Ayub 12:15

12:15 If he holds back the waters, then they dry up; ¹ 

if he releases them, ²  they destroy ³  the land.

Ayub 38:10

38:10 when I prescribed ⁴  its limits,

and set ⁵  in place its bolts and doors,

[12:15]  ¹ tc The LXX has a clarification: “he will dry the earth.”

[12:15]  ² sn The verse is focusing on the two extremes of drought and flood. Both are described as being under the power of God.

[12:15]  ³ tn The verb הָפַךְ (hafakh) means “to overthrow; to destroy; to overwhelm.” It was used in Job 9:5 for “overturning” mountains. The word is used in Genesis for the destruction of Sodom.

[38:10]  ⁴ tc The MT has “and I broke,” which cannot mean “set, prescribed” or the like. The LXX and the Vulgate have such a meaning, suggesting a verb עֲשִׁית (’ashiyt, “plan, prescribe”). A. Guillaume finds an Arabic word with a meaning “measured it by span by my decree.” Would God give himself a decree? R. Gordis simply argues that the basic meaning “break” develops the connotation of “decide, determine” (2 Sam 5:24; Job 14:3; Dan 11:36).

[38:10]  ⁵ tn Dhorme suggested reversing the two verbs, making this the first, and then “shatter” for the second colon.