22:3 Is it of any special benefit 1 to the Almighty
that you should be righteous,
or is it any gain to him
that you make your ways blameless? 2
24:13 There are those 3 who rebel against the light;
they do not know its ways
and they do not stay on its paths.
26:14 Indeed, these are but the outer fringes of his ways! 4
How faint is the whisper 5 we hear of him!
But who can understand the thunder of his power?”
1 tn The word חֵפֶץ (khefets) in this passage has the nuance of “special benefit; favor.” It does not just express the desire for something or the interest in it, but the profit one derives from it.
2 tn The verb תַתֵּם (tattem) is the Hiphil imperfect of תָּמַם (tamam, “be complete, finished”), following the Aramaic form of the geminate verb with a doubling of the first letter.
3 tn Heb “They are among those who.”
4 tn Heb “the ends of his ways,” meaning “the fringes.”
5 tn Heb “how little is the word.” Here “little” means a “fraction” or an “echo.”