11:8 It is higher 1 than the heavens – what can you do?
It is deeper than Sheol 2 – what can you know?
22:17 They were saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,’
and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’ 3
34:22 There is no darkness, and no deep darkness,
where evildoers can hide themselves. 4
36:23 Who has prescribed his ways for him?
Or said to him, ‘You have done what is wicked’?
1 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.”
2 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.
3 tn The form in the text is “to them.” The LXX and the Syriac versions have “to us.”
5 tn The construction of this colon uses the Niphal infinitive construct from סָתַר (satar, “to be hidden; to hide”). The resumptive adverb makes this a relative clause in its usage: “where the evildoers can hide themselves.”