Tag Archives: Job 22:8

Power and Possession — Ellipsis, Inversion, and the Irony of Control

וְאִ֣ישׁ זְ֭רֹועַ לֹ֣ו הָאָ֑רֶץ וּנְשׂ֥וּא פָ֝נִ֗ים יֵ֣שֶׁב בָּֽהּ׃ (Job 22:8) But the man of strength—he possessed the land; and the one lifted in face dwelled in it. Opening the Frame Job 22:8 is part of Eliphaz’s sweeping accusation against Job, painting a world where the strong dominate and the elite are rewarded. But behind the simplicity of the Hebrew lies a puzzle of syntax and meaning. The verse lacks a finite verb in its first clause and presents two ambiguous noun phrases whose relationship is left unsaid.… Learn Hebrew
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