For as the land is assigned to the forest and the sea to its waves, so also those who dwell upon earth can understand only what is on the earth, and he who is above the heavens can understand what is above the height of the heavens: The point of the fable is faulty, since logically one would draw the conclusion that just as humans cannot understand the ways of God, God cannot understand the ways of humans, but this is hardly Uriel’s point. He emphasizes that heavenly mysteries can be understood only by “heavenly beings” (Good News Bible) or by “God” (Contemporary English Version). The meaning of the Latin phrase for he who is above the heavens is not clear. It can refer to heavenly beings or God in heaven. Either sense is technically correct. New Revised Standard Version and Contemporary English Version do well to let a footnote advise the reader of this. We suggest the following model of the verse as a way to clear up this difficulty:

• You see, trees have their place on land, and ocean waves belong in the ocean. So also, people who live on earth can only understand what goes on in this world, and only God* can understand what goes on in heaven.”
* God; or the heavenly beings.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on 1-2 Esdras. (UBS Helps for Translators). Miami: UBS, 2019. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.