4:11 The mighty lion 1 perishes 2 for lack of prey,
and the cubs of the lioness 3 are scattered.
38:32 Can you lead out
the constellations 4 in their seasons,
or guide the Bear with its cubs? 5
1 tn The word לַיִשׁ (layish) traditionally rendered “strong lion,” occurs only here and in Prov 30:30 and Isa 30:6. It has cognates in several of the Semitic languages, and so seems to indicate lion as king of the beasts.
2 tn The form of the verb is the Qal active participle; it stresses the characteristic action of the verb as if a standard universal truth.
3 tn The text literally has “sons of the lioness.”
4 tn The word מַזָּרוֹת (mazzarot) is taken by some to refer to the constellations (see 2 Kgs 23:5), and by others as connected to the word for “crown,” and so “corona.”
5 sn See Job 9:9.