Job 9:4

He is wise in heart ¹  and mighty ²  in strength ³  – who has resisted ⁴  him and remained safe? ⁵ 

His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

"Wise in heart and mighty in strength, Who has defied Him without harm?

For God is so wise and so mighty. Who has ever challenged him successfully?

God's wisdom is so deep, God's power so immense, who could take him on and come out in one piece?

He is wise in heart and great in strength: who ever made his face hard against him, and any good came of it?

He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength—who has resisted him, and succeeded? —

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered?

He is wise in heart ¹  and mighty ²  in strength ³  – who has resisted ⁴  him and remained safe? ⁵ 

¹ tn The genitive phrase translated “in heart” would be a genitive of specification, specifying that the wisdom of God is in his intelligent decisions.

sn The heart is the seat of intelligence and understanding, the faculty of decision making.

² sn The words אַמִּיץ (’ammits) and כֹּחַ (koakh) are synonyms, the first meaning “sturdy; mighty; robust,” and the second “strength.” It too can be interpreted as a genitive of specification – God is mighty with respect to his power. But that comes close to expressing a superlative idea (like “song of songs” or “anger of his wrath”).

³ tn The first half of the verse simply has “wise of heart and mighty of strength.” The entire line is a casus pendens that will refer to the suffix on אֵלָיו (’elayv) in the second colon. So the question is “Who has resisted the one who is wise of heart and mighty of strength?” Again, the rhetorical question is affirming that no one has done this.

⁴ tn The verb is the Hiphil of the verb קָשָׁה (qashah, “to be hard”). It frequently is found with the word for “neck,” describing people as “stiff-necked,” i.e., stubborn, unbending. So the idea of resisting God fits well. The fact that this word occurs in Exodus with the idea of hardening the heart against God may indicate that there is an allusion to Pharaoh here.

⁵ tn The use of שָׁלֵם (shalem) in the Qal is rare. It has been translated “remain safe” by E. Dhorme, “survived” by the NEB, “remained unscathed” by the NAB and NIV, or “succeeded” by KJV, G. R. Driver.