Job 37:5

37:5 God thunders with his voice in marvelous ways; ¹ 

he does great things beyond our understanding. ² 

Job 40:9

40:9 Do you have an arm as powerful as God’s, ³ 

and can you thunder with a voice like his?

Job 37:4

37:4 After that a voice roars;

he thunders with an exalted voice,

and he does not hold back his lightning bolts ⁴ 

when his voice is heard.

[37:5]  ¹ tn The form is the Niphal participle, “wonders,” from the verb פָּלָא (pala’, “to be wonderful; to be extraordinary”). Some commentators suppress the repeated verb “thunders,” and supply other verbs like “shows” or “works,” enabling them to make “wonders” the object of the verb rather than leaving it in an adverbial role. But as H. H. Rowley (Job [NCBC], 236) notes, no change is needed, for one is not surprised to find repetition in Elihu’s words.

[37:5]  ² tn Heb “and we do not know.”

[40:9]  ³ tn Heb “do you have an arm like God?” The words “as powerful as” have been supplied in the translation to clarify the metaphor.

[37:4]  ⁵ tn The verb simply has the pronominal suffix, “them.” The idea must be that when God brings in all the thunderings he does not hold back his lightning bolts either.