Ayub 11:7-9

11:7 “Can you discover ¹  the essence ²  of God?

Can you find out ³ 

the perfection of the Almighty? ⁴ 

11:8 It is higher ⁵  than the heavens – what can you do?

It is deeper than Sheol ⁶  – what can you know?

11:9 Its measure is longer than the earth,

and broader than the sea.

Mazmur 19:2-5

19:2 Day after day it speaks out; ⁷ 

night after night it reveals his greatness. ⁸ 

19:3 There is no actual speech or word,

nor is its ⁹  voice literally heard.

19:4 Yet its voice ¹⁰  echoes ¹¹  throughout the earth;

its ¹²  words carry ¹³  to the distant horizon. ¹⁴ 

In the sky ¹⁵  he has pitched a tent for the sun. ¹⁶ 

19:5 Like a bridegroom it emerges ¹⁷  from its chamber; ¹⁸ 

like a strong man it enjoys ¹⁹  running its course. ²⁰ 

[11:7]  ¹ tn The verb is מָצָא (matsa’, “to find; to discover”). Here it should be given the nuance of potential imperfect. And, in the rhetorical question it is affirming that Job cannot find out the essence of God.

[11:7]  ² tn The word means “search; investigation”; but it here means what is discovered in the search (so a metonymy of cause for the effect).

[11:7]  ³ tn The same verb is now found in the second half of the verse, with a slightly different sense – “attain, reach.” A. R. Ceresko notes this as an example of antanaclasis (repetition of a word with a lightly different sense – “find/attain”). See “The Function of Antanaclasis in Hebrew Poetry,” CBQ 44 (1982): 560-61.

[11:7]  ⁴ tn The abstract תַּכְלִית (takhlit) from כָּלָה (kalah, “to be complete; to be perfect”) may mean the end or limit of something, perhaps to perfection. So the NIV has “can you probe the limits of the Almighty?” The LXX has: “have you come to the end of that which the Almighty has made?”

[11:8]  ⁵ tn The Hebrew says “heights of heaven, what can you do?” A. B. Davidson suggested this was an exclamation and should be left that way. But most commentators will repoint גָּבְהֵי שָׁמַיִם (govhe shamayim, “heights of heaven”) to גְּבֹהָה מִשָּׁמַיִם (gÿvohah mishamayim, “higher than the heavens”) to match the parallel expression. The LXX may have rearranged the text: “heaven is high.”

[11:8]  ⁶ tn Or “deeper than hell.” The word “Sheol” always poses problems for translation. Here because it is the opposite of heaven in this merism, “hell” would be a legitimate translation. It refers to the realm of the dead – the grave and beyond. The language is excessive; but the point is that God’s wisdom is immeasurable – and Job is powerless before it.

[19:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “it gushes forth a word.” The “sky” (see v. 1b) is the subject of the verb. Though not literally speaking (see v. 3), it clearly reveals God’s royal majesty. The sun’s splendor and its movement across the sky is in view (see vv. 4-6).

[19:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “it [i.e., the sky] declares knowledge,” i.e., knowledge about God’s royal majesty and power (see v. 1). This apparently refers to the splendor and movements of the stars. The imperfect verbal forms in v. 2, like the participles in the preceding verse, combine with the temporal phrases (“day after day” and “night after night”) to emphasize the ongoing testimony of the sky.

[19:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “their.” The antecedent of the plural pronoun is “heavens” (v. 1).

[19:4]  ¹⁰ tc The MT reads, “their measuring line” (קוּם, qum). The noun קַו (qav, “measuring line”) makes no sense in this context. The reading קוֹלָם (qolam, “their voice”) which is supported by the LXX, is preferable.

[19:4]  ¹¹ tn Heb “goes out,” or “proceeds forth.”

[19:4]  ¹² tn Heb “their” (see the note on the word “its” in v. 3).

[19:4]  ¹³ tn The verb is supplied in the translation. The Hebrew text has no verb; יָצָא (yatsa’, “goes out”) is understood by ellipsis.

[19:4]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to the end of the world.”

[19:4]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in them” (i.e., the heavens).

[19:4]  ¹⁶ sn He has pitched a tent for the sun. The personified sun emerges from this “tent” in order to make its daytime journey across the sky. So the “tent” must refer metaphorically to the place where the sun goes to rest during the night.

[19:5]  ¹⁷ tn The participle expresses the repeated or regular nature of the action.

[19:5]  ¹⁸ tn The Hebrew noun חֻפָּה (khufah, “chamber”) occurs elsewhere only in Isa 4:5 and Joel 2:16 (where it refers to the bedroom of a bride and groom).

[19:5]  sn Like a bridegroom. The metaphor likens the sun to a bridegroom who rejoices on his wedding night.

[19:5]  ¹⁹ tn The imperfect verbal form draws attention to the regularity of the action.

[19:5]  ²⁰ tn Heb “[on] a path.”

[19:5]  sn Like a strong man. The metaphorical language reflects the brilliance of the sunrise, which attests to the sun’s vigor.