Job 37 — Hebrew and Greek compared
Disparate in this chapter: 37:20
Each card keeps the independently rendered source readings above their shared comparison and reception notes. The badge records the source’s governing classification; disparate readings are marked in red. Each reading retains its original reference.
Chapter 37
The storm and the limits of human understanding
Source chapters: [BHS37] Hebrew; [LXX37] Greek.
The displayed Greek θεεβουλαθω at 37:12 is preserved as theeboulathō, with its explanation in the row note. The Greek old-things and pouring expressions at 37:18 remain provisional pending specialist review.
Verse 37:1 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:1 “At this too my heart trembles
and leaps out of its place.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:1 “At this my heart was troubled
and flowed away from its place.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek flowed away differs from Hebrew leaping.
Verse 37:2 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:2 Listen carefully to the agitation of His voice,
the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:2 Hear the report amid the anger of the Lord’s wrath,
and a meditation will come out of His mouth.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek explicitly names divine anger and meditation, where Hebrew describes voice and rumbling.
Verse 37:3 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:3 He lets it loose beneath the whole heaven,
and His light to the earth’s wings.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:3 His rule is beneath all heaven,
and His light upon the earth’s wings.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek rule or beginning differs from Hebrew releasing the voice or lightning.
Verse 37:4 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:4 After it a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
and does not restrain them when His voice is heard.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:4 After it a voice will cry out;
He will thunder with the voice of His violence,
and He will not exchange them, because he will hear His voice.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek hybris is provisionally violence, and exchanging differs from Hebrew restraining. Its final hearer is singular but unnamed; no definite divine identification is imposed on that lower-case he.
Verse 37:5 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:5 God thunders wondrously with His voice;
He does great things we do not know.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:5 The Strong One will thunder wonders with His voice;
for He did great things that we did not know,
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both describe mighty acts beyond knowledge.
Verse 37:6 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:6 For He says to snow, ‘Be upon the earth,’
and to a downpour of rain,
and to a downpour of His mighty rains.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:6 commanding snow, ‘Come to be upon the earth,’
and a rainstorm,
and a storm of rains of His dominion.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both include the command to snow and repeated rainstorm expressions.
Verse 37:7 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:7 He seals up every human hand,
so that all people may know His work.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:7 He seals upon every human hand,
so that every human may know his own weakness.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek human weakness replaces Hebrew knowledge of God’s work. Hebrew can alternatively mean so that all people of His making may know.
Verse 37:8 Same
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:8 The wild animal goes into its lair
and dwells in its dens.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:8 Wild animals went under shelter
and rested upon their beds.
Classification & Notes
Same. Text: Both describe animals taking shelter.
Verse 37:9 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:9 From the chamber comes a whirlwind,
and from the scattering winds, cold.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:9 From chambers come whirlwinds,
and from the heights comes cold.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Hebrew mezarim is uncertain, provisionally scattering winds; Greek explicitly names high extremities.
Verse 37:10 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:10 By God’s breath ice is given,
and broad waters are held tight.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:10 From the Strong One’s breath frost will be given,
and He steers the water however He wishes.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek freely steered water differs from Hebrew constricted water. Greek frost is nominative with an awkward active giving verb; English passive makes that compressed result readable.
Verse 37:11 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:11 He loads the cloud with moisture;
He scatters His cloud of light.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:11 A cloud covers what is chosen,
and a cloud will scatter His light.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek chosen object is unexpressed beyond the adjective, and cloud is the scattering agent; Hebrew describes God loading and scattering clouds.
Verse 37:12 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:12 It turns in circles under His guidance,
to perform everything He commands them
upon the face of the inhabited earth,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:12 He Himself will turn circuits
in theeboulathō for their works;
all that He commands them—
these things have been ordered by Him upon the earth,
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek θεεβουλαθω is retained as theeboulathō. Cox, NETS Iob, p.693 n.a [COX-NETS], associates it with Hebrew his guidance. Greek God turns circuits, while Hebrew the cloud turns under His guidance; the literal Greek form remains visible.
Verse 37:13 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:13 whether for a rod, or for His land,
or for loyal love, He causes it to come.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:13 whether for discipline, whether for His earth,
or whether for mercy, He will find it.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek discipline and mercy correspond to Hebrew rod and hesed; finding differs from Hebrew causing to arrive.
Verse 37:14 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:14 Give ear to this, Job;
stand and consider God’s wonders.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:14 Give ear to these things, Job;
stand; be instructed about the Lord’s power.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek instruction about power differs from Hebrew contemplation of wonders.
Verse 37:15 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:15 Do you know how God lays His command upon them
and makes His cloud’s light shine?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:15 We know that God established His works,
making light out of darkness.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek asserts shared knowledge and light from darkness; Hebrew asks Job about divine ordering and cloud-light.
Verse 37:16 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:16 Do you know the balancing of clouds,
the wonders of One complete in knowledge?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:16 He knows the division of clouds,
and the terrible falls of the wicked.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek divine knowledge and wicked people’s falls replace Hebrew a question about balanced clouds and perfect knowledge.
Verse 37:17 Divergent
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:17 You whose garments become hot
when the earth grows quiet from the south wind,
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:17 your robe is warm,
and there is quiet upon the earth.
Classification & Notes
Divergent. Text: Greek lacks the south wind as the cause of stillness.
Verse 37:18 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:18 can you hammer out the skies with Him,
hard as a cast mirror?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:18 Acts of making firm are with Him for old things,
strong like the appearance of a pouring.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Stereoseis is read as the feminine plural noun acts of making firm, supported by the explicit Job citation in [LSJ-96572], and agrees with strong. Greek old things and the pouring image remain difficult; the Hebrew skies and cast mirror are not imported into the Greek.
Verse 37:19 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:19 Teach us what to say to Him;
we cannot arrange a case because of darkness.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:19 Why? Teach me what we will say to Him,
and let us stop saying so much.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek first-person singular request and stopping much speech replace Hebrew darkness preventing presentation.
Verse 37:20 Disparate
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:20 Will He be told that I would speak?
If a man speaks, will he be swallowed up?
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:20 Has a book or a scribe stood beside me,
so that, standing, I might silence a human?
Classification & Notes
Disparate. Text: Greek book, scribe and silencing another replace Hebrew reporting speech and being swallowed. The Greek question’s precise legal setting is left open.
Verse 37:21 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:21 Now people do not see the light,
though it is bright in the clouds;
a wind passes and clears them.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:21 Light is not visible to everyone;
it shines afar in the old things,
like the light from Him upon clouds.
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek again has old things, not an explicit cloud noun in that line, and lacks the clearing wind. The supplied second light carries forward its first noun.
Verse 37:22 Similar
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:22 From the north comes gold;
awesome majesty surrounds God.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:22 From the north come clouds gleaming gold;
upon these are the Almighty’s great glory and honor.
Classification & Notes
Similar. Text: Greek explicitly makes the gold appearance belong to clouds.
Verse 37:23 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:23 Shaddai—we cannot find Him;
He is great in strength,
and in justice and abundant righteousness He does not afflict.
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:23 We do not find another like Him in strength;
He judges righteous things—
do you not think He hears?
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek inability to find another equal and a question about hearing differ from Hebrew inability to find God and His not afflicting.
Verse 37:24 Different
Hebrew–English: Literal-Smooth (Rabbinic Priority)
37:24 Therefore people fear Him;
He does not regard any who are wise in heart.”
Greek–English: Literal-Smooth (Saints Priority)
37:24 Therefore humans will fear Him,
and those wise in heart will also fear Him.”
Classification & Notes
Different. Text: Greek wise people fearing God replaces Hebrew God’s not regarding the wise.