³ tn Or “a human corpse” (so NAB, NKJV). So also in v.7; cf. v. 10.

² tn Heb “and God brought into his hand.” The death is unintended, its circumstances outside human control.

¹ tn Heb “man,” but in the generic sense of “humans” or “people” (also in v. 18).

² tn Heb “by man,” a generic term here for other human beings.

² tn Heb “into your hand are given.” The “hand” signifies power. To say the animals have been given into the hands of humans means humans have been given authority over them.

¹ tn Grk “by men,” but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is generic here (“people”) since the contrast in context is between God and humanity.

¹ tn Grk “every man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) is used in a generic sense here to stress humanity rather than masculinity.

² sn A quotation from Isa 66:1-2. If God made the heavens, how can a human building contain him?

¹ sn What kind…resting place? The rhetorical questions suggest mere human beings cannot build a house to contain God.

¹ sn Human waste was to remain outside the camp of the Israelites according to Deut 23:15.

¹ tn The word “human” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.

³ tn Heb “the hearts of the sons of man,” although here “sons of man” simply means “men” or “human beings.”

² tn Heb “let the nations know they [are] man[kind]”; i.e., mere human beings (as opposed to God).

² tn Some would render this “teaches us by the beasts.” But Elihu is stressing the unique privilege humans have.

² sn The unworked heifer, fresh stream, and uncultivated valley speak of ritual purity—of freedom from human contamination.

³ tn Heb “the man,” but in a generic sense, referring to the whole human race (“mankind” or “humankind”).

¹ sn The underlying point of this section remains vital today: The people of God must treat all human life as sacred.

² tn The word “finger” is a bold anthropomorphism (a figure of speech in which God is described using human characteristics).

¹ tn The Hebrew term עֵשֶׂב (ʿesev), when referring to human food, excludes grass (eaten by cattle) and woody plants like vines.

¹ sn The expression translated “the human spirit” is the Hebrew term נִשְׁמַת (nishmat), a feminine noun in construct. This is the inner spiritual part of human life that was breathed in at creation (Gen 2:7) and that constitutes humans as spiritual beings with moral, intellectual, and spiritual capacities.