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The Wicked, Letter Lifted (I) — Job 38:13

רְשָׁעִים

resha'im — “the wicked”

The Wicked, Letter Lifted (I) — Job 38:13 in the Leningrad Codex
Job 38:13 in the Leningrad Codex — the anomaly is marked.

What to look for

In the whirlwind speech — 'that the wicked be shaken out of the earth' — the ayin of resha'im rides above the line.

What it is

A suspended letter, paired with its twin two verses later (38:15).

Why it matters

With the ayin lifted out, the word momentarily reads rashim — 'the poor.' The wicked and the poor swap places in a single floating letter.

How it has been understood

Tradition plays on that swap: in this world the wicked strut while their judgment hangs over them unnoticed — but morning comes, and the earth is shaken like a garment. The raised letter is judgment suspended, not cancelled.

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