The second wager: 'Skin for skin, indeed, all that a man has he will give for his life.' Satan is given the body — 'only spare his life' — and smites Job with sore boils. His wife counsels: 'blaspheme God, and die'; Job answers, 'shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?' Three friends come from afar, rend their mantles, and sit with him on the ground 'seven days and seven nights' speaking not a word — 'for they saw that his grief was very great.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
Again it fell upon a day, that the sons of God came to present themselves before Hashem, and Satan came also among them to present himself before Hashem.
verse value 2490
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "sons·of" (בְּנֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "God" (הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 537: to·present·themselves, to·present·himself. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "in·midst·of·them" (בְּתֹכָ֔ם). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·day" (root יום, 59x in Job); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 51x in Job); "and·it·came·to·pass" (root היה, 50x in Job). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'above·Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·came·to·pass] (31) + הַיּ֔וֹם [the·day] (61) + וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ [and·they·came] (25) + בְּנֵ֣י [sons·of] (62) + הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (91) + לְהִתְיַצֵּ֖ב [to·present·themselves] (537) + עַל־יְהֹוָ֑ה [above·Hashem] (126) + וַיָּב֤וֹא [and·he·came] (25) + גַֽם־הַשָּׂטָן֙ [also·the·adversary] (407) + בְּתֹכָ֔ם [in·midst·of·them] (462) + לְהִתְיַצֵּ֖ב [to·present·himself] (537) + עַל־יְהֹוָֽה [above·Hashem] (126) = 2490.
Metzudat David
'Again it fell upon a day' — the day appointed for the advocates of merit and of guilt to come.
Malbim
Again it fell upon a day — he narrates, by way of parable, that after Job had stood the first trial and was not shaken by the loss of his possessions and his children, He tested him with the final trial: the sufferings and pains of the body. And here Scripture says, ‘and Satan came also among them, to present himself before Hashem,’ whereas the first time it said simply, ‘and Satan came also among them.’ For there is a difference between the kinds of evil that struck him the first time — which came through the general nature of decay found in the elements, by fire and wind, and through the harm people do to one another — and the harm that reached him this time, through boils and illness whose natural cause is excess of food (as above, 1:14). A righteous man’s being protected from the harms of the elements and from the harm done by people is not a consequence of his righteousness acting by nature; the righteousness of the righteous is not a natural cause that protects him from the mishaps of the elements and from the evil of men, but only a providential cause — that by virtue of his righteousness, Hashem watches over him and guards him from all harm, as it is written, ‘You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,’ etc. (Psalms 91:5). But a righteous man’s being protected from boils and from bodily illness that come through excess of food does follow from his righteousness by way of nature, since it is part of the way of his righteousness to guard himself from excess, from gluttony, and from excess of intercourse, as it is written, ‘the righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul’ (Proverbs 13:25); and his very nature requires that he not be struck with boils and severe illness. Accordingly, Satan — that is, privation and negation — who came to destroy his possessions and his children the first time, through fire and wind and the enemy’s sword, did not need for that an act of Hashem; it was enough for Hashem to turn away His face and withdraw His providence from him. For what had protected him from these harms until now was providence alone, and now that Hashem withdrew His providence from him and abandoned him into Satan’s hand, the hands of enemies and the harms of the elements befell him on their own. This did not come through Hashem, but only through the fact that Hashem did not guard him so as to save him from these harms by His providence. Not so the boils that came upon him now: Job was not, by his own nature, disposed to it, for through his righteousness he had guarded himself from excess of food and of intercourse, which are the cause of boils and of illness. And it was not enough now for Hashem merely to withdraw His providence and abandon him into Satan’s hand — that is, into privation and natural decay — for even nature itself was guarding him from illness and disease. So this blow did not come through the withdrawal of providence alone; it was a providential blow directed against Job’s very nature. That is why Scripture mentions here that Satan came ‘to present himself before Hashem’ — for privation and decay had no power to bring this about by themselves, but only through Hashem’s providence acting against nature. Not so the first time, when Satan did not come ‘to present himself before Hashem,’ but Hashem merely withdrew His providence, and the harm came by itself, from the nature of Satan — that is, of privation.
And Hashem said to Satan: ‘From whence do you come?’ And Satan answered Hashem, and said: ‘From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.’
verse value 3483
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 58 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "where" (אֵ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·from·walking·up·and·down" (וּמֵֽהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·he·said, and·he·said. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "where" (אֵ֥י), "from·this" (מִזֶּ֖ה), "from·going·to·and·fro" (מִשֻּׁ֣ט). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "and·he·answered" (root ענה, 60x in Job); "you·come" (root בוא, 51x in Job). First appearance of the root אי ("where") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·come', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֔ן [to·the·adversary] (395) + אֵ֥י [where] (11) + מִזֶּ֖ה [from·this] (52) + תָּבֹ֑א [you·come] (403) + וַיַּ֨עַן [and·he·answered] (136) + הַשָּׂטָ֤ן [the·adversary] (364) + אֶת־יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (427) + וַיֹּאמַ֔ר [and·he·said] (257) + מִשֻּׁ֣ט [from·going·to·and·fro] (349) + בָּאָ֔רֶץ [in·the·earth] (293) + וּמֵֽהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְ [and·from·walking·up·and·down] (506) + בָּֽהּ [in·her] (7) = 3483.
Rashi
“Where are you coming from?” Where is the place about which you may say, “From this place I come”?
Metzudat David
'From whence' — where is the place of which you would say, 'from there I come'?
Malbim
From whence do you come — the first time He asked ‘from where’ (מאין), and Rabbi Shlomo Pappenheim has already explained that there is a difference between מאין (me-ayin, ‘from where’) and אי מזה (ei mi-zeh, ‘from which’): in the question מאין, the questioner asks out of complete unawareness — he has no sense at all connecting the matter to one place rather than another, so that it is as if the whole world lay open before him within the scope of his question. But in the question אי מזה, the questioner already has some sense, in part, of where the thing is separate from, and only the knowledge of the specific, particular place remains hidden from him — end of his words. Therefore, at first, when He was referring to every kind of privation in general, and explained, by way of parable, that privation as such is found only on earth and not in the heavens, He asked ‘from where’ (מאין). But now that He had already made known that privation’s place is on earth, His question concerned the particular privation that had just come before Him — namely, the harm that comes through illness whose cause is excess of food — so He asked ‘from which’ (אי מזה) about that particular kind. And Satan answered, ‘from going to and fro in the earth’ — meaning that this harm, too, came through the general privation, constant and inconstant, that is found on earth; this is what he meant by ‘going to and fro in the earth, and walking up and down in it.’
And Hashem said to Satan: ‘Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a whole-hearted and an upright man, one who fears God, and shuns evil? and he still holds fast his integrity, although you moved Me against him, to destroy him without cause.’
verse value 6535
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·you·moved·Me" (וַתְּסִיתֵ֥נִי, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·still·he" (וְעֹדֶ֙נּוּ֙), "in·his·integrity" (בְּתֻמָּת֔וֹ), "and·you·moved·Me" (וַתְּסִיתֵ֥נִי). 25 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "that" (root כי, 75x in Job); "Job" (root איוב, 56x in Job). First appearance of the root חזק ("holding") in Job. First appearance of the root תמה ("in·his·integrity") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 7 words.
Rashi
maintains Heb. מחזיק, holds, as in (Exod. 4:4) “and he held (ויחזק) onto it”; (Prov. 26:17), “One who holds (מחזיק) onto a dog’s ears.” Yet you enticed Me against him You enticed Me to destroy him. Every expression of הֲסָתָה is only an expression of attracting a person to his counsel.
Ibn Ezra
'you moved Me' — the Torah speaks in the language of man. The point is that [only] people who lack understanding would imagine that you had the power to incite Him.
Metzudat David
'And he still holds fast his integrity' — although he has been struck blow after blow, he still holds fast to his integrity. 'Although you moved Me' — Scripture speaks in the language of men; the meaning is that you brought accusation against him to destroy him for nothing, without any wrongdoing on his part, but only to test him.
Metzudat Zion
'And he still' — equivalent to 've'odo hu' (and he is still). 'You moved Me' — an expression of incitement and persuasion. 'To destroy him' — to ruin him, as in 'Hashem has swallowed up' (Lamentations 2:2).
Malbim
And Hashem said, ‘Have you considered my servant Job’ — meaning that it is impossible for this particular harm, too, to befall him, since he fears God and his very nature requires that he not become ill or diseased. And furthermore, this refers to what I had already done in withdrawing my providence from him and abandoning him into your hand to destroy his possessions and his children — that too was unwarranted, since he had stood the trial and still holds fast his integrity; from this it became clear that he serves out of love, not for hope of reward or fear of punishment. So what you incited Me to do, to destroy him, was without cause.
And Satan answered Hashem, and said: ‘Skin for skin, indeed, all that a man has he will give for his life.
verse value 3682
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "skin" (ע֣וֹר, 3 letters) and the longest is "Hashem" (אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "for·skin" (בְּעַד־ע֗וֹר), "to·the·man" (לָאִ֔ישׁ). The root עור appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "and·he·answered" (root ענה, 60x in Job); "to·the·man" (root איש, 39x in Job). First appearance of the root עור ("skin") in Job. First appearance of the root אשר ("that") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיַּ֧עַן [and·he·answered] (136) + הַשָּׂטָ֛ן [the·adversary] (364) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + ע֣וֹר [skin] (276) + בְּעַד־ע֗וֹר [for·skin] (352) + וְכֹל֙ [and·all] (56) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [that] (501) + לָאִ֔ישׁ [to·the·man] (341) + יִתֵּ֖ן [shall·give] (460) + בְּעַ֥ד [for] (76) + נַפְשֽׁוֹ [his·soul] (436) = 3682.
Rashi
Skin for skin One limb for another limb. It is human nature that, when one sees a sword coming toward his head, he protects it with his arm in front of it. Surely a person will give all the money he has. for his life For his life to protect it. Because this person knows that he is liable to lose his life, he does not worry about his money.
Ibn Ezra
'Skin for skin' — body for body. And some say that it is a person's custom to shield his eye with his hand when he fears a blow, because it [the eye] is precious.
Metzudat David
'Skin for skin' — meaning, the logic runs as a kal vachomer (an a fortiori argument): it is people's way to give skin for skin — if someone comes to strike him on the skin of his face, he puts his hand up to take the blow on the skin of his hand instead — and if this is so from one part of his own body to another part of it, then all the more so a man will give everything he owns in exchange for his life. Satan means: Job, he thinks, may reckon that death has been decreed against him, so that he would lose everything he owns in exchange for his life and remain alive — and that is why he accepts his losses with a cheerful countenance.
Malbim
And Satan answered Hashem, and said — his reply was that this trial has not yet shown that Job serves out of love, since all it has shown is that he was not troubled by the loss of his possessions and his children, because his own body is dearer to him than his wealth or his children, and he still fears to sin lest he be punished in his own body. For we have already seen that the phrase ‘skin for skin’ — understood as ‘[a man] gives skin for skin’ — means that a person is clothed in two kinds of garments: 1) The skin that is upon his flesh, as it is written, ‘Skin and flesh have You clothed me’ (Job 10:11); 2) The skin over his skin — that is, the coat of skin that he strips from an animal and puts on. And the way [of the world] is that a person gives ‘coats of skin for coats of skin’ — meaning, he gives up the outer garments he is wearing, to save the skin attached to his own flesh: if they demand that he hand over all his garments, and, failing that, will strip off his very skin, he will give up his outer skin [garment] to save the skin attached to him, which is his own skin. Likewise, ‘all that a man has he will give for his life’ — he will give up even his own skin for his life, meaning he will agree to have his skin stripped from him, so that they not kill him and take his life. With this Satan adds that even if You hand Job over into my power, so that I have dominion over the skin of his flesh, that still would not prove that he serves out of love — for he could still find comfort in the fact that he had not been struck with a dangerous blow touching his very self and his flesh. All the more so, there is no proof at all in what You have already taken from him: his outer ‘skin’ — his garments, his possessions, and his children — which are not attached to his own body.
But put forth Your hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, surely he will blaspheme You to Your face.’
verse value 1876
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "Your·hand" (יָֽדְךָ֔, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·his·flesh" (וְאֶל־בְּשָׂר֑וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·his·bone" (אֶל־עַצְמ֖וֹ), "and·to·his·flesh" (וְאֶל־בְּשָׂר֑וֹ), "to·Your·face" (אֶל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Your·face" (root פנים, 68x in Job); "Your·hand" (root יד, 44x in Job); "send·now" (root שלח, 22x in Job). First appearance of the root עצם ("to·his·bone") in Job. First appearance of the root בשר ("and·to·his·flesh") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·his·flesh', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: אוּלָם֙ [but] (77) + שְֽׁלַֽח־נָ֣א [send·now] (389) + יָֽדְךָ֔ [Your·hand] (34) + וְגַ֥ע [and·touch] (79) + אֶל־עַצְמ֖וֹ [to·his·bone] (237) + וְאֶל־בְּשָׂר֑וֹ [and·to·his·flesh] (545) + אִם־לֹ֥א [if·not] (72) + אֶל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ [to·Your·face] (191) + יְבָרְכֶֽךָּ [he·will·blaspheme·You] (252) = 1876.
Rashi
But Heb. אולם, but. will he not Will You not see immediately that he will blaspheme You to Your face?
Metzudat David
'His bone and his flesh' — meaning, through pains of the body itself, which are harsher than the loss of children and wealth. 'To Your face' — like 'al panekha' (upon Your face); meaning, because of the affliction You bring upon him, he will blaspheme against the One above.
Malbim
But put forth Your hand now — only by this will You put him to a clear and decisive test: if You stretch out Your hand and touch his very self and his flesh — not his skin alone, but a blow that touches his very self and his flesh, one involving mortal danger, until he despairs of recovery — then he will have nothing left with which to comfort himself, and nothing left to fear or to hope for; then he will blaspheme You to Your face and denounce Your governance.
And Hashem said to Satan: ‘Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life.’
verse value 2173
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 33 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֛ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "only" (אַ֖ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·adversary" (אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֖ן, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "behold·him" (הִנּ֣וֹ), "his·soul" (אֶת־נַפְשׁ֥וֹ), "keep" (שְׁמֹֽר). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "in·your·hand" (root יד, 44x in Job); "his·soul" (root נפש, 35x in Job). First appearance of the root אך ("only") in Job. First appearance of the root שמר ("keep") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·hand', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֧אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֛ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־הַשָּׂטָ֖ן [to·the·adversary] (395) + הִנּ֣וֹ [behold·him] (61) + בְיָדֶ֑ךָ [in·your·hand] (36) + אַ֖ךְ [only] (21) + אֶת־נַפְשׁ֥וֹ [his·soul] (837) + שְׁמֹֽר [keep] (540) = 2173.
Rashi
but preserve his life that it does not go out. From here the Sages said, “The Adversary’s pain was greater than Job’s. This is analogous to one saying to his friend, ‘Break this barrel but preserve its wine.’”
Metzudat David
'Behold, he is in your hand' — behold, he is in your hand to strike him in his bone and his flesh, to cause him pain; only guard his life, so that it does not depart from the sheer intensity of the pain.
Malbim
“And Hashem said to Satan: Behold, he is in your hand” — He handed Job’s very self and body over into Satan’s hand as well, but only on condition that Satan spare his life. Our sages, of blessed memory, said — in a rhetorical flourish — that Satan’s distress was greater than Job’s distress, comparing it to one who tells another, “Break the cask, but preserve its wine” (Bava Batra 16a). That is: the force that had to stand against the side of loss and destruction (this force is Satan’s distress) was, in magnitude, greater than the force that had to stand against the side that sustains life (that is, Job’s distress) — for the side of loss far outweighed the side of preservation, and a great force was needed to tip the scale from loss back toward preservation.
So Satan went forth from the presence of Hashem, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot even to his crown.
verse value 2921
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 51 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "evil" (רָ֔ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "Job" (אֶת־אִיּוֹב֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: face·of, from·palm·of. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·he·smote" (וַיַּ֤ךְ), "with·boils" (בִּשְׁחִ֣ין), "from·palm·of" (מִכַּ֥ף). The root עד appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "face·of" (root פנים, 68x in Job); "Job" (root איוב, 56x in Job); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 32x in Job). First appearance of the root כף ("from·palm·of") in Job. First appearance of the root רגל ("his·foot") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
'So [Satan] went forth' — to strike Job. 'With sore boils' — the most painful kind. 'From the sole of his foot,' etc. — meaning, over the entire surface of his body.
Metzudat Zion
'The sole of his foot' — just as the inner part of the hand is called kaf (palm), so too the underside of the foot is called kaf (sole). 'His crown' — this is the middle of the head, the place where the hair parts, this way and that.
And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with it; and he sat among the ashes.
verse value 2362
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. Notable word values: "and·he" (וְה֖וּא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "with·it" (בּ֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·the·midst·of·the·ashes" (בְּתוֹךְ־הָאֵֽפֶר, 8 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·he·took·unto·him" (וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ל֣וֹ), "to·scrape·himself" (לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד), "in·the·midst·of·the·ashes" (בְּתוֹךְ־הָאֵֽפֶר). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he" (root הוא, 48x in Job). First appearance of the root ישב ("sitting") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיִּֽקַּֽח־ל֣וֹ [and·he·took·unto·him] (160) + חֶ֔רֶשׂ [potsherd] (508) + לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד [to·scrape·himself] (642) + בּ֑וֹ [with·it] (8) + וְה֖וּא [and·he] (18) + יֹשֵׁ֥ב [sitting] (312) + בְּתוֹךְ־הָאֵֽפֶר [in·the·midst·of·the·ashes] (714) = 2362.
Rashi
to scratch himself with Heb. להתגרד. This word is spelled with a “dalet.” It is a Mishnaic expression (Rosh Hashanah 27b): “If he scraped it (גרדו) and reduced it to its normal size,” but גורר with a “reish” is only an expression of dragging, like (Shabbath 29b), “A person may drag a bed or a bench.”
Ibn Ezra
'to scrape himself' — to rub himself; this word has no parallel elsewhere in Scripture. Some say [it means] ‘itch,’ as in ‘with scab and with itch’ (Deuteronomy 28:27). 'and he sat among the ashes' — in the manner of mourning, as in ‘he put on sackcloth, and sat in ashes’ (Jonah 3:6). And whoever says that he sat among the ashes to cool his boils must bring proof that the boils were hot and moist.
Metzudat David
'And he took him a potsherd' — Job took broken pieces of pottery in his hand to scrape with them the places of the boils. 'Among the ashes' — to cool the heat of the boils.
Metzudat Zion
'To scrape himself' — an expression of scratching; and in the words of our Sages, of blessed memory, 'he scratches in his usual way and need not be concerned' (Shabbat 147).
Malbim
“And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself with it” — The Midrash explains that from the waist up he had dry boils, for which he needed a shard to scratch himself, and from the waist down he had weeping boils, for which he needed to sit among the ashes that would draw out the discharge; and the remedy for the one was harmful to the other, similar to a wasp-sting and a scorpion-sting.
Then his wife said to him: ‘Do you still hold fast your integrity? blaspheme God, and die.’
verse value 3265
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (לוֹ֙) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (לוֹ֙, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·she·said" (וַתֹּ֤אמֶר, 5 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "his·wife" (אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ), "still·you" (עֹדְךָ֖), "in·your·integrity" (בְּתֻמָּתֶ֑ךָ). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "and·die" (root מות, 23x in Job). First appearance of the root אשה ("his·wife") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·your·integrity', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֤אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + לוֹ֙ [to·him] (36) + אִשְׁתּ֔וֹ [his·wife] (707) + עֹדְךָ֖ [still·you] (94) + מַחֲזִ֣יק [holding] (165) + בְּתֻמָּתֶ֑ךָ [in·your·integrity] (862) + בָּרֵ֥ךְ [blaspheme] (222) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + וָמֻֽת [and·die] (446) = 3265.
Rashi
maintain Heb. מחזיק, hold. and die Heb. ומת. This is an imperative expression, as (Deut. 32: 50), “And die on the mountain.”
Metzudat David
'Do you still' [hold fast your integrity] — you still cling to your integrity; it is as if she said: hold onto it no longer, but rather blaspheme Hashem — through that sin you will die at once, and that would be better for you than continuing to live amid such painful suffering.
Metzudat Zion
'Blaspheme' — the Hebrew literally says 'bless'; it is used as a respectful euphemism in place of its opposite, out of deference to the One above.
Malbim
“Do you still hold fast your integrity?” — The first time, Job had blessed Hashem over the calamity, as it is written, “Blessed be the name of Hashem” (Job 1:21); but this time he did not bless Hashem — he only fell silent, for in his heart he was not as wholehearted this time as he had been then. So his wife said to him, to taunt him: Look, the first time, when you blessed Hashem over the calamity — thereby showing that you are wholehearted with Him — He went on to strike your body too. And if you bless Him again now, He will surely go on to strike your very soul until you die, for He has nothing else left with which to strike you. So then, since you still hold fast your integrity, why are you silent this time and not blessing over the calamity? Bless God now too, and die! This was a mocking jibe at him for having blessed the first time.
But he said to her: ‘You speak as one of the impious women speaks. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?’ For all this Job did not sin with his lips.
verse value 5448
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 81 letters. The shortest word is "also" (גַּ֣ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·impious" (הַנְּבָלוֹת֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 182: we·shall·receive, we·shall·receive. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "to·her" (אֵלֶ֗יהָ), "like·to·speak" (כְּדַבֵּ֞ר), "the·impious" (הַנְּבָלוֹת֙). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 142x in Job); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 108x in Job); "to·her" (root אל, 86x in Job). First appearance of the root אחד ("one·of") in Job. First appearance of the root נבל ("the·impious") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'we·shall·receive', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 4 words.
Rashi
also Is it not enough that He created us? Should we also accept the good, but not accept the evil? This is a wonder. with his lips but in his heart he did sin.
Ibn Ezra
'For all this Job did not sin with his lips' — to indicate that he would yet sin with his lips, and utter words from his mouth out of his great anguish.
Metzudat David
'As one of the impious women speaks,' etc. — you talk the way one of the impious women talks. 'Also the good' — meaning: granted that the Almighty has now done us evil, a time will yet come when we will receive the good as well, and we will no longer go on receiving evil. 'For all this' — although he was stricken in his body and found himself facing one who incited him to sin, nevertheless he did not sin with his lips by blaspheming Hashem, as his wife had incited him to do.
Metzudat Zion
'The impious women' — the base and the vile.
Malbim
“What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?” — Although this reply appears to be the answer of a God-fearing, righteous man, and most commentators have explained it that way, closer scrutiny already reveals from his words that in his heart he was turning toward wicked and heretical thoughts — and this is revealed by the word “also.” The point is that he thought the good that exists in reality is mixed together with a great deal of evil. Moreover, it becomes clear from his subsequent argument that in his opinion the evil in the world outweighs the good, and therefore he thought it altogether impossible for Hashem to give good alone — for whoever wants to receive the good must necessarily also receive the evil. It is like one who wants to drink a great deal of wine, or eat a great deal of honey, because it is sweet to his palate: he cannot then complain if the wine makes him drunk or the honey upsets his stomach. Rather, the one who enjoys the wine and honey receives the good together with the harm — meaning, what he receives essentially and primarily is the harm, the drunkenness and the vomiting, and along with that harm, which is the greater part, he also receives the good. How, then, could he imagine that he would not receive the evil? So too here: since we also receive the good from God — meaning, since if we want to receive good from God, namely existence and life, we must necessarily also receive the evil, which predominates and multiplies over the good (the good being but a small part by comparison) — to the point that it would be fair to say that we receive the evil essentially and primarily, and along with it we also receive the good. For a person, on entering existence, receives a multitude of troubles, worries, and misfortunes that will meet him in his short span, and this is the essence of his birthright; and along with this he also receives the good, namely this brief life. So how could we not receive the evil, seeing that it is the main thing? Here Job has already revealed that his heart was full of the wicked notion that Hashem created man for his own harm, and that the evil in reality outweighs the good — and this is “a root that bears gall and wormwood” (Deuteronomy 29:18), a root of complaint against God’s ways for having created man to his own harm; and this is the foundation for all the bitter things he goes on to say later in his arguments. But since at this point he concealed this thought, and it is only hinted at through the word “also” in “also the good,” it is clear that although this view was already in his heart, Job still did not sin with his lips, for he had not yet given voice to his complaints — he only did so afterward. Hence our sages said: “With his lips he did not sin, but in his heart he sinned” (Bava Batra 16a).
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came every one from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite; and they made an appointment together to come to bemoan him and to comfort him.
verse value 6006
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 108 letters. Notable word values: "the·one·coming" (הַבָּ֣אָה) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 6006 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "friends·of" (רֵעֵ֣י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·they·heard" (וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·they·heard" (וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֞וּ), "the·one·coming" (הַבָּ֣אָה), "and·Zophar" (וְצוֹפַ֖ר). The root בוא appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·him" (root על, 90x in Job); "Job" (root איוב, 56x in Job); "the·one·coming" (root בוא, 51x in Job). First appearance of the root שמע ("and·they·heard") in Job. First appearance of the root על ("upon·him") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Naamathite', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 5 words.
Rashi
Job’s three friends Heb. רעי, those who loved him. to bemoan Heb. לנוד, as in (Isa. 51:19): “who will lament (ינוד) for you?”; (Jer. 22:10), “neither bemoan (תנדו) him.”
Ibn Ezra
'Eliphaz the Temanite' — of the family of Teman, son of Eliphaz, son of Esau (Genesis 36:11). And it seems more likely to me that he lived at a time close to that of Moses, for a person would not be identified by the name ‘Temanite’ except after several generations [had passed]. And our Sages said that Moses wrote the Book of Job. But it seems more likely to me that it is a translated book, and that is why it is difficult to interpret, as is the way with any translated book. 'the Shuhite' — of the sons of Keturah, Abraham's wife: Ishbak and Shuah (Genesis 25:2). 'the Naamathite' — we do not know whether this is named for a country or for a family.
Metzudat David
'Now...heard' — from those who told of it. 'Every one from his own place' — each one came from his own place to Job's place, and once there they gathered together to go to Job's house, to shake their heads over him, in the way one grieves over the distress of a friend, and also to comfort him with words of consolation.
Metzudat Zion
'And they made an appointment' — an expression of va'ad (assembly) and gathering.
Malbim
“Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came every one from his own place” — At first each one heard the news in his own province, and they set out from his own place, each one separately; and when they arrived in the land of Uz and met one another, they agreed together to come as a single company.
And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and did not know him, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent every one his mantle, and threw dust upon their heads toward heaven.
verse value 4673
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "and·not" (וְלֹ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "their·eyes" (אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶ֤ם, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 323: and·they·lifted, and·they·lifted. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "their·eyes" (אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶ֤ם), "they·recognized·him" (הִכִּירֻ֔הוּ), "their·voice" (קוֹלָ֖ם). The root נשא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 142x in Job); "their·eyes" (root עין, 46x in Job); "man" (root איש, 39x in Job). First appearance of the root נשא ("and·they·lifted") in Job. First appearance of the root עין ("their·eyes") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·wept', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
but they did not recognize him because his face had changed as a result of the agonies. towards heaven i.e., high over their heads. That was their mourning custom.
Metzudat David
'And did not know him' — for the look of his face had changed on account of the abundance of his troubles and pains. 'And they rent, every one' — each one tore his robe and threw dust up over their heads into the open sky, for such was their custom of mourning and grief.
So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spoke a word to him; for they saw that his grief was very great.
verse value 4081
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·none·speaking" (וְאֵין־דֹּבֵ֤ר, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Job. Unique to this verse in Job (hapax): "and·they·sat" (וַיֵּשְׁב֤וּ), "and·seven" (וְשִׁבְעַ֣ת), "nights" (לֵיל֑וֹת). The root שבע appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·him" (root אל, 86x in Job); "for" (root כי, 75x in Job); "days" (root יום, 59x in Job). First appearance of the root ליל ("nights") in Job. First appearance of the root ראה ("they·saw") in Job. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nights', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Rashi
on the ground On the ground, to share his pain.
Metzudat David
'Upon the ground' — on the bare earth, to share in his suffering by suffering with him. 'And none spoke a word' — none of them spoke a word to him, for they saw that his pain was very great, and they had not yet found a way to comfort him.
Metzudat David
Malbim