unfoldingWord_en_tn/job/34/13.md

# General Information:

Elihu continues speaking.

# Who put him in charge over the earth? Who put the whole world under him?

Both of these rhetorical questions have the same meaning and emphasize that no one needed to grant God authority because it was already his. These questions can be written as statements. AT: "No one needed to give permission to God to take responsibility over all the earth. He is the rightful one to rule the world." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# If he ever

Elihu is describing a situation that he does not believe would ever happen. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])

# his spirit and his breath

The "spirit" and "breath" of God are what makes all living things alive. AT: "his spirit and breath which give us life" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# all flesh

Here all living things are represented by their "flesh." AT: "all living things" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])

# mankind would return to dust again

This means that all people would die and their bodies would decay and become soil. In the beginning God created man from the dust. AT: "the bodies of mankind would soon become soil again" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/earth]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/holyspirit]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/flesh]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/perish]]