RobH_en_tn/job/17/13.md

# General Information:

Job continues to speak.

# If the only home ... and if I have spread ... and if I have said

All instances of "if" here have the meaning of "since"; Job is speaking as if all these things were true. "Since the only home ... and since I have spread ... and since I have said" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo]])

# have spread my couch in the darkness

Here Job speaks of being prepared to die as having laid his bed in the darkness. AT: "have prepared myself to go and sleep among the dead" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# have spread my couch

"have made my bed"

# I have said to the pit ... and to the worm

These two lines are a variation to each other and are used together to emphasize how desperate Job is. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])

# the pit

"the grave"

# You are my father

Job speaks of the closeness he will soon have with his grave by comparing it to the closeness a man has with his father. AT: "You are as close to me as my father" or "When I am buried, you will be as close to me as a father" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# the worm

"the maggot." Worms are the small creatures that eat dead bodies.

# You are my mother or my sister

Job speaks of the closeness he will soon have with the worms in his grave by comparing it to the closeness a man has with his mother and sisters. AT: "You are as close to me as my mother or my sister" or "You will be as close to me as a mother or sister" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# where then is my hope?

The implicit answer is "nowhere," because he has no hope. This rhetorical question can be written as a statement. AT: "I have no hope." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# As for my hope, who can see any?

This rhetorical question is used to emphasize that that no one expects him to have any hope. This question can be written as a statement. AT: "No one can see any hope for me." or "No one expects me to have any more hope." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/hades]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/darkness]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/hope]]