Job 15:2

15:2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, ¹ 

or fill his belly ²  with the east wind? ³ 

Job 36:12

36:12 But if they refuse to listen,

they pass over the river of death, ⁴ 

and expire without knowledge.

Job 37:16

37:16 Do you know about the balancing ⁵  of the clouds,

that wondrous activity of him who is perfect in knowledge?

[15:2]  ¹ tn The Hebrew is דַעַת־רוּחַ (da’at-ruakh). This means knowledge without any content, vain knowledge.

[15:2]  ² 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.

[15:2]  ³ 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.

[36:12]  ⁴ 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).

[37:16]  ⁷ tn As indicated by HALOT 618 s.v. מִפְלָשׂ, the concept of “balancing” probably refers to “floating” or “suspension” (cf. NIV’s “how the clouds hang poised” and J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 481-82, n. 2).