Who gave him charge over the earth…? is a rhetorical question which assumes the answer “Nobody,” and in some languages the answer must be stated. God is supreme and answerable to no one, as Job says in 9.12. Job went on to conclude, therefore, that God is responsible for all injustices (9.24). Gave him charge over the earth means “put him in command of the earth,” or “entrusted the earth to him.” Good News Translation attempts to make the rhetorical aspect of the question stronger in line a, focusing on who could possibly give God authority, by translating “Did God get his power from someone else?” Here the answer is emphatically “No!” His authority or power derives from himself. The question may be expressed as a strong negative statement: “God never got his power to rule the earth from anyone,” or “No one had power to give God so he could govern the earth,” or “God did not ask anyone for power to rule the earth.”

And who laid on him the whole world? translates the Hebrew more or less literally, and supplies on him, as the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates. The addition of on him is not a textual change but merely makes him in the first line do service in the second line also. Laid on him is parallel to gave him charge in line a. The question in line b assumes the answer “No one,” the same as in line a; that is, “No one ever made him responsible” or “No one put him in control.” The terms earth and whole world have the same meaning, referring to the world and all that is in it. In Hebrew this word pair most often occurs as it does here, but the second word has a more particular meaning and thus represents a poetic focusing of the concept from line a.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .