Job 36:32

36:32 With his hands ¹  he covers ²  the lightning,

and directs it against its target.

Job 36:30

36:30 See how he scattered ³  his lightning ⁴  about him;

he has covered the depths ⁵  of the sea.

Job 37:11

37:11 He loads the clouds with moisture; ⁶ 

he scatters his lightning through the clouds.

Job 37:3

37:3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,

even his lightning to the far corners ⁷  of the earth.

[36:32]  ¹ tn R. Gordis (Job, 422) prefers to link this word with the later Hebrew word for “arch,” not “hands.”

[36:32]  ² tn Because the image might mean that God grabs the lightning and hurls it like a javelin (cf. NLT), some commentators want to change “covers” to other verbs. Dhorme has “lifts” (נִשָּׂא [nissa’] for כִּסָּה [kissah]). This fit the idea of God directing the lightning bolts.

[36:30]  ³ tn The word actually means “to spread,” but with lightning as the object, “to scatter” appears to fit the context better.

[36:30]  ⁴ tn The word is “light,” but taken to mean “lightning.” Theodotion had “mist” here, and so most commentators follow that because it is more appropriate to the verb and the context.

[36:30]  ⁵ tn Heb “roots.”

[37:11]  ⁵ tn The word “moisture” is drawn from רִי (ri) as a contraction for רְוִי (rÿvi). Others emended the text to get “hail” (NAB) or “lightning,” or even “the Creator.” For these, see the various commentaries. There is no reason to change the reading of the MT when it makes perfectly good sense.

[37:3]  ⁷ tn Heb “wings,” and then figuratively for the extremities of garments, of land, etc.