OET interlinear PRO 30:4

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion

מִ֤י עָלָֽה־שָׁמַ֨יִם ׀ וַ⁠יֵּרַ֡ד מִ֤י אָֽסַף־ר֨וּחַ ׀ בְּ⁠חָפְנָ֡י⁠ו מִ֤י צָֽרַר־מַ֨יִם ׀ בַּ⁠שִּׂמְלָ֗ה מִ֭י הֵקִ֣ים כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ

who? ascended heaven and,come_down who? gathered wind in/on/at/with,fists_of,his who? wrapped_up waters in/on/at/with,garment who? established all/each/any/every ends_of earth

In this verse, the writer uses the question form four times to emphasize how much greater Yahweh is than people. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Surely, no human has ascended to heaven and descended! Surely, no one but Yahweh has gathered the wind in the hollow of his hands! Surely, no one but Yahweh has wrapped waters in the cloak! Surely, no one but Yahweh has raised up all the ends of the earth!”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

עָלָֽה־שָׁמַ֨יִם ׀ וַ⁠יֵּרַ֡ד

ascended heaven and,come_down

Here, Agur speaks of someone going to the place where God dwells and returning from there as if heaven were a place that someone could go up to or come down from. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “has gone to and returned from the place where Yahweh dwells”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מִ֤י אָֽסַף־ר֨וּחַ ׀ בְּ⁠חָפְנָ֡י⁠ו

who? who? gathered wind in/on/at/with,fists_of,his

Here, Agur speaks of controlling the wind as if it were something that a person could catch and hold in the palm of one’s hand. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Who has controlled the wind”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

בְּ⁠חָפְנָ֡י⁠ו

in/on/at/with,fists_of,his

Here, the word translated hollow refers to the palm of someone’s hand. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “in the palms of his hands”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מִ֤י צָֽרַר־מַ֨יִם ׀ בַּ⁠שִּׂמְלָ֗ה

who? who? who? wrapped_up waters in/on/at/with,garment

Here, Agur speaks of storing rainwater in clouds as if the waters were something that a person could wrap inside a cloak. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. If a translation is available in your language, see the similar use of waters in [Job 26:8](../job/26/08.md). Alternate translation: “Who has stored the water in clouds”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

מִ֭י הֵקִ֣ים כָּל־אַפְסֵי־אָ֑רֶץ

who? established all/each/any/every ends_of earth

Here, Agur speaks of setting the boundaries of the dry land on the earth as if the ends of the earth were something that a person could raise up. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “has set up the limits for where the land ends” or “has marked the boundaries for the ends of the earth”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / irony

מַה־שְּׁמ֥⁠וֹ וּ⁠מַֽה־שֶּׁם־בְּ֝נ֗⁠וֹ כִּ֣י תֵדָֽע

what? name_of,his and,what name_of his/its=son that/for/because/then/when know

Agur uses irony here to emphasize that no one knows of any person who can do those things described earlier in the verse, because such a person does not exist. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Surely, none of you knows the name of someone who has done this or the name of his son, because such a person does not exist!”