Question
Dear Rabbi Ari
Thank you for explaining the meaning of ba-ad in Job.
בְּעַד
For haSatan to say beat or harm skin of Job in opposite of someone else skin it must mean that it is referring to haSatan skin. He is asking for pay back. In the garden when Hashem clothed Adam & Eve do you think the originally shiny skin of the serpent was molted and used to clothe Adam? Also haSatan then says to harm bone of Job too, since he couldn’t stand upright anymore he must have lost his bones of the leg but since man did not receive it unlike the skin so he cannot say ba-ad this time. He also did not say tachath in skin for skin
תַּחַת as he doesn’t want skin from Job as he just wants to hurt the skin of Job in anger.
Many thanks and Shalom, Guy
Answer
No, as I wrote previously, it's referring to the leather (=skin) of the shield which is opposite Job's skin to protect it, while others explain that when attacked, a man will raise his arm and that skin bears the brunt in order to protect the skin of his head, but it clearly isn't referring to the Satan.
Your theory about the snake's skin being that which God made Adam & Eve's leather garments, is actually found in the midrash of Pirkei dR. Eliezer and the Radak even believes that this is the literal meaning there!
The term "etzem" is sometimes translated as "bone", but in this context, refers more to "himself".
In general, may I make a friendly but important suggestion: that before you attempt to work so hard to figure out the meaning yourself, and often guessing to do so, the traditional way of study (which will also save you a lot of time and will be much more accurate) is to first learn and compare the classic commentators like Rashi & Radak (you can find English translations), while simultaneously learning Hebrew properly, and afterwards you can then study the text seriously and offer your own interpretations. Otherwise, you will inevitably often come up with incorrect, sometimes embarrassing, mistakes. You may also sometimes be correct, like in the case of the snake's skin which was a nice and innovative comment, and it's surely more "fun" and challenging to try and figure out for yourself, but with all due respect, the Bible, the greatest book in history, deserves a more serious approach than an amateur "hit or miss" gambling, especially if you relate to it as the Book of God. All the best in your striving for truth and study of the Book of Books!
