19:16 On 1 the third day in the morning there was thunder and lightning and a dense 2 cloud on the mountain, and the sound of a very loud 3 horn; 4 all the people who were in the camp trembled.
20:18 All the people were seeing 5 the thundering and the lightning, and heard 6 the sound of the horn, and saw 7 the mountain smoking – and when 8 the people saw it they trembled with fear 9 and kept their distance. 10
VI. The Divine Speeches (38:1-42:6)
The Lord’s First Speech 1138:1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 12
50:3 Our God approaches and is not silent; 13
consuming fire goes ahead of him
and all around him a storm rages. 14
30:30 The Lord will give a mighty shout 15
and intervene in power, 16
with furious anger and flaming, destructive fire, 17
with a driving rainstorm and hailstones.
1:4 As I watched, I noticed 18 a windstorm 19 coming from the north – an enormous cloud, with lightning flashing, 20 such that bright light 21 rimmed it and came from 22 it like glowing amber 23 from the middle of a fire.
37:7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. There was a sound when I prophesied – I heard 24 a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to bone.
1:3 The Lord is slow to anger 25 but great in power; 26
the Lord will certainly not 27 allow the wicked 28 to go unpunished.
He marches out 29 in the whirlwind and the raging storm;
dark storm clouds billow like dust 30 under his feet. 31
1:6 No one can withstand 32 his indignation! 33
No one can resist 34 his fierce anger! 35
His wrath is poured out like volcanic fire,
boulders are broken up 36 as he approaches. 37
20:11 Then 44 I saw a large 45 white throne and the one who was seated on it; the earth and the heaven 46 fled 47 from his presence, and no place was found for them.
1 tn Heb “and it was on.”
2 tn Heb “heavy” (כָּבֵד, kaved).
3 tn Literally “strong” (חָזָק, khazaq).
4 tn The word here is שֹׁפָר (shofar), the normal word for “horn.” This word is used especially to announce something important in a public event (see 1 Kgs 1:34; 2 Sam 6:15). The previous word used in the context (v. 16) was יֹבֵל (yovel, “ram’s horn”).
5 tn The participle is used here for durative action in the past time (GKC 359 §116.o).
6 tn The verb “to see” (רָאָה, ra’ah) refers to seeing with all the senses, or perceiving. W. C. Kaiser suggests that this is an example of the figure of speech called zeugma because the verb “saw” yokes together two objects, one that suits the verb and the other that does not. So, the verb “heard” is inserted here to clarify (“Exodus,” EBC 2:427).
7 tn The verb “saw” is supplied here because it is expected in English (see the previous note on “heard”).
8 tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the following clause, which receives the prominence.
9 tn The meaning of נוּעַ (nua’) is “to shake, sway to and fro” in fear. Compare Isa 7:2 – “and his heart shook…as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”
10 tn Heb “and they stood from/at a distance.”
11 sn This is the culmination of it all, the revelation of the
12 sn This is not the storm described by Elihu – in fact, the
13 tn According to GKC 322 §109.e, the jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al) is used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.”
14 tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”
15 tn Heb “the Lord will cause the splendor of his voice to be heard.”
16 tn Heb “and reveal the lowering of his arm.”
17 tn Heb “and a flame of consuming fire.”
18 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
19 sn Storms are often associated with appearances of God (see Nah 1:3; Ps 18:12). In some passages, the “storm” (סְעָרָה, sÿ’arah) may be a whirlwind (Job 38:1, 2 Kgs 2:1).
20 tn Heb “fire taking hold of itself,” perhaps repeatedly. The phrase occurs elsewhere only in Exod 9:24 in association with a hailstorm. The LXX interprets the phrase as fire flashing like lightning, but it is possibly a self-sustaining blaze of divine origin. The LXX also reverses the order of the descriptors, i.e., “light went around it and fire flashed like lightning within it.”
21 tn Or “radiance.” The term also occurs in 1:27b.
22 tc Or “was in it”; cf. LXX ἐν τῷ μέσῳ αὐτοῦ (en tw mesw autou, “in its midst”).
23 tn The LXX translates חַשְׁמַל (khashmal) with the word ἤλεκτρον (hlektron, “electrum”; so NAB), an alloy of silver and gold, perhaps envisioning a comparison to the glow of molten metal.
24 tn The word הִנֵּה (hinneh, traditionally “behold”) indicates becoming aware of something and has been translated here as a verb.
25 tn Heb “long of anger,” i.e., “slow to anger” (Exod 34:6; Num 14:18; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Pss 86:15; 103:8; 145:8; Prov 14:29; 15:18; 16:32; Neh 9:17) or restraining anger (Jer 15:15; Prov 25:15). Cf. NCV “The Lord does not become angry quickly.”
26 tc The BHS editors suggest emending MT “power” (כֹּחַ, koakh) to “mercy” (חֶסֶד, khesed) as in Exod 34:6; Num 14:18; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2; Ps 103:8; Neh 9:17. However, this is unnecessary, it has no textual support, and it misses the rhetorical point intended by Nahum’s modification of the traditional expression.
27 tn Or “he will certainly not acquit [the wicked]”; KJV “and will not at all acquit the wicked.” The root נָקַה (naqah, “to acquit”) is repeated for emphasis. The phrase “he will certainly not allow the wicked to go unpunished” (וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה, vÿnaqqeh lo’ yÿnaqqeh) is an emphatic construction (see GKC 215 §75.hh; IBHS 584-88 §35.3.1).
28 tn The words “the wicked” are not in the Hebrew text but are supplied in the translation; they are implied when this idiom is used (Exod 34:7; Num 14:18). In legal contexts the nuance “the guilty” is most appropriate; in nonlegal contexts the nuance “the wicked” is used.
29 tn Heb “His way is in the whirlwind” (so NIV). The noun דַּרְכּוֹ (darko, “his way”) is nuanced here in a verbal sense. The noun דֶּרֶךְ (derekh) often denotes a “journey” (Gen 28:20; 30:36; 45:23; Num 9:10; Josh 9:13; 1 Sam 21:6; 1 Kgs 18:27). The verb דָּרַךְ (darakh) often means “to tread a path” (Job 22:15) and “to march out” (Judg 5:21). The
30 tn Heb “clouds are dust.”
31 tn Heb “of his feet.”
32 tn Heb “stand before” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV, NLT). The Hebrew verb עָמַד (’amad, “stand”) here denotes “to resist, withstand.” It is used elsewhere of warriors taking a stand in battle to hold their ground against enemies (Judg 2:14; Josh 10:8; 21:44; 23:9; 2 Kgs 10:4; Dan 11:16; Amos 2:15). It is also used of people trying to protect their lives from enemy attack (Esth 8:11; 9:16). Like a mighty warrior, the
33 tn Heb “Who can stand before his indignation?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer; it is translated here as an emphatic denial. The Hebrew noun זַעַם (za’am, “indignation, curse”) connotes the angry wrath or indignant curse of God (Isa 10:5, 25; 13:5; 26:20; 30:27; Jer 10:10; 15:17; 50:25; Ezek 21:36; 22:24, 31; Hab 3:12; Zeph 3:8; Pss 38:4; 69:25; 78:49; 102:11; Lam 2:6; Dan 8:19; 11:36). It depicts anger expressed in the form of punishment (HALOT 276 s.v.; TWOT 1:247).
34 tn Heb “Who can rise up against…?” The verb יָקוּם (yaqum, “arise”) is here a figurative expression connoting resistance. Although the adversative sense of בְּ (bet) with יָקוּם (yaqum, “against him”) is attested, denoting hostile action taken against one’s enemy (Mic 7:6; Ps 27:12), the locative sense (“before him”) is preferred due to the parallelism with לִפְנֵי (lifney, “before him”).
35 tn Heb “Who can rise up against the heat of his anger?” The rhetorical question expects a negative answer which is translated as an emphatic denial to clarify the point.
36 tn Or “burst into flames.” The Niphal perfect נִתְּצוּ (nittÿtsu) from נָתַץ (natats, “to break up, throw down”) may denote “are broken up” or “are thrown down.” The BHS editors suggest emending the MT’s נִתְּצוּ (nittÿtsu) to נִצְּתּוּ (nitsÿtu, Niphal perfect from יָצַת [yatsat, “to burn, to kindle, to burst into flames”]): “boulders burst into flames.” This merely involves the simple transposition of the second and third consonants. This emendation is supported by a few Hebrew
37 tn Heb “before him” (so NAB, NIV, TEV).
38 tn This describes the nation of Israel approaching God on Mt. Sinai (Exod 19). There is a clear contrast with the reference to Mount Zion in v. 22, so this could be translated “a mountain that can be touched.” But the word “mountain” does not occur here and the more vague description seems to be deliberate.
39 tn Grk “a voice of words.”
40 tn Grk “a voice…from which those who heard begged that a word not be added to them.”
41 sn A quotation from Exod 19:12-13.
42 tn Grk “that which appeared.”
43 tn Grk “I am terrified and trembling.”
44 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.
45 tn Traditionally, “great,” but μέγας (megas) here refers to size rather than importance.
46 tn Or “and the sky.” The same Greek word means both “heaven” and “sky,” and context usually determines which is meant. In this apocalyptic scene, however, it is difficult to be sure what referent to assign the term.
47 tn Or “vanished.”