Job 42:2

Hebrew Bible

1 Then Job answered the Lord: 2 “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted; 3 you asked, ‘Who is this who darkens counsel without knowledge?’ But I have declared without understanding things too wonderful for me to know.

LXX Job 42:2

Septuagint

1 Then Job answered and said to the Lord, 2 I know that thou canst do all things, and nothing is impossible with thee. 3 For who is he that hides counsel from thee? or who keeps back his words, and thinks to hide them from thee? and who will tell me what I knew not, great and wonderful things which I understood not?

 Notes and References

"... it is likely that the targumist simply shrunk from the idea that Job could actually instruct or inform the all-knowing God about anything. Another example is found in Job 42:2 ... Here, too, the Septuagint paraphrases: “Nothing is impossible for you.” What difficulty did the ancient translators see? It is possible that the Hebrew word which is frequently used in malem partem in the Bible, had negative overtones for the targumist. He did not want to impugn God’s holiness by attributing to him an evil “plot” or “scheme” and therefore put “strength and wisdom” in its place ..."

Cook, Edward M. "The Interpretation of the Hebrew Bible in the Targums" in Henze, Matthias (ed.) A Companion to Biblical Interpretation in Early Judaism (pp. 92-117) William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2012

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