Ayub 26:7

26:7 He spreads out the northern skies ¹  over empty space; ² 

he suspends the earth on nothing. ³ 

Ayub 34:13

34:13 Who entrusted ⁴  to him the earth?

And who put him over ⁵  the whole world?

Ayub 38:4

God’s questions to Job

38:4 “Where were you

when I laid the foundation ⁶  of the earth?

Tell me, ⁷  if you possess understanding!

Ayub 38:13

38:13 that it might seize the corners of the earth, ⁸ 

and shake the wicked out of it?

[26:7]  ¹ sn The Hebrew word is צָפוֹן (tsafon). Some see here a reference to Mount Zaphon of the Ugaritic texts, the mountain that Baal made his home. The Hebrew writers often equate and contrast Mount Zion with this proud mountain of the north. Of course, the word just means north, and so in addition to any connotations for pagan mythology, it may just represent the northern skies – the stars. Since the parallel line speaks of the earth, that is probably all that was intended in this particular context.

[26:7]  ² sn There is an allusion to the creation account, for this word is תֹּהוּ (tohu), translated “without form” in Gen 1:2.

[26:7]  ³ sn Buttenwieser suggests that Job had outgrown the idea of the earth on pillars, and was beginning to see it was suspended in space. But in v. 11 he will still refer to the pillars.

[34:13]  ⁴ tn The verb פָּקַד (paqad) means “to visit; to appoint; to number.” Here it means “to entrust” for care and governing. The implication would be that there would be someone higher than God – which is what Elihu is repudiating by the rhetorical question. No one entrusted God with this.

[34:13]  ⁵ tn The preposition is implied from the first half of the verse.

[38:4]  ⁶ tn The construction is the infinitive construct in a temporal clause, using the preposition and the subjective genitive suffix.

[38:4]  ⁷ tn The verb is the imperative; it has no object “me” in the text.

[38:13]  ⁸ sn The poetic image is that darkness or night is like a blanket that covers the earth, and at dawn it is taken by the edges and shaken out. Since the wicked function under the cover of night, they are included in the shaking when the dawn comes up.