[72] See also Humboldt, "Cosmos," vol. ii., pt. 1.
[73] Heb., "they refine."
[74] "His pavilion round about him was dark waters and thick clouds of the skies," Psa. xviii. This expression explains that in the text.
[75] Or "He darkens the depths of the sea."
[76] Translation of these lines much disputed and very difficult. Gesenius and Conant render it, "His thunder tells of him; to the herds even of him who is on high."
[77] I take advantage of this long quotation to state that in the case of this and other passages quoted from the Old Testament I have carefully consulted the original; but have availed myself freely of the renderings of such of the numerous versions and commentaries as I have been able to obtain, whenever they appeared accurate and expressive, and have not scrupled occasionally to give a free translation where this seemed necessary to perspicuity. In the book of Job, I have consulted principally the translation appended to Barnes's Commentary, Conant's translation, 1857, and those of Tayler Lewis and Evans in Schaff's edition of Lange, 1874.
[78] The word is one of those that pervade both Semitic and Indo-European tongues: Sanscrit, ahara; Pehlevi, arta; Latin, terra; German, Erde; Gothic, airtha; Scottish, yird; English, earth.—Gesenius.
[79] Psalm xcv.
[80] Gesenius.
[81] Perhaps "changed," metamorphosed, as by fire. Conant has "destroyed."