Job 22:12

22:12 “Is not God on high in heaven? ¹ 

And see ²  the lofty stars, ³  how high they are!

Job 35:5

35:5 Gaze at the heavens and see;

consider the clouds, which are higher than you! ⁴ 

Job 35:2

35:2 “Do you think this to be ⁵  just:

when ⁶  you say, ‘My right before God.’ ⁷ 

Job 6:18

6:18 Caravans ⁸  turn aside from their routes;

they go ⁹  into the wasteland ¹⁰  and perish. ¹¹ 

Psalms 103:11

103:11 For as the skies are high above the earth,

so his loyal love towers ¹²  over his faithful followers. ¹³ 

Psalms 148:13

148:13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,

for his name alone is exalted;

his majesty extends over the earth and sky.

Proverbs 25:2-3

25:2 It is the glory of God ¹⁴  to conceal ¹⁵  a matter,

and it is the glory of a king to search out a matter.

25:3 As the heaven is high ¹⁶  and the earth is deep

so the hearts of kings are unsearchable. ¹⁷ 

Isaiah 55:9

55:9 for just as the sky ¹⁸  is higher than the earth,

so my deeds ¹⁹  are superior to ²⁰  your deeds

and my plans ²¹  superior to your plans.

[22:12]  ¹ tn This reading preserves the text as it is. The nouns “high” and “heavens” would then be taken as adverbial accusatives of place (see GKC 373-74 §118.g).

[22:12]  ² tn The parallel passage in Isa 40:26-27, as well as the context here, shows that the imperative is to be retained here. The LXX has “he sees.”

[22:12]  ³ tn Heb “head of the stars.”

[35:5]  ⁴ tn The preposition is taken here as a comparative min (מִן). The line could also read “that are high above you.” This idea has appeared in the speech of Eliphaz (22:12), Zophar (11:7ff.), and even Job (9:8ff.).

[35:2]  ⁵ tn The line could be read as “do you reckon this for justice? Here “to be” is understood.

[35:2]  ⁶ tn The word “when” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[35:2]  ⁷ tn The brief line could be interpreted in a number of ways. The MT simply has “my right from God.” It could be “I am right before God,” “I am more just/right than God” (identifying the preposition as a comparative min (מִן); cf. J. E. Hartley, Job [NICOT], 463), “I will be right before God,” or “My just cause against God.”

[6:18]  ⁸ tn This is the usual rendering of the Hebrew אָרְחוֹת (’orkhot, “way, path”). It would mean that the course of the wadi would wind down and be lost in the sand. Many commentators either repoint the text to אֹרְחוֹת (’orÿkhot) when in construct (as in Isa 21:13), or simply redefine the existing word to mean “caravans” as in the next verse, and translate something like “caravans deviate from their route.” D. J. A. Clines (Job [WBC], 160-61) allows that “caravans” will be introduced in the next verse, but urges retention of the usual sense here. The two verses together will yield the same idea in either case – the river dries up and caravans looking for the water deviate from their course looking for it.

[6:18]  ⁹ tn The verb literally means “to go up,” but here no real ascent is intended for the wasteland. It means that they go inland looking for the water. The streams wind out into the desert and dry up in the sand and the heat. A. B. Davidson (Job, 47) notes the difficulty with the interpretation of this verse as a reference to caravans is that Ibn Ezra says that it is not usual for caravans to leave their path and wander inland in search of water.

[6:18]  ¹⁰ tn The word תֹּהוּ (tohu) was used in Genesis for “waste,” meaning without shape or structure. Here the term refers to the trackless, unending wilderness (cf. 12:24).

[6:18]  ¹¹ sn If the term “paths” (referring to the brook) is the subject, then this verb would mean it dies in the desert; if caravaneers are intended, then when they find no water they perish. The point in the argument would be the same in either case. Job is saying that his friends are like this water, and he like the caravaneer was looking for refreshment, but found only that the brook had dried up.

[103:11]  ¹² tn For this sense of the verb גָבַר (gavar), see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 17, 19.

[103:11]  ¹³ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[25:2]  ¹⁴ sn The proverb provides a contrast between God and the king, and therein is the clue to the range of application involved. The interest of the king is ruling or administering his government; and so the subject matter is a contrast to the way God rules his kingdom.

[25:2]  ¹⁵ sn The two infinitives form the heart of the contrast – “to conceal a matter” and “to search out a matter.” God’s government of the universe is beyond human understanding – humans cannot begin to fathom the intentions and operations of it. But it is the glory of kings to search out matters and make them intelligible to the people. Human government cannot claim divine secrecy; kings have to study and investigate everything before making a decision, even divine government as far as possible. But kings who rule as God’s representatives must also try to represent his will in human affairs – they must even inquire after God to find his will. This is their glorious nature and responsibility. For more general information on vv. 2-27, see G. E. Bryce, “Another Wisdom ‘Book’ in Proverbs,” JBL 91 (1972): 145-57.

[25:3]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “heavens for height and earth for depth.” The proverb is clearly intending the first line to be an illustration of the second – it is almost emblematic parallelism.

[25:3]  ¹⁷ sn The proverb is affirming a simple fact: The king’s plans and decisions are beyond the comprehension of the common people. While the king would make many things clear to the people, there are other things that are “above their heads” or “too deep for them.” They are unsearchable because of his superior wisdom, his caprice, or his need for secrecy. Inscrutability is sometimes necessary to keep a firm grip on power.

[55:9]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[55:9]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “ways” (so many English versions).

[55:9]  ²⁰ tn Heb “are higher than.”

[55:9]  ²¹ tn Or “thoughts” (so many English versions).