אַף־לְזֹאת יֶחֱרַד לִבִּי ויִתַּר מִמְּקוֹמוֹ

Even at this, the thunder, my heart trembles, and it beats so hard that it feels as though it leaps from its place.

שִׁמְעוּ שָׁמוֹעַ בְּרֹגֶז קֹלוֹ וְהֶגֶה מִפִּיו יֵצֵא

Hear the fury of His voice and the sound that emerges from His mouth.

תַּחַת־כָּל־הַשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׁרֵהוּ וְאוֹרוֹ עַל־כַּנְפוֹת הָאָרֶץ

He appears, or renders His effects noticeable, under all the heavens, and His lightning extends to the ends of the earth.

אַחֲרָיו יִשְׁאַג־קוֹל יַרְעֵם בְּקוֹל גְּאוֹנוֹ וְלֹא יְעַקְּבֵם כִּי־יִשָּׁמַע קוֹלוֹ

After it, the lightning, a sound of thunder roars, thunders with the voice of the expression of His majesty, and He does not tarry after them. He does not delay the sound of the thunder following the lightning as His voice is heard.

יַרְעֵם אֵל בְּקוֹלוֹ נִפְלָאוֹת עֹשֶׂה גְדֹלוֹת וְלֹא נֵדָע

God thunders wondrously, in a miraculous manner, with His voice; He performs great things, and we do not know. We are unaware of the great things that God performs all the time.

כִּי לַשֶּׁלֶג יֹאמַר הֱוֵא אָרֶץ וְגֶשֶׁם מָטָר וְגֶשֶׁם מִטְרוֹת עֻזּוֹ

This verse specifies one of those great things: For He says to the snow: Be placed on the earth, unlike the rain, which penetrates the earth. And the rain He pours down; the downpour of the rain is His might, as He causes the rain and snow to descend to the earth.

בְּיַד כָּל־אָדָם יַחְתּוֹם לָדַעַת כָּל־אַנְשֵׁי מַעֲשֵׂהוּ

Furthermore, it, the mighty rain, seals the hand of every person, confines him within his home, to prevent him from leaving and knowing his actions. The rain prevents him from supervising his business matters and workers.

וַתָּבוֹא חַיָּה בְמוֹ־אָרֶב וּבִמְעוֹנוֹתֶיהָ תִשְׁכֹּן

Because of the rain, even the beast comes into a lair, a place of hiding, and it rests in its dens.

מִן־הַחֶדֶר תָּבוֹא סוּפָה וּמִמְּזָרִים קָרָה

At that time, from the chamber, the place where it resides, comes the storm, and frost comes from the special storehouses.

מִנִּשְׁמַת אֵל יִתֶּן־קָרַח וְרֹחַב מַיִם בְּמוּצָק

From the breath of God, He gives ice. His breath forms ice, just as the world was created through the speech of His mouth. And the breadth, abundance, of the waters becomes solid.

אַף־בְּרִי יַטְרִיחַ עָב יָפִיץ עֲנַן אוֹרוֹ

Even on a clear day, He loads the thick cloud. Sometimes God brings the thick cloud even on a clear day, and the cloud scatters its light, or rain.

וְהוּא מְסִבּוֹת מִתְהַפֵּךְ בְּתַחְבּוּלֹתָו לְפָעֳלָם כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֵּם עַל־פְּנֵי תֵבֵל אָרְצָה

It, the cloud, turns and reverses by His strategies, by God’s unexpected instructions, to perform them, all that He commands them, e.g., sounding claps of thunder and dispatching bolts of lightning, as well as causing rain and snow to fall upon the face of the world, on earth.

אִם־לְשֵׁבֶט אִם לְאַרְצוֹ אִם־לְחֶסֶד יַמְצִאֵהוּ

Whether for the rod, for punishment, when it is for His land, or for grace, He will provide it. When a cloud comes over the earth, it may be to strike the land, or to bestow blessing upon it. The nature of a cloud’s mission is determined by God.

הַאֲזִינָה זֹּאת אִיּוֹב עֲמֹד וְהִתְבּוֹנֵן נִפְלְאוֹת אֵל

Listen to this, Job; stand and consider the wonders of God.

הֲתֵדַע בְּשׂוּם אֱלוֹהַּ עֲלֵיהֶם והוֹפִיעַ אוֹר עֲנָנוֹ

Do you know when God placed them, clouds, over them, people, and when the lightning of His cloud appeared?

הֲתֵדַע עַל מִפְלְשֵׂי עָב מִפְלְאוֹת תְּמִים דֵּעִים

Do you know the layers of the cloud, or the path cleared by a cloud, and can you comprehend the wonders of He who is complete in knowledge?

אֲשֶׁר־בְּגָדֶיךָ חַמִּים בְּהַשְׁקִט אֶרֶץ מִדָּרוֹם

Do you understand why after rainfall and a storm your garments are warm when the earth is calmed and quiet from the hot south wind?

תַּרְקִיעַ עִמּוֹ לִשְׁחָקִים חֲזָקִים כִּרְאִי מוּצָק

Would you ascend with Him to the heavens, which are as strong as a cast mirror?Can you ascend with God to the heavens to make them as strong as a polished mirror? When the skies are entirely clear, they seem solid and dry, like a huge domed mirror over the face of the earth.

הוֹדִיעֵנוּ מַה־נֹּאמַר לוֹ לֹא־נַעֲרֹךְ מִפְּנֵי־חֹשֶׁךְ

If you can reach such heights, inform us what we should say to Him. However, you know as well as we do that you cannot do so, for we cannot arrange ourselves, our speech, before God or stand before Him, due to the darkness that envelops us or that surrounds God and hides Him from our sight.

הַיְסֻפַּר־לוֹ כִּי אֲדַבֵּר אִם־אָמַר אִישׁ כִּי יְבֻלָּע

However, it is not necessary to inform God of anything: Need it be related to Him that I speak? Must I relate what I have to say to God in order for Him to hear my words? Can a man say anything so it would be concealed from God?

וְעַתָּה לֹא רָאוּ אוֹר בָּהִיר הוּא בַּשְּׁחָקִים וְרוּחַ עָבְרָה וַתְּטַהֲרֵם

Now they, human beings, do not see the light, as it is covered by clouds; it is bright in the heavens, and yet it exists even though it is not revealed to them, and then a wind passes, scatters the clouds, and clears them.

מִצָּפוֹן זָהָב יֶאֱתֶה עַל־אֱלוֹהַּ נוֹרָא הוֹד

From the north comes gold, the light of God’s splendor; about God is awesome glory. The golden splendor covers God with awesome majesty. Unlike the warm, quiet south, the north is the source of storms and rain, and yet it is the direction from which God will appear and reveal Himself to you. Perhaps Elihu is telling Job here that it is through his very suffering and spiritual upheavals that God will be revealed to him.

שַׁדַּי לֹא־מְצָאנֻהוּ שַׂגִּיא־כֹחַ ומִשְׁפָּט וְרֹב־צְדָקָה לֹא יְעַנֶּה

The Almighty, we cannot find him; He is exalted in power and judgment and abundant in righteousness. He will not afflict. He would not bring arbitrary suffering upon His creatures.

לָכֵן יְרֵאוּהוּ אֲנָשִׁים לֹא־יִרְאֶה כָּל חַכְמֵי־לֵב

Therefore, men revere Him, as He is unparalleled in power and mighty in judgment; and yet He does not regard all who are wise of heart. God controls this wondrous, mysterious world, and He does not see fit to justify Himself to human understanding.