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13 By his breath[a] the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the fleeing serpent.[b]
14 Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways![c]
How faint is the whisper[d] we hear of him!
But who can understand the thunder of his power?”

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Footnotes

  1. Job 26:13 tn Or “wind”; or perhaps “Spirit.” The same Hebrew word, רוּחַ (ruakh), may be translated as “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit/Spirit” depending on the context.
  2. Job 26:13 sn Here too is a reference to pagan views indirectly. The fleeing serpent was a designation for Leviathan, whom the book will simply describe as an animal, but the pagans thought to be a monster of the deep. See the same Hebrew phrase in Isaiah 27:1. God’s power over nature is associated with defeat of pagan gods (see further W. F. Albright, Yahweh and the Gods of Canaan).
  3. Job 26:14 tn Heb “the ends of his ways,” meaning “the fringes.”
  4. Job 26:14 tn Heb “how little is the word.” Here “little” means a “fraction” or an “echo.”

13 By his breath the skies(A) became fair;
    his hand pierced the gliding serpent.(B)
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
    how faint the whisper(C) we hear of him!(D)
    Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”(E)

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