21:22 Can anyone teach 1 God knowledge,
since 2 he judges those that are on high? 3
15:2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, 4
or fill his belly 5 with the east wind? 6
35:16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; 7
without knowledge he multiplies words.”
36:12 But if they refuse to listen,
they pass over the river of death, 8
and expire without knowledge.
38:2 “Who is this 9 who darkens counsel 10
with words without knowledge?
42:3 you asked, 11
‘Who is this who darkens counsel
without knowledge?’
But 12 I have declared without understanding 13
things too wonderful for me to know. 14
1 tn The imperfect verb in this question should be given the modal nuance of potential imperfect. The question is rhetorical – it is affirming that no one can teach God.
2 tn The clause begins with the disjunctive vav (ו) and the pronoun, “and he.” This is to be subordinated as a circumstantial clause. See GKC 456 §142.d.
3 tc The Hebrew has רָמִים (ramim), a plural masculine participle of רוּם (rum, “to be high; to be exalted”). This is probably a reference to the angels. But M. Dahood restores an older interpretation that it refers to “the Most High” (“Some Northwest Semitic words in Job,”Bib 38 [1957]: 316-17). He would take the word as a singular form with an enclitic mem (ם). He reads the verse, “will he judge the Most High?”
4 tn The Hebrew is דַעַת־רוּחַ (da’at-ruakh). This means knowledge without any content, vain knowledge.
5 tn The image is rather graphic. It is saying that he puffs himself up with the wind and then brings out of his mouth blasts of this wind.
6 tn The word for “east wind,” קָדִים (qadim), is parallel to “spirit/wind” also in Hos 12:2. The east wind is maleficent, but here in the parallelism it is so much hot air.
7 tn The word הֶבֶל (hevel) means “vanity; futility; to no purpose.”
10 tn This is a similar expression to the one in Job 33:18, where the suggestion was made by many that it means crossing over the canal or river of death. Some retain the earlier interpretation of “perish by the sword” (cf. NIV).
13 tn The demonstrative pronoun is used here to emphasize the interrogative pronoun (see GKC 442 §136.c).
14 sn The referent of “counsel” here is not the debate between Job and the friends, but the purposes of God (see Ps 33:10; Prov 19:21; Isa 19:17). Dhorme translates it “Providence.”
16 tn The expression “you asked” is added here to clarify the presence of the line to follow. Many commentators delete it as a gloss from Job 38:2. If it is retained, then Job has to be recalling God’s question before he answers it.
17 tn The word לָכֵן (lakhen) is simply “but,” as in Job 31:37.
18 tn Heb “and I do not understand.” The expression serves here in an adverbial capacity. It also could be subordinated as a complement: “I have declared [things that] I do not understand.”
19 tn The last clause is “and I do not know.” This is also subordinated to become a dependent clause.