Dominion and fear are with God: as the Revised Standard Version footnote indicates, the Hebrew has “with him,” but Revised Standard Version correctly translates with God. In 12.13, 16 Job said “With God are wisdom and might” and “With him are strength and wisdom.” This line is built on the same pattern. These are characteristics of God. Dominion translates a word meaning “the capacity to rule.” The word is used as a noun but has the form of the causative of an infinitive verb, and so it means “that which gives power or domination.” Some translate it “sovereignty,” which means supreme authority, the highest ruling power. Fear is used as in 13.11. See comments there. Fear is caused by, or inspired by, God’s power. Revised Standard Version fails to show the relation between dominion and fear. God has dominion, sovereign power over everything, and this causes people to fear, which means “be awed, have reverence for him.” In order to show the relation between what appears to be two nouns, Good News Translation has expressed the line as two clauses: “God is powerful; all must stand in awe of him.” New Jerusalem Bible translates verse 2 as an exclamation: “What sovereignty, what awe is his…!” Bible en français courant says “God has a sovereign power which is frightening.” The line may also be rendered, for example, “God rules with frightening force,” “God is powerful, and people should have reverence for him,” or “God’s power causes people to be awed.”
He makes peace in his high heaven is literally “making peace in his heights.” According to Dhorme the Hebrew verb make with peace as the object means “to establish peace,” that is, to impose peace where there is strife. The reference may be to conflicts between angels, as in Daniel 10.13, 20-21; destruction of the monster Rahab in Job 9.13; 26.12; Isaiah 51.9; or destruction of the hosts in heaven in Isaiah 24.21. Good News Translation renders high heaven as “heavenly kingdom”: “He keeps his heavenly kingdom in peace.” This translation is less exact than that of Bible en français courant, “He imposes peace up to the highest heaven.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates both lines “God rules with frightening power, with a strong hand he establishes peace in heaven.” This line may also be expressed “he causes there to be peace in heaven,” “he brings about peace in heaven,” or “he establishes peace where he rules in heaven.”
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 .