The author uses this rhetorical question to teach that when someone commands something to happen, it will happen only if God has already decreed that it should happen. AT: "No one has spoken and it came to pass, unless the Lord decreed it." or "What someone has commanded to happen has never happened unless the Lord decreed it." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
# has spoken
It can be expressed clearly that this refers to commanding something to happen. AT: "has commanded that something should happen" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
# it came to pass
"what he said happened"
# Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come?
The author uses this rhetorical question to teach that both calamities and good things happen only because God has commanded them to happen. AT: "It is only from the mouth of the Most High that both calamities and the good come." or "It is only because the Most High has commanded it that both calamities and good things happen." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
# from the mouth of the Most High
Here "mouth" represents what God says or commands. AT: "from the command of the Most High" or "because the Most High has commanded it" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
# both calamities and the good come
Here "come" represents happening. Also, the nominal adjective "the good" can be stated as "good things." AT: "both calamities and good things happen" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj]])
# How can any person alive complain? How can a person complain about the punishment for his sins?
The author uses these rhetorical questions to teach that people should not complain when God punishes them. AT: "A person should not complain when God punishes him for his sins." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
Possible meanings are 1) it is implied that mere people cannot fully understand God's actions. AT: "How can a mere person complain" or 2) it is implied that being alive is a gift from God. AT: "How can a person who is blessed to be alive complain" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
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