He begs them to observe him more closely; בְּ פָּנָה, as Ecc 2:11, to observe scrutinizingly. אִם is the sign of negative asseveration (Ges. §155, 2, f). He will not indeed shamelessly give them the lie, viz., in respect to the greatness and inexplicableness of his suffering. The challenging שׁוּבוּ we do not translate: retrace your steps, but: begin afresh, to which both the following clauses are better suited. So Schlottm. and von Gerlach. Hahn retains the Chethib שׁובי, in the signification: my answer; but that is impossible: to answer is הֵשִׁיב, not שׁוּב. The עוד drawn to שׁובו by Rebia mugrasch is more suitably joined with צדקי־בה, in which בָּהּ refers neutrally to the matter of which it treats. They are to try from the beginning to find that comfort which will meet the case. Their accusations are עַוְלָה; his complaints, on the contrary, are fully justified. He does not grant that the outburst of his feeling of pain (Job 3) is עַוְלָה: he has not so completely lost his power against temptation, that he would not restrain himself, if he should fall into הַוֹּות. Thus wickedness, which completely contaminates feeling and utterance, is called (Psa 52:4).