23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a human being, 1 that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? 2
23:1 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
32:8 But it is a spirit in people,
the breath 9 of the Almighty,
that makes them understand.
1 tn Heb “son of man.”
2 tn The verb is the Hiphil of קוּם (qum, “to cause to rise; to make stand”). The meaning here is more of the sense of fulfilling the promises made.
3 sn The first part of Balaam’s activity ends in disaster for Balak – he blesses Israel. The chapter falls into four units: the first prophecy (vv. 1-10), the relocation (vv. 11-17), the second prophecy (vv. 18-24), and a further location (vv. 25-30).
4 tn This statement is introduced in the Hebrew text by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows.
5 tn Heb “I am doing according to your words.” The perfect tense is sometimes used of actions occurring at the same time a statement is made.
6 tn This statement is introduced by the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh, “look”) which draws attention to and emphasizes what follows. The translation assumes that the perfect tense here indicates that the action occurs as the statement is made (i.e., “right now I give you”).
7 tn Heb “heart.” (The Hebrew term translated “heart” often refers to the mental faculties.)
8 tn Heb “so that there has not been one like you prior to you, and after you one will not arise like you.”
9 tn This is the word נְשָׁמָה (nÿshamah, “breath”); according to Gen 2:7 it was breathed into Adam to make him a living person (“soul”). With that divine impartation came this spiritual understanding. Some commentators identify the רוּחַ (ruakh) in the first line as the Spirit of God; this “breath” would then be the human spirit. Whether Elihu knew that much, however, is hard to prove.