Ayub 37:6

37:6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall ¹  to earth,’

and to the torrential rains, ²  ‘Pour down.’ ³ 

Ayub 37:13

37:13 Whether it is for punishment ⁴  for his land,

or whether it is for mercy,

he causes it to find its mark. ⁵ 

[37:6]  ¹ tn The verb actually means “be” (found here in the Aramaic form). The verb “to be” can mean “to happen, to fall, to come about.”

[37:6]  ² tn Heb “and [to the] shower of rain and shower of rains, be strong.” Many think the repetition grew up by variant readings; several Hebrew mss delete the second pair, and so many editors do. But the repetition may have served to stress the idea that the rains were heavy.

[37:6]  ³ tn Heb “Be strong.”

[37:13]  ⁴ tn Heb “rod,” i.e., a rod used for punishment.

[37:13]  ⁵ tn This is interpretive; Heb “he makes find it.” The lightning could be what is intended here, for it finds its mark. But R. Gordis (Job, 429) suggests man is the subject – let him find what it is for, i.e., the fate appropriate for him.