9:2 Even if they could dig down into the netherworld, 1
my hand would pull them up from there.
Even if they could climb up to heaven,
I would drag them down from there.
9:6 He builds the upper rooms of his palace 2 in heaven
and sets its foundation supports 3 on the earth. 4
He summons the water of the sea
and pours it out on the earth’s surface.
The Lord is his name.
1 tn Heb “into Sheol” (so ASV, NASB, NRSV), that is, the land of the dead localized in Hebrew thought in the earth’s core or the grave. Cf. KJV “hell”; NCV, NLT “the place of the dead”; NIV “the depths of the grave.”
2 tc The MT reads “his steps.” If this is correct, then the reference may be to the steps leading up to the heavenly temple or the throne of God (cf. 1 Kgs 10:19-20). The prefixed מ (mem) may be dittographic (note the preceding word ends in mem). The translation assumes an emendation to עֲלִיָּתוֹ (’aliyyato, “his upper rooms”).
3 tn Traditionally, “vault” (so ASV, NAB, NRSV). The precise meaning of this word in this context is unclear. Elsewhere it refers to objects grouped or held together. F. I. Andersen and D. N. Freedman (Amos [AB], 845-46) suggest the foundational structure of a building is in view.
4 sn Verse 6a pictures the entire universe as a divine palace founded on the earth and extending into the heavens.