Introduction to Job 37:20
This verse is part of Elihu’s speech, highlighting humanity’s unworthiness to speak before or about God. It consists of rhetorical and conditional clauses, structured to express fear and silence. The verse uses interrogative particles and hypothetical conditional syntax with particles such as אִם (“if”) and כִּי (“when, that, for”), illustrating the layered, poetic style of Job. This lesson focuses on how interrogative and conditional constructions are structured in Biblical Hebrew, particularly in Wisdom Literature.
הַֽיְסֻפַּר־֭לֹו כִּ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר אִֽם־אָ֥מַר אִ֝֗ישׁ כִּ֣י יְבֻלָּֽע׃
Analysis of Key Words and Structures
- הַֽיְסֻפַּר־לֹו (hayesuppar-lo) – “Shall it be told to him?”
– Interrogative prefix הֲ + passive verb יְסֻפַּר (Pual imperfect 3ms from ספר, “to tell”).
– לֹו = “to him.”
– Entire phrase is a rhetorical question: “Can he be told?” (referring to God). - כִּ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר (ki ʾadabber) – “that I would speak.”
– כִּי can function here as a causal/concessive particle: “that,” “when,” or “for.”
– Verb אֲדַבֵּר is Piʿel imperfect 1cs from דבר, expressing intention or volition.
– Together with the previous clause: “Shall it be told to Him that I would speak?” – rhetorical humility. - אִם־אָ֥מַר (im amar) – “if one speaks.”
– אִם introduces a conditional clause: “if.”
– Verb אָמַר is Qal perfect 3ms, but in conditional usage it can function generically or as gnomic tense.
– Subject is implied: “a man,” as clarified in the next phrase. - אִישׁ כִּ֣י יְבֻלָּֽע (ʾish ki yevullaʿ) – “a man—when he is swallowed up.”
– אִישׁ = “a man.”
– כִּי introduces a subordinate clause: “for / when / that.”
– יְבֻלָּע is Nifal imperfect 3ms from בלע (“to be swallowed”).
– The phrase suggests the consequence: if a man dares to speak, he is overwhelmed (i.e., silenced or destroyed).
Rhetorical and Conditional Clauses in Wisdom Syntax
This verse is a masterclass in Wisdom poetry’s multi-layered clause structure. It opens with a rhetorical question:
– הַֽיְסֻפַּר־לֹו כִּ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר – “Shall it be told to Him that I would speak?”
The speaker challenges the very idea of addressing God. The rhetorical device here employs:
– A passive verb in a question (יְסֻפַּר)
– Followed by a subjunctive intent (אֲדַבֵּר) to express deep awe and restraint.
The second part continues with a conditional chain:
– אִם־אָמַר אִישׁ – “If a man speaks…”
– כִּ֣י יְבֻלָּֽע – “then he is swallowed up.”
No formal “then” appears, which is common in Hebrew conditionals. Instead, the second clause follows with כִּי, functioning temporally or consequentially (“when/for”).
The result is poetic compression: the act of speaking is inherently risky, and leads to being “swallowed”—whether figuratively (shamed) or literally (destroyed by divine judgment).
Why Conditional and Interrogative Grammar Encodes Reverence in Job
Job 37:20 illustrates how Hebrew grammar carries theological humility. Rhetorical structures like:
– הַ… כִּי… = “Shall it be… that I speak?”
– אִם… כִּי… = “If a man… then he is swallowed.”
…convey not just uncertainty but existential caution.
The grammar mirrors the message:
– Speech before God is dangerous.
– Intentions collapse before divine majesty.
In Wisdom literature, syntax is theology. Here, interrogative and conditional forms highlight humanity’s frailty, reminding the reader: God listens—but not always with indulgence.
Thus, reverence in Job is not merely thematic—it is embedded in the very clause structure of the Hebrew.
