26:8 He locks the waters in his clouds,
and the clouds do not burst with the weight of them.
20:6 Even though his stature 1 reaches to the heavens
and his head touches the clouds,
26:9 He conceals 2 the face of the full moon, 3
shrouding it with his clouds.
35:5 Gaze at the heavens and see;
consider the clouds, which are higher than you! 4
36:29 Who can understand the spreading of the clouds,
the thunderings of his pavilion? 5
37:18 will you, with him, spread out 6 the clouds,
solid as a mirror of molten metal?
38:9 when I made 7 the storm clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band, 8
38:34 Can you raise your voice to the clouds
so that a flood of water covers you? 9
1 tn The word שִׂיא (si’) has been connected with the verb נָשָׂא (nasa’, “to lift up”), and so interpreted here as “pride.” The form is parallel to “head” in the next part, and so here it refers to his stature, the part that rises up and is crowned. But the verse does describe the pride of such a person, with his head in the heavens.
2 tn The verb means “to hold; to seize,” here in the sense of shutting up, enshrouding, or concealing.
3 tc The MT has כִסֵּה (khisseh), which is a problematic vocalization. Most certainly כֵּסֶה (keseh), alternative for כֶּסֶא (kese’, “full moon”) is intended here. The MT is close to the form of “throne,” which would be כִּסֵּא (kisse’, cf. NLT “he shrouds his throne with his clouds”). But here God is covering the face of the moon by hiding it behind clouds.
4 tn The preposition is taken here as a comparative min (מִן). The line could also read “that are high above you.” This idea has appeared in the speech of Eliphaz (22:12), Zophar (11:7ff.), and even Job (9:8ff.).
5 tn Heb “his booth.”
6 tn The verb means “to beat out; to flatten,” and the analogy in the next line will use molten metal. From this verb is derived the word for the “firmament” in Gen 1:6-8, that canopy-like pressure area separating water above and water below.
7 tn The temporal clause here uses the infinitive from שִׂים (sim, “to place; to put; to make”). It underscores the sovereign placing of things.
8 tn This noun is found only here. The verb is in Ezek 16:4, and a related noun is in Ezek 30:21.
9 tc The LXX has “answer you,” and some editors have adopted this. However, the reading of the MT makes better sense in the verse.