Job 21:22

21:22 Can anyone teach ¹  God knowledge,

since ²  he judges those that are on high? ³ 

Job 15:2

15:2 “Does a wise man answer with blustery knowledge, ⁴ 

or fill his belly ⁵  with the east wind? ⁶ 

Job 35:16

35:16 So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; ⁷ 

without knowledge he multiplies words.”

Job 36:12

36:12 But if they refuse to listen,

they pass over the river of death, ⁸ 

and expire without knowledge.

Job 38:2

38:2 “Who is this ⁹  who darkens counsel ¹⁰ 

with words without knowledge?

Job 42:3

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 

[21:22]  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.

[21:22]  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.

[21:22]  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?”

[15:2]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew is דַעַת־רוּחַ (da’at-ruakh). This means knowledge without any content, vain knowledge.

[15:2]  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.

[15:2]  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.

[35:16]  ⁷ tn The word הֶבֶל (hevel) means “vanity; futility; to no purpose.”

[36:12]  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).

[38:2]  ¹³ tn The demonstrative pronoun is used here to emphasize the interrogative pronoun (see GKC 442 §136.c).

[38:2]  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.”

[42:3]  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.

[42:3]  ¹⁷ tn The word לָכֵן (lakhen) is simply “but,” as in Job 31:37.

[42:3]  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.”

[42:3]  ¹⁹ tn The last clause is “and I do not know.” This is also subordinated to become a dependent clause.