26:6 The underworld 1 is naked before God; 2
the place of destruction lies uncovered. 3
139:7 Where can I go to escape your spirit?
Where can I flee to escape your presence? 4
139:8 If I were to ascend 5 to heaven, you would be there.
If I were to sprawl out in Sheol, there you would be. 6
139:9 If I were to fly away 7 on the wings of the dawn, 8
and settle down on the other side 9 of the sea,
139:10 even there your hand would guide me,
your right hand would grab hold of me.
2:19 They 10 will go into caves in the rocky cliffs
and into holes in the ground, 11
trying to escape the dreadful judgment of the Lord 12
and his royal splendor,
when he rises up to terrify the earth. 13
1 tn Heb “Sheol.”
2 tn Heb “before him.”
3 tn The line has “and there is no covering for destruction.” “Destruction” here is another name for Sheol: אֲבַדּוֹן (’avaddon, “Abaddon”).
4 tn Heb “Where can I go from your spirit, and where from your face can I flee?” God’s “spirit” may refer here (1) to his presence (note the parallel term, “your face,” and see Ps 104:29-30, where God’s “face” is his presence and his “spirit” is the life-giving breath he imparts) or (2) to his personal Spirit (see Ps 51:10).
5 tn The Hebrew verb סָלַק (salaq, “to ascend”) occurs only here in the OT, but the word is well-attested in Aramaic literature from different time periods and displays a wide semantic range (see DNWSI 2:788-90).
6 tn Heb “look, you.”
7 tn Heb “rise up.”
8 sn On the wings of the dawn. This personification of the “dawn” may find its roots in mythological traditions about the god Shachar, whose birth is described in an Ugaritic myth (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 126) and who is mentioned in Isa 14:12 as the father of Helel.
9 tn Heb “at the end.”
10 tn The identity of the grammatical subject is unclear. The “idols” could be the subject; they will “go” into the caves and holes when the idolaters throw them there in their haste to escape God’s judgment (see vv. 20-21). The picture of the idols, which represent the foreign deities worshiped by the people, fleeing from the Lord would be highly polemical and fit the overall mood of the chapter. However it seems more likely that the idolaters themselves are the subject, for v. 10 uses similar language in sarcastically urging them to run from judgment.
11 tn Heb “dust”; ASV “into the holes of the earth.”
12 tn Heb “from the dread of the Lord,” that is, from the dread that he produces in the objects of his judgment.” The words “trying to escape” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
13 tn Or “land.” It is not certain if these verses are describing the judgment of Judah (see vv. 6-9) or a more universal judgment on all proud men.