Deuteronomy 33:27

33:27 The everlasting God is a refuge,

and underneath you are his eternal arms; ¹ 

he has driven out enemies before you,

and has said, “Destroy!”

Job 23:8-9

The Inaccessibility and Power of God

23:8 “If I go to the east, he is not there,

and to the west, yet I do not perceive him.

23:9 In the north ²  when he is at work, ³ 

I do not see him; ⁴ 

when he turns ⁵  to the south,

I see no trace of him.

[33:27]  ¹ tn Heb “and from under, arms of perpetuity.” The words “you” and “his” are supplied in the translation for clarification. Some have perceived this line to be problematic and have offered alternative translations that differ significantly from the present translation: “He spread out the primeval tent; he extended the ancient canopy” (NAB); “He subdues the ancient gods, shatters the forces of old” (NRSV). These are based on alternate meanings or conjectural emendations rather than textual variants in the mss and versions.

[23:9]  ² sn The text has “the left hand,” the Semitic idiom for directions. One faces the rising sun, and so left is north, right is south.

[23:9]  ³ tc The form בַּעֲשֹׂתוֹ (ba’asoto) would be the temporal clause using the infinitive construct with a pronoun (subject genitive). This would be “when he works.” Several follow the Syriac with “I seek him.” The LXX has “[when] he turns.” R. Gordis (Job, 261) notes that there is no need to emend the text; he shows a link to the Arabic cognate ghasa, “to cover.” To him this is a perfect parallel to יַעְטֹף (ya’tof, “covers himself”).

[23:9]  ⁴ tn The verb is the apocopated form of the imperfect. The object is supplied.

[23:9]  ⁵ tn The MT has “he turns,” but the Syriac and Vulgate have “I turn.”