeds-but You 
have not tested him.

11. But now, stretch forth Your hand and touch all that he has, will 
he not blaspheme You to Your face?"

But were you to touch all that he has, would he not blaspheme You to 
Your face immediately? This is a question. And then, the Lord said to 
the Adversary, "Behold, all that he has is in your hands."

12. Now the Lord said to the Adversary, "Behold, all that he has is 
in your hands; only upon him do not stretch forth your hand." Now the 
Adversary left the presence of the Lord.

"Behold, all that he has etc. Another explanation:

[6] Now the day came about That day when they recommenced the cycle 
[and were] to eat at the house of their eldest brother.

the angels of God The heavenly hosts, which are near the Divine 
Presence, to be the members of His household, and were therefore 
called His children.

to stand beside the Lord Heb. Around Him, as (Gen. 45:1) "all who 
stood around him (????)."

[7] "Where are you coming from?" Scripture speaks of etiquette, that 
the greater one speaks first and permits the smaller one to reply.

"From going to and fro on the earth" As is explained above, and it is 
in the homiletic section of the chapter [that begins], "The partners."

[8] "Have you paid, etc." An expression of a wonder.

sincere and upright Perfect in his deeds.

[10] made a hedge around him. You protected him like a wall, as in 
(Isa. 5:5) "I will remove its hedge (??????)," its wall. Every 
expression of ??? stated in the Hebrew language is only an expression 
of "opposite and before him," as in (Lev.16:6), "and he shall effect 
atonement for himself (???? ????) ," he shall wipe away the sin from 
opposite you and before you (sic), so that the atonement shall be a 
shield about you. Similarly (Ps. 3:4), "[But You,] O Lord, are a 
shield about me (????)."

spread out in the land Heb. ???, gained strength, as in (Exod. 
1:12),"So would they gain strength (????), which the Targum renders: 
And so would they become strong. This is its simple meaning, but our 
Sages of blessed memory stated in the Aggadah (Baba Bathra 15b, 16a) 
that they broke the fence of the world, for the goats would slay the 
wolves.