God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet. – Job 9:13

Today's Scripture Reading (July 7, 2021): Job 9

In "Four Quartets," T. S Eliot argues, "For last year's words belong to last year's language, And next year's words await another voice." Language is always a moving target, what one generation means by speaking a word can mean something completely different by the next. Even a simple word like "bad" can mean something that is wicked for one generation, only to reverse its meaning for the next and then reverse itself once again for the generation that dares to follow. Words are temporary and fleeting, and we have to await the next voice to find the word's current meaning.

It is also why I have long followed the practice of reading more than one translation of the Bible whenever I study a verse. And the reason why I do not recommend any one translation. And with sites like biblegateway.com, comparing the thoughts of different translators becomes more accessible and more effortless. The truth is that every translation has its strengths, but it also comes with its weaknesses because words change over time. My recommendation to those who want to read the Bible is to start with a version that you find easy to read. Any translation that is read is better than a great version that doesn't touch our hearts and souls because if the Bible remains on the shelf, untouched by human hands and unconsidered by human minds, it has no chance to affect our lives. We need to find the translation that fits us.

Interpreters have struggled with this verse, probably with good reason. The King James Version translates Job 9:13 as "If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him." The New Revised Standard Version is a little closer to the New International Version; the NRSV reads, "God will not turn back his anger; the helpers of Rahab bowed beneath him." The enduring question between the versions seems to be what to do with the name of Rahab.

The problem with Rahab is that it is a name that is full of meaning. Most prominently, it is the name of the woman who helped Israel when they first entered the Promised Land. "Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. 'Go, look over the land,' he said, 'especially Jericho.' So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there" (Joshua 2:1). It is this Rahab that finds her way into the genealogy of Jesus; "Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab" (Joshua 2:1).

But Rahab is also a name used to indicate Egypt. Isaiah uses it in this way in his writing.

A prophecy concerning the animals of the Negev:

Through a land of hardship and distress,
    of lions and lionesses,
    of adders and darting snakes,
the envoys carry their riches on donkeys' backs,
    their treasures on the humps of camels,
to that unprofitable nation,
to Egypt, whose help is utterly useless.
Therefore I call her
    Rahab the Do-Nothing (Isaiah 30:6-7).

But neither of these meanings can be what Job means when he refers to Rahab because Jericho and Egypt still belong to the pages of history that have yet to be written. So, rather than entering into the confusion by mentioning Rahab here, the King James Version interprets Job's meaning by inserting "the proud." And I understand the decision. But that does not remove the fact that Job speaks the name of Rahab.

So, is "the proud" what Job means when he speaks the name of Rahab? Maybe. But I think a better understanding is that he is speaking of a mythical sea monster, one that remained untamed regardless of who the warrior might be that met it. But when God refuses to restrain his anger, even the worst monsters of our imagination cower at his feet.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Job 10