Job 35:15
וְעַתָּ֗ה כִּי־֭אַיִן פָּקַ֣ד אַפֹּ֑ו וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע בַּפַּ֣שׁ מְאֹֽד׃
Temporal Transition: וְעַתָּה
The conjunction וְעַתָּה (“and now”) signals a shift in argument or emphasis. In the dialogue of Elihu, it often serves to draw a conclusion or highlight what follows as a consequence or observation. Its role is both temporal and rhetorical — pressing the hearer toward immediate reflection.
Negation of Action: כִּי־אַיִן פָּקַד אַפֹּו
This clause contains the conjunction כִּי (“because” or “indeed”), introducing the cause or grounds for the statement. אַיִן is a negation particle indicating nonexistence — “there is no.” It governs the clause פָּקַד אַפֹּו (“he has visited with his anger”), which uses the verb פָּקַד in the Qal perfect 3ms, meaning “to attend, visit, punish.” אַף (“anger”) with the suffix ־וֹ (“his”) stands as the object — “his anger.” The whole clause thus means: “there is no visitation/punishment of his anger.”
Verbal Contrast: וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע
וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע uses לֹא for standard negation, paired with the verb יָדַע (Qal perfect 3ms from י־ד־ע, “to know”). While אַיִן negates existence, לֹא negates action or knowledge. The subject is implicit, likely referring to God or a human judge depending on interpretation. The clause means “he does not know,” or more interpretively, “he gives no attention.”
Locative Phrase: בַּפַּשׁ מְאֹד
בַּפַּשׁ uses the preposition בְּ with the noun פֶּשׁ (“transgression”), with the definite article assimilated. The word מְאֹד (“very much, exceedingly”) intensifies the phrase — “in great transgression.” The full expression וְלֹֽא־יָדַ֖ע בַּפַּשׁ מְאֹד implies that no attention is paid even in the face of excessive wrongdoing — a poetic accusation of divine delay or hiddenness.
Parsing Table: Key Forms in Job 35:15
| Hebrew Word | Root | Form | Function |
|---|---|---|---|
| אַיִן | ־ | Negation particle | Nonexistence — “there is no” |
| פָּקַד | פ־ק־ד | Qal perfect (3ms) | “He visited / attended to” — here, judicially |
| יָדַע | י־ד־ע | Qal perfect (3ms) | “He knew / paid attention” |
| בַּפַּשׁ | פ־שׁ־ע | Preposition + definite noun | “In the transgression” |
| מְאֹד | ־ | Adverb | “Exceedingly” — intensifies the noun before it |
The Grammar of Absence
In this terse and haunting verse, Hebrew grammar lays bare a theological tension: the absence of judgment in the face of evil. Through negation particles, perfect verbs, and intensified nouns, Job’s speaker frames divine silence as not only troubling but structurally evident. The grammar itself becomes a cry — not of rebellion, but of unanswered justice.
