50:3 Our God approaches and is not silent; 1
consuming fire goes ahead of him
and all around him a storm rages. 2
73:11 They say, “How does God know what we do?
Is the sovereign one aware of what goes on?” 3
1 tn According to GKC 322 §109.e, the jussive (note the negative particle אַל, ’al) is used rhetorically here “to express the conviction that something cannot or should not happen.”
2 tn Heb “fire before him devours, and around him it is very stormy.”
3 tn Heb “How does God know? Is there knowledge with the Most High?” They appear to be practical atheists, who acknowledge God’s existence and sovereignty in theory, but deny his involvement in the world (see Pss 10:4, 11; 14:1).