front:intro u3jc 0 # Introduction to Job\n\n## Part 1: General Introduction\n\n### Outline of Job\n\n1. Introduction (1:1–2:13)\n - Background to Job’s situation: He is righteous and wealthy (1:1–5)\n - Yahweh allows Satan to test Job (1:6–2:10)\n2. Job’s friends speak to him a first time and Job replies (3:1–14:22)\n3. Job’s friends speak to him a second time and Job replies (15:1–21:34)\n4. Job’s friends speak to him a third time and Job replies (22:1–31:40)\n5. Elihu speaks to Job (32:1–37:24)\n6. Yahweh answers Job out of the whirlwind (38:1–41:34) \n7. Conclusion (42:1–17)\n - Job responds humbly\n - Yahweh rebukes Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar (42:7–9)\n - Yahweh restores Job to prosperity (42:10–17)\n\n### What is the book of Job about?\n\nThe book of Job is about a man named Job who experienced disaster even though he was faithful to Yahweh. Job speaks with three friends and asks why Yahweh has allowed him to experience trials and losses. The book teaches that we cannot understand all of Yahweh’s ways, and when we suffer, it is more important to trust Yahweh than it is to understand the reason for the suffering.\n\n### How should the title of this book be translated?\n\nThe book of Job is named for Job, the main character in the book. His name is not related to the English word “job.” Translators might use the traditional title of “The Book of Job” or simply “Job.” Or they may choose a different title such as “The Book About Job” or “The Book About a Man Named Job.”\n\n### Who wrote the book of Job?\n\nWe do not know who wrote the book of Job. Many people suggest that Moses composed or compiled the book, but it may have been written after the time of Moses.\n\n## Part 2: Important Religious and Cultural Concepts\n\n### Does sin cause suffering?\n\nWhen a person sins against Yahweh, that can cause the person to experience suffering. People in the ancient Near East generally believed that a person suffered because they or their ancestors had sinned against God. This is what many religions teach. However, the book of Job shows that a person may suffer even if he or she has not sinned. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]])\n\n### Were Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar really Job’s friends?\n\nJob 2:11 describes Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar as the friends of Job. However, they did not succeed in comforting Job. Instead, they tried to persuade Job to say something about God that Job believed was not true. So we might wonder if it is right to translate the word as “friends.” What they said did not help Job, because they did not understand the full truth about God. However, they did care about Job, and they did want to help him. In those ways, they did what friends would do, and in that sense the word “friends” is appropriate.\n\n### When did the events in the book of Job take place?\n\nWe do not know when the events in the book of Job took place. The story is set around the time of Abraham and Isaac in the book of Genesis. However, some verses are similar to verses in the books of Proverbs and Isaiah, which were written many centuries after Abraham and Isaac lived. It is possible that the book of Job was written at a later time to describe the events of an earlier time.\n\n## Part 3: Important Translation Issues\n\n### Is the book of Job difficult to translate?\n\nThe book of Job has many uncommon words and phrases. That makes parts of it hard to understand and translate. For this reason, translators may decide to translate this book after they have translated other books of the Bible. However, since the writer did not connect Job with a specific time or place in history, the translator may also decide to translate this book before other Old Testament books.\n\n### What style of writing is in the book of Job?\n\nThe author begins and ends the book of Job by relating what happened to Job in narrative form. In the rest of the book, the characters speak in poetry. In the ancient Near East, writers often used poetry to discuss matters of wisdom. The re
1:intro lym1 0 # Job 1 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter introduces a story about a man named Job who lived during a time long before the author.\n\n## Special Concepts in this Chapter\n\n### Wealth\n\nIn the time and place in which the book of Job is set, a person’s wealth was measured by the number of animals he owned. The book describes how Job owned thousands of animals in order to indicate that he was very rich. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])\n\n### Sacrifices\n\nJob was a man who obeyed Yahweh carefully. We might therefore wonder why he offered sacrifices on behalf of his children, as 1:5 describes, since he was not one of the descendants of Aaron, who were the only ones whom the law of Moses allowed to offer sacrifices. It must be remembered that Job lived prior to the time when God gave Moses the law, so his religious practices were different from those of the Hebrew people after Moses. In Job’s culture, it was normal and acceptable for the father to act as a priest for his family and to offer sacrifices on their behalf. The events that this book relates took place about the same time as the life of Abraham. Therefore, this book corresponds more with Genesis 12–50 than with the rest of the Old Testament. (See:[[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/godly]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/lawofmoses]])\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### “the adversary”\n\nThe Hebrew word satan means “adversary.” The Old Testament uses the word in that sense in several places, for example, 1 Kings 11:14, “Yahweh raised up an adversary against Solomon, Hadad the Edomite.” In chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Job, there is a character called “the satan” or “the adversary.” This seems to be a created angelic being who opposes righteous people and accuses them before God of having wrong motives. Many interpreters of the book of Job identify this character with Satan, the devil. The UST follows that interpretation, but the ULT translates the term more basically as “adversary.” You can decide how to translate this term in your own translation.
1:1 j000 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-participants אִ֛ישׁ הָיָ֥ה בְאֶֽרֶץ־ע֖וּץ 1 The author is introducing **Job** as the main participant in the story. If your language has its own way of introducing participants, you can use it here in your translation. Alternate translation: “There once was a man who lived in the land of Uz”
1:1 k5g4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names ע֖וּץ & אִיּ֣וֹב 1 The word **Uz** is the name of a place, and the word **Job** is the name of a man.
1:1 r5aj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet תָּ֧ם וְיָשָׁ֛ר 1 The terms **blameless** and **righteous** mean similar things. The author is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “very righteous”
1:1 qj15 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וִירֵ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים 1 As the General Introduction to Job discusses, here as in several other places in the book, the author is using a word from the root “fear,” in this case the word **fearful**, in a particular sense. He is describing an awe of God that leads to holy living. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “both respectful of God”
1:1 y3ar rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְסָ֥ר מֵרָֽע 1 The author is speaking figuratively of Job as if he physically **turned** away from evil. He means that he did not live in an evil way but instead lived in the right way. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and careful not to do anything wrong”
1:2 j001 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-background וַיִּוָּ֥לְדוּ ל֛וֹ שִׁבְעָ֥ה בָנִ֖ים וְשָׁל֥וֹשׁ בָּנֽוֹת 1 Here and through verse 5, the author is introducing background information about **Job** that will help readers understand what happens later in the story. In your translation, introduce this information in a way that would be natural in your own language and culture.
1:2 j002 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וַיִּוָּ֥לְדוּ ל֛וֹ שִׁבְעָ֥ה בָנִ֖ים וְשָׁל֥וֹשׁ בָּנֽוֹת 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Job had seven sons and three daughters”
1:3 j003 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom בְּנֵי־קֶֽדֶם 1 The expression **sons of** describes people who share a certain quality. In this case, the author is using the expression to describe people who have the quality of living in **the East**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use an equivalent idiom from your language or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the people who lived in the East”
1:3 csw9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-extrainfo בְּנֵי־קֶֽדֶם 1 The author is referring to an area to the **East** of where he and his audience live. It seems probable that he may mean the area east of the Jordan River, as the UST suggests. However, since it is not known exactly where the author and his audience lived, you could also use a general expression rather than try to identify the area in your translation. Alternate translation: “the people who lived in that area”
1:4 j004 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְהָלְכ֤וּ בָנָיו֙ וְעָשׂ֣וּ מִשְׁתֶּ֔ה בֵּ֖ית אִ֣ישׁ יוֹמ֑וֹ 1 The author is using the expression **went and** to describe customary action. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His sons had the custom of taking turns hosting feasts in their homes”
1:4 i4lf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יוֹמ֑וֹ 1 This could mean implicitly: (1) Alternate translation: “on an assigned day of the week” (2) Alternate translation: “on his birthday”
1:4 ey91 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet וְשָׁלְח֗וּ וְקָרְאוּ֙ 1 The terms **sent** and **called** mean similar things. The author is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “and they invited”
1:5 s2c6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor כִּ֣י הִקִּיפֽוּ֩ יְמֵ֨י הַמִּשְׁתֶּ֜ה 1 The author is speaking as if the **days of the feast** had literally **gone around** or traveled a certain distance and then returned to their starting point. He means that each son had taken his turn hosting a feast. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “after the days of the feast had made a full circuit” or “after each son had taken his turn hosting a feast”
1:5 x3v2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations בָנַ֔י 1 Although the term **sons** is masculine, Job is likely using the word in a generic sense to refer to all of his sons and daughters. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women, as UST does, or you could mention both sons and daughters. Alternate translation: “my sons and daughters”
1:5 k14m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וּבֵרֲכ֥וּ 1 It is possible that the original reading here was “cursed” and that scribes changed it to **blessed** in order to avoid the uncomfortable language of a person cursing God. Traditional manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible do not have a marginal notation about this as they do in the case of [7:20](../07/20.md), but many translations read “cursed” since this is the kind of change that scribes are known to have made in similar cases. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of ULT. Alternate translation: “and cursed”
1:5 j005 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys חָטְא֣וּ & וּבֵרֲכ֥וּ 1 This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. The word **sinned** tells in what way one of Job’s children might have **blessed**, that is, “cursed” God. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “have sinfully cursed”
1:5 du2j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor בִּלְבָבָ֑ם 1 Here, the **heart** figuratively represents the thoughts. Alternate translation: “in their thoughts”
1:5 j006 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole כָּל־הַיָּמִֽים 1 The author says **all** here as a generalization for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “on a regular basis”
1:6 i5iw rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-newevent וַיְהִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים 1 The author is using the phrase **And it was the day** to introduce a new event in the story. Use a word, phrase, or other method in your language that is natural for introducing a new event. Alternate translation: “One day the sons of God came”
1:6 n2re rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom בְּנֵ֣י הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים 1 This expression describes spiritual beings whom God created. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the angelic beings”
1:6 uwv6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לְהִתְיַצֵּ֖ב עַל־יְהוָ֑ה 1 The context suggests that these angelic beings came to Yahweh at regular times to report on their activities. You can provide this information in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “to give Yahweh a regular report on their activities”
1:6 j007 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names הַשָּׂטָ֖ן 1 See the discussion in the General Notes to this chapter for how to translate the title **the adversary** here and in the rest of this chapter and in chapter 2. Alternate translation, as in UST: “Satan”
1:7 j008 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys וַיַּ֨עַן הַשָּׂטָ֤ן אֶת־יְהוָה֙ וַיֹּאמַ֔ר 1 As the General Introduction to Job discusses, this phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. The word **answered** tells for what purpose the adversary **said** this. If it would be more natural in your language, here and in the rest of the book you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “The adversary responded to Yahweh”
1:7 plj3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism מִשּׁ֣וּט בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּמֵֽהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְ בָּֽהּ 1 These two phrases mean similar things. The adversary is using repetition to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them and convey the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “From wandering all over the earth”
1:8 j009 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אֵ֤ין כָּמֹ֨הוּ֙ 1 This expression leaves out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “there is not anyone like him”
1:8 ncu7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet תָּ֧ם וְיָשָׁ֛ר 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:1](../01/01.md).
1:8 n9a8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יְרֵ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:1](../01/01.md).
1:8 j010 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְסָ֥ר מֵרָֽע 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:1](../01/01.md).
1:9 i5tn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַֽחִנָּ֔ם יָרֵ֥א אִיּ֖וֹב אֱלֹהִֽים 1 The adversary is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Job gets a lot in return for fearing God!”
1:9 j011 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person אֱלֹהִֽים 1 The adversary is speaking about God in the third person, even though he is addressing him directly. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “you”
1:10 f5z2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹֽא־אַ֠תָּה שַׂ֣כְתָּ בַעֲד֧וֹ וּבְעַד־בֵּית֛וֹ וּבְעַ֥ד כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ מִסָּבִ֑יב 1 The adversary is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You have put a hedge around him and around his house and around all that is his, from every side!”
1:10 r7xt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הֲלֹֽא־אַ֠תָּה שַׂ֣כְתָּ בַעֲד֧וֹ וּבְעַד־בֵּית֛וֹ וּבְעַ֥ד כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֖וֹ מִסָּבִ֑יב 1 The adversary is speaking as if God had literally **put a hedge** around Job and his possessions. He means that God has protected Job and all that he owns. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Have you not protected him and his house and all that is his, from every side?” or “You have protected him and his house and all that is his, from every side!”
1:10 j012 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result מַעֲשֵׂ֤ה יָדָיו֙ בֵּרַ֔כְתָּ וּמִקְנֵ֖הוּ פָּרַ֥ץ בָּאָֽרֶץ׃ 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “His cattle have burst forth in the land because you have blessed the works of his hands”
1:10 l9et rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche מַעֲשֵׂ֤ה יָדָיו֙ 1 The adversary is using one part of Job, **his hands**, to mean all of Job in the act of doing **works**, specifically the activity of raising cattle. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “everything he has done”
1:10 xg3q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּמִקְנֵ֖הוּ פָּרַ֥ץ בָּאָֽרֶץ 1 The adversary is speaking as if Job’s **cattle** have literally **burst forth** and covered **the land** as if they were floodwaters. He means that Job’s cattle have increased greatly in number. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and his herds of cattle have become very large”
1:11 k6w4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative שְֽׁלַֽח־נָ֣א יָֽדְךָ֔ וְגַ֖ע בְּכָל־אֲשֶׁר־ל֑וֹ אִם־לֹ֥א עַל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְבָרֲכֶֽךָּ 1 The terms **stretch out** and **touch** are imperatives, but they communicate an assertion rather than commands. Use a form in your language that communicates an assertion. Alternate translation: “if you stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, he will bless you to your face”
1:11 y4qi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy שְֽׁלַֽח& יָֽדְךָ֔ 1 Here, **hand** figuratively represents the capability of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “use your power”
1:11 ax31 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְגַ֖ע 1 In this context, the word **touch** means “destroy.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and destroy”
1:11 j013 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אִם 1 The adversary is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and see if”
1:11 j014 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism יְבָרֲכֶֽךָּ 1 See how you translated the word “blessed’ in verse 5. Scribes may have made a similar change here from “curse” to **bless**. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of ULT. Alternate translation: “he will … curse you”
1:11 bn3v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy עַל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. The claim is that Job would not curse God in his “heart” (that is, in his thoughts) as Job was afraid one of his children might have done. Rather, Job would curse God out loud, and since God is present everywhere, Job would be cursing him in person. Alternate translation: “in person”
1:12 d2uy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הִנֵּ֤ה 1 As the General Introduction to Job discusses, Yahweh is using the term **Behold** to focus the adversary’s attention on what he is about to say. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation.
1:12 bul4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְּיָדֶ֔ךָ 1 Here, **hand** figuratively represents the capability of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “is in your power” or “is under your control”
1:12 gn4s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy פְּנֵ֥י יְהוָֽה 1 As in the previous verse, here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “the presence of Yahweh”
1:13 j016 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-newevent וַיְהִ֖י הַיּ֑וֹם וּבָנָ֨יו וּבְנֹתָ֤יו 1 The author is using the phrase **And it was the day** to introduce a new event in the story. Use a word, phrase, or other method in your language that is natural for introducing a new event. Alternate translation: “One day Job’s sons and daughters”
1:14 j017 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-background הַבָּקָר֙ הָי֣וּ חֹֽרְשׁ֔וֹת וְהָאֲתֹנ֖וֹת רֹע֥וֹת עַל־יְדֵיהֶֽם 1 The messenger is giving background information to help Job understand what he reports next. In your translation, introduce this information in a way that would be natural in your own language and culture.
1:14 j018 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom עַל־יְדֵיהֶֽם 1 This expression uses the word **hand** to mean the side of a person, animal, or group of animals. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “at their side” or “next to them”
1:15 j019 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche שְׁבָא֙ 1 The messenger is using the name of an entire people group, **Sheba**, to mean some members of that group. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “some of the Sabeans”
1:15 s7b7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names שְׁבָא֙ 1 The word **Sheba** is the name of a people group.
1:15 eib3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַתִּפֹּ֤ל 1 The messenger is using the word **fell** in a specific sense to mean “attacked.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this meaning plainly, as the UST does.
1:15 jw7q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְאֶת־הַנְּעָרִ֖ים הִכּ֣וּ לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב 1 The messenger is reporting that the Sabeans killed the servants. He is describing this by association with the means that the Sabeans used to kill them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and they killed the servants”
1:15 bpd8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations וָֽאִמָּ֨לְטָ֧ה רַק־אֲנִ֛י לְבַדִּ֖י לְהַגִּ֥יד לָֽךְ 1 You may find it more appropriate to represent this in your translation as an exclamation rather than as a statement, here and in verses 16, 17, and 19.
1:15 j020 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo וָֽאִמָּ֨לְטָ֧ה רַק־אֲנִ֛י לְבַדִּ֖י 1 It might seem that this expression contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it, here and in verses 16, 17, and 19. Alternate translation, as in UST: “I am the only one who has escaped”
1:16 j021 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet וַתִּבְעַ֥ר בַּצֹּ֛אן וּבַנְּעָרִ֖ים וַתֹּאכְלֵ֑ם 1 The terms **burned up** and **consumed** mean similar things. The second messenger is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “completely burned up the sheep and the servants”
1:17 j022 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names כַּשְׂדִּ֞ים 1 The word **Chaldeans** is the name of a people group.
1:17 j023 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְאֶת־הַנְּעָרִ֖ים הִכּ֣וּ לְפִי־חָ֑רֶב 1 See how you translated this same expression in [1:15](../01/15.md). Alternate translation: “they killed the servants”
1:18 s99m rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-background בָּנֶ֨יךָ וּבְנוֹתֶ֤יךָ אֹֽכְלִים֙ וְשֹׁתִ֣ים יַ֔יִן בְּבֵ֖ית אֲחִיהֶ֥ם הַבְּכֽוֹר 1 The messenger is giving background information to help Job understand what he reports next. In your translation, introduce this information in a way that would be natural in your own language and culture.
1:19 vau5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche בְּאַרְבַּע֙ פִּנּ֣וֹת הַבַּ֔יִת 1 Alternate translation: “the structural supports of the house”
1:20 j024 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַיָּ֤קָם אִיּוֹב֙ וַיִּקְרַ֣ע 1 Here the word **arose** may indicate that Job took action to respond to what the messengers told him, not that he stood up from a seated position. Alternate translation: “In response, Job tore”
1:20 d1w8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וַיִּקְרַ֣ע אֶת־מְעִל֔וֹ וַיָּ֖גָז אֶת־רֹאשׁ֑וֹ 1 Job **tore his robe and shaved his head** to show how deeply distressed he was. If this would not be clear to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “and tore his robe and shaved his head to show how deeply distressed he was”
1:20 j025 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וַיִּפֹּ֥ל אַ֖רְצָה וַיִּשְׁתָּֽחוּ 1 Be sure that it is clear in your translation that Job did not fall down accidentally. Make clear that he did these things in order to assume a posture of worship. Alternate translation: “and got down on the ground and lay flat as a gesture of worship to God”
1:21 wph4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche עָרֹ֨ם & וְעָרֹם֙ 1 Job is using one kind of possession, clothing, to mean all kinds of possessions. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Without any possessions … without any possessions”
1:21 j026 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo יָצָ֜אתִי מִבֶּ֣טֶן אִמִּ֗י 1 It might seem that this expression contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: “I was born”
1:21 j027 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אָשׁ֣וּב שָׁ֔מָה 1 Job is speaking as if the grave in which he will be buried is another **womb** like that of his **mother**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will go to the grave” or “I will be buried”
1:21 j028 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive יְהִ֛י שֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה מְבֹרָֽךְ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “May people bless the name of Yahweh”
1:21 j029 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy יְהִ֛י שֵׁ֥ם יְהוָ֖ה מְבֹרָֽךְ 1 Here, **name** represents the reputation of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could say that plainly. Alternate translation: “May Yahweh continue to have a good reputation”
1:22 xns1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys לֹא־חָטָ֣א אִיּ֑וֹב וְלֹא־נָתַ֥ן תִּפְלָ֖ה לֵאלֹהִֽים 1 This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. The word **sin** tells what kind of action it would be if Job were to **ascribe impropriety to God**. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “Job did not sin by ascribing impropriety to God”
2:intro ke5i 0 # Job 2 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThe events of this chapter are very similar to those of the previous chapter. However, this time Job is tested in an even more severe way. After losing his wealth and family, Job also loses his health, and his wife begins to encourage him to sin by cursing Yahweh. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/curse]])\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### “the adversary”\n\nThis character appears in chapter 2 as well as in chapter 1. Translate the name the same way here as you decided to translate it in the previous chapter.
2:1 r1zs rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-newevent וַיְהִ֣י הַיּ֔וֹם וַיָּבֹ֨אוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים 1 The author is using the phrase **And it was the day** to introduce a new event in the story. Use a word, phrase, or other method in your language that is natural for introducing a new event. See how you translated the same expression in [1:6](../01/06.md). Alternate translation: “One day the sons of God came”
2:1 dg33 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom בְּנֵ֣י הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים 1 This expression describes spiritual beings whom God created. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See how you translated this in [1:6](../01/06.md). Alternate translation: “the angelic beings”
2:2 vu2m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism מִשֻּׁ֣ט בָּאָ֔רֶץ וּמֵהִתְהַלֵּ֖ךְ בָּֽהּ 1 These two phrases mean similar things. The adversary is using repetition to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them and convey the emphasis in another way. See how you translated the same expression in [1:7](../01/07.md). Alternate translation: “From wandering all over the earth”
2:3 d12l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הֲשַׂ֣מְתָּ לִבְּךָ֮ אֶל 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:8](../01/08.md). Alternate translation: “Have you considered”
2:3 j030 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אֵ֨ין כָּמֹ֜הוּ 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:8](../01/08.md). Alternate translation: “there is not anyone like him”
2:3 uz5k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet תָּ֧ם וְיָשָׁ֛ר 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:1](../01/01.md).
2:3 j031 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יְרֵ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:1](../01/01.md).
2:3 eq69 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְסָ֣ר מֵרָ֑ע 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:1](../01/01.md).
2:3 awm6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מַחֲזִ֣יק בְּתֻמָּת֔וֹ 1 Yahweh is speaking as if Job were literally **holding firmly** onto his **integrity**. He means that Job is maintaining his integrity. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “is maintaining his integrity”
2:3 j032 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns מַחֲזִ֣יק בְּתֻמָּת֔וֹ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **integrity**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “is continuing to live in the right way”
2:3 p2iq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לְבַלְּע֥וֹ 1 Yahweh is speaking as if the adversary had literally incited him to **devour** or eat up Job. He means that the adversary had incited him to allow the adversary to destroy Job’s possessions and family. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to allow you to destroy his possessions and family”
2:4 s8ua rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche ע֣וֹר בְּעַד־ע֗וֹר 1 In this expression, the adversary is using part of a person or animal, the **skin**, to mean all of that person or animal. The basic meaning is that a person will sacrifice even a valuable herd animal in order to save himself, and the more general meaning, as the adversary explains in the rest of the verse, is that a person will sacrifice just about anything he owns in order to stay alive. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “An animal in exchange for a person’s life”
2:5 j033 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative שְֽׁלַֽח־נָ֣א יָֽדְךָ֔ וְגַ֥ע אֶל־עַצְמ֖וֹ וְאֶל־בְּשָׂר֑וֹ אִם־לֹ֥א אֶל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ יְבָרֲכֶֽךָּ 1 The terms **stretch out** and **touch** are imperatives, but they communicate an assertion rather than commands. Use a form in your language that communicates an assertion. See how you translated the same expression in [1:11](../01/11.md). Alternate translation: “if you stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, he will bless you to your face”
2:5 id2l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy שְֽׁלַֽח־נָ֣א יָֽדְךָ֔ 1 Here, **hand** figuratively represents the capability of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. See how you translated the same expression in [1:11](../01/11.md). Alternate translation: “just use your power”
2:5 cz3l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְגַ֥ע 1 In this context, the word **touch** means “harm.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and harm”
2:5 qau8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche אֶל־עַצְמ֖וֹ וְאֶל־בְּשָׂר֑וֹ 1 The adversary is using two parts of Job’s body, his **bones** and his **flesh**, to mean Job’s whole body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: “his body”
2:5 d2rf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אִם 1 The adversary is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. See how you translated the same expression in [1:11](../01/11.md). Alternate translation: “and see if”
2:5 i3ij rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism יְבָרֲכֶֽךָּ 1 See how you translated the same expression in [1:11](../01/11.md). Scribes may also have made a change here from “curse” to **bless**. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of ULT. Alternate translation: “he will … curse you”
2:5 b5lr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֶל־פָּנֶ֖יךָ 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. See how you translated the same expression in [1:11](../01/11.md). Alternate translation: “in person”
2:6 j034 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְיָדֶ֑ךָ 1 Here, **hand** figuratively represents the capability of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. See how you translated the similar expression in [1:12](../01/12.md). Alternate translation: “in your power” or “under your control”
2:7 fj98 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy פְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. See how you translated the similar expression in [1:12](../01/12.md). Alternate translation: “the presence of Yahweh”
2:7 gtz9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וַיַּ֤ךְ אֶת־אִיּוֹב֙ בִּשְׁחִ֣ין רָ֔ע 1 The author is speaking as if the adversary literally **struck** Job with these **boils**, as if they were a weapon in his hand. He means that the adversary caused Job to suffer from the boils. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he afflicted Job with bad boils” or “he caused Job to suffer from bad boils”
2:7 j035 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown בִּשְׁחִ֣ין רָ֔ע 1 The word **boils** describes large, itching, painful skin infections. If your readers would not be familiar with what boils are, in your translation you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “with large, itching, painful skin infections”
2:7 j036 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-merism מִכַּ֥ף רַגְל֖וֹ עד קָדְקֳדֽוֹ 1 The author is using the extreme ends of Job’s body, **the sole of his foot** and **his pate** (that is, the top of his head), to mean those parts and everything in between. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: “over his entire body”
2:8 j037 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown חֶ֔רֶשׂ 1 A **shard** was a piece of broken pottery. It had sharp edges, so Job could **scrape himself** with it. If your readers would not be familiar with what a shard is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable object in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “a sharp fragment of pottery”
2:8 k22q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לְהִתְגָּרֵ֖ד 1 The implication is that Job would **scrape himself** with the shard to clean his skin and to reduce the itching of the boils. You can provide this information in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “to scrape himself to clean his skin and to reduce the itching of the boils”
2:8 f72v rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וְה֖וּא יֹשֵׁ֥ב בְּתוֹךְ־הָאֵֽפֶר 1 In this culture, there was place outside the city where rubbish was brought and burned to dispose of it. This left a pile of ashes. Job was sitting in that pile as a symbolic action to show how distressed he was. It was a way of signifying that he no longer felt his life was worth anything. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of his action. Alternate translation: “he was sitting in the midst of the ash pile outside the city to show how distressed he was”
2:9 v1yj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion עֹדְךָ֖ מַחֲזִ֣יק בְּתֻמָּתֶ֑ךָ 1 Job’s wife is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You should not still be holding firmly to your integrity!”
2:9 j038 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations בָּרֵ֥ךְ אֱלֹהִ֖ים וָמֻֽת 1 You may find it more appropriate to represent this in your translation as an exclamation rather than as a statement. Alternate translation: “Bless God and die!”
2:9 wgb4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism בָּרֵ֥ךְ 1 See how you translated the word “bless” in [1:11](../01/11.md) and [2:5](../02/05.md). Scribes may also have made a change here from “Curse” to **Bless**. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of ULT. Alternate translation: “Curse”
2:9 j039 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit בָּרֵ֥ךְ אֱלֹהִ֖ים וָמֻֽת 1 Job’s wife seems to be saying implicitly that Job no longer has any reason either to trust God or to live, and that if he curses God, God will kill him too and put him out of his misery. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly. Alternate translation: “Curse God so that he will kill you too and put you out of your misery”
2:10 p6a8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun אַחַ֤ת הַנְּבָלוֹת֙ 1 This phrase does not refer to a specific person. It refers to anyone who has the quality that it names. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “a foolish person” or, since the expression is feminine, “a foolish woman”
2:10 j182 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אַחַ֤ת הַנְּבָלוֹת֙ 1 In this context, the word **foolish** does not describe a person who is stupid or lacking intelligence or education. It means someone who does not respect God and who therefore does not live in the way that God has instructed people to live. Alternate translation: “a person who does not respect and obey God” or “a woman who does not respect and obey God”
2:10 hrr4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion גַּ֣ם אֶת־הַטּ֗וֹב נְקַבֵּל֙ מֵאֵ֣ת הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְאֶת־הָרָ֖ע לֹ֣א נְקַבֵּ֑ל 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “if we are willing to receive the good from God, we should also be willing to receive the bad”
2:10 ltp4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj אֶת־הַטּ֗וֹב & וְאֶת־הָרָ֖ע 1 Job is using the adjectives **good** and **bad** as a nouns to mean certain kinds of things. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “good things … and … bad things”
2:10 wj2i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו 1 The author is referring to what Job said by association with **lips** that Job used in order to say it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in anything that he said”
2:11 j040 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification אֵ֣ת כָּל־הָרָעָ֣ה הַזֹּאת֮ הַבָּ֣אָה עָלָיו֒ 1 The author is speaking of the **evil** or trouble that happened to Job as if it were a living that **had come on him**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “all these bad things had happened to him”
2:11 c4dm rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names אֱלִיפַ֤ז הַתֵּימָנִי֙ וּבִלְדַּ֣ד הַשּׁוּחִ֔י וְצוֹפַ֖ר הַנַּֽעֲמָתִ֑י 1 The words **Eliphaz**, **Bildad**, and **Zophar** are the names of men. The word **Temanite** describes someone from the town of Teman in the ancient country of Edom. The word **Shuhite** describes someone from the people group descended from Shuah, a son of Abraham and Keturah. The word **Naamathite** describes someone from the town of Naamah in Canaan.
2:11 en96 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet לָנֽוּד־ל֖וֹ וּֽלְנַחֲמֽוֹ 1 The terms **sympathize** and **comfort** mean similar things. The author is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “to sympathize earnestly with him”
2:12 fu87 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַיִּשְׂא֨וּ אֶת־עֵינֵיהֶ֤ם 1 This expression means to look carefully and intently off into the distance. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “They looked intently off into the distance”
2:12 kle6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְלֹ֣א הִכִּירֻ֔הוּ 1 The implication is Job’s friends did not recognize him at first when they saw him at a distance. Job looked very different than usual because of his grief and because of the sores covering his body. You can provide this information in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “they barely recognized him because he looked so different due to his grief and his sores”
2:12 j042 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ קוֹלָ֖ם וַיִּבְכּ֑וּ 1 This phrase expresses a single idea by using two phrases connected with **and**. The phrase **raised their voice** tells how the friends **wept**, that is, loudly. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “and they wept in a loud voice” or “and they wept loudly”
2:12 jd72 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ קוֹלָ֖ם 1 The author is speaking as if the friends literally **raised** their voice, that is, lifted it up into the air. He means that they made a loud sound with their voices as they wept. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they made a loud sound”
2:12 j041 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-collectivenouns וַיִּשְׂא֥וּ קוֹלָ֖ם 1 Since the author is speaking of three people, it may be more natural in your language to use the plural form of **voice**. Alternate translation: “they raised their voices”
2:12 ira1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וַֽיִּקְרְעוּ֙ אִ֣ישׁ מְעִל֔וֹ וַיִּזְרְק֥וּ עָפָ֛ר עַל־רָאשֵׁיהֶ֖ם הַשָּׁמָֽיְמָה 1 Job’s friends tore their robes and threw dust into the air so that it would land on their heads as symbolic actions to show that they were deeply distressed about what had happened to Job. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “to show how distressed they were about what had happened to Job, each tore his robe, and they threw dust heavenward upon their heads”
2:13 zzf1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וַיֵּשְׁב֤וּ אִתּוֹ֙ לָאָ֔רֶץ 1 Job’s friends **sat with him on the ground** as a symbolic action to express their sincere sympathy with him. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “And to express their sincere sympathy, they sat with him on the ground”
3:intro jci9 0 # Job 3 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem.\n\n## Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nIn many places in this chapter, Job uses the question form in order to express strong feelings. Your language might not use the question form for this purpose. Notes will suggest other ways to translate these questions. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])\n\n### Birth meaning life by association\n\nThroughout this chapter, Job is saying that does not feel that his life is worth living any longer. He communicates this by cursing the day he was born, which is a way of saying by association that he wishes he had never lived. This is a powerful poetic device that would be good to show to your readers, so it would be preferable to translate the device itself, rather than express only its meaning or implications in your translation. In other words, for example, it would be appropriate to translate Job’s actual words in 3:3, “May the day on which I was born perish,” rather than have him say something like, “I do not feel that my life is worth living any more, and so I wish I had never been born.” (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-extrainfo]])
3:1 hmv8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy פָּתַ֤ח אִיּוֹב֙ אֶת־פִּ֔יהוּ 1 The author is referring to Job speaking by association with the way **Job opened his mouth** in order to speak. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Job spoke up”
3:1 j043 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַיְקַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־יוֹמֽוֹ 1 In this context, the expression **his day** means the day on which Job was born. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and cursed his birthday”
3:1 j044 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וַיְקַלֵּ֖ל אֶת־יוֹמֽוֹ 1 The implication is that Job **cursed** his birthday because he was suffering so greatly that he wished he had never been born. You can provide this information in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and cursed his birthday because he was suffering so greatly that he wished he had never been born”
3:2 j045 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet וַיַּ֥עַן אִיּ֗וֹב וַיֹּאמַֽר 1 See the discussion of this expression in the General Introduction to Job. In this case, Job is responding not to something that someone else said but to all that has happened to him. Alternate translation: “In response to all that had happened to him, Job said”
3:3 j046 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism יֹ֣אבַד י֭וֹם אִוָּ֣לֶד בּ֑וֹ וְהַלַּ֥יְלָה אָ֝מַ֗ר הֹ֣רָה גָֽבֶר 1 See the discussion of Hebrew poetry in the General Introduction to Job to decide how to approach the translation of this verse and the other verses in the book that consist of a statement and then one or two further statements that advance the meaning of the first one in some way. Alternate translation: “May the day on which I was born perish, yes, may the night perish that said a boy had been conceived” or “May the night I was conceived and the day on which I was born both perish”
3:3 z3eb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יֹ֣אבַד י֭וֹם אִוָּ֣לֶד בּ֑וֹ 1 Job is speaking of the **day** on which he **was born** as if it were a living thing that could **perish**. It is clear from verse 6 that he means he wishes it would no longer be one of the days of the year. Your language may have an expression of its own that you could use to express this meaning in your translation. Alternate translation: “May the day on which I was born be stricken from the calendar”
3:3 zca2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְהַלַּ֥יְלָה 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and may the night perish” or “and may the night also be stricken from the calendar”
3:3 j047 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes אָ֝מַ֗ר הֹ֣רָה גָֽבֶר 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “that said that a boy had been conceived”
3:3 q9nj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification אָ֝מַ֗ר הֹ֣רָה גָֽבֶר 1 Job is speaking of the **night** of his conception as if it were a living thing that could speak. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “on which I was conceived as a boy”
3:3 ka1k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הֹ֣רָה גָֽבֶר 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “A woman has conceived a boy”
3:4 j048 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אַֽל־יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ אֱל֣וֹהַּ מִמָּ֑עַל וְאַל־תּוֹפַ֖ע עָלָ֣יו נְהָרָֽה 1 Job is speaking as if God would literally **seek** the day of his birth after it became dark. In this context, the word **seek** could mean: (1) to show concern. Alternate translation: “May God not show concern from above for that day by restoring its light” (2) to look for. Alternate translation: “May God not search for that day from above when he discovers that it is missing and bring it back among the other days by restoring its light”
3:4 hr5h rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result אַֽל־יִדְרְשֵׁ֣הוּ אֱל֣וֹהַּ מִמָּ֑עַל וְאַל־תּוֹפַ֖ע עָלָ֣יו נְהָרָֽה 1 Since it was God who created day by making light ([Genesis 1:3](../01/03.md)), Job seems to be wishing that his birthday would be dark because God would not provide any light for it. Alternate translation: “May God not care for it from above, and as a result, may light not shine upon it” or “May no light shine upon it, because God is not caring for it from above”
3:5 j049 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet יִגְאָלֻ֡הוּ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְ֭צַלְמָוֶת 1 The terms **darkness** and **dark shadow** mean similar things. The author is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “May darkness completely claim it”
3:5 j050 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יִגְאָלֻ֡הוּ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְ֭צַלְמָוֶת 1 Job assumes that his listeners will understand that by **claim** he is referring to the way, in his culture, a close relative would bring an orphaned child into his own home and make that child a member of his own family. You could say that explicitly if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “May darkness and deep darkness make it part of their own family”
3:5 j051 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יִגְאָלֻ֡הוּ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְ֭צַלְמָוֶת 1 Job is speaking as if **darkness** and a **dark shadow** were living things that could adopt the day of his birth, as if it too were a living thing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “May that day be just like darkness, yes, like deep darkness”
3:5 ci87 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification תִּשְׁכָּן־עָלָ֣יו עֲנָנָ֑ה 1 Job is speaking of a **cloud** as if it were a living thing that could **dwell** or make its home **over** the day of his birth, and he is speaking of that day as if it were something that itself lived in a particular place. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “may that whole day be cloudy”
3:5 tz1j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession כִּֽמְרִ֥ירֵי יֽוֹם 1 In this possessive form, **the day** is the object rather than the subject of **blacknesses**. That is, this does not mean blacknesses that the day possesses, it means all the things that blacken a day, that is, make it dark. This would include things such as eclipses, sand storms, volcanic eruptions, etc. Alternate translation: “all the things that blacken a day” or “all the things that make a day dark”
3:5 j052 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns כִּֽמְרִ֥ירֵי יֽוֹם 1 If your language would not use an abstract noun such as **blacknesses**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “all the things that blacken a day” or “all the things that make a day dark”
3:5 j4if rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יְ֝בַעֲתֻ֗הוּ 1 Job is speaking of the day of his birth as if it were a living thing that blackening events could **terrify**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “make it so dark that it is no longer truly a day”
3:6 g44b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יִקָּחֵ֪ה֫וּ אֹ֥פֶל 1 Job is speaking of **gloom** as if it were a living thing that could **take** away the night of his conception, as if it were an object that could be carried. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “may it be without any light”
3:6 j053 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אַל־יִ֭חַדְּ בִּימֵ֣י שָׁנָ֑ה בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר יְ֝רָחִ֗ים אַל־יָבֹֽא 1 The pronoun **it** refers to the day when Job was born. Job is alternating between speaking about that day and about the night when he was conceived. Alternate translation: “May the day when I was born not rejoice among the days of the year; into the number of the months may it not come”
3:6 hgn9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification אַל־יִ֭חַדְּ בִּימֵ֣י שָׁנָ֑ה בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר יְ֝רָחִ֗ים אַל־יָבֹֽא 1 Job is speaking of the day of his birth as if it were a living thing that could **rejoice** that it was one of the days of the year and that could **come** among the months of the year. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “May it not be one of the days of the year, yes, may it not be a day in any of the months”
3:6 d2mp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession אַל־יִ֭חַדְּ בִּימֵ֣י שָׁנָ֑ה בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר יְ֝רָחִ֗ים אַל־יָבֹֽא 1 Job is not saying that he does not want the day of his birth to be one of the months of the year. Rather, he is using the possessive form **the number of the months** to mean the group of all of the months. In other words, that is another way of saying “the year.” Alternate translation: “May it not be one of the days of the year; indeed, may it not be part of the year at all” or, combining the two phrases, “May that day be left out of the year completely”
3:6 j054 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure אַל־יִ֭חַדְּ בִּימֵ֣י שָׁנָ֑ה בְּמִסְפַּ֥ר יְ֝רָחִ֗ים אַל־יָבֹֽא 1 It may be more natural in your language to mention the shorter period, **months**, before the longer period, **the year**, in order to increase the emphasis as the sentence progresses. The UST models one way to do this.
3:7 sh3e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification הַלַּ֣יְלָה הַ֭הוּא יְהִ֣י גַלְמ֑וּד 1 Job is speaking of the **night** he was conceived as if it were a living thing that could be **barren**. He means that he does not want that night to have any children, in the sense that he does not want any more children to be conceived on that night or, as the context suggests, born on that night. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “May no one ever again be born on that night”
3:7 i8zr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification אַל־תָּבֹ֖א רְנָנָ֣ה בֽוֹ 1 Job is speaking of a **joyful shout** as if it were a living thing that could **come into** a place. He is referring to people shouting for joy on the night of the day when he was born. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “May no one shout joyfully on that night”
3:7 cdr2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אַל־תָּבֹ֖א רְנָנָ֣ה בֽוֹ 1 Job means implicitly that he does not want anyone to shout joyfully on this particular night to celebrate the birth of a child. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “May no one shout joyfully on that night to celebrate the birth of a child”
3:8 j055 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יִקְּבֻ֥הוּ 1 The pronoun **it** refers to the day when Job was born. Job is alternating between speaking about that day and about the night when he was conceived. Alternate translation: “May … curse that day”
3:8 i4gt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אֹרְרֵי־י֑וֹם 1 Job assumes that his listeners will understand that by **the ones cursing a day** he is referring to sorcerers. People in this culture employed sorcerers in the belief that they could cause bad things to happen on a particular day to their enemies. For example, people might employ a sorcerer to try to ruin the day on which a person began an important journey or celebrated an important family occasion such as a wedding. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “professional sorcerers”
3:8 j056 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj הָ֝עֲתִידִ֗ים 1 Job is using the adjective **skillful** as a noun to mean certain people. The word is plural, and ULT adds the word **ones** to show that. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the people who have the skill”
3:8 j057 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit עֹרֵ֥ר לִוְיָתָֽן 1 The implication is that if sorcerers created chaos by awakening the chaos monster, there would no longer be any distinction between days, and so the day of Job’s birth would no longer have a distinct identity. You could say that explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “to cause chaos among days” or “to destroy the distinct identity of the day on which I was born”
3:8 j342 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לִוְיָתָֽן 1 People in this culture believed in a monster called **Leviathan**, associated with the sea, who caused chaos. You could retain the name Leviathan in your translation. Alternatively, you could use a general expression in order to give your readers some idea of the beliefs of this culture. Alternate translation: “the sea monster who causes chaos”
3:9 fcl4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יְקַו־לְא֥וֹר וָאַ֑יִן וְאַל־יִ֝רְאֶ֗ה בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָֽׁחַר 1 Job is speaking of the day of his birth as if it were a living thing that could **wait** for **light** to appear in the sky and **see** the **dawn**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “may light never appear on that day, yes, may dawn never break on that day”
3:9 j058 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָֽׁחַר 1 Job is referring to light flashing from eyes by association with the **eyelids** that open to reveal that flashing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the light flashing from the eyes of the dawn”
3:9 max2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification בְּעַפְעַפֵּי־שָֽׁחַר 1 Job is speaking of **the dawn** as if it were a living thing that had **eyelids** that could open to reveal light flashing from its eyes. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the first light of dawn” or “the break of dawn”
3:10 j059 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession לֹ֣א סָ֭גַר דַּלְתֵ֣י בִטְנִ֑י 1 Job is using the possessive form **my womb** to mean the womb from which he was born, that is, his mother’s womb. He is not saying that he himself had a womb. It may be helpful clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “it did not close the doors of my mother’s womb”
3:10 ta9d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֹ֣א סָ֭גַר דַּלְתֵ֣י בִטְנִ֑י 1 Job is speaking as his mother’s **womb** literally had **doors** that could have **closed** to keep him from being born. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “it did not keep me from being born”
3:10 juv2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification לֹ֣א סָ֭גַר דַּלְתֵ֣י בִטְנִ֑י וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר 1 Job is speaking as if the day of his birth were a living thing that could have kept him from being born. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “nothing kept me from being born on that day and hid”
3:10 j060 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל מֵעֵינָֽי 1 Job is also speaking as if the day of his birth were a living thing that could have hidden **trouble** from his **eyes**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and nothing hid trouble from my eyes”
3:10 e47i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל מֵעֵינָֽי 1 Job is referring to his ability to see by association with the **eyes** by which he sees. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and hide trouble from my sight” or “and keep me from seeing trouble”
3:10 j061 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל מֵעֵינָֽי 1 In this context, to see **trouble** means to experience it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and keep me from experiencing trouble”
3:10 j062 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וַיַּסְתֵּ֥ר עָ֝מָ֗ל מֵעֵינָֽי 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **trouble**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “and keep me from suffering so badly”
3:11 j063 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism לָ֤מָּה לֹּ֣א מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע 1 These two phrases mean similar things. As Job and the other characters do throughout the poetic sections of the book, here he is using repeating phrases in order to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. (See the discussion of “parallelism” in the General Introduction to the book of Job.) If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine these phrases. However, you may wish to retain both of them in order to give your readers an idea of how Hebrew poetry worked. The following notes give suggestions for how to do that. Alternate translation, combining the phrases: “Why did I not die just as soon as I was born?”
3:11 gg8p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion לָ֤מָּה לֹּ֣א מֵרֶ֣חֶם אָמ֑וּת מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate using the statement or exclamation form. It may be helpful to make this two sentences. Alternate translation: “I wish I had died from the womb! I wish I had come out of the belly and expired!”
3:11 j064 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מֵרֶ֣חֶם 1 Job is referring to his birth by association with the **womb** from which he was born. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “as soon as I was born”
3:11 hh1m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וְאֶגְוָֽע 1 Job is using the word **expire**, which means to “breathe out,” to mean “die.” This is a mild way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “and pass away”
3:11 j065 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִבֶּ֖טֶן יָצָ֣אתִי וְאֶגְוָֽע 1 Job is referring to his birth by association with the **belly** (a poetic synonym for “womb”) from which he was born. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “breathe my last as soon as my mother gave birth to me”
3:12 j066 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַ֭דּוּעַ קִדְּמ֣וּנִי בִרְכָּ֑יִם וּמַה־שָּׁ֝דַ֗יִם כִּ֣י אִינָֽק 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “I wish that knees had not welcomed me, and breasts, that I should have sucked!”
3:12 j067 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis מַ֭דּוּעַ קִדְּמ֣וּנִי בִרְכָּ֑יִם וּמַה־שָּׁ֝דַ֗יִם כִּ֣י אִינָֽק 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Why did knees welcome me, and why did breasts welcome me so that I could suck?”
3:12 v9p9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche מַ֭דּוּעַ קִדְּמ֣וּנִי בִרְכָּ֑יִם וּמַה־שָּׁ֝דַ֗יִם כִּ֣י אִינָֽק 1 Job is using parts of his mother to mean all of his mother in the act of nursing him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Why did my mother hold me on her knees and nurse me?”
3:13 aal1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo כִּֽי 1 The word **For** indicates that the sentence it introduces states what the result would have been if the event Job has been describing had actually taken place, that is, if he had died at birth. Alternate translation: “If that had been the case,”
3:13 j068 עַ֭תָּה 1 Alternate translation: “by now” or “at this time”
3:13 pv57 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-tense שָׁכַ֣בְתִּי וְאֶשְׁק֑וֹט יָ֝שַׁ֗נְתִּי אָ֤ז ׀ יָנ֬וּחַֽ לִֽי 1 Job is using the past tense to describe what would have been the case if he had actually never been born. Your language may use the past tense in this same way. If not, you could use the conditional tense here. Alternate translation: “I would have lain down and been reposing, I would have slept and it would have been rest to me”
3:13 j069 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism יָ֝שַׁ֗נְתִּי 1 Job is using the word **slept** to mean “died.” This is a mild way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. If not, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I would have passed away” or “I would have died”
3:13 e4ks יָנ֬וּחַֽ לִֽי 1 If your language would not use an impersonal construction such as this one, you could express the meaning in another way. Alternate translation: “I would have been at rest” or “I would have been resting”
3:14 j070 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הַבֹּנִ֖ים חֳרָב֣וֹת לָֽמוֹ 1 The word translated **monuments** refers to a desolate or ruined place. In this context, it could mean implicitly: (1) elaborate buildings in desolate places, such as the pyramids that the pharaohs built in the Egyptian desert. Since Job is wishing that this were his situation, this positive sense is probably preferable. Alternate translation: “who built great tombs for themselves in remote places” (2) ruined buildings. Alternate translation: “who rebuilt ruined buildings for themselves” or “who built buildings for themselves that are now ruined”
3:15 j071 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole הַֽמְמַלְאִ֖ים בָּתֵּיהֶ֣ם כָּֽסֶף 1 Job says that these princes **filled their houses with silver** as an overstatement for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “who kept much silver in their homes”
3:16 j072 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כְנֵ֣פֶל טָ֭מוּן 1 The word translated **hidden** refers implicitly to burial. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “like a child who was not born alive and so was buried immediately”
3:16 qu2s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche כְּ֝עֹלְלִ֗ים לֹא־רָ֥אוּ אֽוֹר 1 Job is using one part of the birth process, seeing **the light** for the first time, to mean all of the birth process. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “like infants who are not born alive”
3:17 j073 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רְ֭שָׁעִים & יְגִ֣יעֵי כֹֽחַ 1 Job is using the adjectives **wicked** and **weary** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “people who are wicked … people who are weary in strength”
3:18 zbk5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לֹ֥א שָׁ֝מְע֗וּ ק֣וֹל נֹגֵֽשׂ 1 Job is referring to the orders that a **taskmaster** would give **Captives** by association with the **voice** that the taskmaster would use to convey them. He is referring to the captives’ obligation to obey those orders by association with the way they would **hear** them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use equivalent expressions or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “no taskmaster gives them orders to follow” or “they no longer need to follow the orders of any taskmaster”
3:19 yv5l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-merism קָטֹ֣ן וְ֭גָדוֹל שָׁ֣ם 1 Job is using two extremes of people, **small** and **great** (meaning unimportant and important), to mean them and everyone in between. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: “People of every kind are there”
3:19 j074 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj קָטֹ֣ן וְ֭גָדוֹל 1 Job is using the adjectives **Small** and **great** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “Unimportant people and important people”
3:19 xrv1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun וְ֝עֶ֗בֶד 1 In this context, the phrase **a servant** does not refer to one specific person. It refers to servants in general. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and anyone who had been a servant”
3:20 zq45 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion לָ֤מָּה יִתֵּ֣ן לְעָמֵ֣ל א֑וֹר וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ 1 This is the beginning of a long question that Job asks, using the question form for emphasis, in verses 20–23. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate these verses as a series of statements or exclamations. Alternate translation: “Light should not be given to the miserable! Life should not be given to the bitter in soul!”
3:20 j075 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive לָ֤מָּה יִתֵּ֣ן & א֑וֹר 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “Why does God give light”
3:20 naz6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy א֑וֹר 1 Job is referring to life by association with the **light** that people who are alive are able to see. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “life”
3:20 j076 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj לְעָמֵ֣ל & לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ 1 Job is using the adjectives **miserable** and **bitter** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “to people who are miserable … to people who are bitter in soul”
3:20 j077 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְ֝חַיִּ֗ים 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and why is life given” or “and why does God give life”
3:20 j078 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לְמָ֣רֵי נָֽפֶשׁ 1 This expression describes people who are **bitter** or unhappy in the depths of their beings. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to people who are deeply unhappy”
3:21 hbh3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַֽמְחַכִּ֣ים לַמָּ֣וֶת וְאֵינֶ֑נּוּ וַֽ֝יַּחְפְּרֻ֗הוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִֽים 1 This is a continuation of the question that Job is asking in verses 20–23, using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as the next statement or exclamation in a series. Alternate translation: “Life should not be given to people who long to die but who cannot die, who dig for death more than for hidden treasures!” or “God should not give life to people who long to die but who cannot die, who dig for death more than for hidden treasures!”
3:21 lgj7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וַֽ֝יַּחְפְּרֻ֗הוּ מִמַּטְמוֹנִֽים 1 Job is speaking as if very unhappy people literally **dig** for death more eagerly than they would dig to find **hidden treasures**. He means that they want to die more than they want anything else. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “who want to die more than they want anything else”
3:22 p5zy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַשְּׂמֵחִ֥ים אֱלֵי־גִ֑יל יָ֝שִׂ֗ישׂוּ כִּ֣י יִמְצְאוּ־קָֽבֶר 1 This is a continuation of the question that Job is asking in verses 20–23, using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as the next statement or exclamation in a series. Alternate translation: “Life should not be given to people who rejoice unto gladness and celebrate when they find a grave!” or “God should not give life to people who rejoice unto gladness and celebrate when they find a grave!”
3:22 z97v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet הַשְּׂמֵחִ֥ים אֱלֵי־גִ֑יל יָ֝שִׂ֗ישׂוּ 1 The terms **rejoicing unto gladness** and **celebrate** mean similar things. Job is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “the ones who rejoice greatly”
3:22 p53t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy כִּ֣י יִמְצְאוּ־קָֽבֶר 1 Job is referring to death by association with the **grave** in which a person who dies is buried. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “when they die” or “when they know that they are about to die”
3:23 fk1v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion לְ֭גֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּ֣וֹ נִסְתָּ֑רָה וַיָּ֖סֶךְ אֱל֣וֹהַּ בַּעֲדֽוֹ 1 This is the end of the question that Job has been asking in verses 20–23, using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as the last statement or exclamation in a series. Alternate translation: “Life should not be given to a man whose way is hidden, around whom God has hedged!” or “God should not give life to a man whose way is hidden, around whom he has hedged!”
3:23 j079 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet לְ֭גֶבֶר אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּ֣וֹ נִסְתָּ֑רָה וַיָּ֖סֶךְ אֱל֣וֹהַּ בַּעֲדֽוֹ 1 The phrases **whose way is hidden** and **God has hedged around him** mean similar things. Job is using the two phrases together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “to a man whom God is keeping from seeing where he is going”
3:23 xgh3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּ֣וֹ נִסְתָּ֑רָה וַיָּ֖סֶךְ אֱל֣וֹהַּ בַּעֲדֽוֹ 1 Job is speaking of how a person ought to live, or of a hopeful future that lies ahead of a person, as if that were literally a **way** or path that the person should walk along but which is **hidden** so that the person cannot find it. He speaks as if God had literally put a hedge around the person to keep him from seeing out. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “who has no hope for the future”
3:23 j080 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive אֲשֶׁר־דַּרְכּ֣וֹ נִסְתָּ֑רָה 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who has done the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “whose way God has hidden”
3:24 j081 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּֽי 1 Job is using the word **For** to explain the reason why he asked in the preceding verses why God would give life to a person who is as miserable as he is. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “I have asked all this because”
3:24 ya6w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לִפְנֵ֣י לַ֭חְמִי אַנְחָתִ֣י תָבֹ֑א 1 The word **before** could mean implicitly: (1) that Job’s sighing comes in place of his food. Alternate translation: “I am too sad to eat” (2) that Job’s sighing comes first and his food comes afterwards. Alternate translation: “I cannot eat without sighing first”
3:24 jp2u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile וַֽיִּתְּכ֥וּ כַ֝מַּ֗יִם שַׁאֲגֹתָֽי 1 The point of this comparison is that just as **waters** (those of a river, for example) flow greatly and powerfully, so Job is groaning greatly and powerfully. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “and I am groaning very greatly”
3:25 j082 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּ֤י 1 Job is using the word **For** to explain the reason why he is so upset that he cannot eat and he is groaning loudly. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “I cannot eat and I am groaning because”
3:25 pvp2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification פַ֣חַד פָּ֭חַדְתִּי וַיֶּאֱתָיֵ֑נִי וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר יָ֝גֹ֗רְתִּי יָ֣בֹא לִֽי 1 Job is speaking of what he **feared** and **dreaded** as if it were a living thing that had **arrived** or **come** to him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to combine these two clauses in your translation. Alternate translation: “the thing that I was most afraid of has happened”
3:25 j083 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry פַ֣חַד פָּ֭חַדְתִּי 1 Job is using a construction in which a verb and its object come from the same root. You may be able to use the same construction in your language to express the meaning here.Alternatively, your language may have its own way of expressing such a meaning. Alternate translation: “I was very afraid of something”
3:26 j084 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result לֹ֤א שָׁלַ֨וְתִּי ׀ וְלֹ֖א שָׁקַ֥טְתִּי וְֽלֹא־נָ֗חְתִּי וַיָּ֥בֹא רֹֽגֶז 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. (The word translated **but** introduces a reason.) Alternate translation: “Because trouble comes, I have not relaxed, and I have not reposed, and I have not rested”
3:26 f53t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet לֹ֤א שָׁלַ֨וְתִּי ׀ וְלֹ֖א שָׁקַ֥טְתִּי וְֽלֹא־נָ֗חְתִּי וַיָּ֥בֹא רֹֽגֶז 1 The terms **relaxed**, **reposed**, and **rested** mean similar things. Job is using the three terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “I have not been able to rest at all”
3:26 j085 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וַיָּ֥בֹא רֹֽגֶז 1 Job is speaking of **trouble** as if it were a living thing that **comes** to him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but trouble happens”
4:intro kk87 0 # Job 4 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nIn this chapter (and the next chapter), Job’s friend Eliphaz responds to what Job said in chapter 3.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because they are poetry.\n\n## Special Concepts in this Chapter\n\n### Eliphaz’s advice\n\nEliphaz advises Job to trust that God protects innocent people and punishes wicked people. He says that God corrects good people if they begin to do bad things, and he encourages Job to consider why God is correcting him. Ordinarily this would be very good advice. But Eliphaz does not understand the special circumstances that Job is in. Job himself does not understand them. God cannot explain to Job that he has allowed the adversary to test him to see whether he will still trust God even if he loses his family, possessions, and health, because if God explained this, that would make the test invalid. So this section of the book, in which Job’s three friends speak with him, presents a paradox: What would ordinarily be good advice is not good advice under these special circumstances.\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nEliphaz often uses the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate his questions as statements or exclamations. Notes will offer suggestions at each place where Eliphaz uses the question form in this way. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
4:2 y6k8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲנִסָּ֬ה דָבָ֣ר אֵלֶ֣יךָ תִּלְאֶ֑ה וַעְצֹ֥ר בְּ֝מִלִּ֗ין מִ֣י יוּכָֽל 1 In both of these sentences, Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or exclamations. Alternate translation: “I am concerned that you will tire if a word is tried with you. But no one is able to refrain from a word.”
4:2 j086 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הֲנִסָּ֬ה דָבָ֣ר אֵלֶ֣יךָ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “If I try a word with you”
4:2 j087 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הֲנִסָּ֬ה דָבָ֣ר אֵלֶ֣יךָ 1 Eliphaz is using the term **word** to mean what he would like to say to Job by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “If I try to speak with you”
4:2 j088 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy תִּלְאֶ֑ה 1 Eliphaz is referring to Job interrupting him and stopping him by association with the way he would do that if he were to **tire** of what Eliphaz had to say. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will you interrupt me and stop me before I have finished what I have to say”
4:2 n3sr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וַעְצֹ֥ר בְּ֝מִלִּ֗ין מִ֣י יוּכָֽל 1 Eliphaz is likely implying that no one who saw Job suffering so badly could refrain from speaking to him out of compassion. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “But no one who saw you suffering so badly could refrain from speaking to you to try to encourage you”
4:2 j089 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְּ֝מִלִּ֗ין 1 Eliphaz is using the term translated **word**, in this case meaning a single spoken word, to mean by association all of what he would like to say to Job by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from speaking”
4:3 j090 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רַבִּ֑ים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **many** as a noun. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “many people”
4:3 j091 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְיָדַ֖יִם רָפ֣וֹת תְּחַזֵּֽק 1 Eliphaz may be using one part of people, their **hands**, to mean the people themselves. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you have strengthened people who were weak” or see next note for another possibility.
4:3 fe8q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְיָדַ֖יִם רָפ֣וֹת תְּחַזֵּֽק 1 Eliphaz may be referring to fear by association with way the people’s **hands** become **weak** when they are afraid. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you have helped frightened people take courage”
4:4 tqj5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy כּ֭וֹשֵׁל יְקִימ֣וּן מִלֶּ֑יךָ 1 Eliphaz is using the term **words** to mean what Job has said to people in the past by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “What you have said has upheld the one stumbling”
4:4 fnd5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor כּ֭וֹשֵׁל יְקִימ֣וּן מִלֶּ֑יךָ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if people who were struggling in life were literally **stumbling** and as if Job’s **words** or counsel had literally **upheld** them or kept them from falling down. He means that Job gave wise advice that encouraged people in their struggles and helped them not to give up. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “By your advice, you have encouraged struggling people not to give up”
4:4 j092 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun כּ֭וֹשֵׁל 1 This phrase does not refer to a specific person. It refers to anyone in the situation that it describes. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “people who were stumbling” or “people who were struggling”
4:4 c21w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וּבִרְכַּ֖יִם כֹּרְע֣וֹת תְּאַמֵּֽץ 1 Eliphaz is referring to exhaustion or despondency by association with way the people’s **knees** may be **buckling** under those circumstances. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you have helped exhausted people to persevere” or “you have helped despondent people not to give up”
4:5 jv44 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification תָּב֣וֹא אֵלֶ֣יךָ & תִּגַּ֥ע עָ֝דֶ֗יךָ 1 Eliphaz is speaking of trouble as if it were a living thing that could **touch** Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “it happens to you … it affects you”
4:5 j093 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns תָּב֣וֹא & תִּגַּ֥ע 1 The pronoun **it** refers to trouble in both instances. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “trouble comes … trouble touches” or “trouble happens … trouble affects”
4:6 jv9m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹ֣א יִ֭רְאָתְךָ כִּסְלָתֶ֑ךָ תִּ֝קְוָתְךָ֗ וְתֹ֣ם דְּרָכֶֽיךָ 1 In both of these instances, Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or exclamations. Alternate translation: “Your fear should be your confidence! The integrity of your ways should be your hope!”
4:6 b27y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יִ֭רְאָתְךָ 1 In this context, the word **fear** means respect for God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your respect for God”
4:6 j094 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis תִּ֝קְוָתְךָ֗ 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Is not your hope”
4:6 nh5w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor דְּרָכֶֽיךָ 1 Eliphaz is speaking of Job’s practices in life as if they were **ways** or paths that he was walking on. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your conduct”
4:7 ctx8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִ֤י ה֣וּא נָקִ֣י אָבָ֑ד וְ֝אֵיפֹ֗ה יְשָׁרִ֥ים נִכְחָֽדוּ 1 In both of these instances, Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or exclamations. Alternate translation: “We cannot name one innocent person who has perished! And the righteous are never destroyed!”
4:7 mq2s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְ֝אֵיפֹ֗ה יְשָׁרִ֥ים נִכְחָֽדוּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “And when has anyone destroyed the righteous”
4:7 j095 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj יְשָׁרִ֥ים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **righteous** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “righteous people”
4:8 j096 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis חֹ֣רְשֵׁי אָ֑וֶן וְזֹרְעֵ֖י עָמָ֣ל יִקְצְרֻֽהוּ 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “the ones who plow misery reap it, and the ones who sow trouble reap that”
4:8 yw7b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor חֹ֣רְשֵׁי אָ֑וֶן וְזֹרְעֵ֖י עָמָ֣ל יִקְצְרֻֽהוּ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if people could literally plow **iniquity**, sow **trouble**, and **reap** those things. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “those who do wicked things and cause trouble for others will experience trouble themselves”
4:9 g9mp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִנִּשְׁמַ֣ת אֱל֣וֹהַ יֹאבֵ֑דוּ וּמֵר֖וּחַ אַפּ֣וֹ יִכְלֽוּ 1 Eliphaz could also be using the **breath of God** to mean by association the judgment that God pronounces against the wicked by speaking with his breath. He could be using the **blast of his nose** to mean the wrath of God against wickedness by association with the way people snort with their noses when they are angry. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God pronounces his judgment against them and destroys them; in his wrath he makes an end of them” or see next note for another possibility.
4:9 sm4n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מִנִּשְׁמַ֣ת אֱל֣וֹהַ יֹאבֵ֑דוּ וּמֵר֖וּחַ אַפּ֣וֹ יִכְלֽוּ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if troublesome people literally **perish** when God breathes on them from his mouth and snorts at them from his **nose**. By referring to the **breath of God** and the **blast of his nose**, Eliphaz may be depicting God’s judgment as a great storm that sweeps wicked people away. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God’s powerful judgment against them is like a great storm that sweeps them away”
4:10 vnp3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations שַׁאֲגַ֣ת אַ֭רְיֵה וְק֣וֹל שָׁ֑חַל וְשִׁנֵּ֖י כְפִירִ֣ים נִתָּֽעוּ 1 Eliphaz is using exclamations to add emphasis to the point he is making. If these would not be natural in your language, you could translate them as statements. Alternate translation: “Lions may roar, indeed, fierce lions may rumble, but the teeth of the young lions are broken”
4:10 mw99 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שַׁאֲגַ֣ת אַ֭רְיֵה וְק֣וֹל שָׁ֑חַל וְשִׁנֵּ֖י כְפִירִ֣ים נִתָּֽעוּ 1 Eliphaz is speaking of wicked people as if they were literally **lions**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Wicked people may say threatening things and appear dangerous, but God will keep them from harming righteous people”
4:10 l75n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְשִׁנֵּ֖י כְפִירִ֣ים נִתָּֽעוּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “But God breaks the teeth of the young lions”
4:11 uru1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לַ֭יִשׁ אֹבֵ֣ד מִבְּלִי־טָ֑רֶף וּבְנֵ֥י לָ֝בִ֗יא יִתְפָּרָֽדוּ 1 Eliphaz is continuing to speak of wicked people as if they were literally lions. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Yes, God will keep wicked people from exploiting righteous people, and in the end the wicked people will become poor and lose their families”
4:11 n8m2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וּבְנֵ֥י לָ֝בִ֗יא יִתְפָּרָֽדוּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and the cubs of the lioness scatter”
4:12 j097 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְ֭אֵלַי דָּבָ֣ר יְגֻנָּ֑ב 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Now someone brought a word to me secretly”
4:12 dots rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-background וְ֭אֵלַי 1 Eliphaz is using the word translated **Now** to introduce background information that will help Job understand what he says next. In your translation, introduce this information in a way that would be natural in your own language and culture.
4:12 j098 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy דָּבָ֣ר 1 Eliphaz is using the term **word** to mean a message that was communicated to him by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a message”
4:12 j099 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וַתִּקַּ֥ח אָ֝זְנִ֗י 1 Eliphaz is using one part of himself, his **ear**, to mean all of him in the act of hearing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and I heard”
4:13 h37a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom מֵחֶזְיֹנ֣וֹת לָ֑יְלָה 1 By **visions of the night**, Eliphaz means dreams. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from a dream that I had”
4:13 er9t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification בִּנְפֹ֥ל תַּ֝רְדֵּמָ֗ה עַל־אֲנָשִֽׁים 1 Eliphaz is speaking of **deep sleep** as if it were a living thing that could be actively **falling** on people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “as happens when people are deeply asleep”
4:13 j100 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אֲנָשִֽׁים 1 Although the term **men** is masculine, Eliphaz is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “people”
4:14 pp18 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet פַּ֣חַד קְ֭רָאַנִי וּרְעָדָ֑ה 1 The terms **Fear** and **trembling** mean similar things. Eliphaz is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “Great fear came upon me”
4:14 j101 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry פַּ֣חַד & הִפְחִֽיד 1 For emphasis, Eliphaz is using a construction in which a subject and its verb come from the same root. You may be able to use the same construction in your language to express the meaning here. Alternatively, your language may another way of showing the emphasis.
4:14 j102 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְרֹ֖ב עַצְמוֹתַ֣י הִפְחִֽיד 1 Eliphaz is using one part of himself, his **bones**, to mean all of him in the act of becoming afraid. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and I became completely afraid” or “yes, I became completely afraid”
4:16 vak8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy תְּ֭מוּנָה לְנֶ֣גֶד עֵינָ֑י 1 Eliphaz is referring to seeing by association with the **eyes** by which he could see. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I saw an image”
4:16 j103 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וָק֣וֹל אֶשְׁמָֽע 1 Eliphaz is referring to speaking by association with the **voice** by which this spirit spoke. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “then I heard the spirit say”
4:17 j104 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes הַֽ֭אֱנוֹשׁ מֵאֱל֣וֹהַ יִצְדָּ֑ק אִ֥ם מֵ֝עֹשֵׂ֗הוּ יִטְהַר־גָּֽבֶר 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “The spirit asked whether a man could be more righteous than God, if a man could be more pure than his Maker.”
4:17 qqw3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַֽ֭אֱנוֹשׁ מֵאֱל֣וֹהַ יִצְדָּ֑ק אִ֥ם מֵ֝עֹשֵׂ֗הוּ יִטְהַר־גָּֽבֶר 1 In both of these sentences, Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or exclamations. Alternate translation: “A man cannot be more righteous than God! A man cannot be more pure than his Maker!”
4:17 j105 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הַֽ֭אֱנוֹשׁ 1 The term that Eliphaz is using for **man** here implicitly means a “mortal.” You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “a mortal”
4:17 j106 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִ֥ם מֵ֝עֹשֵׂ֗הוּ יִטְהַר־גָּֽבֶר 1 Eliphaz is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “A man cannot be more pure than his Maker, can he?”
4:17 j107 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations גָּֽבֶר 1 Eliphaz is using the word **man** here (a synonym for the word translated **man** earlier in the verse) in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a person”
4:18 j108 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns לֹ֣א יַאֲמִ֑ין & יָשִׂ֥ים 1 The pronouns **he** and **his** refer back to the previous verse to God, not to “a man.” It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “God does not trust … God charges”
4:18 j109 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit בַּ֭עֲבָדָיו & וּ֝בְמַלְאָכָ֗יו 1 By **his servants**, Eliphaz implicitly means the **angels** he mentions later in the verse. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “in the angels who serve him and … those angels”
4:19 j110 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אַ֤ף ׀ שֹׁכְנֵ֬י בָֽתֵּי־חֹ֗מֶר 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “How much less will God be confident that dwellers in houses of clay are doing the right thing”
4:19 x3pk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שֹׁכְנֵ֬י בָֽתֵּי־חֹ֗מֶר אֲשֶׁר־בֶּעָפָ֥ר יְסוֹדָ֑ם 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if human beings literally lived in **houses** made of **clay** that have a **foundation** set in the **dust**. He is referring to the human body, which the Bible describes as having been formed from the dust of the earth. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “human beings”
4:19 j111 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יְ֝דַכְּא֗וּם 1 **They** is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: “Such people can be crushed”
4:19 r4dq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לִפְנֵי 1 Here the term **before** means “sooner than” and by implication “more easily than.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “more easily than”
4:20 m44u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-merism מִבֹּ֣קֶר לָעֶ֣רֶב 1 Eliphaz is using the beginning and ending of a day, **morning** and **evening**, to mean an entire day. (He means within the space of a day, not throughout a whole day.) If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: “Within a single day”
4:20 znp6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive יֻכַּ֑תּוּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “God destroys them”
4:21 n9su rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹא־נִסַּ֣ע יִתְרָ֣ם בָּ֑ם 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Their tent cord is certainly pulled up away from them!”
4:21 j112 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הֲלֹא־נִסַּ֣ע יִתְרָ֣ם בָּ֑ם 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “Does not God pull up their tent cord away from them”
4:21 ugp9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הֲלֹא־נִסַּ֣ע יִתְרָ֣ם בָּ֑ם 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if people were literally a **tent** whose **cord** had been **pulled up** so that it was in danger of imminent collapse. He means that mortals have only a brief and uncertain life. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do not people have only a brief and uncertain life?” or, as an exclamation, “People have only a brief and uncertain life!”
4:21 j113 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns בְחָכְמָֽה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **wisdom**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “after having lived wisely”
5:intro kq38 0 # Job 5 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is a continuation of the advice of Job’s friend Eliphaz.\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### long sentence\nEliphaz describes God in a long sentence in verses 8–13. As the notes suggest at several places, it may be helpful to break up this long sentence into several shorter sentences.
5:1 j114 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-politeness קְֽרָא־נָ֭א 1 Eliphaz is using the word translated **now** to offer polite encouragement. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “Go ahead, call out”
5:1 j115 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit קְֽרָא־נָ֭א 1 Eliphaz assumes that Job will understand that by **Call out**, he is telling Job to ask someone to listen to his complaint against God. In this culture, someone who had a case against someone else would go to a public area and ask established members of the community to hear and judge the case. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Go ahead, call for someone to listen to and judge your case against God”
5:1 j116 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony קְֽרָא־נָ֭א 1 Eliphaz does not really want Job to **Call out** and ask someone to hear his complaint against God, even though he is telling Job to do that. Eliphaz actually intends to communicate the opposite of the literal meaning of his words. He wants Job to realize that there is no being who has the wisdom or authority to hear a human being’s complaint against God. Alternate translation: “There is really no point in calling for someone to listen to and judge your case against God”
5:1 gaw4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲיֵ֣שׁ עוֹנֶ֑ךָּ וְאֶל־מִ֖י מִקְּדֹשִׁ֣ים תִּפְנֶֽה 1 In both of these instances, Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for this purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or exclamations. Alternate translation: “there is no one who will answer you. You cannot turn to any of the holy ones.”
5:1 n2rw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit מִקְּדֹשִׁ֣ים 1 In this context, the phrase **the holy ones** likely refers to angelic beings rather than to people who live righteously. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “of the angelic beings”
5:1 j117 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor תִּפְנֶֽה 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job would literally **turn** to face someone whom he wanted to hear his case against God. Eliphaz means that Job would appeal to such a person, although he is arguing that there actually is no such person. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will you appeal”
5:2 j118 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּֽי 1 Eliphaz is using the word **For** to explain the reason why he does not really think that Job should look for someone to judge his complaint against God. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “You should not look for someone to judge your complaint against God, because”
5:2 v7ip rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification לֶֽ֭אֱוִיל יַהֲרָג־כָּ֑עַשׂ וּ֝פֹתֶ֗ה תָּמִ֥ית קִנְאָֽה 1 Eliphaz is speaking of **indignation** and **resentment** as if they were a living things that could kill a person. He means that people who become indignant and resentful when God corrects them, rather than admitting their sins and repenting, put themselves in a position where God has to punish them, even by killing them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “when people foolishly become indignant or naïvely become resentful when God corrects them, God must punish or even kill them”
5:2 j119 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns כָּ֑עַשׂ & קִנְאָֽה 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **indignation** and **resentment**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “being indignant … being resentful”
5:2 bn1m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun לֶֽ֭אֱוִיל & וּ֝פֹתֶ֗ה 1 These phrases does not refer to specific people. They refer to anyone who has the qualities that they name. Express their meaning in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “everyone who is foolish … and … everyone who is simple”
5:2 cf68 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj לֶֽ֭אֱוִיל 1 Job is using the adjective **foolish** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the foolish person”
5:2 j120 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וּ֝פֹתֶ֗ה 1 Eliphaz assumes that Job will understand that by **simple** he means a person who does not realize that the world is a complicated place and that he needs to cultivate godly wisdom in order to make good choices and avoid the consequences of bad choices. Your language may have a term with this meaning that you can use in your translation.
5:3 j121 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אֲֽנִי־רָ֭אִיתִי 1 For emphasis, Eliphaz is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the verb translated **have seen**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here. Other languages may have other ways of expressing this emphasis. The ULT does so by saying **I myself**. Alternate translation: “I have indeed seen”
5:3 xhtd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj אֱוִ֣יל 1 Job is using the adjective **foolish** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “a foolish person”
5:3 j122 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אֱוִ֣יל 1 In this context, the word **foolish** describes someone who does not respect and obey God. See how you translated the similar expression in [2:10](../02/10.md). Alternate translation: “a person who does not respect and obey God”
5:3 za27 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מַשְׁרִ֑ישׁ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if this **foolish person** were literally **taking root**. He means that the person was becoming established or prospering. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “prospering”
5:3 lcr1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy נָוֵ֣הוּ 1 Eliphaz is referring to this foolish person’s way of life by association with the **abode** where he lives. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “his way of life”
5:4 j123 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יִרְחֲק֣וּ & מִיֶּ֑שַׁע 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the **children** of a person who does not respect and obey God are literally **far from** safety. He means that they are not safe at all but in great danger. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “are in great danger”
5:4 yz4i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns מִיֶּ֑שַׁע 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **safety**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “from being safe”
5:4 e8js rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְיִֽדַּכְּא֥וּ בַ֝שַּׁ֗עַר 1 By **the gate**, Eliphaz implicitly means the place where legal disputes are settled. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and they are crushed in legal proceedings”
5:4 i7p9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְיִֽדַּכְּא֥וּ בַ֝שַּׁ֗עַר 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the children of a person who does not respect and obey God are literally **crushed** in legal disputes. He means that the disputes are settled decisively in favor of their opponents. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and their opponents in legal proceedings defeat them decisively”
5:4 ep6h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְאֵ֣ין מַצִּֽיל 1 Eliphaz implicitly means that there is no one **rescuing** these children from legal defeats and their consequences. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “because no one defends them”
5:5 j124 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אֲשֶׁ֤ר קְצִיר֨וֹ ׀ רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל 1 The pronoun **whose** refers to the “foolish person” whom Eliphaz describes in verses 2 and 3. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Hungry people devour the harvest of the foolish person”
5:5 j125 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אֲשֶׁ֤ר קְצִיר֨וֹ ׀ רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל 1 Eliphaz assumes that Job will understand that by **devours the harvest** he is referring to the practice of gleaning, which the law of Moses commanded the Israelites to allow. Poor people could come into harvested fields and pick up the leftover grain to feed themselves. Eliphaz means that the foolish person and his family will not be able to harvest the grain they have planted and so gleaners will come and take all the grain. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation, as a new sentence: “The foolish person has to abandon the grain that he plants in his fields, and gleaners come and take all of it”
5:5 j126 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֲשֶׁ֤ר קְצִיר֨וֹ ׀ רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל 1 While hungry people eventually will **devour** or eat up all of the grain from the foolish person’s harvest, Eliphaz means in this context that they will take all of the grain from the fields. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as a new sentence: “Hungry people will come and glean his entire harvest”
5:5 j127 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רָ֘עֵ֤ב & צַמִּ֣ים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjectives **hungry** and **thirsty** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. ULT adds the words **one** and **ones** to show that. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “the hungry person … thirsty people”
5:5 j128 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy רָ֘עֵ֤ב & צַמִּ֣ים 1 Eliphaz is describing poor people by association with the way that they may be **hungry** and **thirsty** because they cannot afford to buy food and drink. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use equivalent expressions or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, using a poetic parallel: “the poor one … the impoverished ones”
5:5 j129 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun רָ֘עֵ֤ב יֹאכֵ֗ל 1 This phrase does not refer to a specific person. It refers to anyone who has the quality that it names. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. It may be helpful to make this term plural, like **the thirsty ones**, for consistency. Alternate translation: “hungry people devour” or “poor people devour”
5:5 k9ap rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְאֶֽל־מִצִּנִּ֥ים יִקָּחֵ֑הוּ 1 The implications are that if gleaners even collect the grain that is growing **among the thorns** in the foolish person’s field, then they will take all of the grain in the entire field. The further implication is that nothing will be left for the foolish person and his family. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “they take every last bit of grain, leaving nothing for him and his family”
5:5 ded6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְשָׁאַ֖ף צַמִּ֣ים חֵילָֽם 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if **thirsty ones**, that is, impoverished people, literally **pant** for the **wealth** of foolish people, as if wealth were something they could drink to satisfy their thirst. He means that they desire the wealth. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and impoverished people desire their wealth”
5:5 j130 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְשָׁאַ֖ף צַמִּ֣ים חֵילָֽם 1 Eliphaz is saying by implication that the **thirsty ones** who desire the **wealth** of foolish people actually do obtain it. They do so by gleaning their entire harvests and perhaps by other means that Eliphaz does not mention specifically. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and impoverished people take away their wealth”
5:6 j131 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּ֤י 1 Eliphaz is using the word **For** to connect what he has just said with his larger argument that Job should consider why God would be punishing him. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “Do not be like a person who does not respect and obey God, because”
5:6 kx25 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor ׀ לֹא־יֵצֵ֣א מֵעָפָ֣ר אָ֑וֶן וּ֝מֵאֲדָמָ֗ה לֹא־יִצְמַ֥ח עָמָֽל׃ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if **misery** and **trouble** might literally come from the **dust** or the **ground**. He is comparing them to plants such as weeds that might unexpectedly appear in the soil even though a farmer did not sow their seeds. The point of the comparison is that weeds seem to come out of nowhere, while trouble and misery have an identifiable source. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, combining the two parallel lines: “trouble certainly does not just happen”
5:6 j132 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לֹא־יֵצֵ֣א מֵעָפָ֣ר אָ֑וֶן וּ֝מֵאֲדָמָ֗ה לֹא־יִצְמַ֥ח עָמָֽל׃ 1 The implication, if trouble and misery do not just happen, is that their cause is the indignation and resentment that Eliphaz warned Job against in verse 2. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation, as a poetic parallel: “it is truly indignation that causes trouble, yes, it is resentment that causes misery”
5:7 j133 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּֽי 1 Eliphaz is using the word **For** to explain the reason why he says that trouble does not just happen. Its cause is known: People create trouble for themselves. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “I say this because”
5:7 kz2s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit ־אָ֭דָם לְעָמָ֣ל יוּלָּ֑ד וּבְנֵי־רֶ֝֗שֶׁף יַגְבִּ֥יהוּ עֽוּף׃ 1 Eliphaz assumes that Job will understand that by naming two things that he holds to be true, he means that the first is just as true as the second. You could indicate that explicitly if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “man is born to trouble, just as surely as sons of the flame soar to fly”
5:7 j134 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אָ֭דָם לְעָמָ֣ל יוּלָּ֑ד 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Eliphaz is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “people are born to trouble”
5:7 j135 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive אָ֭דָם לְעָמָ֣ל יוּלָּ֑ד 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “people have an innate tendency to cause trouble for themselves”
5:7 j136 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּבְנֵי־רֶ֝֗שֶׁף 1 Eliphaz is describing sparks as if they were **sons of the flame**, that is, as if fire gave birth to sparks and sent them out. Your language may have a poetic expression of its own that you can use in your translation to describe sparks. You could also state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and sparks”
5:7 j137 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יַגְבִּ֥יהוּ עֽוּף 1 This expression means that sparks fly upwards, carried by currents of air. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “fly upwards”
5:8 j138 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אֲ֭נִי אֶדְרֹ֣שׁ אֶל־אֵ֑ל 1 For emphasis, Eliphaz is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **seek**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. The ULT does so by using the intensive pronoun **myself**. Alternate translation: “I would certainly seek for God”
5:8 j139 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֲ֭נִי אֶדְרֹ֣שׁ אֶל־אֵ֑ל 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if God were literally a lost object that Job should **seek** and try to find. He means that Job should pray to God and ask God to show him how he has offended God and deserved punishment. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I myself would pray to God and ask him to show me why he was punishing me”
5:9 j140 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj גְ֭דֹלוֹת & נִ֝פְלָא֗וֹת 1 Eliphaz is using the adjectives **great** and **marvelous** as nouns to mean certain kinds of things. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. For example, you could add the word **things** in both cases, as the ULT does to show the meaning.
5:9 l8rt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְאֵ֣ין חֵ֑קֶר 1 Eliphaz means implicitly that even if people search or seek to find out how God does **great things**, they cannot succeed in learning this. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “that are unsearchable” or “that no one can understand”
5:9 j141 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis נִ֝פְלָא֗וֹת 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and who does marvelous things”
5:10 j142 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns הַנֹּתֵ֣ן & וְשֹׁ֥לֵֽחַ 1 The pronoun **one** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God is the one who gives … and sends”
5:10 j143 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor ־פְּנֵי־אָ֑רֶץ & ־פְּנֵ֥י חוּצֽוֹת׃ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the **earth** and the **fields** each literally had a **face**. He means their surfaces. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the surface of the earth … the surface of the fields”
5:11 die2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לָשׂ֣וּם שְׁפָלִ֣ים לְמָר֑וֹם וְ֝קֹדְרִ֗ים שָׂ֣גְבוּ יֶֽשַׁע׃ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if God would literally put **lowly** people and people who are **mourning** in **high** places. He means that God will protect them and honor them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God honors lowly people and protects people who are mourning”
5:11 j144 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj שְׁפָלִ֣ים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **lowly** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “lowly people”
5:11 j145 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns יֶֽשַׁע׃ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **safety**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “where they are safe”
5:12 j146 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj עֲרוּמִ֑ים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **crafty** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “crafty people”
5:12 j147 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases וְֽלֹא־תַעֲשֶׂ֥ינָה יְ֝דֵיהֶ֗ם 1 Eliphaz is using the word **and** to introduce the result of God frustrating the **plans of the crafty**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “so that their hands do not accomplish”
5:12 j148 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְֽלֹא־תַעֲשֶׂ֥ינָה יְ֝דֵיהֶ֗ם 1 Here, **hands** figuratively represent the capability of people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and they are not able to accomplish”
5:13 rw2w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֹכֵ֣ד חֲכָמִ֣ים בְּעָרְמָ֑ם 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the **craftiness** of **cunning** people were literally a trap that God uses to catch them. He means that God makes them suffer the consequences of the evil actions by which they intended to make others suffer. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “making the cunning suffer the consequences of their own evil actions”
5:13 j149 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj חֲכָמִ֣ים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **cunning** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “cunning people”
5:13 j150 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וַעֲצַ֖ת נִפְתָּלִ֣ים נִמְהָֽרָה 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and hastening the plan of the ones being deceptive”
5:13 j151 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases וַעֲצַ֖ת נִפְתָּלִ֣ים נִמְהָֽרָה 1 Eliphaz is using the word **and** to introduce the result of God frustrating the **plans of the crafty**. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “so that the plan of the ones being deceptive is hastened” or “so that he can hasten the plan of the ones being deceptive”
5:13 j152 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וַעֲצַ֖ת נִפְתָּלִ֣ים נִמְהָֽרָה 1 When Eliphaz says that God hastens the plan of deceptive people, he likely means that God makes their plans fail by bringing them too early, before they are ready, to the point where they would need to take effect. So the implication is that God makes the plan fail.
5:14 w5uy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יוֹמָ֥ם יְפַגְּשׁוּ־חֹ֑שֶׁךְ וְ֝כַלַּ֗יְלָה יְֽמַשְׁשׁ֥וּ בַֽצָּהֳרָֽיִם 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the cunning and deceptive people he described in the previous verse are literally in the dark during the day and cannot find their way. He means that God keeps them from realizing how to make their wicked plans succeed. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God keeps these cunning and deceptive people from realizing how to make their wicked plans succeed”
5:15 j153 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj חָזָ֣ק אֶבְיֽוֹן 1 Eliphaz is using the adjectives **poor** and **mighty** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “poor people … mighty people”
5:15 i885 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מֵ֭חֶרֶב מִפִּיהֶ֑ם 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the cunning and deceptive people he described in verse 13 literally had a **sword in their mouths**. He is referring to the things these people say to try to hurt the poor. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from the things they say to try to hurt them”
5:15 j154 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וּמִיַּ֖ד 1 Here, **hand** figuratively represents the capability of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and from the power of”
5:16 j155 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַתְּהִ֣י לַדַּ֣ל תִּקְוָ֑ה 1 This expression means that the **poor** person has hope. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And the poor has hope”
5:16 j156 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj לַדַּ֣ל 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **poor** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “to the person who is poor”
5:16 j157 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun לַדַּ֣ל 1 This phrase does not refer to a specific person. It refers to anyone who has the quality that it names. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “to those who are poor”
5:16 exr5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְ֝עֹלָ֗תָה קָ֣פְצָה פִּֽיהָ 1 Job is speaking of **injustice** as if it were a living thing that could **shut** its own **mouth**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and people no longer make unjust claims against them”
5:16 j158 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases וְ֝עֹלָ֗תָה 1 Eliphaz may be using the word translated **and** to indicate that poor people have hope because others no longer make unjust claims against them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “because injustice”
5:17 j159 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אֱ֭נוֹשׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Eliphaz is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “is anyone” or “is any person”
5:17 j160 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases וּמוּסַ֥ר שַׁ֝דַּ֗י אַל־תִּמְאָֽס 1 Eliphaz is using the word translated **and** to indicate that Job should not despise God’s chastening because he is blessed as someone whom God is correcting. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “so do not despise the chastening of Shaddai”
5:17 g1br rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives אַל־תִּמְאָֽס 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle **not** and the negative verb **despise**. Alternate translation: “appreciate”
5:18 fx57 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor כִּ֤י ה֣וּא יַכְאִ֣יב וְיֶחְבָּ֑שׁ יִ֝מְחַ֗ץ וְיָדָיו תִּרְפֶּֽינָה 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if God literally **injures** and **wounds** people and then gives them medical treatment. He means that God uses setbacks and sufferings (which could include physical ailments) to correct people. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. The UST models one way to do this.
5:18 j161 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns ה֣וּא יַכְאִ֣יב 1 For emphasis, Eliphaz is stating the pronoun **he**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **injures**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “truly he injures”
5:18 dgs2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְיָדָיו תִּרְפֶּֽינָה 1 Eliphaz is using one part of God, his **hands**, to mean all of him in the act of healing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but he himself heals”
5:19 q4qe rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs- parallelism בְּשֵׁ֣שׁ צָ֭רוֹת יַצִּילֶ֑ךָּ וּבְשֶׁ֓בַע ׀ לֹא־יִגַּ֖ע בְּךָ֣ רָֽע 1 In order to make a comprehensive statement, Eliphaz is naming a number that should be sufficient to illustrate his point and then increasing that number by one for emphasis. (This was a common device in Hebrew poetry.) If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God will rescue you from every trouble and not allow you to be harmed”
5:19 j162 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וּבְשֶׁ֓בַע & רָֽע 1 Eliphaz is leaving out a word that in many languages this sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply the word from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and in seven troubles harm”
5:19 j163 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification לֹא־יִגַּ֖ע בְּךָ֣ רָֽע 1 Eliphaz is speaking of **harm** as if it were a living thing that could **touch** Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you will not be harmed”
5:20 q1gi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor פָּֽדְךָ֣ מִמָּ֑וֶת 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if God would literally **redeem** or make a payment to free Job from **death** during a **famine**. He means that God will keep Job from dying from hunger. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he will keep you from dying of hunger”
5:20 j164 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וּ֝בְמִלְחָמָ֗ה מִ֣ידֵי 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and in war he will redeem you from the hands of”
5:20 cy63 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִ֣ידֵי חָֽרֶב 1 Here, the term **hands** represents capability. Eliphaz is saying that God will rescue Job from what a sword might otherwise do to him if his enemies were to use one as a weapon against him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from being hurt by the sword”
5:20 j165 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun חָֽרֶב 1 This phrase does not refer to a specific **sword**. It refers to any sword that someone might use as a weapon against Job. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “any sword”
5:20 j166 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche חָֽרֶב 1 Eliphaz is using one kind of weapon, the **sword**, to mean all kinds of weapons. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “any weapon”
5:20 j167 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy חָֽרֶב 1 Eliphaz is referring to enemies in war by association with the weapons that those enemies would use. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your enemies”
5:21 j168 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession בְּשׁ֣וֹט לָ֭שׁוֹן 1 Eliphaz is using this possessive form to speak of the **tongue** as something that people would use like a **whip**. He is not speaking of a whip that the tongue would use. Alternate translation: “If anyone uses his tongue like a whip,”
5:21 j169 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor בְּשׁ֣וֹט לָ֭שׁוֹן 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the **tongue** were literally a **whip** that someone might use to harm Job. He means that they would say things that they intend to hurt him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “From destructive speech”
5:21 j170 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive תֵּחָבֵ֑א 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “God will hide you”
5:21 j171 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor תֵּחָבֵ֑א 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if God would actually hide Job from things that people say in order to hurt him. He means that God will protect Job when people say these things. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you will be protected” or “God will protect you”
5:21 j172 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification מִ֝שֹּׁ֗ד כִּ֣י יָבֽוֹא 1 Eliphaz is speaking of **destruction** as if it were a living thing that **comes** to people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “things that happen that could destroy you”
5:21 h9ag rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns מִ֝שֹּׁ֗ד כִּ֣י יָבֽוֹא 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **destruction**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “things that happen that could destroy you”
5:22 m19v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לְשֹׁ֣ד וּלְכָפָ֣ן תִּשְׂחָ֑ק 1 The implication is that Job will **laugh** at ** destruction and famine** because while they might seem threatening, Job will know that God will protect him and so he will not take their threat seriously. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “You will realize gladly that God will protect you from destruction and famine”
5:22 j173 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns לְשֹׁ֣ד 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **destruction**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “at things that might destroy you”
5:22 j174 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun וּֽמֵחַיַּ֥ת & אַל־תִּירָֽא 1 Eliphaz is not referring to a specific **beast**. He means any beast. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and you will not fear any beast”
5:23 j175 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure כִּ֤י עִם־אַבְנֵ֣י הַשָּׂדֶ֣ה בְרִיתֶ֑ךָ וְחַיַּ֥ת הַ֝שָּׂדֶ֗ה הָשְׁלְמָה־לָֽךְ 1 Since, in this verse, Eliphaz is giving the reason why he told Job in the previous verse that he would not “fear the beast of the earth,” it may be more natural in your language to put that information first. Alternate translation: “For the beast of the field will be made peaceable to you, and even with the stones of the field will be your covenant”
5:23 kt43 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification עִם־אַבְנֵ֣י הַשָּׂדֶ֣ה בְרִיתֶ֑ךָ 1 Eliphaz is speaking of **the stones of the field** were living things that could make a **covenant** with Job. He means that God will keep stones from falling or rolling onto Job’s fields or emerging in the soil from underground, either making the fields less fertile or requiring extra labor to remove. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God will prevent stones from ruining your fields”
5:23 j176 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְחַיַּ֥ת הַ֝שָּׂדֶ֗ה הָשְׁלְמָה־לָֽךְ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “and God will cause the beast of the field to live peaceably with you” or “and God will prevent the beast of the field from harming you”
5:23 j177 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun וְחַיַּ֥ת הַ֝שָּׂדֶ֗ה 1 Eliphaz is not referring to a specific **beast**. He means any and every beast. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and the beasts of the field”
5:24 j178 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns שָׁל֣וֹם אָהֳלֶ֑ךָ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **peace**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “your tent is safe”
5:24 ew8g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אָהֳלֶ֑ךָ 1 Eliphaz is referring to Job’s home (that is, his family and their possessions) by association with the **tent** in which they live. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your home”
5:24 i2fj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְלֹ֣א תֶחֱטָֽא 1 Eliphaz means implicitly that when Job goes to inspect his **sheepfold**, he will not find that any of his sheep are missing (because, for example, wild animals killed them or someone stole them). You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and you will not find that any of the sheep are missing”
5:24 j179 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives וְלֹ֣א תֶחֱטָֽא 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle **not** and the negative verb **miss**. Alternate translation: “and you will find that all of your sheep are there”
5:25 fxb7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor זַרְעֶ֑ךָ 1 Here the term **seed** means “descendants.” It is a word picture. Just as plants produce seeds that grow into many more plants, so people can have many offspring. Alternate translation: “your descendants”
5:25 j180 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְ֝צֶאֱצָאֶ֗יךָ כְּעֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָֽרֶץ 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and that your offspring will be like the grass of the earth”
5:25 f961 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile וְ֝צֶאֱצָאֶ֗יךָ כְּעֵ֣שֶׂב הָאָֽרֶץ 1 The point of this comparison is that just as **the grass of the earth** is very plentiful, so Job will have a large number of offspring. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “and that your offspring will be very numerous, like the grass of the earth”
5:26 a9gt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism תָּב֣וֹא & אֱלֵי־קָ֑בֶר 1 Eliphaz is using the expression **come to the grave** to mean “die.” This is a poetic way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “You will depart this world”
5:26 w6jt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile כַּעֲל֖וֹת גָּדִ֣ישׁ בְּעִתּֽוֹ 1 The point of this comparison is that when Job’s time comes to die, he will have lived a full and rewarding life, just as a **stack of grain** that is harvested **in its time** is ripe and fully developed. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “mature and accomplished, like grain that is harvested at the peak of ripeness”
5:27 uwj5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive חֲקַרְנ֥וּהָ 1 By **We**, Eliphaz means himself and other wise people but not Job, to whom he is speaking, so use the exclusive form of that word in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
5:27 j181 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וְאַתָּ֥ה דַֽע 1 For emphasis, Eliphaz is stating the pronoun **you**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **know**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “and know it certainly”
6:intro r7kh 0 # Job 6 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is the beginning of Job’s response to Eliphaz.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter\n\n### Metaphors\n\nJob uses many different metaphors in this chapter to express his pain or despair and to show that he is upset with his friends, people who are supposed to help him during difficult times. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nJob often uses the question form in this chapter to make emphatic statements or exclamations. This emphasis helps strengthen Job’s response to Eliphaz. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### plural “you”\n\nBeginning in verse 21, Job addresses his friends directly. So when he uses the word **you** from that verse to the end of the chapter, the word is plural. Use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
6:2 j183 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor ל֗וּ שָׁק֣וֹל יִשָּׁקֵ֣ל כַּעְשִׂ֑י וְ֝הַוָּתִ֗י בְּֽמֹאזְנַ֥יִם יִשְׂאוּ־יָֽחַד 1 Job is speaking as if his **anguish** and **calamity** could literally be **weighed**. He means that he wishes he could prove that his calamity is so great that it justifies the anguish he is feeling and has been expressing. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I wish I could prove that my calamity warrants the amount of anguish that I am feeling and showing”
6:2 use6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive ל֗וּ שָׁק֣וֹל יִשָּׁקֵ֣ל כַּעְשִׂ֑י וְ֝הַוָּתִ֗י בְּֽמֹאזְנַ֥יִם יִשְׂאוּ־יָֽחַד 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “If only someone would weigh my anguish thoroughly and lay my calamity in the balances”
6:2 cqr6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown ל֗וּ שָׁק֣וֹל יִשָּׁקֵ֣ל כַּעְשִׂ֑י וְ֝הַוָּתִ֗י בְּֽמֹאזְנַ֥יִם יִשְׂאוּ־יָֽחַד 1 The word **balances** describes an instrument for determining the weight of an object or comparing the weight of two objects. It consists of a central post with a crossbar from which two pans are hung. An object may be placed in one pan and known weights placed in the other pan until the crossbar remains level, meaning that both pans contain an equal weight. Or one object may be placed in one pan and a different object in the other pan; the pan that hangs lower contains the heavier object. If your readers would not be familiar with what **balances** are, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable object in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “If only someone would weigh both my anguish and my calamity on a scale”
6:2 j184 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-reduplication שָׁק֣וֹל יִשָּׁקֵ֣ל 1 The words **were thoroughly weighed** translate a repeated verb. Job is repeating the verb “weigh” for emphasis. If your language can repeat words for emphasis, it would be appropriate to use that construction here in your translation.
6:3 l5j1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns מֵח֣וֹל יַמִּ֣ים יִכְבָּ֑ד 1 Job is using the pronoun **it** to refer to his anguish. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “my anguish would be heavier than the sand of the seas”
6:3 j9lz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification דְּבָרַ֥י לָֽעוּ 1 Job is speaking of his **words** as if they were a living thing that has **raved** to his friends. He means that he himself has raved or spoken vehemently to them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I raved when I spoke to you”
6:4 se7m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor חִצֵּ֪י שַׁדַּ֡י עִמָּדִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֣ר חֲ֭מָתָם שֹׁתָ֣ה רוּחִ֑י 1 Job is speaking as if God had literally shot **arrows** with **poison** into him. He means that the bad things that have happened to him, for which he considers God responsible, are making him suffer and feel desperate, as if he were dying from the poison. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am suffering desperately because of what Shaddai has done to me”
6:4 j185 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession חִצֵּ֪י שַׁדַּ֡י עִמָּדִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֣ר חֲ֭מָתָם שֹׁתָ֣ה רוּחִ֑י 1 Job is using the possessive form to refer to an inner part of himself, the locus of his motivations and aspirations, as his **spirit**. He is not referring to a separate supernatural being, a spirit, that belongs to him. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “my morale is suffering desperately because of what Shaddai has done to me”
6:4 m898 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שֹׁתָ֣ה 1 Job is speaking as if his **spirit** were literally **drinking** poison from arrows that had struck him. He means, within the context of that metaphor, that his spirit is absorbing the poison. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “is absorbing”
6:4 l3u6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification בִּעוּתֵ֖י אֱל֣וֹהַּ יַֽעַרְכֽוּנִי 1 Job is speaking of **the terrors of God** (that is, the things he believes God is doing to terrify him) as if they were living things that could **array themselves** against him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God is doing many things that all terrify me”
6:5 vas3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲיִֽנְהַק־פֶּ֥רֶא עֲלֵי־דֶ֑שֶׁא אִ֥ם יִגְעֶה־שּׁ֝֗וֹר עַל־בְּלִילֽוֹ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis in both of these sentences. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these sentences as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “A wild donkey does not bray over grass! Indeed, an ox does not bellow over its fodder!”
6:5 kn3r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom 1 Job is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “An ox does not bellow over its fodder, does it?”
6:5 j186 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-proverbs הֲיִֽנְהַק־פֶּ֥רֶא עֲלֵי־דֶ֑שֶׁא אִ֥ם יִגְעֶה־שּׁ֝֗וֹר עַל־בְּלִילֽוֹ 1 Job is quoting or creating a proverb, a short saying about something that is generally true in life. This proverb draws a figurative comparison: Just as animals do not complain loudly if they have food, so Job would not be protesting so vehemently if something were not seriously wrong. But since Job has already made this point explicitly in verse 3 (“therefore my words raved”), you do not need to explain it here. Rather, you can translate the proverb itself in a way that will be recognized as a proverb and be meaningful in your language and culture. If your readers would not recognize what a **wild donkey** or an **ox** is, in your translation you could use animals that your readers would recognize.
6:6 cg4r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲיֵאָכֵ֣ל תָּ֭פֵל מִבְּלִי־מֶ֑לַח אִם־יֶשׁ־טַ֝֗עַם בְּרִ֣יר חַלָּמֽוּת 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis in both of these sentences. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these sentences as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “The unsavory will not be eaten without salt! And there is no taste in the white of an egg!”
6:6 l3sd rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-proverbs הֲיֵאָכֵ֣ל תָּ֭פֵל מִבְּלִי־מֶ֑לַח אִם־יֶשׁ־טַ֝֗עַם בְּרִ֣יר חַלָּמֽוּת 1 Job is quoting or creating a proverb, a short saying about something that is generally true in life. This proverb draws a figurative comparison: Just as it is necessary to season some foods in order to eat them, so it is necessary to talk expressively about some situations in life in order to endure them. Job has already made this point explicitly in verse 3 (“therefore my words raved”), but perhaps the connection will not be as clear in this case as in the previous verse. So you could make the connection more explicitly. Alternatively, you could translate the proverb itself in a way that would be recognized as a proverb and be meaningful in your language and culture. If people in your culture would not eat **the white of an egg**, in your translation you could use a food that your readers would recognize. Alternate translation: “I cannot endure these troubles without talking emotionally about them, any more than people can eat bland food without seasoning it”
6:6 j187 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj הֲיֵאָכֵ֣ל תָּ֭פֵל מִבְּלִי־מֶ֑לַח 1 Job is using the adjective **unsavory,** which in this context means "without flavor," as a noun to mean a certain kind of food. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “Will unsavory food be eaten without salt”
6:6 xfj2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הֲיֵאָכֵ֣ל תָּ֭פֵל מִבְּלִי־מֶ֑לַח 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Will people eat unsavory food without salt”
6:6 j188 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִם־יֶשׁ־טַ֝֗עַם בְּרִ֣יר חַלָּמֽוּת 1 Job is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a contrary answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “There is no taste in the white of an egg, is there”
6:7 j189 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche מֵאֲנָ֣ה & נַפְשִׁ֑י 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **soul**, to mean all of him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have refused”
6:7 j190 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis לִנְגּ֣וֹעַ 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Job is moving from quoting a proverb that uses food as an illustration to talking about his actual food. Alternate translation: “to touch food”
6:7 hy2z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לִנְגּ֣וֹעַ 1 In this context, the word **touch** means “eat.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to eat food”
6:7 j191 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns הֵ֝֗מָּה 1 The pronoun **they** refers to the troubles that Job has been experiencing. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “my troubles”
6:7 j192 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile כִּדְוֵ֥י לַחְמִֽי 1 The point of this comparison is that just as **disease** can make a person feel too badly to eat, so Job’s troubles are making him feel too badly to eat. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “are making me feel too badly to eat, as if I were sick”
6:7 j193 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לַחְמִֽי 1 Job is referring to eating by association with the **food** that people eat. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “when I eat”
6:8 j194 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִֽי־יִ֭תֵּן תָּב֣וֹא שֶֽׁאֱלָתִ֑י 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “I wish that someone would grant that my request would come!”
6:8 j195 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification מִֽי־יִ֭תֵּן תָּב֣וֹא שֶֽׁאֱלָתִ֑י 1 Job is speaking of his **request** as if it were a living thing that could **come** to him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Who will grant my request” or “I wish that someone would make happen what I am requesting”
6:9 yf92 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys וְיֹאֵ֣ל אֱ֭לוֹהַּ וִֽידַכְּאֵ֑נִי 1 This phrase expresses a single idea by using two verbs connected with **and**. The verb **be willing** tells in what way Job hopes God will **crush** him. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “and may God willingly crush me” or “and may God agree to crush me”
6:9 f53h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy יַתֵּ֥ר יָ֝ד֗וֹ 1 Here, **hand** represents the capability of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “may he use his power”
6:9 j196 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וִֽיבַצְּעֵֽנִי 1 Job is speaking as if he were a branch that God might **cut … off** from a tree in order to kill it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and kill me”
6:10 gre4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result וּ֥תְהִי ע֨וֹד ׀ נֶ֘חָ֤מָתִ֗י וַאֲסַלְּדָ֣ה בְ֭חִילָה לֹ֣א יַחְמ֑וֹל כִּי־לֹ֥א כִ֝חַ֗דְתִּי אִמְרֵ֥י קָדֽוֹשׁ 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could put the last phrase in this sentence first, since it gives the reason for what the first and second phrases describe. Alternate translation: “I have not concealed the sayings of the Holy One, so may that still be my consolation; may it enable me to be cheerful in pain even if God does not spare me”
6:10 j197 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וּ֥תְהִי ע֨וֹד ׀ נֶ֘חָ֤מָתִ֗י 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **consolation**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “And may this still console me”
6:10 j198 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns לֹ֣א יַחְמ֑וֹל 1 The pronoun **he** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “may God not spare”
6:10 j199 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לֹ֣א יַחְמ֑וֹל 1 Job is not wishing that God would not spare him. He is referring implicitly to the possibility that God might not spare him. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “even if God does not spare me”
6:10 j200 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֹ֥א כִ֝חַ֗דְתִּי אִמְרֵ֥י קָדֽוֹשׁ 1 Job is speaking as if he could literally have **concealed** the **sayings of the Holy One**. He means that he has not treated God’s decrees regarding people as if they did not exist. In other words, he has obeyed them and, to this point in the book, he has not questioned them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have not disobeyed or questioned the sayings of the Holy One” or “I have not disobeyed or questioned God’s decrees”
6:10 ji9n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives לֹ֥א כִ֝חַ֗דְתִּי אִמְרֵ֥י קָדֽוֹשׁ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle **not** and the negative verb **concealed**. Alternate translation: “I have obeyed God’s decrees” or “I have trusted God’s decrees”
6:10 j201 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj קָדֽוֹשׁ 1 Job is using the adjective **Holy** as a noun to refer to God by describing what God is like. The ULT adds the word **One** to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this expression with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “God, who is holy”
6:11 b1ue rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַה־כֹּחִ֥י כִֽי־אֲיַחֵ֑ל וּמַה־קִּ֝צִּ֗י כִּֽי־אַאֲרִ֥יךְ נַפְשִֽׁי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis in both of these sentences. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these sentences as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “I do not have enough strength to wait! And I should not try to prolong my life beyond when it will end!”
6:11 j202 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כִֽי־אֲיַחֵ֑ל 1 Job means implicitly that he does not have the strength to wait or endure until he receives the long-term blessings that Eliphaz said he would have if he committed his cause to God. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “that I should wait for those blessings” or “that I would be able to endure until I received those blessings”
6:12 vp49 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִם־כֹּ֣חַ אֲבָנִ֣ים כֹּחִ֑י אִֽם־בְּשָׂרִ֥י נָחֽוּשׁ 1 In both cases, Job is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a contrary answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “My strength is not the strength of stones, is it? My flesh is not bronze, is it?”
6:12 n69y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion אִם־כֹּ֣חַ אֲבָנִ֣ים כֹּחִ֑י אִֽם־בְּשָׂרִ֥י נָחֽוּשׁ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis in both of these sentences. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these sentences as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “My strength is not the strength of stones! My flesh is not bronze!”
6:12 j203 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אִֽם־בְּשָׂרִ֥י נָחֽוּשׁ 1 Job is speaking as if his **flesh** might literally be **bronze**. He is actually making a comparison. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My flesh is not as durable as bronze, is it?” or “My flesh is not as durable as bronze!”
6:13 j204 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom הַאִ֬ם אֵ֣ין עֶזְרָתִ֣י בִ֑י וְ֝תֻשִׁיָּ֗ה נִדְּחָ֥ה מִמֶּֽנִּי 1 Job is using the word **If** to introduce questions that anticipate negative answers. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “My help is not in me, is it, and initiative has been taken away from me, hasn’t it?”
6:13 lg48 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַאִ֬ם אֵ֣ין עֶזְרָתִ֣י בִ֑י וְ֝תֻשִׁיָּ֗ה נִדְּחָ֥ה מִמֶּֽנִּי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “My help is not in me, and initiative has been taken away from me!”
6:13 h5wf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְ֝תֻשִׁיָּ֗ה נִדְּחָ֥ה מִמֶּֽנִּי 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and my troubles have taken initiative away from me”
6:13 j205 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וְ֝תֻשִׁיָּ֗ה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **initiative**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “and the capacity to act on my own behalf”
6:14 j343 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj לַמָּ֣ס מֵרֵעֵ֣הוּ חָ֑סֶד 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **covenant faithfulness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “The friend of someone who is despairing should help him faithfully”
6:14 s4yi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj לַמָּ֣ס 1 Job is using the adjective **despairing** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “To someone who is despairing”
6:14 e6e6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis מֵרֵעֵ֣הוּ חָ֑סֶד 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “there should be covenant faithfulness from his friend”
6:14 naj8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְיִרְאַ֖ת שַׁדַּ֣י יַעֲזֽוֹב 1 This could mean implicitly: (1) that a friend should show faithfulness to a despairing person even if that person forsakes the fear of Shaddai (as Job’s friends believe he may be doing). Alternate translation: “even if that despairing person forsakes the fear of Shaddai” (2) that if a friend does not show faithfulness to a despairing person, that friend forsakes the fear of Shaddai. Alternate translation: “otherwise that friend forsakes the fear of Shaddai”
6:14 j206 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְיִרְאַ֖ת שַׁדַּ֣י יַעֲזֽוֹב 1 Job is using the word **fear** to mean respect for God that leads a person to obey God. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that in your translation. Alternate translation: “even if he does not respect and obey Shaddai” or “otherwise he does not respect and obey Shaddai”
6:15 j207 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אַ֭חַי 1 Job is using the term **brothers** figuratively to mean his three friends. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My friends”
6:15 j208 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person אַ֭חַי 1 Job is speaking about his friends in the third person even though they are present. If it would be more natural in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “You friends of mine”
6:15 p13y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile בָּגְד֣וּ כְמוֹ־נָ֑חַל 1 The point of this comparison is that just as a **seasonal stream** would appear to be a good source of water but then fail in the dry season, so Job’s friends seemingly came to offer encouragement, but they have provided none. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “have dealt treacherously by seeming to offer encouragement but then not offering any, like a seasonal stream that seems to offer water but then fails in the dry season”
6:15 j209 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom כַּאֲפִ֖יק נְחָלִ֣ים יַעֲבֹֽרוּ 1 In this context, the expression **pass away** means to dry up. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “like a channel of seasonal streams, they dry up” or “like a channel of seasonal streams, you dry up”
6:15 l6xj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor כַּאֲפִ֖יק נְחָלִ֣ים יַעֲבֹֽרוּ 1 Job is speaking as if his friends literally **pass away** or dry up the way a desert stream does. He means that in the end, they fail to provide the encouragement that they implicitly promised by coming to see him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “They have no help to offer in the end, like a channel for seasonal streams that runs dry” or “You have no help to offer in the end, like a channel for seasonal streams that runs dry”
6:16-20 j210 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-extrainfo 0 In verses 16–20, Job develops the image of his friends being like a stream of water that runs dry. Since Job explains the meaning of the image again in verse 21, you do not need to explain it in your translation in verses 16–20.
6:16-17 j211 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge 0 In this verse, Job describes the state of desert streams in the cold season, and in the next verse, he contrasts that with the state of the streams in the hot season. To show this contrast, you could create a verse bridge for verses 16–17. It might say something like this: “In the cold season, these streams are dark from ice over their channel, indeed, snow covers that channel. But in the hot season, the streams go dry and vanish, the heat dries them up completely”
6:16 pnp2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns הַקֹּדְרִ֥ים מִנִּי־קָ֑רַח עָ֝לֵ֗ימוֹ יִתְעַלֶּם־שָֽׁלֶג 1 The pronoun **it** refers in both cases to the “channel” of streams that Job described in the previous verse. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “These streams are dark from ice over their channel; that channel hides itself with snow”
6:16 cq2i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יִתְעַלֶּם־שָֽׁלֶג 1 Job is speaking as if a channel of desert streams were a living thing that **hides itself with snow** in the winter. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “snow covers this channel”
6:17 z6dh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive נִצְמָ֑תוּ & נִדְעֲכ֥וּ מִמְּקוֹמָֽם 1 If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “the dryness annihilates them … the heat exterminates them”
6:18 vke1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יִ֭לָּ֣פְתוּ אָרְח֣וֹת דַּרְכָּ֑ם 1 The implication is that these **Caravans** are leaving their usual routes to look for water in the dry season. The oases along the routes have presumably dried up, and the caravans are going to places where they expect to find streams still flowing. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Caravans turn themselves aside from their way to look for water”
6:18 j212 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יַעֲל֖וּ 1 The expression **go up** does not necessarily indicate travel to a higher elevation. In this context, it probably means to leave the caravan route and go into the untracked desert. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “they go out”
6:19 j213 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis הִ֭בִּיטוּ אָרְח֣וֹת תֵּמָ֑א 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Caravans from Tema looked for water”
6:19 ua63 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names תֵּמָ֑א & שְׁ֝בָ֗א 1 The words **Tema** and **Sheba** are the names of regions.
6:19 n6an rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns קִוּוּ־לָֽמוֹ 1 The pronoun **them** refers to the desert streams Job has been talking about. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “hoped to find streams of water”
6:20 mue3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive בֹּ֥שׁוּ & וַיֶּחְפָּֽרוּ 1 The expressions translated **They were ashamed** and **they were confounded** may seem like passive verbal expressions, and if your language does not use such expressions, you could express these ideas in active form or in another way that would be natural in your language. Alternate translation: “They felt shame … but the dry stream bed confounded them”
6:20 j214 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns עָ֝דֶ֗יהָ 1 The pronoun **it** refers to the stream bed where the caravans expected to find water. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “as far as the stream bed where they expected to find water”
6:21 gk7t rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּֽי 1 Job is using the word **For** to explain in what way his friends are like the desert streams he has been describing, as he said they were in verse 15. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “You are like these streams because”
6:21 t8mf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular הֱיִ֣יתֶם & תִּֽרְא֥וּ & וַתִּירָֽאוּ 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, the word **you** is plural here and in the rest of the chapter because Job is using it to address his three friends. Use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
6:21 wa4z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הֱיִ֣יתֶם לא 1 Job is speaking of his friends as if they had become **nothing**, just as a stream ceases to exist when all of its water dries up. He means that his friends are offering him no help, just as a dried-up stream would not help a caravan that needed water in the desert. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you are not offering me any help”
6:21 zr7k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit תִּֽרְא֥וּ חֲ֝תַ֗ת וַתִּירָֽאוּ 1 Job seems to be saying implicitly that his friends think that God has afflicted him with a **terror** and so they are afraid to console him, because they think God will afflict them as well if they take his side. You can indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “you think that God has sent this terror and so you are afraid to help me because you think God will punish you if you do”
6:22 vq26 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲֽכִי־ אָ֭מַרְתִּי הָ֣בוּ לִ֑י וּ֝מִכֹּחֲכֶ֗ם שִׁחֲד֥וּ בַעֲדִֽי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis in both of these sentences. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these sentences as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “I did not say to you, ‘Give me something’! Or, ‘Make a gift to me from your wealth’!”
6:22 j341 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes הֲֽכִי־ אָ֭מַרְתִּי הָ֣בוּ לִ֑י וּ֝מִכֹּחֲכֶ֗ם שִׁחֲד֥וּ בַעֲדִֽי 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there are not quotations within a quotation. Alternate translation: “Is it that I told you to give me something? Or to make me a gift from your wealth?” or “I did not tell you to give me something or to make me a gift from your wealth”
6:23 j216 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וּמַלְּט֥וּנִי מִיַּד־ צָ֑ר וּמִיַּ֖ד עָרִיצִ֣ים תִּפְדּֽוּנִי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis in both of these sentences. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these sentences as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “I also did not say to you, ‘Save me from the hand of the enemy’! Or, ‘From the hand of the oppressors rescue me’!”
6:23 j217 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes וּמַלְּט֥וּנִי מִיַּד־ צָ֑ר וּמִיַּ֖ד עָרִיצִ֣ים תִּפְדּֽוּנִי 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “Did I ask you to save me from the hand of the enemy or rescue me from the hand of the oppressors?” or “I did not ask you to save me from the hand of the enemy or rescue me from the hand of the oppressors!”
6:23 x1gs rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִיַּד־צָ֑ר וּמִיַּ֖ד עָרִיצִ֣ים 1 Here, **hand** represents the capability and power of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from the power of the enemy? Or, ‘From the power of the oppressors’”
6:24 j218 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וַאֲנִ֣י אַחֲרִ֑ישׁ 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the verb translated **will be silent**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “I will certainly be silent”
6:24 j219 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּמַה־ שָּׁ֝גִ֗יתִי 1 Job is speaking as if he could have literally **strayed** off the right path. He means that he could have done something wrong. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and what I have done wrong”
6:25 j220 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns אִמְרֵי־יֹ֑שֶׁר 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **uprightness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “upright words”
6:25 bt6s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וּמַה־ יּוֹכִ֖יחַ הוֹכֵ֣חַ מִכֶּֽם 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “But correcting from you does not correct anything!”
6:25 rrn5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-poetry וּמַה־ יּוֹכִ֖יחַ הוֹכֵ֣חַ מִכֶּֽם 1 For emphasis, Job is using a construction in which a subject and its verb come from the same root. You may be able to use the same construction in your language to express the meaning here. Alternatively, your language may have another way of showing the emphasis. Alternate translation: “But what does your attempted correction really accomplish?” or “Your attempted correction really accomplishes nothing!”
6:26 j221 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis הַלְהוֹכַ֣ח מִלִּ֣ים תַּחְשֹׁ֑בוּ וּ֝לְר֗וּחַ אִמְרֵ֥י נֹאָֽשׁ 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Do you think to correct my words, and do you liken to the wind the words of one despairing”
6:26 l7bp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַלְהוֹכַ֣ח מִלִּ֣ים תַּחְשֹׁ֑בוּ וּ֝לְר֗וּחַ אִמְרֵ֥י נֹאָֽשׁ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You think to correct my words, and you liken the words of one despairing to the wind!” or “You only want to prove me wrong; you do not believe that I am justified in saying these desperate things!”
6:26 j222 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile וּ֝לְר֗וּחַ אִמְרֵ֥י נֹאָֽשׁ 1 If Job is saying that his friends are likening his words to the wind, then Job is making a comparison. The point of the comparison is that Job’s friends consider his **words** to be trivial, having no more substance than **wind**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “and do you consider the words of one despairing to be as insubstantial as the wind”
6:27 w62r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit עַל־ יָת֥וֹם תַּפִּ֑ילוּ וְ֝תִכְר֗וּ עַל־ רֵֽיעֲכֶֽם 1 Job assumes that his friends will understand that he is referring to two practices of his culture. If a man died who was indebted to others, his creditors could claim his children as slaves in repayment of the debt. Job is describing how such creditors might **cast lots** in order to determine which of them would get a particular child as a slave. Job is also referring to the practice of selling someone into slavery in order to obtain repayment of a debt. You can explain some of this cultural background in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “you cast lots to see which of you will have as a slave a child whose father, indebted to you, has died, and you try to get the best price for a friend whom you are selling into slavery to obtain repayment of his debt to you”
6:27 q6lj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עַל־ יָת֥וֹם תַּפִּ֑ילוּ וְ֝תִכְר֗וּ עַל־ רֵֽיעֲכֶֽם 1 Job is speaking as if his friends would literally **cast lots** to see which of them would have an **fatherless** child as his slave and **haggle** over the price of a **friend** they were selling into slavery. Job does not mean that his friends are actually doing these things; he is making a comparison. The implication is that these are particularly callous things to do to a helpless orphan or to a friend, and Job is saying that his friends are acting just as callously towards him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. The UST models one way of doing this.
6:27 h7jk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj יָת֥וֹם 1 Job is using the adjective **fatherless** as a noun, to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this with an equivalent expression. Alternate translation: “a fatherless child” or “an orphan”
6:28 m2bq rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וְ֭עַתָּה הוֹאִ֣ילוּ פְנוּ־בִ֑י וְעַל־פְּ֝נֵיכֶ֗ם אִם־אֲכַזֵּֽב 1 Job is asking his friends to perform a symbolic action by looking directly at him so that he can look them right in the face himself. Job wants to be able to do this in order to dramatize the sincerity of what he is saying. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “But now, be willing, look at me, so that I can look right at you to show that I am speaking the truth”
6:28 j223 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְעַל־פְּ֝נֵיכֶ֗ם אִם־אֲכַזֵּֽב 1 This could mean: (1) that Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. Specifically, he is speaking the first part of an oath and leaving the second part understood. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and if I would lie to your faces, then may God punish me severely!” (2) that Job is using the word **if** to introduce a question that anticipates a contrary answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “for I would not lie to your faces, would I?”
6:28 q6v3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְעַל־פְּ֝נֵיכֶ֗ם אִם־אֲכַזֵּֽב 1 Job is using one part of his friends, their **faces**, to mean all of them in the act of looking at him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and if I would lie to you while you were looking at me”
6:29 c7zi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שֻֽׁבוּ & וְשׁ֥וּבוּ 1 Job is speaking as if he wants his friends literally to **turn** and go in a different direction. He means that he wants them to start treating him differently. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “start treating me differently … yes, treat me differently”
6:29 j224 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns אַל־תְּהִ֣י עַוְלָ֑ה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **injustice**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “do not treat me unjustly”
6:29 fcq7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives אַל־תְּהִ֣י עַוְלָ֑ה 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle **not** and the negative noun **injustice**. Alternate translation: “let there be justice” or “treat me justly”
6:29 j225 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns ע֝וֹד צִדְקִי־בָֽהּ 1 The pronoun **it** seems to refer to Job’s cause. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “my righteousness is yet in my cause” or “my cause is still righteous”
6:30 km3f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲיֵשׁ־ בִּלְשׁוֹנִ֥י עַוְלָ֑ה אִם־ חִ֝כִּ֗י לֹא־ יָבִ֥ין הַוּֽוֹת 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis in both of these sentences. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these sentences as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “There is no injustice on my tongue! My mouth discerns iniquity!”
6:30 z316 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הֲיֵשׁ־בִּלְשׁוֹנִ֥י עַוְלָ֑ה 1 Job is referring to what he says by association with the **tongue**, by which he says it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Is there injustice in what I have been saying”
6:30 j226 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִם־חִ֝כִּ֗י לֹא־יָבִ֥ין הַוּֽוֹת 1 Job is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a contrary answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “My mouth discerns iniquity, does it not”
6:30 f1ga rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification אִם־חִ֝כִּ֗י לֹא־יָבִ֥ין הַוּֽוֹת 1 Job is speaking of his **mouth** as if it were a living thing that could **discern iniquity**. He means that he himself is able to discern whether something he might say with his mouth would be morally wrong. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I discern whether I might be speaking iniquity, do I not?” or “Certainly I can discern whether I might be speaking iniquity!”
6:30 j227 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns הַוּֽוֹת 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **iniquity**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “what is iniquitous” or “what is morally wrong”
7:intro y5ka 0 # Job 7 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nIn this chapter, Job finishes responding to Eliphaz’s first speech, and he also addresses God directly in light of his exchange with Eliphaz.\n- Verses 1–6: Job continues to respond to Elilphaz\n- Verses 7–21: Job addresses God directly\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter\n\n### Metaphors\n\nJob uses many different images in this chapter to describe what the things are like that he is feeling and experiencing. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nJob often uses the question form in this chapter to emphasize the points he is making to Eliphaz and to God. Notes suggest how these questions may be translated as statements or exclamations if that would be more natural in your language. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
7:1 nz5u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹא־ צָבָ֣א לֶאֱנ֣וֹשׁ על־ אָ֑רֶץ וְכִימֵ֖י שָׂכִ֣יר יָמָֽיו 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “Man has hardship on earth! Yes, his days are like the days of a hireling!”
7:1 j228 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns הֲלֹא־צָבָ֣א לֶאֱנ֣וֹשׁ על־אָ֑רֶץ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **hardship**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “Life on earth is hard for a man!”
7:1 j229 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations לֶאֱנ֣וֹשׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “to a person”
7:1 m3yt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile וְכִימֵ֖י שָׂכִ֣יר יָמָֽיו 1 Job is using this comparison to say that just as **the days of a hireling** (that is, someone hired by the day for manual labor) are long and difficult, so his days are long and difficult. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation, as an exclamation: “Yes, his days are long and difficult, like those of a hireling!”
7:2 g9ji rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile כְּעֶ֥בֶד יִשְׁאַף־ צֵ֑ל וּ֝כְשָׂכִ֗יר יְקַוֶּ֥ה פָעֳלֽוֹ 1 The point of this comparison, as Job makes clear in the next verse, is that just as a **slave** and a **hireling** have to endure long periods of wishing for relief, so Job has gone a long time without relief. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “As a slave wishes all through a long, hot day that evening would come, and as a hireling must wait until the end of the day to be paid”
7:2 f1pu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy צֵ֑ל 1 Job is using the term **shade** to mean by association the evening, when the sun becomes low in the sky and shadows cover the earth. Specifically, he means the end of the work day. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the evening” or “the end of the work day”
7:3 fpt6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי לִ֭י יַרְחֵי־שָׁ֑וְא 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who has done the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “God has caused me to inherit months of futility”
7:3 j230 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי לִ֭י יַרְחֵי־שָׁ֑וְא 1 Job is speaking of these **months of futility** as if they were something that he had literally been **caused to inherit**. He means that he has been enduring futility during this time. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have been enduring a time of futility”
7:3 cp2i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי לִ֭י יַרְחֵי־שָׁ֑וְא 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **futility**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “I have been enduring a time when life seems futile”
7:3 j231 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הָנְחַ֣לְתִּי לִ֭י יַרְחֵי־שָׁ֑וְא 1 From the narrative of the book of Job, it does not appear that at this point **months** have gone by since Job began to experience his terrible misfortunes. So it seems that Job is using the term **months** to mean by association a period of time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have been enduring a time of futility”
7:3 j232 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וְלֵיל֥וֹת עָ֝מָ֗ל מִנּוּ־לִֽי 1 The pronoun **they** is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. Job is using this indefinite construction to focus on what has been **appointed** to him rather than on who appointed it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: “and nights of trouble have been appointed to me”
7:4 m7jx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אִם־שָׁכַ֗בְתִּי 1 Job is referring implicitly to when he would **lie down** to sleep at night. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Your language may have its own expression that you can use here in your translation. Alternate translation: “When I lie down to sleep”
7:4 sf4y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מָתַ֣י אָ֭קוּם 1 Job is not asking himself this question for information, to try to decide when to get up in the morning. He is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “I hope this will not be a long and difficult night!”
7:4 m4sv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְשָׂבַ֖עְתִּי נְדֻדִ֣ים 1 Job is speaking of himself as if he were a container that **tossings** filled. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and I toss and turn continually”
7:5 j233 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לָ֘בַ֤שׁ בְּשָׂרִ֣י רִ֭מָּה וְג֣וּשׁ עָפָ֑ר 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally wearing worms and dust clods like clothing on his body. He means that he has these things all over his body. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My flesh is covered with worms and dust clods”
7:5 sh53 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun לָ֘בַ֤שׁ בְּשָׂרִ֣י רִ֭מָּה וְג֣וּשׁ עָפָ֑ר 1 Job is not referring to a specific **worm** or **clod of dust**. He means worms and dust clods in general. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. “My flesh is covered with worms and dust clods”
7:5 l429 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche בְּשָׂרִ֣י 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **flesh**, to mean his whole body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My body”
7:5 we79 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit עוֹרִ֥י רָ֝גַ֗ע וַיִּמָּאֵֽס 1 Job is referring to the boils with which God allowed the accuser to afflict him, as the book describes in [2:7](../02/07.md). You could indicate this in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “my skin breaks and festers because of the boils that I have”
7:6 tf2g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile יָמַ֣י קַ֭לּוּ מִנִּי־אָ֑רֶג 1 Job his comparing his **days** to a **shuttle**, which stores and releases a supply of yearn for weavers, to say how quickly his days are going by. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. The UST models one way to do this.
7:6 j234 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יָמַ֣י קַ֭לּוּ 1 Job is using the term **days** to refer to a specific time, the time that he will live on earth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My life is ending more quickly”
7:6 j235 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown אָ֑רֶג 1 A **shuttle** is a wooden tool that weavers use when weaving to store and unravel yarn while passing it back and forth through other threads of yarn mounted on a loom. If your readers would not be familiar with what a shuttle is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable object in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “a tool for weaving” or “a tool for making cloth quickly”
7:6 j236 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וַ֝יִּכְל֗וּ בְּאֶ֣פֶס תִּקְוָֽה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **hope**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “and I cannot hope that my life will be good in the end”
7:7 j237 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular זְ֭כֹר 1 To this point in the speech he began in [6:1](../06/01.md), Job has been addressing his three friends, and so the pronoun **you** has been plural and the imperative forms have been second-person plural. However, the imperative **Remember** here is singular because Job is now addressing God, as he will do for the rest of this speech. So use a second-person singular imperative in your translation if your language marks that distinction. You may also wish to indicate explicitly that Job is now addressing God. Alternate translation: “God, remember”
7:7 uf8v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative זְ֭כֹר 1 This is an imperative, but it communicates a polite request rather than a command. Use a form in your language that communicates a polite request. It may be helpful to add an expression such as “please” to make this clear. Alternate translation: “God, please remember”
7:7 ee27 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor ר֣וּחַ חַיָּ֑י 1 Job is speaking as if his **life** were literally a **breath**. He likely means that just as a breath of air that a person exhales quickly dissipates, so his life will soon end. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “my life will be over soon”
7:7 bw35 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche לֹא־תָשׁ֥וּב עֵ֝ינִ֗י לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **eye**, to mean all of him in the act of seeing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will not return to see good”
7:7 j238 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לֹא־תָשׁ֥וּב עֵ֝ינִ֗י לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב 1 In this context, the expression **return** means to do something again. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will not see good again”
7:7 j239 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לֹא־תָשׁ֥וּב עֵ֝ינִ֗י לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב 1 In this context, to **see** good means to experience it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will not experience good again”
7:7 j240 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns לֹא־תָשׁ֥וּב עֵ֝ינִ֗י לִרְא֥וֹת טֽוֹב 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **good**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “I will not experience good things again”
7:8 j241 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לֹֽא־תְ֭שׁוּרֵנִי עֵ֣ין רֹ֑אִי 1 As the second part of the verse indicates, Job is speaking implicitly of what will happen after he dies. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “The eye of the one seeing me now will not regard me then”
7:8 p6u5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche עֵ֣ין רֹ֑אִי 1 Job is using one part of God, his **eye**, to mean all of God in the act of seeing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The one seeing me”
7:8 f5vc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person עֵ֣ין רֹ֑אִי 1 Even though Job has begun to address God, here is speaking about God in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the first person. Alternate translation: “You who see me”
7:8 j339 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom עֵינֶ֖יךָ בִּ֣י 1 This expression means that God will be looking for Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you will be looking for me”
7:9 q76u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כָּלָ֣ה עָ֭נָן וַיֵּלַ֑ךְ 1 Job could be: (1) saying that once a cloud **disappears**, it **goes away** forever. That same cloud will never again form in the sky. Alternate translation: “Once a cloud disappears, it goes away forever” (2) using the similar expressions **disappears** and **goes away** together for emphasis. Alternate translation: “A cloud disappears entirely”
7:9 g4h1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives לֹ֣א יַעֲלֶֽה 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle **not** and the verb **ascend**, which is contrary to the reality of life, according to Job here. Alternate translation: “remains there”
7:10 xnf4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְלֹא־יַכִּירֶ֖נּוּ ע֣וֹד מְקֹמֽוֹ 1 Job is speaking of a person’s **place** of residence as if it were a living thing that could **know** that person. The word **know** in this context means to recognize. The idea is that the place where the person once lived will not have occasion to recognize him again because he will never return to that place. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “no, he will not live in his place of residence again”
7:11 ed6a rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אֲנִי֮ לֹ֤א אֶחֱשָׂ֫ךְ פִּ֥י אֲֽ֭דַבְּרָה 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **restrain**. Job is also using an emphatic declarative form when he says **I will speak**. If your language has similar constructions that it uses for emphasis, you may want to use them here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “I will certainly not restrain my mouth; I will certainly speak”
7:11 q76q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֲנִי֮ לֹ֤א אֶחֱשָׂ֫ךְ פִּ֥י 1 Job is using the term **mouth** to mean by association what he would say with his mouth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will not limit what I have to say” or “I will not refrain from speaking”
7:11 j242 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives אֲנִי֮ לֹ֤א אֶחֱשָׂ֫ךְ פִּ֥י 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle **not** and the negative verb **restrain**. Alternate translation: “I will speak freely”
7:11 j243 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche אֲֽ֭דַבְּרָה בְּצַ֣ר רוּחִ֑י אָ֝שִׂ֗יחָה בְּמַ֣ר נַפְשִֽׁי 1 Job is using parts of himself, his **spirit** and his **soul**, to mean all of him in the act of speaking and complaining. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will speak in my distress; yes, I will complain in my bitterness”
7:11 v8zz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns אֲֽ֭דַבְּרָה בְּצַ֣ר רוּחִ֑י אָ֝שִׂ֗יחָה בְּמַ֣ר נַפְשִֽׁי 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **distress** and **bitterness**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “I will speak, since I am distressed; yes, I will complain, since I am bitter”
7:12 qy6r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲֽיָם־אָ֭נִי אִם־תַּנִּ֑ין כִּֽי־תָשִׂ֖ים עָלַ֣י מִשְׁמָֽר 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “I am not the sea or the sea monster, so you do not need to set a guard over me!”
7:12 j244 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הֲֽיָם & אִם־תַּנִּ֑ין 1 In this culture, the **sea** was considered to be the realm of chaos. The **sea monster** is the same creature whom Job calls “Leviathan” in [3:8](../03/08.md). See the note to that verse that explains how this monster was also associated with chaos in this culture. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this cultural background in your translation. Alternate translation: “a dreadful cause of chaos”
7:12 j245 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative כִּֽי־תָשִׂ֖ים 1 Job is using the future tense to indicate something that God would do out of necessity. Your language may have its own way of expressing such a meaning. Alternate translation: “that you would have to set”
7:13 j246 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations כִּֽי־אָ֭מַרְתִּי תְּנַחֲמֵ֣נִי עַרְשִׂ֑י יִשָּׂ֥א בְ֝שִׂיחִ֗י מִשְׁכָּבִֽי 1 It may be more natural in your language to have an indirect quotation here. Alternate translation: “When I say that my couch will comfort me and that my bed will take away my complaint”
7:13 v7e8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy תְּנַחֲמֵ֣נִי עַרְשִׂ֑י יִשָּׂ֥א בְ֝שִׂיחִ֗י מִשְׁכָּבִֽי 1 Job is using the terms **couch** and **bed** to mean sleep by association with the way people sleep on a couch or a bed. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My sleep will comfort me, yes, my sleep will take away my complaint”
7:13 d3uy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification תְּנַחֲמֵ֣נִי עַרְשִׂ֑י יִשָּׂ֥א בְ֝שִׂיחִ֗י מִשְׁכָּבִֽי 1 Job is speaking of his **couch** and his **bed**, meaning his sleep, as if they were living things that could **comfort** him and **take away** his **complaint**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will be comfortable when I am sleeping, yes, when I am asleep I will not be complaining”
7:15 j247 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וַתִּבְחַ֣ר & נַפְשִׁ֑י 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **soul**, to mean all of him in the act of choosing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and I choose”
7:15 et7t rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown מַחֲנָ֣ק 1 The term **strangling** describes killing a person by squeezing his throat and stopping his breathing. If your readers would not be familiar with this term, in your translation you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “to stop breathing”
7:15 j248 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis מָ֝֗וֶת מֵֽעַצְמוֹתָֽי 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “yes, my soul chooses death rather than my bones”
7:15 nee4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מָ֝֗וֶת מֵֽעַצְמוֹתָֽי 1 Job is using the term **bones** to mean life by association with the way people are supported by their bones as they live on earth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “rather than life” or “rather than continuing to live on this earth”
7:16 th4d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis מָ֭אַסְתִּי 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “I loathe my life” or “I loathe being alive”
7:16 eu9h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative לֹא־לְעֹלָ֣ם אֶֽחְיֶ֑ה 1 Job is using the future tense to describe what he desires. Your language may have its own way of expressing such a meaning. Alternate translation: “I would not live forever” or “I do not want to live forever”
7:16 j249 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole לֹא־לְעֹלָ֣ם אֶֽחְיֶ֑ה 1 Job says **forever** here as a generalization for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “I certainly do not want to live for a long time”
7:16 j250 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom חֲדַ֥ל מִ֝מֶּ֗נִּי 1 Job is using this expression to ask God to **Cease** from troubling him. Your language may have an expression of its own with the same meaning. Alternate translation: “Leave me alone”
7:16 yp5g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הֶ֥בֶל 1 Job could be using the word translated **vapor** to mean: (1) that his days are fleeting, since vapor or mist vanishes quickly. Alternate translation: “are fleeting” (2) that his days are purposeless, since vapor is insubstantial. Alternate translation: “are purposeless”
7:17 awx9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מָֽה־אֱ֭נוֹשׁ כִּ֣י תְגַדְּלֶ֑נּוּ וְכִי־תָשִׁ֖ית אֵלָ֣יו לִבֶּֽךָ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. The question continues through the next verse, but it may be helpful to make this verse a separate sentence. Alternate translation: “Man is not so significant that you should magnify him or set your heart on him”
7:17 j251 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative מָֽה־אֱ֭נוֹשׁ כִּ֣י תְגַדְּלֶ֑נּוּ וְכִי־תָשִׁ֖ית אֵלָ֣יו לִבֶּֽךָ 1 Job could be using the future tense: (1) to describe what God should do. Alternate translation: “What is man, that you should magnify him, that you should set your heart on him” or, as a statement, “Man is so insignificant that you should not magnify him or set your heart on him” (2) to describe what God does habitually. Alternate translation: “What is man, that you magnify him and that you set your heart on him”
7:17 w1ri rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְכִי־תָשִׁ֖ית אֵלָ֣יו לִבֶּֽךָ 1 Here, the **heart** figuratively represents the thoughts. Alternate translation: “and that you should set your mind on him” or “and that you should pay attention to him”
7:18 j252 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative וַתִּפְקְדֶ֥נּוּ לִבְקָרִ֑ים לִ֝רְגָעִ֗ים תִּבְחָנֶֽנּוּ 1 Job is using the future tense to describe what he believes God should do. Your language may have its own way of expressing such a meaning. Alternate translation: “that you should visit him in the mornings and that you should test him in the moments”
7:18 s64b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וַתִּפְקְדֶ֥נּוּ לִבְקָרִ֑ים לִ֝רְגָעִ֗ים תִּבְחָנֶֽנּוּ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis, continuing the question that he began in the previous verse. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “You do not need to visit him in the mornings and test him in the moments!”
7:19 eb8v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion כַּ֭מָּה לֹא־תִשְׁעֶ֣ה מִמֶּ֑נִּי לֹֽא־תַ֝רְפֵּ֗נִי עַד־בִּלְעִ֥י רֻקִּֽי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “I wish you would look away from me soon! I wish you would slacken until I swallow my saliva”
7:19 j253 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לֹֽא־תַ֝רְפֵּ֗נִי עַד־בִּלְעִ֥י רֻקִּֽי 1 The word **until** has a specific meaning here. Job is not asking God, “Will you only slacken when I swallow my saliva?” He is asking, “Will you please slacken long enough for me to swallow my saliva?” You could say that as an alternate translation if it would be helpful to your readers.
7:19 ts1s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy עַד־בִּלְעִ֥י רֻקִּֽי 1 Job is using the expression **until I swallow my saliva** to mean a short time, by association with the way it only takes a short time to swallow once. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “for just a short time”
7:20 wwv1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion חָטָ֡אתִי מָ֤ה אֶפְעַ֨ל ׀ לָךְ֮ נֹצֵ֪ר הָאָ֫דָ֥ם לָ֤מָה שַׂמְתַּ֣נִי לְמִפְגָּ֣ע לָ֑ךְ וָאֶהְיֶ֖ה עָלַ֣י לְמַשָּֽׂא 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “If I have sinned, I have not done anything to you, the one watching man! You should not have made me a target for you!”
7:20 j254 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לָ֤מָה שַׂמְתַּ֣נִי לְמִפְגָּ֣ע לָ֑ךְ 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally a **target** that God was attacking with arrows or a spear. He means that God is punishing him for sins he may have committed. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Why are you punishing me like this?” or, as an exclamation, “You do not need to punish me like this!”
7:20 j255 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וָאֶהְיֶ֖ה עָלַ֣י לְמַשָּֽׂא 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally a heavy weight or **burden** to carry. He is referring to making life more difficult. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Indeed, am I making my own life more difficult”
7:20 j256 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וָאֶהְיֶ֖ה עָלַ֣י לְמַשָּֽׂא 1 A marginal notation in traditional manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible indicates that scribes changed this reading from “am I a burden to you” to **am I a burden to myself**. The scribes made this change in order to avoid the uncomfortable suggestion that a human being’s sin could have effects on God. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of ULT. Alternate translation: “Indeed, am I a burden to you?” or “I am not a burden to you!”
7:20 j257 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וָאֶהְיֶ֖ה עָלַ֣י לְמַשָּֽׂא 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally a **burden** to himself or to God. He means that he is not actually making life more difficult for himself or for God, as a burden does when someone has to carry it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am not making my life more difficult!” or “I am not making your life more difficult!”
7:21 gzz5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result וּמֶ֤ה ׀ לֹא־תִשָּׂ֣א פִשְׁעִי֮ וְתַעֲבִ֪יר אֶת־עֲוֺ֫נִ֥י כִּֽי־עַ֭תָּה לֶעָפָ֣ר אֶשְׁכָּ֑ב וְשִׁ֖חֲרְתַּ֣נִי וְאֵינֶֽנִּי 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these sentences, since in the second sentence Job gives the reason for what he says in the first sentence that God should do. Alternate translation: “Soon I will lie down in the dust, and you will seek me diligently, but I will not exist. So why will you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity?”
7:21 ek8a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וּמֶ֤ה ׀ לֹא־תִשָּׂ֣א פִשְׁעִי֮ וְתַעֲבִ֪יר אֶת־עֲוֺ֫נִ֥י 1 Job is suggesting implicitly that God should **pardon** him so that they can have a good relationship during the short time that he will still be alive on earth. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Why will you not pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity so that we can have a good relationship?”
7:21 j258 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וּמֶ֤ה ׀ לֹא־תִשָּׂ֣א פִשְׁעִי֮ וְתַעֲבִ֪יר אֶת־עֲוֺ֫נִ֥י 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You ought to pardon my transgression and take away my iniquity!”
7:21 yf7g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy עַ֭תָּה לֶעָפָ֣ר אֶשְׁכָּ֑ב 1 Job is using the expression **lie down in the dust** to mean that he will die, by association with the way that in this culture, people who died were laid in a grave and buried in the ground or **dust**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will soon die”
8:intro md4v 0 # Job 8 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nIn this chapter, Job’s friend Bildad responds to what Job said in chapters 6 and 7.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem.\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### Bildad answering Job with his own words\n\nIn [7:21](../07/21.md), at the end of his speech, Job suggested that God might **seek** for him **diligently**. Bildad says in his response in [8:5](../08/05.md) that it is actually Job who should be seeking God diligently. To help your readers appreciate how Bildad is answering Job with his own words, you may wish to translate Bildad’s expression **seek diligently** the same way that you translated it when Job used it in [7:21](../07/21.md).\n\n### Quotation within a quotation\n\nIn his speech, Bildad encourages Job to consider the wisdom of their ancestors. In verses 11–22, he may be quoting from traditional teachings. Notes suggest the possibility of punctuating these verses as a secondary quotation if your language might naturally put one direct quotation inside another.
8:2 j259 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis עַד־אָ֥ן תְּמַלֶּל־אֵ֑לֶּה וְר֥וּחַ כַּ֝בִּיר אִמְרֵי־פִֽיךָ 1 Bildad is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “Until when will you say these things, and until when will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind”
8:2 j260 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion עַד־אָ֥ן תְּמַלֶּל־אֵ֑לֶּה וְר֥וּחַ כַּ֝בִּיר אִמְרֵי־פִֽיךָ 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You should not keep saying these things, and the words of your mouth should not keep being a mighty wind!”
8:2 j261 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אִמְרֵי־פִֽיךָ 1 Bildad is using the term **mouth** to mean speaking, by association with the way people use their mouths to speak. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the words that you speak” or see next note for another possibility.
8:2 j262 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo אִמְרֵי־פִֽיךָ 1 It might seem that this expression contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: “your words” or “what you say”
8:2 gg55 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְר֥וּחַ כַּ֝בִּיר 1 Bildad is speaking as if the **words** of Job were literally a **mighty wind**. He means that Job is saying many things insistently, but they are not substantial. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and … be so insistent but so insubstantial”
8:3 p2fp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns הַ֭אֵל יְעַוֵּ֣ת מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וְאִם־שַׁ֝דַּ֗י יְעַוֵּֽת־צֶֽדֶק 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **justice** and **righteousness**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “Does God do things that are not just? Does Shaddai do things that are not righteous?”
8:3 x959 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַ֭אֵל יְעַוֵּ֣ת מִשְׁפָּ֑ט וְאִם־שַׁ֝דַּ֗י יְעַוֵּֽת־צֶֽדֶק 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “God does not pervert justice! No, Shaddai does not pervert righteousness!” or, positively, “God always does what is just! Yes, Shaddai always does what is righteous!”
8:4 icy5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַֽ֝יְשַׁלְּחֵ֗ם בְּיַד־פִּשְׁעָֽם 1 In this context, to be **in the hand of** someone or something means to be under the power or control of that person or thing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “then he put them under the power of their sins” or “then he put them under the control of their sins”
8:4 j263 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וַֽ֝יְשַׁלְּחֵ֗ם בְּיַד־פִּשְׁעָֽם 1 Bildad is speaking as if the **sins** of Job’s **children** were a living thing that had exerted power over them and killed them. He actually means that God killed Job’s children in order to punish them for their sins. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “then God punished them by killing them for the sins they committed”
8:5 lpy9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אִם־אַ֭תָּה תְּשַׁחֵ֣ר אֶל־אֵ֑ל 1 For emphasis, Bildad is stating the pronoun **you**, whose meaning is already present in the verb translated **seek diligently**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “If you seek diligently for God yourself”
8:5 q7cd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְאֶל־שַׁ֝דַּ֗י תִּתְחַנָּֽן 1 Bildad is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and if to Shaddai you appeal”
8:6 a4ua rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet זַ֥ךְ וְיָשָׁ֗ר 1 The terms **pure** and **upright** mean similar things. Bildad is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “truly righteous”
8:6 f6a2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יָעִ֣יר עָלֶ֑יךָ 1 One possible meaning of the expression translated **rouse himself** is “wake up.” If there is already a Bible translation in your region, it may say something like this. Bildad could be speaking as if God were sleeping and would literally wake up at the realization that Job needed and deserved help. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he will come quickly to help you”
8:6 j264 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche נְוַ֣ת צִדְקֶֽךָ 1 Bildad is using one aspect of Job, his **righteousness**, to mean all of him as a righteous person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your habitation as a righteous person”
8:6 k3xq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor נְוַ֣ת צִדְקֶֽךָ 1 Bildad is speaking of the situation that he believes Job would deserve as a righteous person as if that situation were literally a **habitation** or place where Job would live. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “restore you to the situation in life that a righteous person deserves”
8:7 cd7r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony וְהָיָ֣ה רֵאשִׁיתְךָ֣ מִצְעָ֑ר וְ֝אַחֲרִיתְךָ֗ יִשְׂגֶּ֥ה מְאֹֽד 1 Since, as [1:3](../01/03.md) states, Job was previously the greatest man in a vast area, it is not the case that his **beginning**, that is, his former condition, was **small**. Bildad actually means to communicate the opposite of the literal meaning of what he is saying. He means that Job’s former state, great though it was, will seem small by comparison with the much greater prosperity that Job will experience in the future if he seeks God diligently. Alternate translation: “Though your former state was great, your future will be so much greater that the former state will seem as if it had been small”
8:7 j265 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְ֝אַחֲרִיתְךָ֗ יִשְׂגֶּ֥ה מְאֹֽד 1 Bildad is speaking of Job’s **end**, that is, his ultimate condition in life, as if it were a living thing that could **increase**. He means that Job’s prosperity will increase greatly in the end. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yet your prosperity will increase greatly in the end”
8:8 j266 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שְׁאַל־נָ֭א לְדֹ֣ר רִישׁ֑וֹן 1 Bildad is speaking as if Job could literally ask the people of **former generations** for advice. He means that Job should consider the wisdom that those people passed down to their descendants through tradition. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “consider the traditional wisdom that the former generations have passed down to us”
8:8 iq7n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֲבוֹתָֽם 1 Bildad is using the term **fathers** to mean “ancestors.” If your readers would misunderstand this, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “their ancestors”
8:9 j267 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole תְמ֣וֹל אֲ֭נַחְנוּ וְלֹ֣א נֵדָ֑ע 1 Bildad is saying that he, Job, and the other two friends were only born **yesterday** and that they do **not know** anything. He says both of these things as overstatements for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “we have not been alive for very long and we do not know very much”
8:9 j268 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive אֲ֭נַחְנוּ וְלֹ֣א נֵדָ֑ע & יָמֵ֣ינוּ 1 By **we** and **our**, Bildad means himself and the other friends and also Job, to whom he is speaking, so use the inclusive form of those words in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
8:9 m5v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor צֵ֖ל יָמֵ֣ינוּ עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ 1 Bildad is speaking as if the **days** that he and Job and the other friends have **on earth** were literally a **shadow**. He means that just as a shadow appears only for a short time, so people are only on earth for a short time. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “our days on earth are fleeting”
8:9 j269 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom צֵ֖ל יָמֵ֣ינוּ עֲלֵי־אָֽרֶץ 1 Bildad is using the term **days** to refer to a specific time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “our time on earth is a shadow”
8:10 j270 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns הֲלֹא־הֵ֣ם י֭וֹרוּךָ יֹ֣אמְרוּ לָ֑ךְ וּ֝מִלִּבָּ֗ם יוֹצִ֥אוּ מִלִּֽים 1 The pronouns **they** and **their** refer to the “former generations,” that is, the ancestors whom Bildad described in verse 8. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Will the former generations not teach you? Our ancestors will speak to you, and from their hearts they will bring forth words”
8:10 j271 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הֲלֹא־הֵ֣ם י֭וֹרוּךָ יֹ֣אמְרוּ לָ֑ךְ וּ֝מִלִּבָּ֗ם יוֹצִ֥אוּ מִלִּֽים 1 Bildad is speaking as if Job’s ancestors would **teach** him and **speak to** him. He does not mean this literally. Instead, he means that Job can learn from the accumulated wisdom that has been passed down to them from their ancestors through tradition. Bildad will summarize this traditional teaching in the rest of his speech. Particularly if there is a practice of ancestor worship in your culture, be sure to make this meaning clear in your translation. Alternate translation: “You can learn much from the traditional teachings we have received from them. It would be as if they were speaking to you and bringing forth words from their hearts”
8:10 h2ae rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹא־הֵ֣ם י֭וֹרוּךָ 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “They will certainly teach you.”
8:10 u4ad rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּ֝מִלִּבָּ֗ם יוֹצִ֥אוּ מִלִּֽים 1 Bildad is speaking as if the ancestors would literally **bring forth words** from **their hearts**, as if their hearts were containers that held words and as if words were physical objects that someone could **bring forth**. He is using the word **hearts** to mean a person’s thoughts and emotions. He is saying that through tradition the ancestors have passed down their most cherished beliefs and the most profound lessons they learned in life. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and they will share with you their most cherished insights”
8:11 a2hm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotemarks הֲיִֽגְאֶה־גֹּ֭מֶא בְּלֹ֣א בִצָּ֑ה יִשְׂגֶּה־אָ֥חוּ בְלִי־מָֽיִם 1 From here to the end of the chapter, Bildad may be quoting the teaching of the ancestors. This would be a second-level quotation, since the book is already quoting Bildad’s speech. If you think it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate the start of this possible quotation from tradition with an opening second-level quotation mark or with some other punctuation or convention that your language uses to indicate the start of a second-level quotation.
8:11 tj37 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲיִֽגְאֶה־גֹּ֭מֶא בְּלֹ֣א בִצָּ֑ה יִשְׂגֶּה־אָ֥חוּ בְלִי־מָֽיִם 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “Papyrus does not grow without a marsh. A reed does not grow without waters.”
8:11 ig9q rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown גֹּ֭מֶא 1 The word **papyrus** describes a tall, reed-like plant that grows in shallow water. If your readers would not be familiar with what papyrus is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable plant in your area, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “a bulrush” or “a cattail”
8:12 j272 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns בְ֭אִבּוֹ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **greenness**, you could express the same idea in another way. The idea is that while marsh plants dry up and lose color at the end of their life cycles, this is a young plant that is still colorful and growing. Alternate translation: “young and growing”
8:12 q4x1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְלִפְנֵ֖י כָל־חָצִ֣יר יִיבָֽשׁ 1 Bildad assumes that Job will understand that he means that even a young, uncut reed **withers** without water. You could say that explicitly if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “but without water it withers before any other plant”
8:12 j273 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole וְלִפְנֵ֖י כָל־חָצִ֣יר יִיבָֽשׁ 1 Bildad says **any** as a generalization for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “but without water it withers very quickly”
8:13 y6pd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor כֵּ֗ן אָ֭רְחוֹת כָּל־שֹׁ֣כְחֵי אֵ֑ל 1 Bildad is speaking of the things that happen to people as if they were literally **paths** that those people were walking along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “This is what happens to all the ones forgetting God”
8:13 fc76 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וְתִקְוַ֖ת חָנֵ֣ף תֹּאבֵֽד 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **hope**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “and the godless will not get what they hope for”
8:13 j274 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj חָנֵ֣ף 1 Bildad is using the adjective **godless** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “a godless person”
8:14 yg2t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֲשֶׁר־יָק֥וֹט כִּסְל֑וֹ וּבֵ֥ית עַ֝כָּבִ֗ישׁ מִבְטַחֽוֹ 1 Bildad is speaking as if the **confidence** of a person who is godless literally **snaps** and as if the **trust** of a godless person were literally a spider’s web (**the house of a spider**). If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “whose confidence proves unfounded and whose trust is unreliable”
8:14 m1bj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns אֲשֶׁר־יָק֥וֹט כִּסְל֑וֹ וּבֵ֥ית עַ֝כָּבִ֗ישׁ מִבְטַחֽוֹ 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **confidence** and **trust**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “He is confident that certain things will happen, but they do not happen; he trusts in certain people and things to help him, but they do not”
8:14 e61x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּבֵ֥ית עַ֝כָּבִ֗ישׁ מִבְטַחֽוֹ 1 Bildad is using **the house of a spider** (that is, a spider’s web) to represent something flimsy and unreliable. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly as a comparison. Alternate translation: “and whose trust is as flimsy and unreliable as a spider’s web”
8:15 g7al rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יִשָּׁעֵ֣ן עַל־בֵּ֭יתוֹ וְלֹ֣א יַעֲמֹ֑ד יַחֲזִ֥יק בּ֝֗וֹ וְלֹ֣א יָקֽוּם 1 Bildad is speaking of a godless person as if he were literally leaning against his **house** and causing it to collapse beyond repair. The house represents the possessions and status of the godless person. Alternate translation: “It does not take much for a godless person to lose his possessions and status without any hope of recovering them”
8:15 r6mq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives וְלֹ֣א יַעֲמֹ֑ד & וְלֹ֣א יָקֽוּם 1 If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use positive statements in your translation in place of these negative ones. Alternate translation: “and it collapses … but it remains collapsed”
8:15 s164 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְלֹ֣א יָקֽוּם 1 Bildad is speaking of the **house** of a godless person as if it were a living thing that could **arise** on its own. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but he cannot make it stand upright again” or “but he cannot repair it”
8:16 x5ph rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor רָטֹ֣ב ה֭וּא לִפְנֵי־שָׁ֑מֶשׁ וְעַ֥ל גַּ֝נָּת֗וֹ יֹֽנַקְתּ֥וֹ תֵצֵֽא 1 Bildad now speaks of a godless person as if he were a plant. In order to depict the temporary prosperity that godless people may enjoy, he describes this plant flourishing. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning as a comparison. Alternate translation: “A godless person may at first thrive like a plant that is getting plenty of sunlight and whose shoots extend all over the garden in which it is planted”
8:16 d31w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לִפְנֵי־שָׁ֑מֶשׁ 1 Here the word **before** means “in front of” or “in the presence of” something. Bildad means that the plant is **lush** because it receives plenty of sunlight. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “because it receives plenty of sunlight”
8:17 cty rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עַל־גַּ֭ל שָֽׁרָשָׁ֣יו יְסֻבָּ֑כוּ בֵּ֖ית אֲבָנִ֣ים יֶחֱזֶֽה 1 Bildad is continuing to speak of the godless person and his temporary prosperity as if he were a plant. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “A godless person may at first be secure, like a plant whose roots are wrapped around a heap of stones, a plant that is solidly rooted among stones”
8:17 j275 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive עַל־גַּ֭ל שָֽׁרָשָׁ֣יו יְסֻבָּ֑כוּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “It wraps its roots around a heap of stones”
8:17 j276 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification בֵּ֖ית אֲבָנִ֣ים יֶחֱזֶֽה 1 Bildad is speaking as if this plant were looking for a **house** to live in. He means that the plant naturally roots itself in a secure place among **rocks**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “it roots itself in a secure place among rocks”
8:18 j277 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast אִם 1 In this verse, Bildad is drawing a contrast between the prosperity he described in the previous two verses and the inevitable destruction of the godless person. In your translation, you may wish to introduce this verse in a way that will indicate this contrast more explicitly. Alternate translation: “But when”
8:18 ib86 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יְבַלְּעֶ֥נּוּ מִמְּקוֹמ֑וֹ וְכִ֥חֶשׁ 1 The pronoun **it** refers in its first and third instances to the plant Bildad has been describing, and it refers in its second instance to the **place** the plant was occupying. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “When one destroys such a plant from its place, then the place it formerly occupied will deny it”
8:18 tq8v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations וְכִ֥חֶשׁ בּ֝֗וֹ לֹ֣א רְאִיתִֽיךָ 1 It may be more natural in your language to have an indirect quotation here. Alternate translation: “It will deny that it ever saw it”
8:18 b7jg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְכִ֥חֶשׁ בּ֝֗וֹ לֹ֣א רְאִיתִֽיךָ 1 Bildad is speaking of the plant’s location as if it were a living thing that could recognize things and speak. The meaning of this phrase is similar to the meaning of the phrase “his place will not know him again” in [7:10](../07/10.md). In this case, Bildad is saying that the plant will be so thoroughly removed that its former location will be convinced that it was never there to begin with. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “it will be as if it had never been there at all”
8:19 llr9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ דַּרְכּ֑וֹ 1 Bildad actually means to communicate the opposite of the literal meaning of his words. He is speaking in this way for emphasis. He does not mean that the godless person has actual **joy**. Such a person may have temporary prosperity, but he then experiences sorrow as a consequence of the way he has been living. Alternate translation: “the sorrow of his way”
8:19 z27b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מְשׂ֣וֹשׂ דַּרְכּ֑וֹ 1 Bildad is speaking of how a person lives as if that were a **way** or path that the person was walking along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the sorrow that comes from his conduct”
8:19 n1qg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּ֝מֵעָפָ֗ר אַחֵ֥ר יִצְמָֽחוּ 1 Bildad is continuing to speak as if the godless person were a plant. When he says that **other plants** will **sprout** from the **dust** (that is, the ground), he means that other people will take the place of the godless person when his conduct causes his ruin. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and other people will take his position and his possessions”
8:20 i9v4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives אֵ֭ל לֹ֣א יִמְאַס־תָּ֑ם 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a positive expression to translate this double negative that consists of the negative particle **not** and the negative verb **reject**. Alternate translation: “God will always accept the innocent”
8:20 j278 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj תָּ֑ם 1 Bildad is using the adjective **innocent** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “a person who is innocent”
8:20 gz4z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְלֹֽא־יַ֝חֲזִ֗יק בְּיַד־מְרֵעִֽים 1 Bildad is speaking as if God would literally **hold** evildoers by the **hand** in order to keep them from falling down. He means that God does not strengthen or support people who do evil. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but he will not help evildoers”
8:21 e5gp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis עַד־יְמַלֵּ֣ה שְׂח֣וֹק פִּ֑יךָ וּשְׂפָתֶ֥יךָ תְרוּעָֽה 1 Bildad is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “He will yet fill your mouth with laughter, and he will fill your lips with shouting”
8:21 ezc5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עַד־יְמַלֵּ֣ה שְׂח֣וֹק פִּ֑יךָ וּשְׂפָתֶ֥יךָ תְרוּעָֽה 1 Bildad is speaking of Job’s **mouth** as if it were a container that God would **fill** with **laughter** and as if Job’s **lips** were a container that God would fill with **shouting**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will yet make you shout very joyfully”
8:21 td9s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche עַד־יְמַלֵּ֣ה שְׂח֣וֹק פִּ֑יךָ וּשְׂפָתֶ֥יךָ תְרוּעָֽה 1 Bildad is using parts of Job, his **mouth** and his **lips**, to mean all of Job in the acts of laughing and shouting joyfully. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will yet make you laugh very happily and shout very joyfully”
8:22 tc4g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יִלְבְּשׁוּ־בֹ֑שֶׁת 1 Bildad is speaking as if Job’s enemies would literally **wear shame** as if it were their clothing. He means that they will be greatly ashamed for opposing Job when God honors and restores him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will be greatly ashamed”
8:22 k5y9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְאֹ֖הֶל רְשָׁעִ֣ים אֵינֶֽנּוּ 1 Bildad is using one possession of **the wicked**, the **tent** in which they live, to mean all of their possessions and their standing in the community. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the wicked will be without status or means”
8:22 uz63 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רְשָׁעִ֣ים 1 Bildad is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
8:22 j279 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotemarks אֵינֶֽנּוּ 1 If you decided to punctuate verses 11–22 as a second-level quotation, indicate the end of this quotation here with a closing second-level quotation mark or whatever other punctuation or convention your language uses to indicate the end of a second-level quotation.
9:intro n51u 0 # Job 9 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is Job’s response to Bildad’s first speech. In [8:5](../08/05.md), Bildad told Job that he should appeal to God. In response, Job protests in this chapter that a human being cannot appeal to God.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem.\n\n## Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter\n\n### Litany\n\nIn verses 5–10, Job makes a series of statements about how powerful God is. These specific statements illustrate the general statement that Job makes in verse 4 that God is “wise in heart and mighty in strength.” A series of statements such as this is known as a litany. If your readers would recognize what Job is doing, you can translate and format this litany the way the ULT does. If the litany form would not be familiar to your readers, you could format the general statement in a way that will show that it is a summary statement that shows the overall meaning of what Job is saying. You could then put each sentence of the litany on a separate line. The format might look something like this:\n\nGod is wise in heart and mighty in strength (Who has hardened himself against him and been whole?),\n> the one removing mountains and they do not know, who overturns them in his anger,\n> the one shaking the earth from its place and causing its pillars to tremble,\n> the one speaking to the sun and it does not rise, and upon the stars he seals,\n> stretching out the heavens by himself and treading on the waves of the sea,\n> making the Bear, Orion, the Pleiades, and the chambers of the south,\n> doing great {things} until there is no searching and distinguished {things} until there is no number.
9:2 r4pi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וּמַה־יִּצְדַּ֖ק אֱנ֣וֹשׁ עִם־אֵֽל 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “But a man cannot be righteous with God!”
9:2 a9ku rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אֱנ֣וֹשׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a person”
9:3 t9fi rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אִם־יַ֭חְפֹּץ לָרִ֣יב עִמּ֑וֹ 1 In this part of the verse, the pronoun **he** refers to “a man” and the pronoun “him” refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “If a person desires to contend with God”
9:3 a6um rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לָרִ֣יב עִמּ֑וֹ 1 Job assumes that Bildad will understand that he is using the word **contend** to mean making a formal legal complaint against God. In this culture, people made such complaints to community leaders in public places such as the gate of a town. Each party would question the other in the presence of the leaders, who would then discuss the case and decide how to resolve it. Job is probably describing how he participated as a leader in such cases in [29:21–23](../29/21.md). Your language may have an expression for this process that you could use in your translation. Alternate translation: “to take God to court” or “to file charges against God”
9:3 j280 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns לֹֽא־יַ֝עֲנֶ֗נּוּ 1 In this part of the verse, (1) the pronoun **he** could refer to a human being and the pronoun **him** could refer to God. This seems likely, since after describing God’s knowledge and power, Job asks in [9:14](../09/14.md) how he could possibly answer God and in [9:32](../09/32.md) he says that God is “not a man, as I am, that I could answer him.” Alternate translation: “a human will not answer God” (2) the pronoun **he** could refer to God and the pronoun **him** could refer to a human being. This is also a possibility, since Job protests in [30:20](../30/20.md) that God does not answer him. Alternate translation: “God will not answer a human”
9:3 j281 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative לֹֽא־יַ֝עֲנֶ֗נּוּ 1 If Job means that a human will not answer God, then he is using the future tense to describe what a person would be able to do. Your language may have its own way of expressing such a meaning. Alternate translation: “he could not answer him” or “he would not be able to answer him”
9:3 el71 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole אַחַ֥ת מִנִּי־אָֽלֶף 1 The expression **not … one from a thousand** (that is, not one time out of a thousand) is an overstatement for emphasis. It is unlikely that one party in a court case would ask the other party as many as a thousand questions. Job means that a person would not find a single way to answer God satisfactorily no matter how many questions God asked. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “no matter how many questions he asks”
9:4 j282 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns חֲכַ֣ם לֵ֭בָב 1 The pronoun **He** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “God is wise in heart”
9:4 mh8a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor חֲכַ֣ם לֵ֭בָב וְאַמִּ֣יץ כֹּ֑חַ 1 Here, the **heart** figuratively represents the thoughts. Alternate translation: “God’s thoughts are wise and he is mighty in strength”
9:4 f7rj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet וְאַמִּ֣יץ כֹּ֑חַ 1 The terms **mighty** and **strength** mean similar things. Job is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “and very strong”
9:4 j283 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִֽי־הִקְשָׁ֥ה אֵ֝לָ֗יו וַיִּשְׁלָֽם 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “No person has ever hardened himself against God and been whole!”
9:4 b286 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הִקְשָׁ֥ה אֵ֝לָ֗יו 1 Job is likely referring to bringing charges against God when he speaks of a person who has **hardened himself against** God, since a person who brings charges has determined not to show mercy. Rather, that person has decided to demand justice. You could indicate this in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “has brought charges against him”
9:4 j284 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַיִּשְׁלָֽם 1 By **whole**, Job probably means not suffering any damages, that is, winning a court case and having the other party pay compensation, rather than having to pay compensation oneself. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and won the case”
9:5 j285 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הַמַּעְתִּ֣יק הָ֭רִים 1 When Job refers to God removing **mountains**, he is likely describing earthquakes. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say that explicitly in your translation, as the UST does.
9:5 at5b rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns הַמַּעְתִּ֣יק הָ֭רִים 1 The pronoun **one** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God is the one who removes mountains”
9:5 j286 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְלֹ֣א יָדָ֑עוּ 1 This could mean: (1) that the **mountains** do not know that God is about to remove them. In that case Job would be speaking of the mountains as if they were living things that could **know** something that was about to happen. (2) that people in general do not know that God is about to remove the mountains. In that case **they** would be an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. Either way, the idea is that God removes mountains without anyone or anything knowing in advance. Alternate translation: “suddenly” or “unexpectedly”
9:5 j344 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְּאַפּֽוֹ 1 As the General Introduction to Job discusses, Job is using the term **nose** to mean anger by association with the way that a person who is angry breathes heavily through his nose. Your language and culture may also associate anger with a particular part of the body. If so, you could use an expression involving that part of the body in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “in his anger”
9:6 xth3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝עַמּוּדֶ֗יהָ יִתְפַלָּצֽוּן 1 People in this culture believed that there were **pillars** holding up the earth. You could retain the reference to pillars in your translation and it may seem like a figure of speech to your readers. Alternatively, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and causing it to tremble from deep underground”
9:7 j287 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הָאֹמֵ֣ר לַ֭חֶרֶס וְלֹ֣א יִזְרָ֑ח 1 Job is speaking as if the **sun** literally did not **rise** on certain days. He most likely means that the sun is not visible on those days because of cloud cover. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the one who determines whether the sun will shine or clouds will cover it”
9:7 mt2x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּבְעַ֖ד כּוֹכָבִ֣ים יַחְתֹּֽם 1 Job is speaking as if God literally put a seal over **the stars** on certain nights. He most likely means that the stars are not visible on those nights because of cloud cover. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and who keeps the stars from shining on certain nights”
9:8 lya7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit נֹטֶ֣ה שָׁמַ֣יִם לְבַדּ֑וֹ וְ֝דוֹרֵ֗ךְ עַל־בָּ֥מֳתֵי יָֽם 1 People in this culture believed that the **heavens** (that is, the sky) were a solid object that God had stretched out over a framework in order to cover the earth. For example, [Isaiah 40:22](../isa/40/22.md) says, “He stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a tent to live in.” You could retain the reference to God **stretching out the heavens** in your translation, and it may seem like a figure of speech to your readers. Alternatively, you could state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God alone created the sky and treads on the waves of the sea”
9:8 xis1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֝דוֹרֵ֗ךְ עַל־בָּ֥מֳתֵי יָֽם 1 As a note to [7:12](../07/12.md) explains, people in this culture considered the **sea** to be the realm of chaos. When Job speaks of God **treading on the waves of the sea**, he is speaking as if God were literally trampling down the forces of chaos with his feet. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and subduing the watery forces of chaos”
9:9 n4y8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names עָ֭שׁ כְּסִ֥יל וְכִימָ֗ה 1 The words **Bear**, **Orion**, and **Pleiades** are the names of constellations of stars in the sky. Your culture may have its own terms for these constellations. Alternate translation: “the Big Dipper, the Hunter, and the Seven Sisters”
9:9 j288 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְחַדְרֵ֥י תֵמָֽן 1 People in this culture believed that God kept natural forces in **chambers**. For example, [Psalm 19:4–5](../psa/19/04.md) says that God has “pitched a tent for the sun” in the sky, from which the sun comes forth “like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber.” In [Job 37:9](../37/09.md), Elihu says that “the storm comes from its chamber.” So the reference here to **the chambers of the south** is likely to a place where, it was believed, God kept all the constellations of stars and from which God brought them out each night. You could retain the reference to these **chambers** in your translation and it may seem like a figure of speech to your readers. Alternatively, you could state the meaning plainly. Job is likely referring to the constellations themselves by association with their **chambers**. Alternate translation: “and all the other constellations”
9:10 g1vu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj גְ֭דֹלוֹת & וְנִפְלָא֗וֹת 1 Job is using the adjective **great** and the participle **distinguished** as nouns to mean certain kinds of things. The ULT adds the word **things** to show this. Your language may use adjectives and participles in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent terms. Alternate translation: “wonders … and marvels”
9:12 gm8n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֵ֣ן יַ֭חְתֹּף מִ֣י יְשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ מִֽי־ יֹאמַ֥ר אֵ֝לָ֗יו מַֽה־ תַּעֲשֶֽׂה 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “If he takes something away, no one can bring it back. No one can ask him, ‘What are you doing?’”
9:12 j289 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns מִ֣י יְשִׁיבֶ֑נּוּ 1 The meaning of **who will turn him back** depends on the meaning of the phrase **he takes away**. That phrase could mean: (1) that God takes something away. Alternate translation: “who can make him give it back” (2) that God leaves. Alternate translation: “who can make him come back”
9:12 j290 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes מִֽי־יֹאמַ֥ר אֵ֝לָ֗יו מַֽה־תַּעֲשֶֽׂה 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “Who can ask him what he is doing”
9:12 tc75 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַֽה־תַּעֲשֶֽׂה 1 The person challenging God would be using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You should not be doing that!”
9:13 j345 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֱ֭לוֹהַּ לֹא־יָשִׁ֣יב אַפּ֑וֹ 1 See how you translated the word **nose** in verse 5. Alternate translation: “God will not turn aside his anger”
9:13 j291 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֱ֭לוֹהַּ לֹא־יָשִׁ֣יב אַפּ֑וֹ 1 Job is speaking as if God might literally make his anger **turn aside** and go in a different direction. Job is actually describing how God might stop being angry (although in this case he would not). If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God will not stop being angry”
9:13 j292 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives אֱ֭לוֹהַּ לֹא־יָשִׁ֣יב אַפּ֑וֹ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this as a positive expression. Alternate translation: “God will still have anger”
9:13 nzr2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names עֹ֣זְרֵי רָֽהַב 1 As a note to [3:8](../03/08.md) explains, people in this culture believed in a monster associated with the sea who caused chaos. One name for this monster was Leviathan. The word **Rahab** is another name for that monster, that is, for the sea personified as a force of chaos. For example, Job says in [26:12](../26/12.md), in a poetic parallel, “He calmed the sea with his power; by his understanding he shattered Rahab.” See what you did in [3:8](../03/08.md). Here as well, you could either retain the name in your translation or you could use a general expression in order to give your readers some idea of the beliefs of this culture. Alternate translation: “the helpers of the chaos monster”
9:13 j340 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit עֹ֣זְרֵי רָֽהַב 1 When Job speaks of **the helpers of Rahab**, he likely means ocean waves, since he says in [9:8](../09/08.md), in a context of overcoming chaos, that God treads on the waves of the sea. Alternate translation: “the chaotic ocean waves”
9:13 e9gu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification תחתו שָׁ֝חֲח֗וּ 1 Job is speaking of **the helpers of Rahab**, most likely meaning the waves of the sea, as if they were a living thing that could **bow** to God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “are under his control”
9:14 z61q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אַ֭ף כִּֽי־אָנֹכִ֣י אֶֽעֱנֶ֑נּוּ 1 **Indeed that** is an expression that indicates that what follows is greater in degree than what a person has just said. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “How much less would I be able to answer him”
9:14 j293 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אַ֭ף כִּֽי־אָנֹכִ֣י אֶֽעֱנֶ֑נּוּ 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the verb translated **will answer**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “How much less would a mere mortal such as I be able to answer him”
9:14 j294 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֶבְחֲרָ֖ה דְבָרַ֣י עִמּֽוֹ 1 Job is using the expression **choose words** to mean by association arguing a case against God, since he would have to **choose** the right **words** in order to do that. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “argue a case against him”
9:15 j295 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִם־צָ֭דַקְתִּי לֹ֣א אֶעֱנֶ֑ה 1 The pronoun **whom** refers to text. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Even if I were righteous, I would not try to answer God”
9:15 j296 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אִם־צָ֭דַקְתִּי 1 By **righteous**, in this context Job implicitly means being the unjustly injured party in a lawsuit. Your language may have an expression for this that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “if I were in the right”
9:15 j297 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לִ֝מְשֹׁפְטִ֗י אֶתְחַנָּֽן 1 Job implicitly means that he would plead to God as his **judge**. He is not talking about appealing to some other legal authority to judge between him and God. You could indicate this in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I would plead for mercy to God as my judge”
9:16 j298 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy יַאֲזִ֥ין 1 Job is using the expression **giving ear** to mean listening, by association with the way that people listen with their ears. However, this specific expression has the sense of listening carefully, that is, paying attention. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he was paying attention to”
9:16 j299 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche קוֹלִֽי 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **voice**, to mean all of him in the act of speaking. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what I was saying”
9:17 w3dc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor בִּשְׂעָרָ֥ה 1 When Job says that God would send a **tempest** or violent storm to **break** (destroy) him if he challenged God, Job could be using the storm to represent various troubles that God would cause him to experience. However, since God does approach Job in a violent storm at the end of the book, it would be appropriate to retain the term **tempest** in your translation rather than interpret the term as symbolic.
9:18 j300 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result לֹֽא־יִ֭תְּנֵנִי הָשֵׁ֣ב רוּחִ֑י כִּ֥י יַ֝שְׂבִּעַ֗נִי מַמְּרֹרִֽים 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “He fills me with bitterness, and by doing that, he does not allow me to cause my breath to return”
9:18 bw17 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom הָשֵׁ֣ב רוּחִ֑י 1 This expression means to rest in order to start breathing regularly again after exertion or extended speaking. Your language may have an expression for this that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “to catch my breath”
9:18 uqz6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יַ֝שְׂבִּעַ֗נִי מַמְּרֹרִֽים 1 Job is speaking of himself as if he were a container that God **fills** with **bitterness**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he causes me great bitterness”
9:18 j301 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns יַ֝שְׂבִּעַ֗נִי מַמְּרֹרִֽים 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **bitterness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “he makes my life very bitter”
9:19 qi46 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִם־לְכֹ֣חַ & וְאִם־לְ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט 1 **If to** is an expression that introduces a matter under consideration. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “If it is a matter of strength … Or if it is a matter of justice”
9:19 fjk3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִ֣י יוֹעִידֵֽנִי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “no one is able to summon him!”
9:20 xtf8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אֶ֭צְדָּק 1 See how you translated the term **righteous** in [9:15](../09/15.md). In this context, the term **righteous** implicitly describes being the unjustly injured party in a lawsuit. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I were in the right”
9:20 grl2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy פִּ֣י יַרְשִׁיעֵ֑נִי 1 Job is using the term **mouth** to mean by association what he would say by using his mouth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what I said would condemn me”
9:20 dd24 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification פִּ֣י יַרְשִׁיעֵ֑נִי 1 Job is speaking of his **mouth** as if it were a living thing that could **condemn** him. He means that God would condemn him for what he said. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God would condemn me for what I said”
9:21 ruv5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לֹֽא־אֵדַ֥ע נַפְשִׁ֗י 1 In this context, the word **know** means to have regard for something or to be concerned about something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am not concerned about my soul”
9:21 j302 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche לֹֽא־אֵדַ֥ע נַפְשִׁ֗י 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **soul**, to mean all of him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am not concerned about myself”
9:22 ahw1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אַחַ֗ת הִ֥יא 1 The expression **It is one** could mean: (1) that God treats everyone in the same way. Alternate translation: “There is only one way that God treats people” (2) that the same thing would happen to Job whether he was righteous or unrighteous. Alternate translation: “There is only one thing that will happen to me whether I am good or bad”
9:22 j303 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations עַל־כֵּ֥ן אָמַ֑רְתִּי תָּ֥ם וְ֝רָשָׁ֗ע ה֣וּא מְכַלֶּֽה 1 Job has not said these specific words earlier, although they are a summary of what he has been saying to this point in his speech. So it may be more natural in your language to have a direct quotation here. Alternate translation: “that is why I have been saying that God destroys both the blameless and the wicked”
9:22 e1i7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj תָּ֥ם וְ֝רָשָׁ֗ע 1 Job is using the adjectives **blameless** and **wicked** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “Both blameless people and wicked people”
9:23 hsd9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שׁ֭וֹט יָמִ֣ית פִּתְאֹ֑ם 1 Job is speaking of the disasters that people experience in life as if they were literally a **scourge** or whip that was punishing them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “disasters suddenly kill people”
9:23 m78u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns לְמַסַּ֖ת נְקִיִּ֣ם 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **despair**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “innocent people when they despair”
9:23 sgu2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj נְקִיִּ֣ם 1 Job is using the adjective **innocent** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. The ULT adds the word **ones** to show this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “people who are innocent”
9:24 g65c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֶ֤רֶץ ׀ נִתְּנָ֬ה בְֽיַד־רָשָׁ֗ע 1 Here, **hand** represents the power and control that people have over something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The earth has been put under the control of the wicked”
9:24 v13g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive אֶ֤רֶץ ׀ נִתְּנָ֬ה בְֽיַד־רָשָׁ֗ע 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “God has given the earth into the hand of the wicked” or “God has put the earth under the control of the wicked”
9:24 rz2j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֶ֤רֶץ ׀ נִתְּנָ֬ה 1 Job is using the term **earth** to mean by association the people who live on the earth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The people who live on the earth have been given”
9:24 l9pz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor פְּנֵֽי־שֹׁפְטֶ֥יהָ יְכַסֶּ֑ה 1 Job is speaking as if God literally **covers the faces** of **judges**. He means that God keeps these judges from recognizing how to decide cases fairly. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He keeps judges from recognizing how to decide cases fairly”
9:24 y1iv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אִם־לֹ֖א 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “If it is not God who does these things”
9:25 aw7i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְיָמַ֣י קַ֭לּוּ מִנִּי־רָ֑ץ בָּֽ֝רְח֗וּ 1 Job is speaking of the **days** of his life as if they were a living thing that could run fast and **flee**. This could mean: (1) that Job is quickly using up his days, that is, he is rapidly approaching the end of his life. Alternate translation: “And I am using up my days very quickly” (2) that each of Job’s days goes by quickly. Alternate translation: “And each of my days seems very short”
9:25 um75 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לֹא־רָא֥וּ טוֹבָֽה 1 Here, as in [7:7](../07/07.md), to **see** good means to experience it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “They do not experience good”
9:25 ej64 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj לֹא־רָא֥וּ טוֹבָֽה 1 Job is using the adjective **good** as a noun to mean a certain kind of experience. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “They do not experience good things”
9:25 a6zy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification לֹא־רָא֥וּ טוֹבָֽה 1 Job is speaking of the **days** of his life as if they were a living thing that could experience good things or fail to experience them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I do not experience good things during my days”
9:26 icr6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor חָ֭לְפוּ עִם־אֳנִיּ֣וֹת אֵבֶ֑ה 1 Job is speaking as if the days of his life literally **glide** across the water together with **boats of papyrus**. As in the previous verse, he means that his days move very quickly. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am running out of days as quickly as a papyrus boat glides across the water” or “Each of my days goes by as quickly as a papyrus boat glides across the water”
9:26 vrq5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis כְּ֝נֶ֗שֶׁר יָט֥וּשׂ עֲלֵי־אֹֽכֶל 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “as quickly as an eagle pounces on food”
9:26 iuy1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche אֹֽכֶל 1 Job is using a general term, **food**, to one specific kind of food, the kind an **eagle** would catch and eat. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “its prey”
9:27 wk23 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations אִם־אָ֭מְרִי אֶשְׁכְּחָ֣ה שִׂיחִ֑י אֶעֶזְבָ֖ה פָנַ֣י וְאַבְלִֽיגָה 1 It may be more natural in your language to have an indirect quotation here. Alternate translation: “If I told myself that I should forget my complaint and change my face and be cheerful”
9:27 vk9t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֶשְׁכְּחָ֣ה שִׂיחִ֑י 1 When Job speaks of changing his **face** (that is, the expression on his face), he means by association feeling differently so that the expression on his face will change. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Let me feel differently about this”
9:28 rek4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result יָגֹ֥רְתִּי כָל־עַצְּבֹתָ֑י יָ֝דַ֗עְתִּי כִּי־לֹ֥א תְנַקֵּֽנִי 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “because I know that you would not acquit me, I would fear all my sorrows”
9:28 hqx2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יָגֹ֥רְתִּי כָל־עַצְּבֹתָ֑י 1 Job is speaking implicitly of the **sorrows** he knows he would still experience when God punished him for the things God would consider him guilty of doing. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I would still fear all the sorrows that I would experience because of your punishments”
9:28 j304 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular לֹ֥א תְנַקֵּֽנִי 1 The pronoun **you** is singular because it refers to God rather than to the three friends. So use the second-person singular in your translation if your language marks that distinction. Even though to this point in this speech Job has been protesting that he cannot argue his case with God, here he addresses God directly, as he did in [7:7–21](../07/07.md) and as he will do later in this speech in [10:2–22](../10/02.md). It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “you, God, would not acquit me”
9:29 js2a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony אָנֹכִ֥י אֶרְשָׁ֑ע לָמָּה 1 This could mean: (1) that in order to convey emphasis, Job is saying the opposite of what he means. If a speaker of your language would not do this, in your translation you could indicate what Job actually means and convey the emphasis another way. Alternate translation: “God thinks I am wicked! So why” (2) that without intending to convey emphasis, Job is describing how he believes God would regard him. Alternate translation: “Since God would consider me to be wicked anyway, why”
9:29 j305 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אָנֹכִ֥י אֶרְשָׁ֑ע 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **know**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “I am a wicked person”
9:29 w57l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion לָמָּה־זֶּ֝֗ה הֶ֣בֶל אִיגָֽע 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “there is no reason for me to toil in vain”
9:29 j306 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הֶ֣בֶל אִיגָֽע 1 By **toil**, Job implicitly means working hard to prove his innocence. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “would I work hard in vain to prove my innocence”
9:30 j307 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction אִם־ הִתְרָחַ֥צְתִּי בְמֵי־ שָׁ֑לֶג וַ֝הֲזִכּ֗וֹתִי בְּבֹ֣ר כַּפָּֽי 1 Job is speaking hypothetically of something he might do as a symbolic action to show that he is genuinely innocent. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “If I washed myself with water of snow and cleansed my hands with lye to show how innocent I am”
9:30 l6jt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit בְמֵי־שָׁ֑לֶג 1 The implication is that **water** from freshly melting **snow** is very pure. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “with very pure water”
9:30 a4jk rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown בְּבֹ֣ר 1 The word **lye** describes a cleansing agent made from the ashes created by burning certain plants. If your readers would not be familiar with what lye is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable substance in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “with a strong cleansing agent”
9:31 sz3q rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction בַּשַּׁ֣חַת תִּטְבְּלֵ֑נִי 1 Job is speaking hypothetically of something he believes God would do as a symbolic action to show that God considered him guilty rather than innocent. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “you would plunge me into a ditch to show how guilty you considered me to be”
9:31 j308 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular תִּטְבְּלֵ֑נִי 1 The word **you** is singular here because Job is once again addressing God directly. So use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
9:31 j309 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit בַּשַּׁ֣חַת 1 By **a ditch**, Job implicitly means a ditch full of dirty water that would make his body dirty all over. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “into a ditch full of dirty water”
9:31 vh45 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְ֝תִֽעֲב֗וּנִי שַׂלְמוֹתָֽי 1 Job is speaking of his **clothes** as if it were a living thing that could **abhor** him. He means that the water in the ditch would make his body so dirty that his own clothes would not want to be on his body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and my body would become very dirty”
9:33 j310 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction יָשֵׁ֖ת יָד֣וֹ עַל־שְׁנֵֽינוּ 1 A judge would **lay his hand** on the opposing parties in a case as a symbolic action to show that he was bringing them both under his judicial authority. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “who would lay his hand upon the two of us to show that he had the authority to decide our case”
9:34 hm1t rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יָסֵ֣ר מֵעָלַ֣י שִׁבְט֑וֹ וְ֝אֵמָת֗וֹ 1 The pronoun **who** refers to a judge who might decide Job’s case against God, and the pronoun **his** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “There is no judge who could turn God’s rod from upon me and God’s terror”
9:34 cc5r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שִׁבְט֑וֹ 1 Job is speaking as if God were literally using a **rod** or stick to punish him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “his punishment”
9:34 vs1b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְ֝אֵמָת֗וֹ אַֽל־תְּבַעֲתַֽנִּי 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from earlier in the sentence if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and turn his terror from upon me, so that it would not frighten me”
9:35 fa78 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אַֽ֭דַבְּרָה וְלֹ֣א אִירָאֶ֑נּוּ 1 Job means implicitly that he would do these things if there were someone to judge between him and God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “If there were someone to judge between us, I would speak and I would not fear him”
9:35 j311 אַֽ֭דַבְּרָה 1 Job is using an emphatic verbal form. Your language may have a similar form that you can use in your translation. If not, you could express the emphasis another way. Alternate translation: “I would certainly speak”
9:35 ug86 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לֹא־כֵ֥ן אָ֝נֹכִ֗י עִמָּדִֽי 1 Interpreters are unsure what this expression means. It could possibly mean: (1) Alternate translation: “That is not how things are with me at the moment” (2) Alternate translation: “I am not the kind of person who would do that now”
10:intro ul99 0 # Job 10 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nIn this chapter, Job finishes responding to Bildad’s first speech. As he did in chapter 7, Job speaks to God in light of his exchange with his friend, although in this case Job describes what he would say to God rather than addressing God directly.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nIn many places in this chapter, Job uses the question form in order to express strong feelings. Your language might not use the question form for this purpose. Notes will suggest other ways to translate these questions. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### Extended quotation\n\nStarting in verse 2 and continuing through the end of the chapter, Job quotes what he would say to God if he could argue his case with him. If your language would not naturally put one direct quotation inside another, you could translate what Job says as an indirect quotation. A note to verse 2 suggests how to start doing that. You could follow the same approach throughout the rest of the chapter.
10:1 ch7h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche נָֽקְטָ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֗י & בְּמַ֣ר נַפְשִֽׁי 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **soul**, to mean all of him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am weary … in my bitterness”
10:1 p5cl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אֶֽעֶזְבָ֣ה עָלַ֣י שִׂיחִ֑י 1 In this expression, to **abandon** something **upon** oneself means not to restrain it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I will complain without restraining myself”
10:2 j312 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes אֹמַ֣ר אֶל־אֱ֭לוֹהַּ אַל־תַּרְשִׁיעֵ֑נִי הֽ֝וֹדִיעֵ֗נִי עַ֣ל מַה־תְּרִיבֵֽנִי 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, this is the beginning of a long quotation within a quotation. Job is telling his friends what he would like to tell God. If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this and the rest of the chapter so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “I will tell God not to condemn me but to cause me to know for what he is accusing me”
10:2 j313 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotemarks אֹמַ֣ר אֶל־אֱ֭לוֹהַּ אַל־תַּרְשִׁיעֵ֑נִי הֽ֝וֹדִיעֵ֗נִי עַ֣ל מַה־תְּרִיבֵֽנִי 1 If you decide to translate what Job says he would tell God as a direct quotation, you could indicate the start of the quotation with an opening second-level quotation mark or with some other punctuation or convention that your language uses to indicate the start of a second-level quotation.
10:2 j314 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אַל־תַּרְשִׁיעֵ֑נִי הֽ֝וֹדִיעֵ֗נִי 1 Job means implicitly that he does not want God to condemn him without letting him know why he is condemning him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Do not condemn me without causing me to know”
10:3 aaw5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲט֤וֹב לְךָ֨ ׀ כִּֽי־תַעֲשֹׁ֗ק כִּֽי־תִ֭מְאַס יְגִ֣יעַ כַּפֶּ֑יךָ וְעַל־עֲצַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים הוֹפָֽעְתָּ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You should not consider it good to oppress me, to despise the work of your hands, while you shine on the plans of the wicked!”
10:3 vw7h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche יְגִ֣יעַ כַּפֶּ֑יךָ 1 Job is using one part of God, his **hands**, to mean all of him in the act of working to make something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your own work”
10:3 q8wf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְעַל־עֲצַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים הוֹפָֽעְתָּ 1 When Job says that God would **shine**, he means that God would have a glowing, approving expression on his face. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but on the plans of the wicked you smile”
10:3 j316 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְעַל־עֲצַ֖ת רְשָׁעִ֣ים הוֹפָֽעְתָּ 1 Job is using one part of giving and showing approval, the act of visibly smiling, to mean the entire act of approving. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but you approve of what the wicked plan to do”
10:3 j315 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רְשָׁעִ֣ים 1 Job is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
10:4 j317 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הַעֵינֵ֣י בָשָׂ֣ר לָ֑ךְ אִם־כִּרְא֖וֹת אֱנ֣וֹשׁ תִּרְאֶֽה 1 Job is using the terms **eyes** and **seeing** to mean by association knowing and understanding, since people often discover things by seeing them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do you only know and understand the kinds of things that people can see with their eyes”
10:4 e9t6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַעֵינֵ֣י בָשָׂ֣ר לָ֑ךְ אִם־כִּרְא֖וֹת אֱנ֣וֹשׁ תִּרְאֶֽה 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “You do not have eyes of flesh! You do not see according to the seeing of a man!”
10:4 d65r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הַעֵינֵ֣י בָשָׂ֣ר לָ֑ךְ 1 Job is using the expression **of flesh** to mean “human,” by association with the way that humans have flesh. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do you have human eyes?” or “You do not have human eyes!”
10:4 s8ae rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִם־כִּרְא֖וֹת אֱנ֣וֹשׁ תִּרְאֶֽה 1 Job is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “You do not see as people see, do you?”
10:4 j318 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations כִּרְא֖וֹת אֱנ֣וֹשׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “as people do”
10:5 st4n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הֲכִימֵ֣י אֱנ֣וֹשׁ יָמֶ֑יךָ אִם־שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣ימֵי גָֽבֶר 1 Job is asking implicitly whether God has the same number of **days** and **years** as a human being, not whether God experiences the kind of **days** and **years** that people do. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Is the number of your days the same as the number of the days that a man has, or is the number of your years the same as the number of days that a person has”
10:5 awt6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲכִימֵ֣י אֱנ֣וֹשׁ יָמֶ֑יךָ אִם־שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣ימֵי גָֽבֶר 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations, not continuing this sentence into the following two verses. Alternate translation: “Your days are not like the days of a man! No, your years are not like the days of a person!”
10:5 j319 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הֲכִימֵ֣י אֱנ֣וֹשׁ יָמֶ֑יךָ אִם־שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣ימֵי גָֽבֶר 1 Job is using the terms **days** and **years** to mean by association the lifetime of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could combine the two phrases and state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do you have as short a lifetime as people do” or “You do not have as short a lifetime as people do!”
10:5 j320 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אֱנ֣וֹשׁ & גָֽבֶר 1 In this verse, the two instances of the word **man** translate two different words that have essentially the same meaning. Both words are masculine, but Job is using them in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use terms in your language that are clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a mortal … a human being”
10:5 j321 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism כִּ֣ימֵי 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could say “years” instead of **days** here. This would maintain a parallel between the two parts of this verse without making any significant change in meaning. (The original reading may have been “years”; many translations say that.) Alternate translation: “like the years of”
10:5 e5pg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִם־שְׁ֝נוֹתֶ֗יךָ כִּ֣ימֵי גָֽבֶר 1 Job is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “Your years are not like the days of a man, are they?”
10:6 zdk3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כִּֽי־תְבַקֵּ֥שׁ לַעֲוֺנִ֑י וּ֭לְחַטָּאתִ֥י תִדְרֽוֹשׁ 1 In this verse and the previous one, Job seems to be asking implicitly whether God is seeking urgently to discover whether he has sinned because God has only a short time to live and God wants to discover this before he dies. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Is that why you seek for my iniquity and search for my sin”
10:6 j322 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism כִּֽי־תְבַקֵּ֥שׁ לַעֲוֺנִ֑י וּ֭לְחַטָּאתִ֥י תִדְרֽוֹשׁ 1 These two phrases mean similar things. Job is using repetition to emphasize the idea that the phrases express, to convey his sense that God is seeking urgently to find out whether he has sinned. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine the phrases and express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “that you seek so urgently to discover whether I have sinned” or “Is that why you seek so urgently to discover whether I have sinned”
10:6 j323 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion כִּֽי־תְבַקֵּ֥שׁ לַעֲוֺנִ֑י וּ֭לְחַטָּאתִ֥י תִדְרֽוֹשׁ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. If you chose not to continue the sentence from the previous verse in order to translate the questions there as statements or exclamations, this would be a new sentence. You could also choose not to continue it into the next verse. Alternate translation: “You do not need to seek for my iniquity and search for my sin!”
10:7 s3k7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion עַֽל־דַּ֭עְתְּךָ כִּי־לֹ֣א אֶרְשָׁ֑ע וְאֵ֖ין מִיָּדְךָ֣ מַצִּֽיל 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. If you chose not to continue the sentence from the previous verse in order to translate the question there as a statement or as an exclamation, this would be a new sentence. Alternate translation: “After all, you know that I am not wicked, and there is no one rescuing me from your hand!”
10:7 j324 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom עַֽל־דַּ֭עְתְּךָ 1 In this expression, **above** means “in addition to.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “even though you know that”
10:7 j325 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְאֵ֖ין מִיָּדְךָ֣ מַצִּֽיל 1 The implication seems to be that God does not need to seek urgently to discover whether Job has sinned, because Job cannot escape from God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and that I cannot escape from you”
10:7 vzd3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche מִיָּדְךָ֣ 1 Job is using one part of God, his **hand**, to mean all of him in the act of apprehending Job as a wrongdoer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from you”
10:8 p1ml rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet יָדֶ֣יךָ עִ֭צְּבוּנִי וַֽיַּעֲשׂ֑וּנִי 1 The terms **formed** and **made** mean similar things. Job is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “Indeed, your hands created me”
10:8 tx92 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche יָדֶ֣יךָ 1 Job is using one part of God, his **hands**, to mean all of him in the act of making Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “You”
10:9 x1dy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile כַחֹ֣מֶר עֲשִׂיתָ֑נִי 1 The point of this comparison is that God molded Job’s body as one molds clay to make things. Job is not saying that God made him to be like clay. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “you molded my body as one molds clay”
10:9 zg5j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וְֽאֶל־עָפָ֥ר תְּשִׁיבֵֽנִי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “so please do not turn me into dust again!”
10:10 h664 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹ֣א כֶ֭חָלָב תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You have poured me like milk and caused me to curdle like cheese.”
10:10 c2ul rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile הֲלֹ֣א כֶ֭חָלָב תַּתִּיכֵ֑נִי וְ֝כַגְּבִנָּ֗ה תַּקְפִּיאֵֽנִי 1 The point of this comparison is that just as one pours out **milk** and curdles it to make **cheese**, so God has created Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “You are the one who has created me, just as one creates cheese out of milk”
10:11 j326 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure ע֣וֹר וּ֭בָשָׂר תַּלְבִּישֵׁ֑נִי וּֽבַעֲצָמ֥וֹת וְ֝גִידִ֗ים תְּסֹכְכֵֽנִי 1 Ordinarily one builds the inside of something before its outside, so you might find it more natural to put the information about the **bones and tendons** before the information about the **skin and flesh**. Alternate translation: “You knit me together with bones and tendons and then you clothed me with skin and flesh”
10:11 p9pw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor ע֣וֹר וּ֭בָשָׂר תַּלְבִּישֵׁ֑נִי 1 Job is speaking as if God had literally **clothed** him with **skin and flesh**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “You have covered my body with skin and flesh”
10:11 mxm1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּֽבַעֲצָמ֥וֹת וְ֝גִידִ֗ים תְּסֹכְכֵֽנִי 1 Job is speaking as if God had literally **knit** him **together** with **bones and tendons**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you have given me a supportive skeletal system of bones and tendons”
10:12 tc2u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit חַיִּ֣ים וָ֭חֶסֶד עָשִׂ֣יתָ עִמָּדִ֑י 1 The implication is that God made these things **alongside** Job so that they would accompany him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “You caused life and covenant faithfulness to accompany me” or “You made sure that I would experience life and covenant faithfulness”
10:12 dt8a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וּ֝פְקֻדָּתְךָ֗ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **visitation**, you could express the same idea in another way. In this context, the word **visitation** does not indicate that God spent time with Job temporarily but that he was always present with him. Alternate translation: “and your presence”
10:12 h7in rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche רוּחִֽי 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **spirit**, to mean all of him, with an emphasis on him being alive. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “me” or “my life”
10:13 j327 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֭אֵלֶּה צָפַ֣נְתָּ בִלְבָבֶ֑ךָ 1 Job is speaking as if God literally **hid** certain **things** in his **heart**. Here, the **heart** represents the thoughts and motives. Job means that God was secretly planning certain things. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “But you were secretly planning these things”
10:13 j328 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom זֹ֥את עִמָּֽךְ 1 The expression **this was with you** means “this is what you were thinking.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “this is what you were thinking”
10:14 zj6t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives וּ֝מֵעֲוֺנִ֗י לֹ֣א תְנַקֵּֽנִי 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this with a positive expression. Alternate translation: “and you would declare me guilty of my iniquity”
10:14 j329 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וּ֝מֵעֲוֺנִ֗י לֹ֣א תְנַקֵּֽנִי 1 The implication is that God would punish Job for his **iniquity** if God did not **acquit** him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and you would punish me for my iniquity”
10:15 j330 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result אִם־רָשַׁ֡עְתִּי אַלְלַ֬י לִ֗י וְ֭צָדַקְתִּי לֹא־אֶשָּׂ֣א רֹאשִׁ֑י שְׂבַ֥ע קָ֝ל֗וֹן וּרְאֵ֥ה עָנְיִֽי 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could put the phrase **I will not lift my head** at the end of this verse, since the material that follows this phrase gives the reason for the result that it describes. Alternate translation: “And even if I am righteous, because I am nevertheless full of disgrace—yes, see my affliction!—I will not lift my head”
10:15 h2sc rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction לֹא־אֶשָּׂ֣א רֹאשִׁ֑י 1 Job is saying that he would not **lift** his **head** (that is, he would look down) as a symbolic action to express that he was feeling shame. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. There may be some physical gesture with the same meaning in your culture that you can use in your translation. You could also use a general expression. Alternate translation: “I will still look down in shame” or “I will still cover my eyes in shame” or “I will still act ashamed”
10:15 amu8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שְׂבַ֥ע קָ֝ל֗וֹן 1 For emphasis, Job is speaking of himself as if he were a container that **disgrace** could fill. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “I feel very disgraced”
10:15 bu5t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular וּרְאֵ֥ה עָנְיִֽי 1 The imperative **see** is singular because Job is addressing God, not his three friends. So use the second-person singular in your translation if your language marks that distinction. It may also be helpful to specify the addressee. Alternate translation: “Yes, God, see my affliction”
10:15 fs2u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וּרְאֵ֥ה 1 Job is using the term **see** to mean “consider” by association with the way people consider things that they are looking at. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Yes, consider”
10:16 z3nm rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וְ֭יִגְאֶה 1 The pronoun **it** refers to Job’s head, which in the previous verse he said he would not lift. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “And should my head arise”
10:16 j331 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְ֭יִגְאֶה 1 Job is speaking of his **head** as if it were a living thing that could **arise** on its own. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And should I raise my head” or “And if I did raise my head”
10:16 bss8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile כַּשַּׁ֣חַל תְּצוּדֵ֑נִי 1 The point of this comparison is that just as a **lion** stalks its prey relentlessly, so, Job is saying, God would stalk him relentlessly. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “you would stalk me as relentlessly as a lion stalks its prey”
10:16 yj7r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְ֝תָשֹׁ֗ב תִּתְפַּלָּא־בִֽי 1 In this expression, the word **return** means to do something again. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and once again you would distinguish yourself against me”
10:16 j332 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝תָשֹׁ֗ב תִּתְפַּלָּא־בִֽי 1 Job means implicitly that God would **distinguish** himself by punishing Job in spectacular ways. ([Exodus 3:20](../03/20.md) uses the same verb to describe the plagues that God sent against the Egyptians.) You could indicate this meaning in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and you would do further great things to punish me” or “you would punish me further in spectacular ways”
10:17 u754 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor תְּחַדֵּ֬שׁ עֵדֶ֨יךָ ׀ נֶגְדִּ֗י 1 In this verse, Job continues to describe what he believes God would do if he were to “lift” his “head” (that is, if he were to act as if he had nothing to be ashamed of), as he said in [10:15](../10/15.md). Job could be using the word **witnesses** here to mean: (1) accusations that God would make against Job, as if God were literally a witness testifying against Job in a trial. Alternate translation: “You would accuse me of doing further wrong things” (2) sufferings that God would cause Job to experience, since people in this culture believed that sufferings were evidence that God was punishing someone for doing wrong. Alternate translation: “You would cause me to suffer even more”
10:17 di4r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys חֲלִיפ֖וֹת וְצָבָ֣א עִמִּֽי 1 This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. Job is using the word **changes** to indicate that he feels that God is sending one **army** after another against him. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “you keep sending new armies against me”
10:17 zs8c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor חֲלִיפ֖וֹת וְצָבָ֣א עִמִּֽי 1 Job is speaking as if God is literally sending one **army** after another against him. He means that he feels that God keeps attacking him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you keep attacking me”
10:18 j333 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וְלָ֣מָּה מֵ֭רֶחֶם הֹצֵאתָ֑נִי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You should not have brought me out of the womb!”
10:18 zk6f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְלָ֣מָּה מֵ֭רֶחֶם הֹצֵאתָ֑נִי 1 Job is speaking of God bringing him **out from the womb** by association to describe his birth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Why did you allow me to be born?” or “You should not have allowed me to be born!”
10:18 n2ql rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism אֶ֝גְוַ֗ע 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [3:11](../03/11.md). Alternate translation: “If only I had passed away”
10:18 s56b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְעַ֣יִן לֹא־תִרְאֵֽנִי 1 Job is using one part of a person, the **eye**, to mean all of a person in the act of seeing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and no one had ever seen me”
10:19 bzd2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִ֝בֶּ֗טֶן לַקֶּ֥בֶר אוּבָֽל 1 Job is using the term **womb** by association to mean birth, and he is using the term **grave** by association to mean death. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I wish that I had died as soon as I was born”
10:19 uc37 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive אוּבָֽל 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “I wish that someone had brought me”
10:20 yd2g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹא־ מְעַ֣ט יָמַ֣י 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “My days are so few!”
10:20 j334 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet וַחֲדָ֑ל וְשִׁ֥ית מִ֝מֶּ֗נִּי 1 The expressions **cease** and **put from me** mean similar things. Job is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “So stop me making me suffer”
10:20 j335 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְשִׁ֥ית מִ֝מֶּ֗נִּי 1 Interpreters are not certain what this phrase means. It is possible that Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and put these sufferings away from me”
10:20 j336 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְאַבְלִ֥יגָה מְּעָֽט 1 Job is not asking God to **let** him **smile a little**; rather, Job is saying what he would do if God stopped making him suffer. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and then I would be able to smile a little”
10:20 j337 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְאַבְלִ֥יגָה מְּעָֽט 1 Job is using the term **smile** to mean being happy or comforted, by association with the way that people who are happy or comforted smile. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and let me experience a little comfort”
10:20 j338 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְאַבְלִ֥יגָה מְּעָֽט 1 In this verse, the term **little** translates the same word that the term **few** translates. Your language may allow you to show this in your translation. Alternate translation: “and let me smile for a few moments”
10:21 i9h6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָֽוֶת 1 The terms **darkness** and **deep shadow** mean similar things. Job is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “to the land of great darkness” or “to the place where it is very dark”
10:21 f7d8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֶל־אֶ֖רֶץ חֹ֣שֶׁךְ וְצַלְמָֽוֶת 1 Job is using the terms **darkness** and **deep shadow** to mean by association the abode of the dead, which people in this culture believed to be a very dark place, since it was away from any sunlight. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to the abode of the dead”
10:22 xkq9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וַתֹּ֥פַע כְּמוֹ־אֹֽפֶל 1 The pronoun **it** could refer to: (1) whatever faint light there might be in the abode of the dead. Alternate translation: “and where the light shines like gloom” or “and where the only light is very faint” (2) the **land** that Job has been describing, that is, the abode of the dead itself. In order to draw a contrast with the darkness in the abode of the dead, Job would be speaking as if a place that is well-lit **shines**. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “There is no light in that land”
10:22 a8nx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotemarks וַתֹּ֥פַע כְּמוֹ־אֹֽפֶל 1 If you decided to translate verses 2–22 as a second-level direct quotation, indicate the end of that quotation here at the end of this sentence with a closing second-level quotation mark or whatever other punctuation or convention your language uses to indicate the end of a second-level quotation.
11:intro m1vt 0 # Job 11 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nIn this chapter, Job’s friend Zophar responds to what Job said in chapters 9 and 10.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem.\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### Zophar answering Job with his own words\n\n- In [9:12](../09/12.md), Job asked about God, when suggesting that God might act cruelly, “Who will turn him back?” Zophar says in his response in [11:10](../11/10.md), answering Job in his own words to insist that God actually acts justly, ”Who will turn him back?”\n\n- In [10:15](../10/15.md), Job says that he will not lift his head, he will continue to act ashamed, because God is punishing him even though he is innocent. Zophar says in response in [11:15](../11/15.md) that if Job repents and prays for forgiveness, he will be able to lift up his face without any shame.\n\n- In [10:22](../10/2.md), Job says that he will die and go to a place of complete darkness. Zophar says in response in [11:17](../11/17.md) that Job’s life may seem like darkness now, but it will become bright and happy if he turns to God.\n\nTo help your readers appreciate how Zophar is answering Job with his own words, you may wish to translate Zophar’s expressions in these places in the same way that you translated Job’s similar expressions earlier. Notes will suggest ways to do this.\n\n## Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nIn many places in this chapter, Zophar uses the question form in order to challenge Job. Your language might not use the question form for that purpose. Notes will suggest other ways to translate these questions. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
11:2 ua2s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הֲרֹ֣ב דְּ֭בָרִים לֹ֣א יֵעָנֶ֑ה וְאִם־אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפָתַ֣יִם יִצְדָּֽק 1 If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Will no one answer the multitude of words? Or will anyone justify a man of lips?”
11:2 cq18 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲרֹ֣ב דְּ֭בָרִים לֹ֣א יֵעָנֶ֑ה וְאִם־אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפָתַ֣יִם יִצְדָּֽק 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “The multitude of words must be answered! A man of lips will not be justified!”
11:2 j348 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הֲרֹ֣ב דְּ֭בָרִים לֹ֣א יֵעָנֶ֑ה 1 Zophar is using the term **words** by association to mean what Job has just said by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I must respond to the many things that you have just said”
11:2 j349 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְאִם־אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפָתַ֣יִם יִצְדָּֽק 1 Zophar is using the word **if** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “A man of lips will not be justified, will he”
11:2 j350 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְאִם־אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפָתַ֣יִם יִצְדָּֽק 1 Zophar is using the term **lips** by association to mean talking, since people use their lips when they talk. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Or is a man justified because he talks so much about being righteous” or “A man will not be justified because he talks so much about being righteous, will he”
11:2 j351 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person וְאִם־אִ֖ישׁ שְׂפָתַ֣יִם יִצְדָּֽק 1 In this speech, Zophar is responding to Job, and he will address him directly as “you” in the rest of the speech. But here at the start he is speaking about Job in the third person, even though he is actually speaking to Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “Or will you be justified by talking so much about being righteous”
11:3 kgu1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion בַּ֭דֶּיךָ מְתִ֣ים יַחֲרִ֑ישׁו וַ֝תִּלְעַ֗ג וְאֵ֣ין מַכְלִֽם 1 Zophar is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “Your boastings should not make people silent! Someone should shame you for mocking!”
11:3 s3am rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וַ֝תִּלְעַ֗ג 1 Zophar means implicitly that Job has been mocking God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Or will you mock God”
11:4 j352 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וַ֭תֹּאמֶר זַ֣ךְ לִקְחִ֑י וּ֝בַ֗ר הָיִ֥יתִי בְעֵינֶֽיךָ 1 Zophar means implicitly that Job has said these things to God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “For you have said to God, ‘My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in your eyes.’”
11:4 j353 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes וַ֭תֹּאמֶר זַ֣ךְ לִקְחִ֑י וּ֝בַ֗ר הָיִ֥יתִי בְעֵינֶֽיךָ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “For you have told God that your doctrine is pure and that you are clean in his eyes”
11:4 k2le rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor זַ֣ךְ לִקְחִ֑י וּ֝בַ֗ר הָיִ֥יתִי 1 Zophar says that Job has spoken as if his **doctrine** were literally **pure** and his conduct was literally **clean**, that is, not physically dirty. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My doctrine is correct, and I am righteous”
11:4 e56u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְעֵינֶֽיךָ 1 Zophar is using the term **eyes** by association to mean sight. Sight, in turn, represents attention, perspective, and judgment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in your perspective”
11:5 j354 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְֽאוּלָ֗ם מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן אֱל֣וֹהַּ דַּבֵּ֑ר וְיִפְתַּ֖ח שְׂפָתָ֣יו עִמָּֽךְ 1 The question **who will give** introduces a wish. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this question as a statement or exclamation expressing a wish, beginning here and continuing into the start of the next verse. Alternate translation: “I wish that God would speak and open his lips against you”
11:5 j355 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet וְֽאוּלָ֗ם מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן אֱל֣וֹהַּ דַּבֵּ֑ר וְיִפְתַּ֖ח שְׂפָתָ֣יו עִמָּֽךְ 1 The expressions **speak** and **open his lips** mean similar things. Zophar is using the two expressions together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: “I dearly wish that God would tell you that you are wrong”
11:5 ii56 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְיִפְתַּ֖ח שְׂפָתָ֣יו 1 Zophar is using the first part of the talking process, opening one’s **lips**, to mean the entire process of talking. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and talk”
11:6 ca7p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְיַגֶּד־לְךָ֨ ׀ תַּֽעֲלֻמ֣וֹת חָכְמָה֮ 1 If you translated the beginning of this sentence in the previous verse as a statement or exclamation, translate the end of the sentence here in the same way. Alternate translation: “and declare to you the secrets of wisdom!”
11:6 j356 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כִּֽי־כִפְלַ֪יִם לְֽת֫וּשִׁיָּ֥ה 1 By **it**, Zophar implicitly means God’s wisdom, and by **understanding**, he means Job’s understanding. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “God’s wisdom is double to your understanding” or “God’s wisdom is twice as great as your understanding”
11:6 j357 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom כִּֽי־כִפְלַ֪יִם לְֽת֫וּשִׁיָּ֥ה 1 By the expression **double**, Zophar actually means much greater. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God’s wisdom is far greater than your understanding”
11:6 qjk2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יַשֶּׁ֥ה לְךָ֥ אֱ֝ל֗וֹהַ מֵעֲוֺנֶֽךָ 1 Zophar is speaking as if God were literally **forgetting** some of Job’s **iniquity**. He means that God is overlooking some of the sins that Job has committed and so not punishing him for all of them. Zophar is not suggesting that there are limits to God’s knowledge or memory. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God is overlooking some of your iniquity” or “God is not punishing you for all of your sins”
11:7 tvp2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom הַחֵ֣קֶר אֱל֣וֹהַ תִּמְצָ֑א 1 Zophar is using the word **find** to mean “understand” and the word “searching” to mean contemplation. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Will you understand God through contemplation”
11:7 j358 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַחֵ֣קֶר אֱל֣וֹהַ תִּמְצָ֑א 1 Zophar is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You will not find God by searching!” or “You cannot understand God through contemplation!”
11:7 j359 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אִ֤ם עַד־תַּכְלִ֖ית שַׁדַּ֣י תִּמְצָֽא 1 Zophar is using the word **if** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. (And once again he is using the word **find** to mean “understand.”) If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “You will never understand Shaddai unto perfection, will you”
11:7 j360 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns אִ֤ם עַד־תַּכְלִ֖ית שַׁדַּ֣י תִּמְצָֽא 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **perfection**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “You will never understand Shaddai perfectly, will you”
11:7 j361 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion אִ֤ם עַד־תַּכְלִ֖ית שַׁדַּ֣י תִּמְצָֽא 1 Zophar is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You will never understand Shaddai perfectly!”
11:8 n8yi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis גָּבְהֵ֣י שָׁ֭מַיִם מַה־תִּפְעָ֑ל עֲמֻקָּ֥ה מִ֝שְּׁא֗וֹל מַה־תֵּדָֽע 1 Zophar is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “The height of God’s wisdom is the same as the height of the heavens! What will you do to understand it? The depth of God’s wisdom is deeper than Sheol! What will you know about it?”
11:8 jhq3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-merism גָּבְהֵ֣י שָׁ֭מַיִם מַה־תִּפְעָ֑ל עֲמֻקָּ֥ה מִ֝שְּׁא֗וֹל מַה־תֵּדָֽע 1 Zophar is using the highest and lowest points of creation, **the heavens** and **Sheol**, to mean them and everything in between, that is, all of creation. This could mean: (1) that God’s wisdom is completely comprehensive, as if it were literally very high and very deep. Alternate translation: “God’s wisdom is completely comprehensive! What will you do? What will you know?” (2) that God’s wisdom comprehends everything in creation. Alternate translation: “God’s wisdom comprehends all of creation! What will you do? What will you know?”
11:8 y9sp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַה־תִּפְעָ֑ל & מַה־תֵּדָֽע 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “You cannot do anything to understand God’s wisdom! … You cannot know very much about it!”
11:9 z6cv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-merism אֲרֻכָּ֣ה מֵאֶ֣רֶץ מִדָּ֑הּ וּ֝רְחָבָ֗ה מִנִּי־יָֽם 1 Zophar is using the two main components of creation below the heavens and above Sheol, the **earth** and the **sea**, to mean all of creation. This could mean: (1) that God’s wisdom is completely comprehensive, as if it were literally very long and very wide. Alternate translation: “Yes, God’s wisdom is completely comprehensive” (2) that God’s wisdom comprehends everything in creation. Alternate translation: “Yes, God’s wisdom comprehends all of creation”
11:10 y4fx rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יַחֲלֹ֥ף 1 The pronoun **he** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “God comes”
11:10 d1jn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְיַסְגִּ֑יר וְ֝יַקְהִ֗יל 1 Zophar is referring implicitly to God assembling a group to hear his accusations against someone and pass judgment on that person. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and imprisons someone and calls an assembly to judge that person”
11:10 f915 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וּמִ֣י יְשִׁיבֶֽנּוּ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “then no one can turn him back..”
11:10 j362 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּמִ֣י יְשִׁיבֶֽנּוּ 1 See how you translated this phrase in [9:12](../09/12.md). Zophar is using Job’s own words against him, so it may be helpful to your readers to translate this phrase in the same way here. Alternate translation: “then who can stop him?” or “then no one can stop him!”
11:10 j363 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וּמִ֣י יְשִׁיבֶֽנּוּ 1 In [9:12](../09/12.md) you may have included the implicit information that Job was saying that no one can stop God by telling him it would be wrong to do something. If so, here you may wish to indicate what Zophar is suggesting in response, that God knows right and wrong so much better than humans that God does not need to listen to humans about what he is doing. Alternate translation: “then who can stop him, since he knows so much better than humans and does not need to listen to them?” or “then no one can stop him, since he knows so much better than humans and does not need to listen to them!”
11:11 j364 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns מְתֵי־שָׁ֑וְא 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **worthlessness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “which people are worthless”
11:11 gdx6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וַיַּרְא־אָ֝֗וֶן וְלֹ֣א יִתְבּוֹנָֽן 1 Zophar is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “and he will surely notice iniquity when he sees it.”
11:11 j366 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יִתְבּוֹנָֽן 1 The term **notice** implicitly means that God will do more than just take note of **iniquity**. It indicates that God will punish people for committing **iniquity**. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “punish people for it”
11:12 jlz1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony וְאִ֣ישׁ נָ֭בוּב יִלָּבֵ֑ב וְעַ֥יִר פֶּ֝֗רֶא אָדָ֥ם יִוָּלֵֽד 1 For emphasis, Zophar is saying the opposite of what he means. The **colt of a wild donkey** will never be **born to a man**, and so, Zophar means, an **empty man** will never **get a heart**, that is, become wise. If a speaker of your language would not say the opposite of what he means for emphasis, in your translation you could indicate what Zophar actually means. Alternate translation: “But an empty man will never get a heart, any more than the colt of a wild donkey would ever be born to a man”
11:12 j367 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְאִ֣ישׁ נָ֭בוּב 1 Zophar is speaking as if a **man** could literally be **empty** or hollow inside. He means that such a person lacks wisdom. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “But an empty-headed man” or “But a man who lacks wisdom”
11:12 e8e9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יִלָּבֵ֑ב 1 Here the **heart** represents a person’s thoughts, so that to **get a heart** means to become wise. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will become wise”
11:12 j368 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְעַ֥יִר פֶּ֝֗רֶא אָדָ֥ם יִוָּלֵֽד 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and a man will be the father of a wild-donkey colt”
11:13 j369 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אִם־אַ֭תָּ֗ה הֲכִינ֣וֹתָ לִבֶּ֑ךָ 1 For emphasis, Zophar is stating the pronoun **you**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **prepare**. Zophar is drawing a contrast between what he is suggesting here that Job might do and what the “empty man” he described in the previous verse would not be able to do. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “But as for you, if you prepare your heart”
11:13 k56l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אִם־אַ֭תָּ֗ה הֲכִינ֣וֹתָ לִבֶּ֑ךָ 1 In this instance, the **heart** represents a person’s will. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “If you resolve to trust God”
11:13 mm3c rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וּפָרַשְׂתָּ֖ אֵלָ֣יו כַּפֶּֽךָ 1 Zophar is suggesting that Job might **stretch out** his **hands** to God as symbolic action in order to assume a posture of prayer. You may be able to describe your own culture’s posture of prayer in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “and bow your head to him” or “and pray to him”
11:14 t8z8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אִם־אָ֣וֶן בְּ֭יָדְךָ הַרְחִיקֵ֑הוּ 1 Zophar is speaking as if **iniquity** were literally an object that Job could be holding in his **hand** and that Job could **put it far away**. Zophar means that Job might be committing iniquity and that if he has, he should stop. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “if you have been committing iniquity, stop doing that”
11:14 u5ya rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְאַל־תַּשְׁכֵּ֖ן בְּאֹהָלֶ֣יךָ עַוְלָֽה 1 Zophar is speaking of **unrighteousness** as if it were a living thing that could **dwell** in the same **tents** in which Job and his household are living. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. The word **tents** could be: (1) an image for Job’s whole life. Alternate translation: “yes, be sure that you are not practicing any unrighteousness” (2) a reference to Job’s household. Alternate translation: “and be sure that no one in your household is practicing any unrighteousness”
11:14 j370 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וְאַל־תַּשְׁכֵּ֖ן בְּאֹהָלֶ֣יךָ עַוְלָֽה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **unrighteousness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “yes, be sure that you are not doing anything that is not righteous”
11:15 db84 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction תִּשָּׂ֣א פָנֶ֣יךָ מִמּ֑וּם 1 Zophar is suggesting that Job would be able to **lift** his **face** without being concerned that any **blemish** would show as symbolic action to indicate that he was not ashamed of anything. Job said in [10:15](../10/15.md) that he could not do this, and so Zophar is answering Job with his own words. To help your readers appreciate what Zophar is doing, you could translate this expression similarly to the way you translated the comparable expression in [10:15](../10/15.md). Alternate translation: “you will no longer need to look down in shame”
11:15 j371 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מִמּ֑וּם 1 Zophar is speaking as if Job might literally have a **blemish** on his face and that it would go away if Job prayed to God. The blemish actually represents a cause for shame. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “without feeling any shame”
11:15 j372 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְהָיִ֥יתָ מֻ֝צָ֗ק 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who will do the action, the context suggests that it will be God. Alternate translation: “and God will establish you”
11:15 j373 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְלֹ֣א תִירָֽא 1 Zophar seems to mean implicitly that Job will not have to **fear** any further punishment from God. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you will not be afraid that God will punish you anymore”
11:16 x6vt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile כְּמַ֖יִם עָבְר֣וּ תִזְכֹּֽר 1 The point of this comparison is that just as **waters pass by** (flowing down a river, for example) and are gone, so Job’s **trouble** will be gone and he will not **remember** it at all. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “you will not remember it at all, just as the water in a river flows by and is never seen again”
11:17 j374 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וּֽ֭מִצָּהֳרַיִם יָק֣וּם חָ֑לֶד 1 Zophar is using the term **noon** by association to mean the sun at noon, that is, the sun when it is highest and brightest in the sky. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And life will arise higher than the noonday sun”
11:17 dkt7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּֽ֭מִצָּהֳרַיִם יָק֣וּם חָ֑לֶד 1 Zophar is speaking of Job’s **life** as if it were literally an object like the sun that could **arise** into the sky. By saying that Job’s life will rise into the sky even higher than the sun at noon, he means that it will be very bright. The brightness, in turn, represents happy thriving. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And your life will become very happy again, as if it were brighter than the noonday sun”
11:17 dua9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor תָּ֝עֻ֗פָה כַּבֹּ֥קֶר תִּהְיֶֽה 1 In a poetic parallel, Zophar is once again using light, in this instance the light of **dawn**, to represent happiness. This contrasts with Job’s present misery, which Zophar represents as **darkness**. Zophar is once again answering Job with his own words. The term translated **darkness** here is from the same root as the term that the ULT translates as “obscurity” in [10:22](../10/22.md). To help your readers appreciate what Zophar is doing, you could translate the term here the same way you translated it there. Alternate translation: “the misery of your life may feel like obscurity now, but it will change into happiness, just as dawn changes darkness into light”
11:18 iqu3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝חָפַרְתָּ֗ 1 Zophar means implicitly that Job will **look around** and see that there is no danger. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and you will look around and see that there is no danger”
11:18 f1be rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לָבֶ֥טַח תִּשְׁכָּֽב 1 Zophar is referring implicitly to when Job would **lie down** to sleep at night. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Your language may have its own expression that you can use here in your translation. Alternate translation: “you will lie down to sleep in safety” or “you will go to bed in safety”
11:18 hc18 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns לָבֶ֥טַח תִּשְׁכָּֽב 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **safety**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “you will lie down safely”
11:19 fm2w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְֽ֭רָבַצְתָּ 1 Zophar once again means implicitly that Job would **recline** to sleep at night. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Yes, you will lie down to sleep for the night”
11:19 j375 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְחִלּ֖וּ פָנֶ֣יךָ רַבִּֽים 1 Zophar is speaking as if **many** people would literally **stroke** Job’s **face**, as someone would do who was trying to make someone else favorable to him. Zophar means that Job would become influential again and people would seek his favor. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “many people will seek your favor”
11:20 s359 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְעֵינֵ֥י רְשָׁעִ֗ים תִּ֫כְלֶ֥ינָה 1 Zophar is referring to death by association with the way people’s eyes **fail** when they are about to die (either in the sense of becoming visibly dim or in the sense of no longer seeing well). If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “But the wicked will die”
11:20 j376 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וּ֭מָנוֹס אָבַ֣ד מִנְהֶ֑ם 1 Zophar is speaking of **escape** as if it were a living thing that could **perish**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, they will not be able to escape dying”
11:20 j377 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וְ֝תִקְוָתָ֗ם מַֽפַּח־נָֽפֶשׁ 1 Zophar is using the phrase **expiration of breath**, which means “breathing out,” to mean dying. This is a mild way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “they will have no hope other than to pass away” or “they will have no hope other than to die”
12:intro u4jn 0 # Job 12 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is the start of Job’s response to Zophar’s first speech. (Job’s response to him continues in chapters 13 and 14.)\n- Verses 1–6: Job speaks to all three of his friends and protests that they have not been telling him anything that he does not already know\n- Verses 7–12: Job speaks specifically to Zophar and insists that what Zophar has just said in his speech is common knowledge in the world and something that he himself knows.\n- Verses 13–25: Job describes how God is so powerful that no one can resist what he does.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem.\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### Plural and singular “you”\n\nThe pronoun “you” is plural in verses 1–3 because Job is addressing all three of his friends. The pronoun “you” is singular in verses 7–8 because Job is addressing Zophar. Use the plural and singular forms in these places if your language marks that distinction.\n\n## Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter\n\n### Litany\n\nIn verses 13–24, Job makes a series of statements about how powerful God is. These specific statements illustrate the general statement that Job makes in verse 4 that God is “wise in heart and mighty in strength.” A series of statements such as this is known as a litany. If your readers would recognize what Job is doing, you can translate and format this litany the way the ULT does. If the litany form would not be familiar to your readers, you could format the general statement in a way that will show that it is a summary statement that shows the overall meaning of what Job is saying. You could then put each sentence of the litany on a separate line. The format might look something like this:\n> With him {are} wisdom and might; to him {are} counsel and understanding.\n> Behold, he breaks down, and it is not rebuilt; he closes upon a man, and it is not opened.\n> Behold, he withholds the waters and they dry up, and he sends them out and they overthrow the land.\n> With him {are} strength and prudence; to him {are} the one straying and the one causing to stray;\n> the one leading counselors away naked, and he makes judges foolish.\n> He removes the bond of kings and he wraps a cloth around their loins;\n> the one leading priests away naked, and the incumbent ones he overthrows,\n> the one removing the lip {that is} to the ones being trusted, and he takes away the discernment of the elders,\n> the one pouring contempt on princes, and the belt of the mighty ones he loosens,\n> the one revealing deep things out of darkness, and he brings dark shadow into the light,\n> the one magnifying nations, and he destroys them; the one enlarging nations, and he exiles them,\n> the one removing a heart from the leaders of the people of the earth; he causes them to wander in a wasteland {with} no path.\n> They grope in darkness and not in light; he makes them wander like a drunkard.
12:2 dpz4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony אָ֭מְנָם כִּ֣י אַתֶּם־עָ֑ם וְ֝עִמָּכֶ֗ם תָּמ֥וּת חָכְמָֽה 1 For emphasis, Job is saying the opposite of what he means. If a speaker of your language would not do this, in your translation you could indicate what Job actually means. Alternate translation: “You are speaking as if you were the people and as if wisdom would with you, but that is not true”
12:2 dk3z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular אַתֶּם־עָ֑ם 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, the word **you** is plural here and in the next two verses because Job is referring to his three friends. So use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction. Other languages may have other ways to indicate the plural reference. Alternate translation: “the three of you are the people”
12:2 xl1k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom אַתֶּם־עָ֑ם 1 Job could be saying (while meaning the opposite): (1) that his three friends are so wise that their opinion is the one that really matters. Alternate translation: “you are the people whose opinion matters” (2) that in their counsel, his three friends are embodying the collective wisdom of their people. Alternate translation: “you have expressed the wisdom of our whole people”
12:2 j378 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְ֝עִמָּכֶ֗ם תָּמ֥וּת חָכְמָֽה 1 Job is speaking of **wisdom** as if it were a living thing that could **die**. He is saying (while meaning the opposite) that his friends are the only people who are truly wise and so there will be no wisdom left on earth once they die. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and indeed, you are the only wise people on earth”
12:3 j379 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor גַּם־לִ֤י לֵבָ֨ב ׀ כְּֽמוֹכֶ֗ם 1 Here, the **heart** figuratively represents the thoughts, and in this context, specifically wise thoughts. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have wisdom just as you do”
12:3 j380 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לֹא־נֹפֵ֣ל אָנֹכִ֣י מִכֶּ֑ם 1 Job is using this expression to mean that he is not inferior to his friends. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I do not fall short of you” or “I am not inferior to you”
12:3 kd9k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וְאֶת־מִי־אֵ֥ין כְּמוֹ־אֵֽלֶּה 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Indeed, such things as these are with everyone.”
12:3 j381 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְאֶת־מִי־אֵ֥ין כְּמוֹ־אֵֽלֶּה 1 Job is using this expression to mean that everyone knows the things that his friends have been saying. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And everyone knows such things as these” or “And everyone knows the things that you have been saying”
12:4 qdq1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person שְׂחֹ֤ק לְרֵעֵ֨הוּ ׀ אֶֽהְיֶ֗ה קֹרֵ֣א לֶ֭אֱלוֹהַּ וַֽיַּעֲנֵ֑הוּ 1 Job is actually using the pronouns **him** and **his** to refer to himself. If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this using first-person pronouns. Alternate translation: “Even though God used to answer me when I called on him, now I have become laughter to my neighbor”
12:4 f67d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy שְׂחֹ֤ק 1 Job is using the term **laughter** by association to mean an object of laughter, that is, of derision. Your language may have an expression that you can use in your translation to convey this meaning. Alternate translation: “a laughingstock”
12:4 j382 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis שְׂ֝ח֗וֹק צַדִּ֥יק תָּמִֽים 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “I, a just and blameless man, have become a laughingstock!”
12:5 cg28 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj שַׁאֲנָ֑ן 1 Job is using the adjective **secure** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “people who are secure”
12:5 z8za rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor נָ֝כ֗וֹן לְמ֣וֹעֲדֵי רָֽגֶל 1 Job is speaking of certain people as if their **foot** was literally **slipping** and they were about to fall down. Job is likely describing people who are struggling with difficulties, and he is saying that people who are **secure** believe that they are struggling because God is punishing them for their sins. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “They believe that when people struggle in life, that is because God is punishing them for their sins”
12:5 j6ph rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis נָ֝כ֗וֹן 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “They think that it is prepared”
12:5 j383 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive נָ֝כ֗וֹן 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “They think that God has prepared it”
12:6 j384 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יִשְׁלָ֤יוּ אֹֽהָלִ֨ים ׀ לְשֹׁ֥דְדִ֗ים 1 Job is speaking of the **tents** of these **robbers** as if they were living things that could **prosper**. By referring to one valuable possession of the robbers, Job means that the robbers themselves prosper. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Robbers live in prosperity”
12:6 j385 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural וּֽ֭בַטֻּחוֹת 1 Job is using the plural form **securities** to indicate that these **provokers of God** experience security to a supreme extent. Your language may use plural forms in the same way. If not, you could express the meaning in another way. Alternate translation: “and complete security is”
12:6 j8fd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לַאֲשֶׁ֤ר הֵבִ֖יא אֱל֣וֹהַּ בְּיָדֽוֹ 1 Here, **hand** represents the power and control that a person has over something. Your language may have a similar expression that you could use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “to the person who thinks that he has God in his pocket” or “to the person who thinks he has more control over his life than God does”
12:7-8 c1y7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge 0 In [11:9](../11/09.md), Zophar used the two main components of creation, the earth and the sea, to mean all of creation. Here in [12:7–8](../07/08.md), Job is responding to Zophar in his own words. Job's language is more extensive, and so it is more emphatic. Job is using the inhabitants of three components of creation (the beasts of the land, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea), along with the earth itself, to mean all of creation. To show this, you could create a verse bridge for verses 7–8. It might say something like this: “You can go anywhere in creation and ask a creature—even ask the earth itself—about God’s ways, and that creature will be able to explain them to you”
12:7 de2x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative וְֽאוּלָ֗ם שְׁאַל־נָ֣א בְהֵמ֣וֹת וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וְע֥וֹף הַ֝שָּׁמַ֗יִם וְיַגֶּד־לָֽךְ 1 Job is using an imperative sentence to tell the condition under which something would happen. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate this as a conditional sentence. Alternate translation: “But now if you asked the beasts, one of them would teach you, and if you asked the birds of the heavens, one of them would declare to you”
12:7 j496 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְֽאוּלָ֗ם שְׁאַל־נָ֣א בְהֵמ֣וֹת וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וְע֥וֹף הַ֝שָּׁמַ֗יִם וְיַגֶּד־לָֽךְ 1 Job is speaking as if Zophar could literally have a conversation with **beasts** and **birds**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “If you actually could ask the beasts, one of them would teach you, and if you actually could ask the birds of the heavens, one of them would declare to you”
12:7 t82w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular וְֽאוּלָ֗ם שְׁאַל־נָ֣א 1 The pronoun **you** and the implied “you” in the imperative verb (**ask**) are singular here and in the next verse because Job is speaking directly to one of his friends. So use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction. Job is probably addressing Zophar, since he said in [11:8–9](../11/08.md) that Job could search through all of creation and still not comprehend the wisdom of God. Job is saying in response that God’s ways are common knowledge to animals and birds. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that in your translation. Alternate translation: “But now, Zophar, ask”
12:7 j386 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ & וְיַגֶּד־לָֽךְ 1 Job means implicitly that the **beasts** and **birds** would **teach** and **declare** God’s ways. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and one of them will teach you God’s ways … and one of them will declare God’s ways to you”
12:7 j387 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְע֥וֹף הַ֝שָּׁמַ֗יִם 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “ask the birds of the heavens”
12:8 k4ca rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative א֤וֹ שִׂ֣יחַ לָאָ֣רֶץ וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם 1 Job is using an imperative sentence to tell the condition under which something would happen. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate this as a conditional sentence. Alternate translation: “Or if you spoke to the earth, then it would teach you; the fish of the sea would recount to you”
12:8 g5xs rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification א֤וֹ שִׂ֣יחַ לָאָ֣רֶץ וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם 1 Job is continuing to speak as if Zophar could literally have a conversation with the **earth** and with **fish**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “If you could actually speak to the earth, it would teach you. If you could have a conversation with the fish of the sea, they would recount to you”
12:8 j388 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְתֹרֶ֑ךָּ וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם 1 Once again Job means implicitly that the **earth** and the **fish** would **teach** and **recount** God’s ways. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and it will teach you God’s ways; the fish of the sea will recount God’s ways to you”
12:8 bjf6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וִֽיסַפְּר֥וּ לְ֝ךָ֗ דְּגֵ֣י הַיָּֽם 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “or ask the fish of the sea, and they will recount to you”
12:9 hu2y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִ֭י לֹא־יָדַ֣ע בְּכָל־אֵ֑לֶּה כִּ֥י יַד־יְ֝הוָה עָ֣שְׂתָה זֹּֽאת\n\n 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “All of these know that the hand of Yahweh has done this!”
12:9 j389 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification מִ֭י לֹא־יָדַ֣ע בְּכָל־אֵ֑לֶּה 1 Job is speaking of the creatures he described in the previous two verses as if they could **know** what Yahweh has done. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Which of all these creatures could not tell you, if you could actually have a conversation with them,”
12:9 tht3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy יַד־יְ֝הוָה עָ֣שְׂתָה זֹּֽאת 1 Here, **hand** represents the power and control that someone has over something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Yahweh has done this by his own power”
12:9 j390 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit עָ֣שְׂתָה זֹּֽאת 1 In context, the word **this** likely refers to the misfortune that Job is suffering. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “has caused my misfortune”
12:10 tx1w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּ֭יָדוֹ 1 Here, **hand** represents the power and control that someone has over something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “He has power over”
12:10 j391 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases וְ֝ר֗וּחַ כָּל־בְּשַׂר־אִֽישׁ 1 In this instance, Job is using the word **and** to emphasize something that is included in the previous phrase, not to introduce something additional. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation, preceded by a comma: “including the breath of all flesh of man”
12:10 s1sr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝ר֗וּחַ כָּל־בְּשַׂר־אִֽישׁ 1 Job is using the term **breath** by association to mean “life.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the life of all flesh of man”
12:10 j392 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְ֝ר֗וּחַ כָּל־בְּשַׂר־אִֽישׁ 1 Job is using one part of **man**, his **flesh**, to mean all of him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the life of every man”
12:10 j393 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations וְ֝ר֗וּחַ כָּל־בְּשַׂר־אִֽישׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “and the life of every woman and man” or “and the life of every person”
12:11 j394 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases הֲלֹא־אֹ֭זֶן מִלִּ֣ין תִּבְחָ֑ן וְ֝חֵ֗ךְ אֹ֣כֶל יִטְעַם־לֽוֹ 1 In this instance, Job is using the word **and** to say that the phrase it introduces is just as true as the previous phrase. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “Does not the ear test words, just as the palate tastes its food?”
12:11 d5vn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹא־אֹ֭זֶן מִלִּ֣ין תִּבְחָ֑ן וְ֝חֵ֗ךְ אֹ֣כֶל יִטְעַם־לֽוֹ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Certainly the ear tests words just as the palate tastes its food!”
12:11 j395 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification הֲלֹא־אֹ֭זֶן מִלִּ֣ין תִּבְחָ֑ן וְ֝חֵ֗ךְ אֹ֣כֶל יִטְעַם־לֽוֹ 1 Job is speaking of the **ear** as if it could **test words** by itself. He is using the ear to represent hearing, and he means that people themselves test or consider the words of others when they hear them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do people not consider others’ words when they hear them, just as people discern with their mouths the taste of their food”
12:11 j396 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִלִּ֣ין 1 Job is using the term **words** to mean what people say by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what people say”
12:11 j397 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הֲלֹא־אֹ֭זֶן מִלִּ֣ין תִּבְחָ֑ן וְ֝חֵ֗ךְ אֹ֣כֶל יִטְעַם־לֽוֹ 1 Though Job is making a general statement, he is referring implicitly to what his friends have said to him and what he has decided about it. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I have heard what you have said and I have considered it and decided that it is not true, just as people discern with their mouths the taste of their food”
12:11 j398 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְ֝חֵ֗ךְ אֹ֣כֶל יִטְעַם־לֽוֹ 1 Job is speaking of the **palate** or mouth as if it could **taste** by itself. He means that with their mouths, people discern the taste of the food that they eat. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “just as people discern with their mouths the taste of their food”
12:12 j399 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit בִּֽישִׁישִׁ֥ים חָכְמָ֑ה וְאֹ֖רֶךְ יָמִ֣ים תְּבוּנָֽה 1 Though Job is making another general statement in this verse, he is referring implicitly to himself as someone who has acquired much wisdom through long experience. The further implication is that although Zophar challenged him in [11:8](../11/8.md) by asking, “What will you know?” Job is insisting here that he actually does know a lot about life. You could indicate these things in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I have lived a long time and I have acquired much wisdom through experience, so I actually do know a lot about life”
12:12 v4ft rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns בִּֽישִׁישִׁ֥ים חָכְמָ֑ה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **wisdom**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “The aged are wise”
12:12 j400 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj בִּֽישִׁישִׁ֥ים 1 Job is using the adjective **aged** as a noun to mean people of a certain kind. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “With aged people” or “With older people”
12:12 lhn1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְאֹ֖רֶךְ יָמִ֣ים תְּבוּנָֽה 1 The expression **length of days** means a long life. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, people who have lived a long life have understanding”
12:13 mmb7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns עִ֭מּוֹ חָכְמָ֣ה וּגְבוּרָ֑ה ל֝֗וֹ עֵצָ֥ה וּתְבוּנָֽה 1 The pronoun **him** refers in each instance to God. Job is no longer referring to an “aged” person, as in the previous verse. Instead, he is describing what he knows about God as someone who has lived a long time and acquired much wisdom. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “I know that God has wisdom and might; I know that God has counsel and understanding”
12:13 tw4v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns עִ֭מּוֹ חָכְמָ֣ה וּגְבוּרָ֑ה ל֝֗וֹ עֵצָ֥ה וּתְבוּנָֽה 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **wisdom**, **might**, **counsel**, and **understanding**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “God is wise and mighty; he understands everything and knows what to do”
12:13 j401 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit עִ֭מּוֹ חָכְמָ֣ה וּגְבוּרָ֑ה ל֝֗וֹ עֵצָ֥ה וּתְבוּנָֽה 1 As the following verses make clear, Job is saying implicitly that these qualities belong to God alone and that God does not share them with humans. In that sense, while it sounds as if Job is praising God, at the same time, Job is also complaining somewhat about God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “God has so much knowledge and power that no human can resist him; God does not explain to anyone how he understands a situation or what he is going to do about it”
12:14 j402 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases יַ֭הֲרוֹס וְלֹ֣א יִבָּנֶ֑ה יִסְגֹּ֥ר עַל־אִ֝֗ישׁ וְלֹ֣א יִפָּתֵֽחַ 1 In both of these instances, Job is using the word **and** to introduce what happens under the condition he is describing. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “if he breaks down, then it is not rebuilt; if he closes upon a man, then it is not opened”
12:14 v1pt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְלֹ֣א יִבָּנֶ֑ה & וְלֹ֣א יִפָּתֵֽחַ 1 If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and no one rebuilds … and no one opens”
12:14 j403 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יִסְגֹּ֥ר עַל־אִ֝֗ישׁ וְלֹ֣א יִפָּתֵֽחַ 1 In this context, the expressions **closes upon** and **opened** refer to imprisonment and release. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he imprisons a man, and that man is not released” or “if he imprisons a man, then no one releases that man”
12:14 j495 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אִ֝֗ישׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a man or woman” or “a person”
12:15 pl3c rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases הֵ֤ן יַעְצֹ֣ר בַּמַּ֣יִם וְיִבָ֑שׁוּ וִֽ֝ישַׁלְּחֵ֗ם וְיַ֖הַפְכוּ אָֽרֶץ 1 In both of these instances, Job is using the word **and** to introduce what happens under the condition he is describing. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “if he withholds the waters, then they dry up; if he sends them out, then they overthrow the land”
12:15 rel2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְיַ֖הַפְכוּ אָֽרֶץ 1 Job is speaking as if the **waters** would literally **overthrow** the **land** or turn it upside down. He means that the waters would completely cover the land so that there would be no land any more. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and they completely flood the land”
12:16 gqf6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns עִ֭מּוֹ עֹ֣ז וְתֽוּשִׁיָּ֑ה 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **strength** and **prudence**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “God is strong and prudent”
12:16 uuh8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שֹׁגֵ֥ג וּמַשְׁגֶּֽה 1 Job is speaking of people who are not living in the right way as if they were **straying** or going off the path that they should be walking on. He is speaking of people who persuade others to do wrong things as if they were **causing** them to **stray**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “those who do not live right and those who persuade others not to live right”
12:16 j404 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit ל֝֗וֹ שֹׁגֵ֥ג וּמַשְׁגֶּֽה 1 The implication is that if someone is **straying** or doing wrong, that person cannot excuse his actions by saying that someone else persuaded him to do them. The person who chose to do wrong is accountable to God, and anyone who persuaded him to do those wrong is also accountable to God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this plainly. Alternate translation: “those who do wrong and those who persuade them to do wrong are both accountable to God”
12:16 j405 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-merism ל֝֗וֹ שֹׁגֵ֥ג וּמַשְׁגֶּֽה 1 Job is using two complementary types of people to mean all people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. Alternate translation: “everyone is accountable to God for what they do and for what they persuade others to do”
12:17 ux12 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns מוֹלִ֣יךְ יוֹעֲצִ֣ים שׁוֹלָ֑ל 1 The pronoun **one** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God leads counselors away naked”
12:17 lk8b rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction מוֹלִ֣יךְ יוֹעֲצִ֣ים שׁוֹלָ֑ל 1 To lead someone away **naked**, as victorious armies did to prisoners of war at this time, was a symbolic action that demonstrated that the conqueror had deprived the captive of his former status in his culture. In the case of a royal **counselor**, his power and authority were previously represented by his robe of office. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “God takes away from counselors the robes that represent the authority and power of their office”
12:17 j406 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מוֹלִ֣יךְ יוֹעֲצִ֣ים שׁוֹלָ֑ל 1 Job is speaking as if God literally leads **counselors** away **naked**. He means that God’s wisdom is so great that it discredits the wisdom of even the wisest humans, as if to put them out of office. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God’s wisdom is so great that it discredits the wisdom of even the wisest humans”
12:17 uu39 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְֽשֹׁפְטִ֥ים יְהוֹלֵֽל 1 The implication is probably that God makes **judges** seem **foolish** by being so much wiser than they are, and not that God affects the minds of judges so that they can no longer think intelligently. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and God makes judges seem foolish by being so much wiser than they are”
12:18 j407 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit מוּסַ֣ר מְלָכִ֣ים פִּתֵּ֑חַ 1 This could mean implicitly: (1) that **kings** might put a **bond** (that is, shackles) on someone to make him a prisoner, but God can set that person free. Alternate translation: “A king may imprison someone, but God can set that person free” (2) that kings may be wearing some symbol of royal authority as a **bond** (that is, as something bound around their bodies), such as a sash or chain, but God takes away their authority and removes this symbol of it. This meaning would be similar to what Job said in the previous verse about God removing counselors’ robes of authority. Alternate translation: “God strips kings of their royal sashes” or “God removes the chains of royal authority that kings are wearing”
12:18 w5lc rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction מוּסַ֣ר מְלָכִ֣ים פִּתֵּ֑חַ 1 Whether this refers to God removing shackles from people whom kings have imprisoned or God removing symbols of royal authority that kings are wearing, it is a symbolic action that demonstrates that God is taking away kings’ authority. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “He takes away kings’ authority”
12:18 p4c4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וַיֶּאְסֹ֥ר אֵ֝ז֗וֹר בְּמָתְנֵיהֶֽם 1 To wrap a **cloth** around someone’s **loins** is to make them dress as a slave would. This is a symbolic action that shows that the person has become a slave. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “and he turns them into slaves”
12:19 mkn4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction מוֹלִ֣יךְ כֹּהֲנִ֣ים שׁוֹלָ֑ל 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [12:17](../12/17.md). Alternate translation: “God takes away from priests the robes that represent the authority and power of their office”
12:19 ch3f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj וְאֵֽתָנִ֣ים 1 Job is using the adjective **incumbent** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. The term is plural; the ULT shows this by adding the word **ones**. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this adjective with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “and people who are long established in their positions”
12:20 g3na rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מֵסִ֣יר שָׂ֭פָה לְנֶאֱמָנִ֑ים 1 Job is using the term **lip** by association to mean speech. He is using speech, in turn, to mean what these **trusted** people say, that is, the advice that they give. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God discredits the advice of the ones being trusted”
12:20 dk1e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive מֵסִ֣יר שָׂ֭פָה לְנֶאֱמָנִ֑ים 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God discredits the advice of the people in whom kings trust”
12:21 l74e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor שׁוֹפֵ֣ךְ בּ֭וּז עַל־נְדִיבִ֑ים 1 For emphasis, Job is speaking as if **contempt** were a liquid that God could literally pour on **princes**. He means that God makes these princes lose the respect of others and experience complete contempt from them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the emphasis in another way. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God completely disgraces princes”
12:21 k6sg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּמְזִ֖יחַ אֲפִיקִ֣ים רִפָּֽה 1 Job is speaking as if God literally **loosens** the **belt** of **mighty ones**, that is, as if these mighty people tie up their robes so that they can do strenuous things, but God loosens their robes again so that they can not do those things. Job means that God is so strong that when he acts, even the strongest people are shown to be weak by comparison. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and God is so strong that when he acts, even the strongest people are shown to be weak by comparison”
12:21 j408 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj אֲפִיקִ֣ים 1 Job is using the adjective **mighty** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. The term is plural; the ULT shows this by adding the word **ones**. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this adjective with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “people who are mighty”
12:22 bqc1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מְגַלֶּ֣ה עֲ֭מֻקוֹת מִנִּי־חֹ֑שֶׁךְ וַיֹּצֵ֖א לָא֣וֹר צַלְמָֽוֶת 1 Job is speaking as if God were literally bringing things that were shrouded in **darkness** into the **light** where they could be seen. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “God reveals deep things that are obscure to humans; yes, he helps people understand things that are unclear”
12:22 c31p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מְגַלֶּ֣ה עֲ֭מֻקוֹת מִנִּי־חֹ֑שֶׁךְ 1 Job is speaking as if things that are difficult to understand are literally **deep**, that is, far underground where people cannot see them or reach them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the one revealing the truth about things that are difficult to understand”
12:22 j409 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj עֲ֭מֻקוֹת 1 Job is using the adjective **deep** as a noun to mean a certain kind of thing. The term is plural; the ULT shows this by adding the word **things**. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “things that are profound”
12:24 n4ta rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֵ֭ב 1 Here, the **heart** figuratively represents the thoughts. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “understanding”
12:24 w1re rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וַ֝יַּתְעֵ֗ם בְּתֹ֣הוּ לֹא־דָֽרֶךְ 1 Job is speaking as if God literally makes leaders **wander in a wasteland**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he makes them confused so that they do not know the right thing to do”
12:25 x7t2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יְמַֽשְׁשׁוּ־חֹ֥שֶׁךְ וְלֹא־א֑וֹר 1 Job is speaking as if these leaders whose understanding God takes away literally **grope in darkness**, as if there were no **light** by which they could see where to go. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “They are not able to understand what they should do”
12:25 a21u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile וַ֝יַּתְעֵ֗ם כַּשִּׁכּֽוֹר 1 The point of this comparison is that just as a **drunkard** will wander in various directions without knowing where he is going, so these leaders will do one thing after another without being able to make a definite, correct plan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “he makes them act aimlessly, just as a drunkard wanders aimlessly”
13:intro x1ub 0 # Job 13 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is a continuation of Job’s response to Zophar’s first speech.\n- Verses 1–19: Job complains to his friends that they have been speaking about him unfairly\n- Verses 20–28: Job begins to plead his case to God. He asks God to stop punishing him and to reveal any sins that are causing God to punish him with such great suffering.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n##Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### singular and plural “you”\n\nThe words “you” and “your” and the implied “you” in imperative verbs are all plural in verses 1–19 because in those verses Job is addressing his three friends. These forms are singular in verses 20–28 because Job is addressing God. If your language marks a distinction between singular and plural “you,” use the appropriate forms in these different parts of the chapter.\n\n### “lift his face” (verse 8), “hide your face” (verse 24)\n\nThese expressions reflect a cultural practice. In this culture, the subject of a king would look humbly down at the ground when he came into the king’s presence. If the king was pleased with him, the king would “lift his face,” that is, get him to look up (for example, with a finger under his chin, or with a verbal command) to indicate that he could look at the king directly. In this way the king would be showing that he favored this subject. A reference to lifting someone’s face came to mean showing favoritism towards that person. That is the meaning in verse 8, where Job says that his friends are not considering his case fairly but instead showing partiality towards God. Similarly, if someone “hid his face” from someone (that is, turned his face away so that he was not looking at the person), that would be a sign that he was not pleased with the person. The expression “hide the face” came to mean “show disfavor,” even if someone was not literally looking away from someone else. That is what Job means in verse 24 when he asks God, “Why do you hide your face?” Notes to these verses suggest ways of translating these expressions.
13:1 d8w1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche כֹּ֭ל רָאֲתָ֣ה עֵינִ֑י שָֽׁמְעָ֥ה אָ֝זְנִ֗י וַתָּ֥בֶן לָֽהּ 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **eye**, to mean all of him in the act of seeing. He uses another part of himself, his **ear**, to mean all of him in the act of hearing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I myself have seen all; I myself have heard and understood it”
13:1 q1yi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כֹּ֭ל 1 Job is using the word **all** to mean everything that his friends have told him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “all that the three of you have told me”
13:2 cq6c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular כְּֽ֭דַעְתְּכֶם & מִכֶּֽם 1 The word **you** is plural here and through verse 13 because Job is addressing his three friends, so use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
13:2 j410 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יָדַ֣עְתִּי גַם־אָ֑נִי לֹא־נֹפֵ֖ל אָנֹכִ֣י 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the words translated **know** and **falling**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis, for example, by using the intensive pronoun “myself.” Alternate translation: “I myself also know. I myself am not falling”
13:2 lcm5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֹא־נֹפֵ֖ל אָנֹכִ֣י מִכֶּֽם 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [12:3](../12/03.md). Alternate translation: “I do not fall short of you” or “I am not inferior to you”
13:3 mx6r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-declarative אֲ֭נִי אֶל־שַׁדַּ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר 1 Job is using this future statement to express a wish. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that in your translation. Alternate translation: “I wish to speak with Shaddai” or “I would rather speak with Shaddai”
13:4 f979 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אַתֶּ֥ם טֹֽפְלֵי־שָׁ֑קֶר 1 Job is speaking as if his friends were literally plastering him with a **lie**, that is, coating him with untruth as if they were plastering a surface with it. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “you are smearing me with lies”
13:4 p89c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor רֹפְאֵ֖י אֱלִ֣ל כֻּלְּכֶֽם 1 Job is speaking as if his friends were literally doctors or **healers** who were trying to cure him of a disease but were failing. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “none of you have helped me at all by what you have said”
13:5 gp7i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom מִֽי־יִ֭תֵּן הַחֲרֵ֣שׁ תַּחֲרִישׁ֑וּן 1 See how you translated the expression **Who will give** in [11:5–6](../11/05.md). Alternate translation: “I wish that being silent, you would be silent!”
13:5 j411 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-reduplication הַחֲרֵ֣שׁ תַּחֲרִישׁ֑וּן 1 Job is repeating a verb that means to **be silent** in order to intensify the idea that it expresses. If your language can repeat words for intensification, it would be appropriate to do that here in your translation. If not, your language may have another way of expressing the emphasis. Alternate translation: “you would be completely silent”
13:5 t33j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וּתְהִ֖י לָכֶ֣ם לְחָכְמָֽה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **wisdom**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “That would be the wisest thing you could do”
13:6 v78i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְרִב֖וֹת שְׂפָתַ֣י הַקְשִֽׁיבוּ 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **lips**, to mean all of him in the act of speaking. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and heed the things I am saying as I plead my case”
13:7 scy3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַ֭לְאֵל תְּדַבְּר֣וּ עַוְלָ֑ה וְ֝ל֗וֹ תְּֽדַבְּר֥וּ רְמִיָּֽה 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “You have been speaking unrighteously for God! You have been talking deceitfully for him!”
13:8 x6cv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲפָנָ֥יו תִּשָּׂא֑וּן אִם־לָאֵ֥ל תְּרִיבֽוּן 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “You have been lifting his face! You have been pleading for God!”
13:8 gc76 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom הֲפָנָ֥יו תִּשָּׂא֑וּן 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, the expression **lift his face** means to show favor or favoritism towards someone. Alternate translation: “Will you show him favoritism?” or “You are showing him favoritism!”
13:8 i61h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לָאֵ֥ל תְּרִיבֽוּן 1 Job is using the word **plead** to mean "argue a court case." He is suggesting that his friends are not counseling him impartially but, rather, taking God’s side against him even though, as he sees it, he has a valid case against God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “will you take God’s side against me?” or “you are taking God’s side against me!”
13:9 l9wk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲ֭טוֹב כִּֽי־יַחְקֹ֣ר אֶתְכֶ֑ם אִם־כְּהָתֵ֥ל בֶּ֝אֱנ֗וֹשׁ תְּהָתֵ֥לּוּ בֽוֹ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “It is not good that he will examine you! You will not deceive him as you might deceive a man”
13:9 j412 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הֲ֭טוֹב כִּֽי־יַחְקֹ֣ר אֶתְכֶ֑ם 1 Job means implicitly that it would not be **good** for his friends if God were to **examine** them because God would discover that they had not been telling the truth about him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “If God were to examine you, he would discover that you have not been telling the truth about him, and that would not be good for you”
13:9 gk9j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations בֶּ֝אֱנ֗וֹשׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a man or a woman” or “a human”
13:10 j413 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result הוֹכֵ֣חַ יוֹכִ֣יחַ אֶתְכֶ֑ם אִם־בַּ֝סֵּ֗תֶר פָּנִ֥ים תִּשָּׂאֽוּן 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “If in secret you were lifting faces, reproving, he would reprove you”
13:10 ecs9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-reduplication הוֹכֵ֣חַ יוֹכִ֣יחַ 1 Job is repeating the verb **reprove** in order to intensify the idea that it expresses. If your language can repeat words for intensification, it would be appropriate to do that here in your translation. If not, your language may have another way of expressing the emphasis. Alternate translation: “He would certainly reprove”
13:10 g5lz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom פָּנִ֥ים תִּשָּׂאֽוּן 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [13:8](../13/08.md). Alternate translation: “you were showing favoritism”
13:11 j11v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹ֣א שְׂ֭אֵתוֹ תְּבַעֵ֣ת אֶתְכֶ֑ם וּ֝פַחְדּ֗וֹ יִפֹּ֥ל עֲלֵיכֶֽם 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “His majesty would certainly terrify you and the dread of him would certainly fall on you!”
13:11 e6x9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וּ֝פַחְדּ֗וֹ יִפֹּ֥ל עֲלֵיכֶֽם 1 Job is speaking of **dread** as if it were a living thing that could actively **fall** on his friends, either in the sense of overwhelming them or of assailing them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and would you not become extremely afraid of him”
13:12 s8ny rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor זִֽ֭כְרֹנֵיכֶם מִשְׁלֵי־אֵ֑פֶר 1 Job is speaking as if the **maxims** that his friends have been quoting were literally made of **ashes**. Since, in this culture, garbage was burned into ashes, Job likely means that these **maxims** are worthless, at least as applied to his situation. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The memorable proverbs you have been quoting are worthless to me”
13:12 brf8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לְגַבֵּי־חֹ֝֗מֶר גַּבֵּיכֶֽם 1 Job is speaking as if his friends’ **defenses** of God were literally made of **clay**. He likely means that, like clay, they are fragile and would shatter if struck. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “your defenses would crumble if anyone challenged you”
13:13 vp1h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְיַעֲבֹ֖ר עָלַ֣י מָֽה 1 Job is speaking as if something might literally **come upon** him when he spoke. He means that something might happen to him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and I will accept the consequences, whatever they may be”
13:14 wk5u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion עַל־מָ֤ה ׀ אֶשָּׂ֣א בְשָׂרִ֣י בְשִׁנָּ֑י וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י אָשִׂ֥ים בְּכַפִּֽי 1 Job is posing to his friends a question whose answer he already knows. He is doing this to introduce the answer. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Let me tell you why I am taking my flesh in my teeth, yes, putting my life in my hands.”
13:14 j414 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עַל־מָ֤ה ׀ אֶשָּׂ֣א בְשָׂרִ֣י בְשִׁנָּ֑י 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally taking (that is, carrying) his own **flesh** in his **teeth**. The image seems to be that of an animal carrying in its mouth prey that it has caught and killed. Until the animal is able to bring the prey safely into its den, the prey is vulnerable and there is a risk that another animal will come and take it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Why do I put my flesh at risk”
13:14 j415 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche עַל־מָ֤ה ׀ אֶשָּׂ֣א בְשָׂרִ֣י בְשִׁנָּ֑י 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **flesh**, to mean all of him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Why am I putting myself at risk”
13:14 j416 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֝נַפְשִׁ֗י אָשִׂ֥ים בְּכַפִּֽי 1 Job is speaking as if he is literally holding his **life** in his **hands**, where once again it would be vulnerable, as in the preceding image in this verse. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and jeopardize my life”
13:15 j417 rc://*/ta/man/translate/ grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical יִ֭קְטְלֵנִי ל֣וֹ אֲיַחֵ֑ל\n 1 Job is using the statement form to describe a conditional relationship, that is, to say what he would do if God did a specific thing. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “even if he kills me, I will still hope in him”
13:15 j418 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor דְּ֝רָכַ֗י 1 Job is speaking of how he has been living as if he had been walking along certain **ways** or paths. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “my conduct”
13:15 j419 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אֶל־פָּנָ֥יו 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “in his presence”
13:16 e8gk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns גַּם־הוּא־לִ֥י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **salvation**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “This is what will actually save me”
13:16 j420 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj חָנֵ֥ף 1 Job is using the adjective **godless** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “a godless person”
13:16 t8zh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לְ֝פָנָ֗יו 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “into his presence”
13:17 z88n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-reduplication שִׁמְע֣וּ שָׁ֭מוֹעַ 1 Job is repeating the verb **hear** in order to intensify the idea that it expresses. If your language can repeat words for intensification, it would be appropriate to do that here in your translation. If not, your language may have another way of expressing the emphasis. Alternate translation: “Make sure that you hear”
13:17 g1xr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝אַֽחֲוָתִ֗י 1 Job is using the term **word** to mean what he is about to say to God in his own defense by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and may what I am about to say be”
13:17 ppd9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝אַֽחֲוָתִ֗י בְּאָזְנֵיכֶֽם 1 Job is using the term **ears** by association to mean hearing or listening. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as a new sentence: “Yes, listen carefully to my declaration”
13:18 mb7w rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אֲנִ֥י אֶצְדָּֽק 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the verb translated **am righteous**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “I am certainly righteous” or “I am certainly innocent”
13:19 u63c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִי־ה֭וּא יָרִ֣יב עִמָּדִ֑י 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “I do not believe that anyone could contend successfully with me”
13:19 t9jj rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּֽי 1 Job is using the word **For** to describe what would happen under the condition he has just described. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “If someone does prove me wrong,”
13:19 b4n5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וְאֶגְוָֽע 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [3:11](../03/11.md). Alternate translation: “and pass away”
13:20 j421 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אַךְ־שְׁ֭תַּיִם 1 At this point in his speech, Job stops addressing his three friends and starts addressing God directly. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this explicitly in your translation. Alternate translation: "God, only two things do not do to me"
13:20 y87x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular אַל־תַּ֣עַשׂ & מִ֝פָּנֶ֗יךָ 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, the word **your** and the implied “you” in the imperative **do** are singular here because Job is starting to address God directly. He continues to speak to God for the rest of this chapter and in all of chapter 14. So use singular forms of second-person pronouns and imperatives in your translation from here to the end of chapter 14 if your language marks that distinction.
13:20 yzd3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִ֝פָּנֶ֗יךָ 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “from you presence”
13:21 l5nn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy כַּ֭פְּךָ מֵעָלַ֣י הַרְחַ֑ק 1 Here, **hand** represents the power of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Stop using your power to make me suffer”
13:21 w19t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝אֵ֥מָתְךָ֗ 1 Job is using the term **fear** by association to mean something that causes a person to feel fear, the awesome presence of God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and with your fearsome presence”
13:23 adu2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet כַּמָּ֣ה לִ֭י עֲוֺנ֣וֹת וְחַטָּא֑וֹת פִּֽשְׁעִ֥י וְ֝חַטָּאתִ֗י הֹדִיעֵֽנִי 1 While the terms **iniquities**, **sins**, and **transgression** mean similar things, Job is not necessarily using the three terms together for emphasis. There is a slight distinction between the kinds of activities that these terms describe, and Job may be naming these different activities as specific examples of potential wrongdoing in order to represent all types of wrongdoing. To show this, in your translation you could use three different terms that your language may have for wrongdoing. Alternatively, you could express the general meaning. Either way, you could combine the question and the imperative into a polite request. Alternate translation: “Please tell me what crimes or misdeeds or offenses I may have committed” or “Please tell me if I have done wrong in any way”
13:24 i7qi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לָֽמָּה־פָנֶ֥יךָ תַסְתִּ֑יר 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, the expression **hide your face** means to show disfavor or hostility to someone. Alternate translation: “Why do you treat me with hostility”
13:25 xm7f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֶעָלֶ֣ה נִדָּ֣ף תַּעֲר֑וֹץ וְאֶת־קַ֖שׁ יָבֵ֣שׁ תִּרְדֹּֽף 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “You do not need to terrify a driven leaf! You do not need to pursue dry stubble!”
13:25 j422 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הֶעָלֶ֣ה נִדָּ֣ף תַּעֲר֑וֹץ וְאֶת־קַ֖שׁ יָבֵ֣שׁ תִּרְדֹּֽף 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally a **driven leaf** and **dry stubble**. By comparing himself to those things, he is indicating that he is fragile and insignificant and that God does not need to oppose him powerfully. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as exclamations: “You do not need to terrify someone who is as fragile as I am! You do not need to pursue someone who is as insignificant as I am!”
13:25 j423 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הֶעָלֶ֣ה נִדָּ֣ף 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Job is referring to a leaf that is **driven** by the wind. Alternate translation: “a leaf that the wind is driving” or “a leaf that the wind is blowing about”
13:26 h6dx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor תִכְתֹּ֣ב עָלַ֣י מְרֹר֑וֹת 1 Job is speaking as if God were literally writing down charges against him. In this culture, that was the way of formally filing legal charges against someone. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you charge me with bitter crimes”
13:26 j424 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor תִכְתֹּ֣ב עָלַ֣י מְרֹר֑וֹת 1 Job is speaking as if the things that God is holding against him were **bitter** or bad-tasting. He means that they are things that would make someone feel unpleasant, just as bitter food or drink does. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you charge me with horrible crimes”
13:26 bc7x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֝תוֹרִישֵׁ֗נִי עֲוֺנ֥וֹת נְעוּרָֽי 1 Job is speaking as if God is literally giving him an inheritance. He means that God is punishing him for the wrong things that he did in his **youth**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you punish me for the iniquities of my youth”
13:26 l6wx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝תוֹרִישֵׁ֗נִי עֲוֺנ֥וֹת נְעוּרָֽי 1 Job is suggesting implicitly that God should not judge him strictly for things he did in his **youth**, since youths are immature and impulsive and they do wrong things without having the kind of self-control and knowledge that adults should have. The Bible expresses this same perspective in [Psalm 25:7](../psa/25/07.md). You could indicate this implication in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and you judge me strictly for the immature things I did as a youth, which is not fair”
13:27 l4hx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְתָ֘שֵׂ֤ם בַּסַּ֨ד ׀ רַגְלַ֗י 1 Job is speaking as if God literally has put his **feet** in **shackles**. He means that God has restrained his actions severely by punishing him for the slightest infractions. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you restrain my actions severely by punishing me for the slightest infractions”
13:27 v65x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְתִשְׁמ֥וֹר כָּל־אָרְחוֹתָ֑י 1 Job is speaking as if his courses of action were literally **paths** that he was walking along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you watch everything I do”
13:27 x3kd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עַל־שָׁרְשֵׁ֥י רַ֝גְלַ֗י תִּתְחַקֶּֽה 1 Job is speaking as if God were literally taking some action regarding his **feet**. Interpreters are unsure of the exact meaning of this image. Job could be speaking as if: (1) God had drawn lines in the ground to mark foot-shaped areas where Job would have to step. Alternate translation: “you only allow me to step in a few small places” or “you only permit me to do a limited number of things without being punished” (2) God had put some kind of mark on his feet so that he would leave a distinctive footprint that God could easily track. Alternate translation: “you closely watch all of my actions”
13:28 mlj8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person וְ֭הוּא & יִבְלֶ֑ה 1 Job is speaking about himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the first person. Alternate translation: “and I decay”
13:28 fq5k rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases וְ֭הוּא & יִבְלֶ֑ה 1 Job is using the word **and** to introduce the result of the sufferings he is experiencing, which he considers to be punishments from God. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “so that he decays” or “so that I decay”
14:intro t321 0 # Job 14 General Notes\n\n##Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is the conclusion of Job’s response to Zophar’s first speech.\n- Verses 1–12: Job says that God should not pay so much attention to humans, since they have short and troubled lives.\n- Verses 13–17: Job speculates about what it would be like if God could bring him back to life and be friendly towards him again.\n- Verses 18–22: Job concludes pessimistically that he will likely just die and be separated forever from human community.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Special Concepts in this Chapter\n\n### Resurrection\n\nJob lived at a time when people did not know for certain whether there would be a resurrection of the dead, so Job speculates about this in his speeches. Sometimes he is more hopeful about it, and at other times he is less hopeful about it. In your translation, reflect what he is feeling and saying. It is not necessary to adjust his words in order to make them a confident proclamation about the resurrection.\n\n## Translation Issues in this Chapter\n\n### singular and plural “you”\n\nThe words “you” and “your” and the implied “you” in imperative verbs are singular throughout this chapter because Job is addressing God. If your language marks a distinction between singular and plural “you,” use the singular form in your translation.\n\n### “man” in a generic sense\n\nIn several places in this chapter, Job uses the word “man” in a generic sense that is inclusive of both men and women. It may be helpful in your translation to say “men and women” or to use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women, such as “people,” “mortals,” or “humans.”
14:1 j425 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אָ֭דָם יְל֣וּד אִשָּׁ֑ה קְצַ֥ר יָ֝מִ֗ים וּֽשְׂבַֽע־רֹֽגֶז 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. However, Job is being deliberately terse in order to describe the human condition as pitiful, so you may wish to translate this statement with fewer words than your language would ordinarly use. Alternate translation: “Man, who is born of woman, is few of days and full of trouble”
14:1 j426 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive אָ֭דָם יְל֣וּד אִשָּׁ֑ה 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Every child of a human mother”
14:1 j427 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אָ֭דָם יְל֣וּד אִשָּׁ֑ה 1 Job is using the phrase **born of woman** by association to mean that people are mortal. In other words, just as they are naturally born, they will naturally die. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Mortal man”
14:1 d6in rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אָ֭דָם יְל֣וּד אִשָּׁ֑ה 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, although the term **Man** is masculine, Job is using the word here and throughout the chapter in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, in all such instances you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “Mortal humans”
14:1 u162 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom קְצַ֥ר יָ֝מִ֗ים וּֽשְׂבַֽע־רֹֽגֶז 1 Job does not mean that in general people live for only a few **days**. He is using the term **days** to mean time in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His life is short and it is full of trouble”
14:1 pfe3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּֽשְׂבַֽע־רֹֽגֶז 1 Job is speaking of **Man** as if he were a container that **trouble** fills. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and continually troubled”
14:2 bgr2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism כְּצִ֣יץ יָ֭צָא וַיִּמָּ֑ל וַיִּבְרַ֥ח כַּ֝צֵּ֗ל וְלֹ֣א יַעֲמֽוֹד 1 These two phrases mean similar things. Job is using repetition to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. Since Job is using two different images together, it may be helpful to connect the phrases with a word other than **and** in order to show that the second phrase is conveying the same idea as the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: “He comes forth and withers like a flower; yes, he flees like a shadow and does not stand”
14:2 w4bb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וַיִּבְרַ֥ח כַּ֝צֵּ֗ל וְלֹ֣א יַעֲמֽוֹד 1 In this context, the word **stand** means to stay in one place. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he flees like a shadow; indeed, he does not remain”
14:3 tkx9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion אַף־עַל־זֶ֭ה פָּקַ֣חְתָּ עֵינֶ֑ךָ וְאֹ֘תִ֤י תָבִ֖יא בְמִשְׁפָּ֣ט עִמָּֽךְ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. It may be helpful to make this two sentences. Alternate translation: “And yet on such you open your eye! You bring me into judgment with you!”
14:3 inl9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy אַף־עַל־זֶ֭ה פָּקַ֣חְתָּ עֵינֶ֑ךָ 1 Job is using the phrase **open your eye** by association to mean watching. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Must you really watch such creatures”
14:3 fg87 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular פָּקַ֣חְתָּ עֵינֶ֑ךָ & תָבִ֖יא & עִמָּֽךְ 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, the words **you** and **your** are singular here because Job is continuing to address God directly. So use the singular forms of those pronouns in your translation here and throughout this chapter if your language marks that distinction.
14:4 j428 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן טָ֭הוֹר מִטָּמֵ֗א לֹ֣א אֶחָֽד 1 For emphasis, Job is posing a question and then answering it himself. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “No one can bring clean from unclean!”
14:4 pls1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן טָ֭הוֹר מִטָּמֵ֗א לֹ֣א אֶחָֽד 1 Job is using the adjectives **clean** and **unclean** as nouns, probably to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “Every person is unclean, so no person can bear and raise someone who is clean”
14:4 j429 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מִֽי־יִתֵּ֣ן טָ֭הוֹר מִטָּמֵ֗א לֹ֣א אֶחָֽד 1 Job is speaking as if people who are sinful are literally **unclean** or dirty and as if people who are not sinful are literally **clean**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Every person is sinful, so no person can bear and raise someone who is not sinful”
14:5 jij3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns חֲרוּצִ֨ים ׀ יָמָ֗יו 1 The pronoun **his** refers to a person in general, as in verse 2. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “a person’s days are determined”
14:5 fm5b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive חֲרוּצִ֨ים ׀ יָמָ֗יו 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “you have determined his days” or “you determine for how many days each person will live”
14:5 iz79 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom מִֽסְפַּר־חֳדָשָׁ֥יו אִתָּ֑ךְ 1 The expression **is with you** describes something that the person being addressed has the power and authority to decide. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “the number of his months is up to you” or “the number of his months is something that you decide”
14:6 j430 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result שְׁעֵ֣ה מֵעָלָ֣יו וְיֶחְדָּ֑ל 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the second phrase gives the reason for the result that the first phrase describes. Alternate translation: “so that he may desist, look away from him”
14:6 j431 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְיֶחְדָּ֑ל 1 In the context of this speech by Job, the word **desist** implicitly means to stop being continually concerned that God is watching and will judge and punish the slightest infraction. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “that he may live without continually fearing your punishment”
14:6 w4rx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile עַד־יִ֝רְצֶ֗ה כְּשָׂכִ֥יר יוֹמֽוֹ 1 The point of this comparison is that a **hireling**, that is, someone hired by the day for manual labor, has difficult work, but he knows that it is only for a short time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “until he finishes living his difficult but short life”
14:6 j432 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יִ֝רְצֶ֗ה & יוֹמֽוֹ 1 Job is speaking of a human being’s brief life as if it were literally only a **day**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he lives out his brief life”
14:7 l8i1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns יֵ֥שׁ לָעֵ֗ץ תִּ֫קְוָ֥ה אִֽם־יִ֭כָּרֵת וְע֣וֹד יַחֲלִ֑יף וְ֝יֹֽנַקְתּ֗וֹ לֹ֣א תֶחְדָּֽל 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **hope**, you could express the same idea in another way, such as with the verb “hope.” Alternate translation: “people may hope that if a tree is cut down, it will sprout again and it will live”
14:7 ezr1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive יִ֭כָּרֵת 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “someone cuts it down”
14:8 cqw2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וּ֝בֶעָפָ֗ר יָמ֥וּת גִּזְעֽוֹ 1 Job means implicitly that the stump of the tree he is using as an example begins to die. If the tree had died completely, it could not regenerate, as he describes in the next verse. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and its stump begins to die”
14:9 f92c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification מֵרֵ֣יחַ מַ֣יִם 1 Job is speaking of the tree he is describing as if it could actually smell the **scent** of **waters**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “as soon as the ground becomes moist,”
14:9 dav4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun וְעָשָׂ֖ה קָצִ֣יר 1 Job is not referring to a specific **branch**. He actually means that the stump of the tree will send forth many branches or shoots. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and send forth many shoots”
14:9 bx2i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כְּמוֹ־נָֽטַע 1 Job is referring implicitly to a young **plant**, which would grow rapidly. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “as young plants do” or “as if it were a young plant”
14:10 j433 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations וְגֶ֣בֶר & אָדָ֣ם 1 In this verse, the two instances of the word **man** translate two different words that have essentially the same meaning. Both words are masculine, but Job is using them in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use terms in your language that are clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “but a mortal … a human being”
14:10 j434 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וַיִּגְוַ֖ע 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [3:11](../03/11.md). Alternate translation: “and passes away”
14:10 wz2a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וְאַיּֽוֹ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “and he is gone completely”
14:11 f32z rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge 0 This verse is the beginning of a sentence that Job completes at the start of the next verse. The entire sentence draws a comparison. To show this, you could create a verse bridge for verses 11–12. Within it, this sentence might say something like this: “Just as waters disappear from a lake and a river dwindles and dries up, so a man lies down and does not arise.”
14:11 dug9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet יֶחֱרַ֥ב וְיָבֵֽשׁ 1 The terms **dwindles** and **dries up** mean similar things. Job is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “steadily dries up”
14:12 a5nl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism שָׁכַ֗ב וְֽלֹא־יָ֫ק֥וּם 1 Job is using the expression **lies down** as a mild way to refer to death, and he is using the expression **arise** to mean “come back to life.” Your language may have similar expressions that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “passes away and does not return to this life”
14:12 j435 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֹ֣א יָקִ֑יצוּ וְלֹֽא־יֵ֝עֹ֗רוּ מִשְּׁנָתָֽם 1 Job is speaking of people who are dead as if they were asleep. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they will remain dead; they will not be brought back to life”
14:12 j436 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns לֹ֣א יָקִ֑יצוּ וְלֹֽא־יֵ֝עֹ֗רוּ מִשְּׁנָתָֽם 1 The pronoun **their** and both instances of the pronoun **they** refer to people who die. Up to this point in this speech, Job has been talking about people dying by referring to a “man.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use singular pronouns in this sentence for continuity. Alternate translation: “he will not awake, no, he will not be roused from his sleep”
14:12 h4i1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְלֹֽא־יֵ֝עֹ֗רוּ מִשְּׁנָתָֽם 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and no one will rouse them from their sleep” or “and no one will rouse him from his sleep”
14:13 w12i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom מִ֤י יִתֵּ֨ן ׀ בִּשְׁא֬וֹל תַּצְפִּנֵ֗נִי תַּ֭סְתִּירֵנִי עַד־שׁ֣וּב אַפֶּ֑ךָ תָּ֤שִׁ֥ית לִ֖י חֹ֣ק וְתִזְכְּרֵֽנִי 1 See how you translated the expression **Who will give** in [11:5–6](../11/05.md). Alternate translation (as an exclamation): “I wish that you would conceal me in Sheol, {that} you would hide me until the turning of your nose, {that} you would set a limit for me and remember me!”
14:13 j438 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עַד־שׁ֣וּב אַפֶּ֑ךָ 1 Job is speaking as if God’s **anger** might literally **turn** and go in a different direction. Job actually means that God would stop being angry. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “until you stop being angry with me”
14:13 is2h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit תָּ֤שִׁ֥ית לִ֖י חֹ֣ק וְתִזְכְּרֵֽנִי 1 This could mean implicitly: (1) that God would set a **limit** on the time that Job had to spend in Sheol before God would **remember** him (see the explanation of the term “remember” in the next note). Alternate translation: “that you would decide how long I needed to spend in Sheol before you would remember me” (2) that God would choose a particular time sometime in the future when he would **remember** Job. Alternate translation: “that you would choose a particular time when you would remember me”
14:13 km9h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְתִזְכְּרֵֽנִי 1 Job is using the expression **remember** in a particular sense. He is not suggesting that God would forget anything or that there are limits to God’s knowledge or memory. Rather, in contexts such as this, the word “remember” means to be aware that someone needs help and to help that person. (For example, [Genesis 8:1](../gen/08/01.md) says that at the height of the Great Flood, “God remembered Noah and all the living things and all the livestock that were with him in the ark, and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided.”) If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and help me”
14:14 u755 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion אִם־יָמ֥וּת גֶּ֗בֶר הֲיִ֫חְיֶ֥ה 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Even if a man dies, he might live again!”
14:14 he34 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom כָּל־יְמֵ֣י צְבָאִ֣י 1 Job is using the term **days** to refer to a specific time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Throughout the time of my hardship”
14:14 ws2y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns כָּל־יְמֵ֣י צְבָאִ֣י 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **hardship**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “Throughout the time when things are hard for me”
14:14 j439 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כָּל־יְמֵ֣י צְבָאִ֣י 1 Since Job said in [7:1](../07/01.md) that a person experiences “hardship” on earth, in this phrase he is probably referring implicitly to life on earth. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “For as long as I live on this earth”
14:14 a2dm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אֲיַחֵ֑ל עַד־בּ֝֗וֹא חֲלִיפָתִֽי 1 Since Job suggests at the beginning of this verse that people could live again after they die, and since he describes his present life on earth as **hardship**, the implication seems to be that by **my change**, he means his death, which presumably would lead to a better life. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I will wait patiently to die and then live a better life” or “I will hope expectantly that after I die I will live a better life”
14:15 d3u1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases תִּ֭קְרָא וְאָנֹכִ֣י אֶֽעֱנֶ֑ךָּ לְֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יָדֶ֣יךָ תִכְסֹֽף 1 In this verse, Job is describing what would happen under the condition he described in the previous verse. If it would be helpful to your readers, to indicate this you could add a connecting word at the start of this verse. You could also use the conditional tense rather than the future tense if that would be more natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Then you would call, and I would answer you. You would desire the work of your hands”
14:15 tbe8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit תִּ֭קְרָא וְאָנֹכִ֣י אֶֽעֱנֶ֑ךָּ 1 Here Job is using words that are very similar to the ones that he used in [13:22](../13/22.md) to challenge God to argue his case with him. But now he means that he and God would converse in a friendly way. To help your readers appreciate this use of language, it would be helpful to translate the terms here the same way you translated them in [13:22](../13/22.md).
14:15 j440 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וְאָנֹכִ֣י אֶֽעֱנֶ֑ךָּ 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **answer**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “and I would gladly answer you”
14:15 j3fp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche לְֽמַעֲשֵׂ֖ה יָדֶ֣יךָ 1 Job is using one part of God, his **hands**, to mean all of him in the act of creating Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the person whom you created”
14:16 q9vm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עַ֭תָּה צְעָדַ֣י תִּסְפּ֑וֹר לֹֽא־תִ֝שְׁמ֗וֹר עַל־חַטָּאתִֽי 1 Job is speaking as if God literally will **number** or count the **steps** he is taking. He is speaking of living as if it were walking along a path. Job alludes to what he said in [13:27](../13/27.md), that God was watching his paths and marking places where he had to step. Job could mean here: (1) that once God was no longer angry with him, God would caringly observe all that he did to ensure that he was all right, but God would no longer be looking to see whether he was doing wrong. Alternate translation: “then you would caringly observe all that I did, but you would no longer be looking to see whether I was doing wrong” (2) that God is currently restricting his activities, but once God was no longer angry with him, God would not watch him so closely. Alternate translation: “now you are restricting my activities to keep me from doing the slightest thing wrong, but then you would no longer watch me so closely”
14:16 bay1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche לֹֽא־תִ֝שְׁמ֗וֹר עַל־חַטָּאתִֽי 1 Job is using his **sin** to mean all of him in the act of sinning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you would not watch over me to see whether I am doing wrong”
14:17 zvn3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive חָתֻ֣ם בִּצְר֣וֹר פִּשְׁעִ֑י 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “You would seal my transgression in a bag”
14:17 cby4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor חָתֻ֣ם בִּצְר֣וֹר פִּשְׁעִ֑י 1 Job is speaking as if God would literally **seal** his **transgression** in a **bag**. He means that God would forgive his transgression and no longer regard it, as if it were hidden from view and inaccessible. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “You would completely forgive my transgression”
14:17 qe5i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וַ֝תִּטְפֹּ֗ל עַל־עֲוֺנִֽי 1 Job is speaking as if God would literally **plaster over** his **iniquity**. Once again he means that God would forgive him and no longer regard his iniquity, as if it were hidden from view. Job is using the same terminology as in [13:4](../13/04.md), where he said that his friends were plastering him with a lie. There he meant that while he was righteous, his friends were making it appear that he was sinful. Here he means that God would make him appear righteous because God would have forgiven all of his sin. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you would make me appear righteous”
14:18 j441 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge 0 This verse is the beginning of a sentence that Job completes in the next verse. The entire sentence draws a comparison. To show this, you could create a verse bridge for verses 18–19. It might say something like this: “However, just a falling mountain crumbles and a rock moves from its place, just as waters wear down stones and its flooding washes away the dust of the earth, so you destroy the hope of man”
14:18 j442 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast וְ֭אוּלָם 1 Job is using the word translated **However** to indicate a strong contrast between the possibility of renewed life and reconciliation with God after death, which he was discussing in verses 14–17, and what seems to him to be the actual human condition, which he will describe in the rest of this chapter. In your translation, indicate this strong contrast in a way that is natural in your language.
14:18 hga3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הַר־נוֹפֵ֣ל יִבּ֑וֹל 1 Job is speaking as if a mountain might literally be **falling**. He means that the mountain is becoming lower in elevation because it is eroding. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “an eroding mountain crumbles”
14:18 h2q3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun וְ֝צ֗וּר יֶעְתַּ֥ק מִמְּקֹמֽוֹ 1 Job is not referring to a specific **rock**. He means rocks in general. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and rocks move from their places”
14:18 j443 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְ֝צ֗וּר יֶעְתַּ֥ק מִמְּקֹמֽוֹ 1 The meaning of this phrase may be similar to the meaning of the phrases “his place will not know him again” in [7:10](../07/10.md) and “one destroys it from its place” in [8:18](../08/18.md). The emphasis may be not on the rock moving but on its no longer being in its **place**. Alternate translation: “and yes, even large rocks disappear”
14:19 nc2a rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns תִּשְׁטֹֽף־ סְפִיחֶ֥יהָ עֲפַר־אָ֑רֶץ 1 The pronoun **its** refers to the **earth**. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “the flooding of the earth washes away its dust” or “when the earth floods, that washes away its dust”
14:20 q4my rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor תִּתְקְפֵ֣הוּ לָ֭נֶצַח 1 Job is speaking as if each person were in a lifelong struggle with God and as if God were able to **overpower** or defeat each person throughout his life. Job likely means that people struggle to live, but God is able to enforce his decree that each person must ultimately die after living for a certain time. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “You make people’s bodies wear out throughout their lives”
14:20 uah1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וַֽיַּהֲלֹ֑ךְ 1 Job is using the expression **goes away** to mean “dies.” This is a mild way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “and he passes away”
14:20 p3dh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom מְשַׁנֶּ֥ה פָ֝נָ֗יו 1 The expression **changing his face** describes a person’s face becoming wrinkled as that person ages. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “making his face wrinkled”
14:20 j444 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche מְשַׁנֶּ֥ה פָ֝נָ֗יו 1 Job may be using one part of the aging process, the **changing** of the **face** to become wrinkled, to mean the entire process. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “causing him to age”
14:20 lq7f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וַֽתְּשַׁלְּחֵֽהוּ 1 Job is implicitly describing how God will **send** a person **away** from the community of living people to the abode of the dead. Job will describe this isolation in more detail in the next two verses. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “you send him away from the community of living people to the abode of the dead”
14:21 m7cw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations בָ֭נָיו 1 Although the term **sons** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “His children”
14:22 j445 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche אַךְ־בְּ֭שָׂרוֹ עָלָ֣יו יִכְאָ֑ב וְ֝נַפְשׁ֗וֹ עָלָ֥יו תֶּאֱבָֽל 1 Job is using parts of a person, his **flesh** and his **soul**, to mean all of a person in the act of grieving and mourning. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He alone grieves for himself, yes, he alone mourns for himself”
15:intro p4sy 0 # Job 15 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\n In this chapter, Job’s friend Eliphaz speaks to him once again. This time he speaks more strongly than he spoke before.\n- Verses 1–10: Eliphaz argues that the insights of traditional wisdom are on his side.\n- Verses 11–16: Eliphaz argues that Job should not defiantly insist that he is righteous.\n- Verses 17–19: Eliphaz invites Job to consider the insights of traditional wisdom.\n- Verses 20–35: Eliphaz quotes the insights of traditional wisdom.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.
15:2 mw8h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֶֽחָכָ֗ם יַעֲנֶ֥ה דַֽעַת־ר֑וּחַ וִֽימַלֵּ֖א קָדִ֣ים בִּטְנֽוֹ 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. This verse is the beginning of a question that continues into the next verse, but if you translate it as a statement or as an exclamation, it may be helpful to make it a separate sentence in your translation. Alternate translation: “A wise person does not answer with knowledge of wind or fill his belly with the east wind!”
15:2 j446 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person הֶֽחָכָ֗ם יַעֲנֶ֥ה דַֽעַת־ר֑וּחַ וִֽימַלֵּ֖א קָדִ֣ים בִּטְנֽוֹ 1 Eliphaz is talking about Job in the third person, even though he is speaking to him directly. He is saying that Job himself must not be a wise person, since he has been talking in this way. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “I can tell that you are not a wise person, because you have answered with knowledge of wind, yes, you have filled your belly with the east wind!”
15:2 j447 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj הֶֽחָכָ֗ם יַעֲנֶ֥ה 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **wise** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “Will the wise person answer”
15:2 hd46 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor דַֽעַת־ר֑וּחַ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job’s **knowledge** consisted literally of **wind**. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language, as the UST models. Eliphaz could mean: (1) that Job is talking a lot, making a loud sound, but not saying anything of substance, just as the wind blows loudly but is only air. Alternate translation: “with such bluster” (2) that what Job is saying is insubstantial, as if it were the air that the wind was blowing around. Alternate translation: “with such empty statements”
15:2 h768 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וִֽימַלֵּ֖א קָדִ֣ים בִּטְנֽוֹ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job has literally filled his **belly** with the **east wind**. In this location, the wind from the east brought hot air from the desert. Eliphaz is using this image to portray Job as taking deep breaths so that he can speak at length and then breathing out hot air as he speaks. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language, as the UST models. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “No, a wise man would not be so full of hot air”
15:3 mka2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הוֹכֵ֣חַ בְּ֭דָבָר לֹ֣א יִסְכּ֑וֹן וּ֝מִלִּ֗ים לֹא־יוֹעִ֥יל בָּֽם 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. This verse is the continuation of a question that began in the previous verse, but it may be helpful to make it a separate sentence in your translation. Alternate translation: “No, a wise person does not reason with a word that does not benefit or with words that do not have profit in them!”
15:3 j448 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy הוֹכֵ֣חַ בְּ֭דָבָר לֹ֣א יִסְכּ֑וֹן וּ֝מִלִּ֗ים לֹא־יוֹעִ֥יל בָּֽם 1 Eliphaz is using the terms **word** and **words** to mean what Job has been saying by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “reasoning by saying things that do not benefit and by making statements that do not have profit in them”
15:4 k1xg rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns אַ֭תָּה תָּפֵ֣ר יִרְאָ֑ה 1 For emphasis, Eliphaz is stating the pronoun **you**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **destroy**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “you are completely destroying fear”
15:4 kfj8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יִרְאָ֑ה 1 By **fear**, Eliphaz implicitly means the fear of God, that is, reverent respect for God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “the fear of God” or “reverent respect for God”
15:4 fz3c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy שִׂ֝יחָ֗ה לִפְנֵי־אֵֽל 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Eliphaz is using the term to describe **devotion** that someone would offer to God as one person to another. Alternate translation: “personal devotion to God”
15:5 t4nv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יְאַלֵּ֣ף עֲוֺנְךָ֣ פִ֑יךָ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job’s **iniquity** were a living thing that was teaching his **mouth** what to say. He means that Job is saying wrong things about God in order to excuse his own sin. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you are saying things to excuse your inquity”
15:5 tt4g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝תִבְחַ֗ר לְשׁ֣וֹן עֲרוּמִֽים 1 Eliphaz is using the term **tongue** by association to mean speaking. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you are deliberately speaking as the crafty do” or “you know that you are speaking deceitfully”
15:5 gfb6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj עֲרוּמִֽים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **crafty** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “crafty people”
15:6 j5yb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יַרְשִֽׁיעֲךָ֣ פִ֣יךָ וְלֹא־אָ֑נִי וּ֝שְׂפָתֶ֗יךָ יַעֲנוּ־בָֽךְ 1 Eliphaz is speaking of Job’s **mouth** and **lips** as if they were living things that could **condemn** and **testify against** him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “It is clear from what you say that you are wrong; I do not need to prove that. Indeed, what you say provides evidence that you are wrong”
15:7 dpx3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲרִאישׁ֣וֹן אָ֭דָם תִּוָּלֵ֑ד וְלִפְנֵ֖י גְבָע֣וֹת חוֹלָֽלְתָּ 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You were not born the first man! No, you were not formed to the face of the hills!”
15:7 a7jq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הֲרִאישׁ֣וֹן אָ֭דָם תִּוָּלֵ֑ד וְלִפְנֵ֖י גְבָע֣וֹת חוֹלָֽלְתָּ 1 Eliphaz is implicitly challenging Job not to consider himself wiser than everyone else because, after all, he is not older than everyone else. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “You should not think that you are wiser than everyone else, because you were not born the first man! No, you were not formed to the face of the hills!”
15:7 j449 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole הֲרִאישׁ֣וֹן אָ֭דָם תִּוָּלֵ֑ד וְלִפְנֵ֖י גְבָע֣וֹת חוֹלָֽלְתָּ 1 Eliphaz is overstating his point for emphasis as he challenges Job not to consider himself wiser than others. If a speaker of your language would not make this kind of overstatement, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “You should not think that you are wiser than everyone else, because you are not older than the other wise people in our community”
15:7 v4jt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive הֲרִאישׁ֣וֹן אָ֭דָם תִּוָּלֵ֑ד 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Are you the first person who ever lived”
15:7 j450 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations הֲרִאישׁ֣וֹן אָ֭דָם 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Eliphaz is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “the first human”
15:7 j451 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְלִפְנֵ֖י גְבָע֣וֹת חוֹלָֽלְתָּ 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of something by association with the way people can see the face of a person who is present. By asking whether Job was **formed** in the presence of **the hills**, Eliphaz is asking whether Job was formed at the same time as the hills, that is, long ago. Alternate translation: “and were you formed when the hills were formed”
15:7 j452 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְלִפְנֵ֖י גְבָע֣וֹת חוֹלָֽלְתָּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and did God form you when he formed the hills”
15:7 j453 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche גְבָע֣וֹת 1 Eliphaz is using one part of the earth, its **hills**, to mean all of it as God created it. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the earth”
15:8 s4d8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַבְס֣וֹד אֱל֣וֹהַ תִּשְׁמָ֑ע וְתִגְרַ֖ע אֵלֶ֣יךָ חָכְמָֽה 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You do not hear the counsel of God! You cannot limit wisdom to yourself!”
15:9 afn9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַה־יָּ֭דַעְתָּ וְלֹ֣א נֵדָ֑ע תָּ֝בִ֗ין וְֽלֹא־עִמָּ֥נוּ הֽוּא 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You do not know anything that we do not know! You do not understand anything that we do not understand!”
15:9 dt5n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis תָּ֝בִ֗ין וְֽלֹא־עִמָּ֥נוּ הֽוּא 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “What do you understand that we do not understand?”
15:9 j454 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְֽלֹא־עִמָּ֥נוּ הֽוּא 1 In this context, the expression **with us** indicates understanding. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “that we do not understand”
15:10 j456 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj גַּם־שָׂ֣ב גַּם־יָשִׁ֣ישׁ 1 Eliphaz is using the adjectives **gray-haired** and **aged** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “Both gray-haired people and aged people”
15:10 j455 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet גַּם־שָׂ֣ב גַּם־יָשִׁ֣ישׁ 1 The terms **gray-haired** and **aged** mean similar things. Eliphaz is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “The most senior people”
15:10 e1wm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom בָּ֑נוּ 1 In this context, the expression **with us** indicates agreement. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “agree with us”
15:10 bpjl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj כַּבִּ֖יר מֵאָבִ֣יךָ יָמִֽים 1 Eliphaz is using this adjective phrase as a noun phrase to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this phrase with an equivalent one. Alternate translation: “people who are greater than your father in days”
15:10 j457 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy כַּבִּ֖יר מֵאָבִ֣יךָ יָמִֽים 1 Eliphaz is using the term **days** to refer by association to how long a person has lived. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “people who are greater in age than your father” or “people who are older than your father”
15:11 w8rr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַמְעַ֣ט מִ֭מְּךָ תַּנְחֻמ֣וֹת אֵ֑ל וְ֝דָבָ֗ר לָאַ֥ט עִמָּֽךְ 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You seem to consider the consolations of God to be too small for you. You seem to feel the same way about a word spoken in gentleness to you.”
15:11 j458 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הַמְעַ֣ט מִ֭מְּךָ תַּנְחֻמ֣וֹת אֵ֑ל 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job literally considered the **consolations of God** to be **small** in size. He means that Job does not appear to consider them significant. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do you consider the consolations of God to be insignificant” or “You seem to consider the consolations of God to be insignificant”
15:11 lg22 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns תַּנְחֻמ֣וֹת אֵ֑ל 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **consolations**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “Is what God is doing to comfort you”
15:11 j459 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְ֝דָבָ֗ר לָאַ֥ט עִמָּֽךְ 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “or is a word in gentleness to you too small for you”
15:11 j460 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝דָבָ֗ר לָאַ֥ט עִמָּֽךְ 1 Eliphaz is using the term **word** to mean what he and the other friends have been saying to Job by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “or what we have been telling you in gentleness”
15:11 j461 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וְ֝דָבָ֗ר לָאַ֥ט עִמָּֽךְ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **gentleness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “or what we have been telling you gently”
15:11 j462 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝דָבָ֗ר לָאַ֥ט עִמָּֽךְ 1 It may not seem that Job’s friends have been speaking to him **in gentleness**. Eliphaz has just said that he is wicked and guilty, and the other friends have said similar things. Eliphaz could mean: (1) that he and the other friends have been trying to speak to Job as gently as they could. Alternate translation: “or words that your friends have been speaking to you as gently as they could” (2) that given Job’s apparent disregard for God’s consolations, he and the other friends have been too gentle with Job. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “Perhaps we need to speak even more sternly to you!”
15:12 j463 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַה־יִּקָּחֲךָ֥ לִבֶּ֑ךָ וּֽמַה־יִּרְזְמ֥וּן עֵינֶֽיךָ 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. (This is the beginning of a sentence that Eliphaz completes in the next verse.) Alternate translation: “Your heart should not carry you away and your eyes should not flash”
15:12 bbd3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification מַה־יִּקָּחֲךָ֥ לִבֶּ֑ךָ 1 Eliphaz is speaking of Job’s **heart** as if it were a living thing that could **carry** him **away**. He is using Job’s heart to represent his emotions. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Why are you allowing yourself to become so emotional” or, as a statement, “You should not allow yourself to become so emotional”
15:12 c87r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וּֽמַה־יִּרְזְמ֥וּן עֵינֶֽיךָ 1 Eliphaz is speaking of anger by association with the way that the **eyes** of a person who is angry will appear to **flash** or give off light. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and why are you so angry” or as a statement, “and you should not be so angry”
15:13 q3sz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche כִּֽי־תָשִׁ֣יב אֶל־אֵ֣ל רוּחֶ֑ךָ 1 Eliphaz is using one part of Job, his **spirit**, to mean all of him in the act of turning against God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “that you turn yourself against God”
15:13 v2f5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְהֹצֵ֖אתָ מִפִּ֣יךָ מִלִּֽין 1 Eliphaz is using the term **words** to mean what Job has been saying by using words and the term **mouth** to mean speaking. He is suggesting that the things Job has been saying are inappropriate. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and say such inappropriate things”
15:14 n6c7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מָֽה־אֱנ֥וֹשׁ כִּֽי־יִזְכֶּ֑ה וְכִֽי־יִ֝צְדַּ֗ק יְל֣וּד אִשָּֽׁה 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Man cannot be clean! No, one born of a woman cannot be righteous!”
15:14 z1zl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations אֱנ֥וֹשׁ 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Eliphaz is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a human being”
15:14 u6tx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יִזְכֶּ֑ה 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if people who are innocent of wrongdoing are literally **clean**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he should be innocent”
15:14 j464 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive יְל֣וּד אִשָּֽׁה 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “someone to whom a woman has given birth”
15:14 j465 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy יְל֣וּד אִשָּֽׁה 1 Eliphaz is speaking of human mortality by association with the way that people are **born** physically and, by implication, will also die. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a mortal”
15:15 iv3b rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns לֹ֣א יַאֲמִ֑ין 1 The pronoun **he** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “God does not trust”
15:15 h358 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בִּ֭קְדֹשָׁיו 1 Eliphaz is using the expression **holy ones** to refer to the angels, by association with the way that angels are holy. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in his angels”
15:15 pd53 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֝שָׁמַ֗יִם לֹא־זַכּ֥וּ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if things that are pure are literally **clean**, that is, not physically dirty. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the heavens are not pure”
15:15 j466 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝שָׁמַ֗יִם לֹא־זַכּ֥וּ 1 By **the heavens**, Eliphaz likely means the sky, which is a created object and therefore finite and incapable of perfection. It is unlikely that Eliphaz is referring to heaven, the abode of God, and saying that it is not **clean**, meaning “pure.” You could clarify this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and not even the sky is pure”
15:15 q77f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְעֵינָֽיו 1 Eliphaz is using the term **eyes** by association to mean sight. Sight, in turn, represents attention, perspective, and judgment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from his perspective”
15:16 j467 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis אַ֭ף כִּֽי־נִתְעָ֥ב וְֽנֶאֱלָ֑ח 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “how much less are the abominable and the corrupted clean in his eyes”
15:16 j468 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj נִתְעָ֥ב וְֽנֶאֱלָ֑ח 1 Eliphaz is using the adjectives **abominable** and **corrupted** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “abominable and corrupt people”
15:16 gt36 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet נִתְעָ֥ב וְֽנֶאֱלָ֑ח 1 The terms **abominable** and **corrupted** mean similar things. Eliphaz is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “humans, who are so very wicked”
15:16 j469 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְֽנֶאֱלָ֑ח 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and the corrupt”
15:16 j470 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אִישׁ־שֹׁתֶ֖ה כַמַּ֣יִם עַוְלָֽה 1 Eliphaz seems to be referring implicitly to Job when he speaks of **a man drinking iniquity like water**. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “such as a man like you who drinks iniquity like water”
15:16 we5g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אִישׁ־שֹׁתֶ֖ה כַמַּ֣יִם עַוְלָֽה 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job were literally **drinking** iniquity the way he would drink **water**. He means that Job eagerly and willingly does wrong things, the way thirsty people eagerly and willingly drink water. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a man who freely commits iniquity” or “such as a man like you who freely commits iniquity”
15:18 q3uc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure אֲשֶׁר־חֲכָמִ֥ים יַגִּ֑ידוּ וְלֹ֥א כִֽ֝חֲד֗וּ מֵאֲבוֹתָֽם 1 Eliphaz is not suggesting that **the wise** might have **hidden** something from **their fathers**. He means that they have declared what they learned from their fathers and not hidden any of it from the people of their own generation. It may be helpful to move the information that the wise have **not hidden** what they learned to the end of the sentence. Alternate translation: “what the wise have declared from their fathers and not hidden”
15:18 j471 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj חֲכָמִ֥ים 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **wise** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wise people”
15:18 j472 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations מֵאֲבוֹתָֽם 1 Although the term **fathers** is masculine, Eliphaz is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “from their ancestors”
15:19 psj1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit לָהֶ֣ם לְ֭בַדָּם נִתְּנָ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ וְלֹא־עָ֖בַר זָ֣ר בְּתוֹכָֽם 1 By **them**, Eliphaz means the “fathers” or ancestors whom he described in the previous verse, and by **the land** he probably means Edom and specifically his home city of Teman, which was renowned for its wisdom (see [Jeremiah 49:7](../49/07.md)). By saying that only those ancestors lived there and **no stranger** passed among them, he means that their wisdom was not diluted by outside influences. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “My wise ancestors lived by themselves in Teman, where there were no outside influences to dilute their wisdom”
15:19 yjj4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive נִתְּנָ֣ה הָאָ֑רֶץ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God gave the land”
15:20 j473 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom כָּל־יְמֵ֣י רָ֭שָׁע 1 Eliphaz is using the term **days** to refer to a specific time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “For the whole lifetime of the wicked”
15:20 j474 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רָ֭שָׁע 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the wicked person”
15:20 q88x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit מִתְחוֹלֵ֑ל 1 Eliphaz means implicitly that a wicked person will be **writhing** in pain because God will be punishing him for his sin. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “he is writhing in pain from God’s punishments”
15:20 s474 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וּמִסְפַּ֥ר שָׁ֝נִ֗ים נִצְפְּנ֥וּ לֶעָרִֽיץ 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and the number of years that he must suffer punishment for his own sins, they are reserved for the oppressor”
15:20 caz3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive נִצְפְּנ֥וּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God has reserved them”
15:21 fj8p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy קוֹל־פְּחָדִ֥ים בְּאָזְנָ֑יו 1 Eliphaz is using the term **ears** by association to mean hearing. By saying that the wicked person hears **the sound of terrors**, Eliphaz means by association that he experiences those terrors. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He experiences terrible things”
15:21 j475 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit בַּ֝שָּׁל֗וֹם 1 The word translated **prosperity** can also mean “peace.” Eliphaz could be describing: (1) how wicked people may become prosperous for a time. Alternate translation: “though he may become prosperous,” (2) how wicked people may enjoy peace for a time. Alternate translation: “just when he is at peace,”
15:21 j476 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification שׁוֹדֵ֥ד יְבוֹאֶֽנּוּ 1 Eliphaz is describing how the wicked experience the destruction and loss of their property, and he is speaking of that destruction as if it were a living thing that **comes upon** the wicked. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “his property is suddenly destroyed” or “he suddenly loses his property”
15:22 i3pk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֹא־יַאֲמִ֣ין שׁ֭וּב מִנִּי־חֹ֑שֶׁךְ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if this wicked person has literally gone to a place where there is **darkness** and as if that wicked person does not believe that he can **return** from there. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He does not believe that his troubles will ever end”
15:22 j477 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives לֹא־יַאֲמִ֣ין שׁ֭וּב מִנִּי־חֹ֑שֶׁךְ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this with a positive expression. Alternate translation: “He believes that he will always have troubles”
15:22 j478 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְצָפ֖וּי ה֣וּא אֱלֵי־חָֽרֶב\n\n\n 1 It is possible that this second part of the verse also describes what wicked people **believe**. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and he is afraid that he is selected for the sword”
15:22 j479 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְצָפ֖וּי ה֣וּא אֱלֵי־חָֽרֶב\n\n 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and God has selected him for the sword” or “and God has determined that someone will kill him with a sword”
15:22 lh1i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy חָֽרֶב 1 Eliphaz is using one kind of deadly weapon, the **sword**, by association to mean violent death. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “violent death”
15:23 j480 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes נֹ֘דֵ֤ד ה֣וּא לַלֶּ֣חֶם אַיֵּ֑ה 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “He is wandering for bread, asking where it is” or “He is wandering for bread, wondering where he will find it”
15:23 k4qm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche לַלֶּ֣חֶם 1 Eliphaz is using one kind of food, **bread**, to mean food in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “for food”
15:23 ul3l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יֽוֹם־חֹֽשֶׁךְ 1 Eliphaz is using the term **day** to refer to a specific time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a time of darkness”
15:23 j481 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יֽוֹם־חֹֽשֶׁךְ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if this wicked person knows that a time is coming when there will literally be **darkness** during the day. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a time of great trouble”
15:23 j482 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive נָכ֖וֹן בְּיָד֣וֹ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “that God has prepared for him is at hand”
15:23 gu8g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom נָכ֖וֹן בְּיָד֣וֹ 1 Eliphaz is using the expression **at hand** to mean “nearby,” and he means near in time rather than near in place. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “is prepared and just about to happen”
15:24 e7mb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יְֽ֭בַעֲתֻהוּ צַ֣ר וּמְצוּקָ֑ה 1 Eliphaz is speaking of **Distress** and **anguish** as if they were living things that could **terrify** a wicked person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He is so afraid of what is going to happen to him that he continually feels distress and anguish”
15:24 vur7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet יְֽ֭בַעֲתֻהוּ צַ֣ר וּמְצוּקָ֑ה 1 The terms **Distress** and **anguish** mean similar things. Eliphaz is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “Great distress terrifies him” or “He is so afraid of what is going to happen to him that he continually feels great distress”
15:24 tg34 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns תִּ֝תְקְפֵ֗הוּ 1 The pronoun **it** refers to **Distress and anguish**. Eliphaz is speaking of these two similar things as if they were one thing. Your language may permit you to do that in your translation. Alternatively, it may be more natural in your language to use a plural pronoun. Alternate translation: “they overpower him”
15:25 uuk8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom נָטָ֣ה אֶל־אֵ֣ל יָד֑וֹ 1 When Eliphaz says that the wicked person has **stretched out his hand**, he means specifically that he has **stretched out** a **hand** that is holding a sword or some other weapon. In other words, this expression means to fight against someone. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he has fought against God”
15:26 sx7v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יָר֣וּץ אֵלָ֣יו בְּצַוָּ֑אר בַּ֝עֲבִ֗י גַּבֵּ֥י מָֽגִנָּֽיו 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if a wicked person would literally attack God in this way. He is actually making a comparison to describe the arrogant confidence with which a wicked person defies God. If it would be clearer in your language, you could express this as a comparison rather than as a literal statement. Alternate translation: “He opposes God as if he were a warrior arrogantly attacking God, confident that his thick shield would protect him”
15:26 j483 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יָר֣וּץ אֵלָ֣יו 1 The pronoun **He** refers to the wicked person, while the pronoun **him** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “The wicked person rushes against God”
15:26 j484 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom בְּצַוָּ֑אר 1 This expression refers to the attitude of someone who is holding his neck straight and his head high, displaying arrogant confidence with his posture. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “arrogantly”
15:26 b87u rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown בַּ֝עֲבִ֗י גַּבֵּ֥י מָֽגִנָּֽיו 1 The word “boss” describes the outwardly rounded part of a shield. A warrior would face this part of the shield against an enemy, holding the shield by a handle inside the boss. If a shield had a thick boss, that would protect the warrior against blows from swords and spears, and it would also allow a warrior to use the shield to knock an opponent down and pin him to the ground. If your readers would not be familiar with what **bosses** of **shields** are, in your translation you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “confident that he can use his thick shield to protect himself and attack his opponent”
15:26 db71 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony בַּ֝עֲבִ֗י 1 Eliphaz speaks in this verse of the **thickness* of the shield that the wicked person would use against God, but in the next verse he indicates that the wicked person is actually “fat” and so not in shape physically for combat. So while Eliphaz seems to suggest here that the wicked person is a formidable foe, he actually means the opposite of what he is saying, as the next verse reveals. To help your readers recognize this, if your language has a word that can mean both “thick” and “fat,” it would be appropriate to use that word here in your translation.
15:26 j485 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural גַּבֵּ֥י מָֽגִנָּֽיו 1 By using the plural forms **bosses** and **shields**, Eliphaz seems to be portraying the wicked person as if he were an army or as if he were commanding an army. It may be more natural in your language to use singular forms. Alternate translation: “the boss of his shield”
15:27 uc39 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche כִּֽי־כִסָּ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּחֶלְבּ֑וֹ וַיַּ֖עַשׂ פִּימָ֣ה עֲלֵי־כָֽסֶל 1 Eliphaz is using two parts of the wicked person, his **face** and his **flanks**, to indicate that his whole body is obese. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “though he is very fat”
15:27 j486 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit כִּֽי־כִסָּ֣ה פָנָ֣יו בְּחֶלְבּ֑וֹ וַיַּ֖עַשׂ פִּימָ֣ה עֲלֵי־כָֽסֶל 1 The implication is that the wicked person has a **face** that is **fat** and **flanks** that have **blubber** because he overeats and lives indolently. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “he is very fat because he eats too much and lives a lazy life”
15:28 ki37 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases וַיִּשְׁכּ֤וֹן 1 Eliphaz is using the word **And** to describe what happens to the wicked after he unsuccessfully opposes God. In the previous verse, Eliphaz was describing the former prosperity of the wicked person. In this verse, he is describing what happens to the wicked person after he loses his prosperity. The implication may be that the wicked person needs to live in abandoned places not only because he is poor but also because he is an outcast, that is, because others have rejected him. Alternate translation: “Then he becomes poor and outcast, and so”
15:29 r891 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְלֹא־יָק֣וּם חֵיל֑וֹ 1 See how you translated the term **stand** in [14:2](../14/02.md). Alternate translation: “and his wealth will not remain”
15:29 j488 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְלֹֽא־יִטֶּ֖ה לָאָ֣רֶץ מִנְלָֽם 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [1:10](../01/10.md). Alternate translation: “and they will not have large herds of cattle” or “and he will not have large herds of cattle”
15:29 j487 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns מִנְלָֽם 1 The pronoun **their** refers to wicked people. Since Eliphaz speaks of a wicked person in the singular in the first part of this verse, it may be more natural in your language to use the singular here as well. Alternate translation: “his possessions”
15:30 jpq7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor לֹֽא־יָס֨וּר ׀ מִנִּי־חֹ֗שֶׁךְ 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [15:22](../15/22.md). Alternate translation: “His troubles will never end”
15:30 pm4a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor יֹֽ֭נַקְתּוֹ תְּיַבֵּ֣שׁ שַׁלְהָ֑בֶת 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the wicked person were literally a plant or bush whose **stalks** a **flame** could **dry up** or burn up. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will certainly perish”
15:30 a9ha rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֝יָס֗וּר בְּר֣וּחַ פִּֽיו 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if a hot wind that dried up plants were actually **breath** from God’s **mouth**. (The same image appears elsewhere in the Bible, for example, in [Isaiah 40:7](../isa/40/07.md), “The grass withers, the flower wilts, for the breath of Yahweh blows on it.”) If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, God will destroy him”
15:30 j489 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns פִּֽיו 1 The pronoun **his** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “God’s mouth”
15:30 rxv1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism וְ֝יָס֗וּר 1 Eliphaz is using the word **depart** to mean “die.” This is a mild way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “and he will pass away” or “and he will die”
15:31 lr37 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns אַל־יַאֲמֵ֣ן בשו נִתְעָ֑ה\n\n 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **emptiness** and **recompense**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “Let him not trust in things that have no value… for in return he will receive things that have no value”
15:32 j490 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit בְּֽלֹא־י֭וֹמוֹ 1 Eliphaz assumes that Job will understand that by **his day**, he means the day for the wicked to die. You could say that explicitly if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “When it is not his day to die” or “Before the time would have come for him to die”
15:32 j491 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive תִּמָּלֵ֑א 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “this will happen”
15:32 s26k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝כִפָּת֗וֹ לֹ֣א רַעֲנָֽנָה 1 Eliphaz is continuing the image from the previous verse of the wicked person being like a plant or bush. He is speaking of this plant or bush being alive by association with the way that its branches would be **green** inside if it were alive. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, he will die”
15:33 beb8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile יַחְמֹ֣ס כַּגֶּ֣פֶן בִּסְר֑וֹ וְיַשְׁלֵ֥ךְ כַּ֝זַּ֗יִת נִצָּתֽוֹ 1 The point of these comparisons is that the wicked person will not be able to succeed in his endeavors. They will all end in failure, just as a **grapevine** may not be able to nourish its grapes and so they will fall off while they are still **unripe**, and just as an **olive tree** might lose its **blossoms** due to cold weather in the spring and not bear any fruit that year. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “His endeavors will fail, as if he were a grapevine that lost its grapes because it could not nourish them or an olive tree that bore no fruit because it shed its blossoms due to cold weather in the spring”
15:33 g676 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification יַחְמֹ֣ס כַּגֶּ֣פֶן בִּסְר֑וֹ וְיַשְׁלֵ֥ךְ כַּ֝זַּ֗יִת נִצָּתֽוֹ 1 Eliphaz speaks as if the grapevine itself would **shake off** its grapes and as if the olive tree itself would **cast off** its blossoms. He means that the grapes will drop from the vine and the blossoms will fall off the tree. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will be like a grapevine whose grapes drop off and an olive tree whose blossoms fall off”
15:34 rr5n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj חָנֵ֣ף 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **godless** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “godless people”
15:34 j492 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor גַּלְמ֑וּד 1 This could mean: (1) that godless people literally will have no children or that they will have no children who survive them. Alternate translation: “will have no children who survive them” (2) that godless people will produce nothing of enduring value, as if they had no descendants. Alternate translation: “will produce nothing of enduring value”
15:34 v3q1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ אָכְלָ֥ה אָֽהֳלֵי־שֹֽׁחַד 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if **fire** would literally devour or eat up these **tents**. He means that fire would destroy them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and fire destroys the tents of bribery”
15:34 x22k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ אָכְלָ֥ה אָֽהֳלֵי־שֹֽׁחַד 1 Eliphaz is using the term **bribery** by association to mean people who pay and demand bribes. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and fire destroys the tents of people who engage in bribery”
15:34 j493 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ אָכְלָ֥ה אָֽהֳלֵי־שֹֽׁחַד 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if the **tents** of people who engage in **bribery** will literally burn up in a **fire**. He means that they will be destroyed by one means or another. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the tents of people who engage in bribery will be destroyed”
15:34 j494 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְ֝אֵ֗שׁ אָכְלָ֥ה אָֽהֳלֵי־שֹֽׁחַד 1 Eliphaz is using one possession of wicked people, the **tents** in which they live, to mean all of their possessions and their standing in the community. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See how you translated the similar expression in [8:22](../08/22.md). Alternate translation: “and those who practice bribery will be without status or means”
15:35 u7sb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor הָרֹ֣ה עָ֭מָל וְיָ֣לֹד אָ֑וֶן וּ֝בִטְנָ֗ם תָּכִ֥ין מִרְמָֽה 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if wicked people were literally women who had **trouble**, **iniquity**, and **deceit** as their children. He means that wicked people produce these things in their lives. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “They think of bad things to do and they do wicked things, yes, they intentionally deceive others”
16:intro j3zc 0 # Job 16 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is the beginning of Job’s response to Eliphaz’s second speech. In verses 1–6, Job complains that his friends have not helped him with their advice. In verses 7–22, Job describes how he feels God has made him suffer. Job briefly addresses God directly in verses 7 and 8.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Special Concepts in This Chapter\n\n### “witness,” “advocate,” and “intercessor”\n\n In verses 19–21, Job describes the need for someone to plead his case to God in heaven. This is likely the same figure whom Job calls his “redeemer” in [19:25](../19/25.md). Although Job does not seem to be giving a prophecy knowingly about the Messiah, the role that he describes closely parallels the way that Jesus intercedes for people in heaven. He says that such a person would testify that he had not done wrong (be his “witness”), take his side (be his “advocate”), and plead with God not to punish him (be his “intercessor”). In your translation, use words that describe someone in your culture who does these things for another person. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/intercede]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony]])\n\n## Translation Issues in This Chapter\n\n Variation between singular and plural “you”\n\nIn verses 1–8, Job sometimes uses the singular form of “you” to address either Eliphaz or God and he sometimes uses the plural form of “you” to address all three of his friends together. Notes identify which form he is using in each instance so that you can use the appropriate form in your translation if your language marks a distinction between singular and plural “you.”
16:2 j497 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular all of you 1 As the context suggests, the word **you** is plural here because Job is using it to refer to his three friends. So use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
16:2 t7wj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession comforters of trouble 1 Job is not using this possessive form not to say that his friends are providing comfort to **trouble**. He is using the form to say that in their attempts to be his **comforters**, they are causing him further trouble. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “troublesome counselors”
16:3 p7ga rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion {Is there} an end to words of wind? Or what compels you that you answer? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “I wish that you would stop speaking these words of wind! I do not think anything compels you to answer.”
16:3 g4tp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to words of wind 1 Job is answering Eliphaz with his own words. See how you translated the similar expression in [15:2](../15/02.md). Alternate translation: “to insubstantial words” or “to such bluster”
16:3 j498 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular you answer 1 The word **you** is singular here because Job is using it to refer only to Eliphaz, who has just spoken to him. So use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
16:4 j499 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche if your souls were where my soul is 1 Job is using one part of himself and his friends, their **souls**, to mean all of them. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “if you were in my place”
16:4 j500 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular like you & your souls & against you & at you 1 The word **you** is plural in each of these instances because Job is using it to refer to his three friends. So use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
16:4 mg21 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy I would join words together 1 Job is using the term **words** to mean the things that he would say by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I would say one thing after another”
16:4 bv7s rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction and I would shake my head at you 1 To **shake** the **head** at someone is a symbolic action indicating disapproval. This action may have the same meaning in your culture. If not, your culture may have a comparable gesture that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “and I would point my finger at you”
16:5 j501 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony I would strengthen you with my mouth, and the moving of my lips would relieve {you} 1 For emphasis, Job is saying the opposite of what he means. He does not feel that his friends actually have been strengthening him or relieving him. If a speaker of your language would not say the opposite of what he means for emphasis, in your translation you could indicate what Job actually means. Alternate translation: “I would say things such as you have been saying, thinking that I was strengthening and comforting you, even though saying such things would actually make you feel worse, as you have been making me feel worse”
16:4 i21i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular I would strengthen you 1 The word **you** is plural here because Job is using it to refer to his three friends. So use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
16:5 dvh6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy with my mouth, and the moving of my lips 1 Job is using the terms **mouth** and **lips** by association to mean speaking. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “by what I said, and the things that I spoke”
16:6 vjz7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive my pain is not relieved 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “that does not relieve my pain”
16:6 s8sf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion what goes from me? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “that does not make the pain go away”
16:7 t7qh rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns he has exhausted me 1 The pronoun **he** most likely refers to God, since the following pronoun **you** seems clearly to address God. Job seems to be referring to God in the third person in order to make a transition from speaking to his friends, and he then seems to be addressing God directly in the second person. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “you, God, have exhausted me”
16:7 mrz6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular you have devastated 1 The word **you** is singular here because Job is using it to refer to God. So use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
16:8 pz4y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification and you have shriveled me— it has become a witness, and my leanness rises up against me, it testifies against my face. 1 Job is speaking as if his **shriveled** condition, his **leanness**, were a living thing that was serving as a **witness** and testifying against him. He means that people consider him to be guilty of sin because they believe that God is punishing him with a sickness that has made him lose weight. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and because you have afflicted me with a sickness that has made me emaciated, people consider that to be evidence that I have sinned”
16:8 z1f4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular and you have shriveled me 1 The word **you** is singular here because Job is using it to refer to God. So use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
16:8 wiw6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche against my face 1 Here the word **face** could mean: (1) Job himself, using one part of him to represent all of him. Alternate translation: “against me” (2) Job’s reputation as a righteous person, in a specific sense of the word **face**. Alternate translation: “against my good reputation”
16:9 a6fe rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he has torn {me} and he has attacked me 1 Job is speaking as if God were literally a wild animal that had **attacked** and **torn** him. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this as a comparison. Alternate translation: “he has been like a wild animal tearing and attacking me”
16:9 crc6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure he has torn {me} and he has attacked me 1 Since a wild animal would attack its prey before tearing it, it might be more natural to reverse the order of these clauses. Alternate translation: “he has attacked me and he has torn me”
16:9 j503 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction he gnashes his teeth against me 1 This action expresses strong anger. If there is a similar gesture in your culture, you could consider using it here in your translation. You could also indicate the meaning of this gesture. Alternate translation: “he is so angry at me that he grinds his teeth together”
16:9 c555 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor sharpens his eyes against me 1 Job is speaking as if God, whom he believes is acting towards him as an **enemy**, were literally sharpening his **eyes**, the way one would sharpen a sword in order to use it dangerously as a weapon. He means that God is focusing his eyes intently on him to recognize ways to attack him further and to ensure that he does not escape. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “focuses his eyes intently on me”
16:10 i21w rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction They have gaped at me with their mouth 1 Opening the mouth wide at someone was a symbolic action that expressed ridicule. If there is a similar gesture in your culture, you could consider using it here in your translation. You could also indicate the meaning of this gesture. Alternate translation: “They open their mouths wide at me in order to ridicule me”
16:10 j504 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-collectivenouns with their mouth 1 Since Job is speaking of many people, it may be more natural in your language to use the plural form of **mouth**. Alternate translation: “with their mouths”
16:11 mm84 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the hands of 1 Here, **hands** represents the power and control that people have over something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the power of”
16:11 j505 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the wicked 1 Job is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
16:11 zm7g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he throws me 1 Job is speaking as if God were literally throwing him **into the hands of the wicked**. He means that God is abandoning him to whatever it is that wicked people would want to do to him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he abandons me”
16:12 t8kc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor but he has shattered me, yes, he has seized my neck and shaken me to pieces 1 Job is speaking as if God has literally **shattered** him, breaking him into many parts, and **seized** his neck and **shaken** him **to pieces**. He means that God has destroyed everything important in his life—his possessions, his family, and his health. If it would be clearer in your language, you could express this as a comparison, as the UST does, or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but he has destroyed my possessions, my family, and my health”
16:12 nt7z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor And he has set me up as a target for him 1 Job is speaking as if God has literally **set** him **up as a target**. (He continues this image in the first line of the next verse.) He means that it seems as if God has harmed him very intentionally. If it would be clearer in your language, you could express this as a comparison, as the UST does, or you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Yes, it seems as if he has harmed me very intentionally”
16:13 kx4d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor his archers have surrounded me 1 Job is speaking as if **archers** whom God commands have literally **surrounded** him. He means that God has caused him to experience many different troubles. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly, as long as you also used plain language in the last sentence of the previous verse. Alternate translation: “he has caused me to experience many troubles”
16:13 j506 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns He pierces & and he does not spare & he pours 1 The pronouns **He** and **he** refer to God. Job means that God is doing these things through the symbolic **archers** that he describes in the previous sentence. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use plural pronouns to show that this is a continuation of the image of the archers. Alternate translation: “They pierce my kidneys and do not spare; they pour my bile on the ground”
16:13 j507 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit He pierces my kidneys and he does not spare; he pours my bile on the ground 1 Job means implicitly that these archers are seeking mercilessly to kill him by shooting their arrows into his vital organs. (By saying that God **pours** his **bile** on the **ground**, Job means that God’s archers have pierced his liver as well as his **kidneys**, since the liver produces bile and that fluid would spill out of the body if the liver were pierced.) You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “They are seeking mercilessly to kill me by shooting their arrows into my vital organs”
16:13 e7bp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He pierces my kidneys and he does not spare; he pours my bile on the ground. 1 Job does not mean that arrows have literally pierced his **kidneys** and liver. He is continuing the image of the archers to indicate that it feels to him as if God is mercilessly trying to kill him in a way that he could not possibly survive. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “It feels to me as if God is mercilessly trying to kill me in a way that I could not possibly survive”
16:14 lx7f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He breaches me, breach upon the face of breach 1 Job is speaking as if he were a defensive wall around a city and God was smashing openings or breaches in that wall. He means that the continual sufferings that he is experiencing are making him less and less able to be resilient. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He causes me continual sufferings that are making me less and less resilient”
16:14 j508 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom breach upon the face of breach 1 This expression could mean: (1) that God is smashing openings in many different places in this wall (which represents Job). Alternate translation, if you choose to represent the image in your translation: “smashing openings in many different places in my wall” (2) that after succeeding in smashing an opening in this wall, God smashes repeatedly in the same place to make that opening bigger. Alternate translation: “ever enlarging the opening in my wall”
16:14 r9md rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he runs against me like a warrior 1 Job is speaking as if God were literally running against him the way a **warrior** would run to attack an enemy soldier. Job is answering Eliphaz with his own words. In [15:26](../15/26.md), Eliphaz used the same image to describe how wicked people oppose God. If you used the image or represented it as a comparison in your translation in that verse, you may wish to translate the corresponding image here in the same way. If you used plain language there, you could use similar language here. Alternate translation: “he opposes me very forcefully”
16:15 cnt2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I have sewn sackcloth on my skin 1 Job is speaking as if he had literally **sewn** sackcloth onto his **skin**. He could mean: (1) that he is continually in mourning, as if he wore sackcloth (a sign of mourning) so frequently that it seemed to be **sewn** onto his skin. Alternate translation: “I am continually in mourning” (2) that he actually has been wearing sackcloth (although the narrative at the beginning of the book does not say so) and it has stuck to his skin because of his boils, as if it were sewn to his skin. Alternate translation: “The sackcloth I have been wearing in grief has stuck to my skin”
16:15 hil8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I have thrust my horn into the dust 1 People in the biblical culture used the **horn** of an animal to represent strength and honor. When they did, they would speak of humans as if they had horns like animals. For example, [Psalm 112:9](../psa/112/09.md) says of the person who fears Yahweh, “His horn rises high in honor.” Job is using the image in the opposite way to say that he is suffering disgrace. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am suffering great disgrace”
16:16 l1id rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and on my eyelids {is} a dark shadow 1 Job is describing the fact that he has not been sleeping well, by association with the way that dark circles form around the eyes of someone who lacks sleep. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and I have dark circles around my eyes from lack of sleep”
16:17 cs74 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche violence {is} not in my hands 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **hands**, to mean all of him in the potential act of committing **violence**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have not committed any violence”
16:17 j509 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor {is} pure 1 Job is speaking as if his prayer were literally **pure**, that is, as if it were a physical substance that had nothing else mixed in. He means that when he prays, he means just what he says and he has no other motives other than sincerely speaking with God. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “is sincere”
16:18 xf2z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe Earth, do not conceal my blood 1 Job is speaking to something that he knows cannot hear him, the **Earth**. He is doing that to show in a strong way how he feels about what has been happening to him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly Alternate translation: “I hope that when I die, my blood will remain visible on the earth”
16:18 aj18 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Earth, do not conceal my blood 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally going to be murdered and as if his **blood** were going to fall to the ground and soak into the earth unless something prevented that. He means that he is like the victim of a deadly crime in that he deserves justice but there is a risk that he will not receive it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I want to receive justice for what is happening to me”
16:18 bg2u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe and may {there} not be a {hiding} place for my cry 1 It is likely that Job is continuing to address the **Earth** in this part of the verse. Once again he is doing that in order to show in a strong way how he feels about what has been happening to him. Job is speaking as if the earth could hear him and as if it could make sure that none of its locations would provide a **place** for anyone to hide Job’s **cry** so that it was not answered. The context makes clear that this is a cry for justice. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly Alternate translation: “and I hope that my cry for justice is answered and not hidden”
16:19 z7js rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit my witness {is} in the heavens, and my advocate {is} in the heights 1 See the discussion in the General Notes to this chapter to decide how to translate the terms **witness** and **advocate**, which both describe the same person, someone whom Job expects will intercede for him in heaven. Alternate translation: “the person who has taken my side is pleading my case to God in heaven”
16:20 b5wz rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural My intercessors {are} my friends 1 This could mean: (1) that Job has a single individual in mind here, the one he called his “witness” and “advocate” in the previous verse. While the terms **intercessors** and **friends** are plural, it seems Job could be using plural forms to indicate an indefinite individual. Your language may use plural forms in the same way. If not, you could express the meaning in another way. Alternate translation: “There is a certain intercessor who is my friend” (2) that Job is saying that by contrast with the way this “witness” and “advocate” will take his side, his friends have been scoffing at him. The word translated **intercessors** can also mean “scoffers” (although Job uses it again in [33:23](../33/23.md) to mean “intercessor”). Alternate translation: “My friends are scoffing at me”
16:20 v43g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche my eye weeps to God 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **eye**, to mean all of him in the act of weeping. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am pleading tearfully to God for mercy”
16:21 izh8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person for a man 1 When he refers to a **man** in the first part of this verse, Job seems to be speaking about himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the first person. Alternate translation: “for me”
16:21 kk12 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis and a son of man for his neighbor 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and a son of man argues for his neighbor”
16:21 j510 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases and a son of man for his neighbor 1 In this instance, Job is using the word **and** to say that the phrase it introduces is just as true as the previous phrase. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “just as a son of man argues for his neighbor”
16:21 j511 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations and a son of man with his neighbor 1 Although the terms **son** and **man** are masculine, Job is using phrase **a son of man** in a generic sense to mean “a human being.” If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “just as one human being argues on behalf of another human being”
16:22 j512 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom years of number will come 1 Job is using the expression **years of number** to mean “a few years.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a few years will go by”
16:22 z81v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism and I will go {on} a path, I will not return 1 When Job says that he will **go** on a **path** and **not return**, he means that he will die. This is a mild way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “and I will pass away” or “and then I will die”
17:intro rs6g 0 # Job 17 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is the conclusion of Job’s response to Eliphaz’s second speech. Job expresses his disappointment with his friends’ advice, he asks Yahweh to help him, and he wishes that he had good things to hope for.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.
17:1 j513 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole My spirit is destroyed, my days are extinguished 1 Job is making an overstatement when he says that his **spirit** has already been **destroyed** and his **days** have already been **extinguished**. He means that this is nearly the case. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My spirit is nearly destroyed, my days are nearly extinguished”
17:1 j514 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive My spirit is destroyed, my days are extinguished 1 If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “My troubles have nearly destroyed my spirit and extinguished my days”
17:1 c8r6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche My spirit 1 This could mean: (1) Job’s life. Job would be using one part of himself, his **spirit**, to mean all of him. Alternate translation: “My life” (2) Job’s strength and morale. Alternate translation: “My strength” or “My morale”
17:1 yjx4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom my days are extinguished 1 Job is using the term **days** to mean a specific period of time, his lifetime. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “my life is extinguished”
17:1 j515 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor my days are extinguished 1 Job is speaking as if his life were literally a flame that something had **extinguished** or snuffed out. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “my life is almost over”
17:1 j516 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural graves {are} for me 1 While the term **graves** is plural, it seems unlikely that Job means he will be buried in more than one grave. (1) Job could be using the plural form to indicate an indefinite thing. Your language may use plural forms in the same way. If not, you could express the meaning in another way. Alternate translation: “there is a grave ready for me somewhere” (2) Job could be speaking of a graveyard or cemetery by association with the way that such a place contains many **graves**. Alternate translation: “the graveyard is ready for me”
17:1 awv1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism graves {are} for me 1 Job is saying that **graves** are ready for him to mean that he will die soon. This is a mild way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “soon I will die”
17:2 jf81 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom If {there are} not mockers with me? 1 Job is using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “There are mockers with me, are there not?”
17:2 z26q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion If {there are} not mockers with me? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Surely there are mockers with me!”
17:2 j517 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person If {there are} not mockers with me? 1 By **mockers**, Job most likely means his friends. He would be speaking of them in the third person even though they are present. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “All three of you have been mocking me!”
17:2 wp1h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche And on their provocations my eye lingers 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **eye**, to mean all of him in the act of seeing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, using the second person: “Yes, all I can see is your provocations”
17:2 wr6q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns And on their provocations my eye lingers 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **provocations**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “Yes, all I can see is you provoking me”
17:2 j518 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit And on their provocations my eye lingers 1 The implication is that Job’s friends have only been provoking him, not comforting him, because otherwise he would be able to recognize their comfort. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “You have only been provoking me, not comforting me”
17:3 j519 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular Please set down, be surety for me with you 1 The word **you** and the implied “you” in the imperative **set** and in the imperative **be surety for** are singular because they refer to God. So use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
17:3 fwk5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Please set down, be surety for me with you. 1 Job is speaking as if God would literally **set down**, that is, surrender to a court, something of value in order to guarantee Job’s appearance in court and good conduct. Job is similarly speaking as if God would literally **be surety** for him, that is, personally guarantee his appearance and conduct. Job speaks this way even though he says at the same time that God himself would be trying his case (that is the meaning of **with you**). Your culture may have a similar custom that you could use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “Please put up a bond for me even as you try my case”
17:3 l8dv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who {is} he {who} will strike himself to my hand? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “No one else will strike himself to my hand”
17:3 j520 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction Who {is} he {who} will strike himself to my hand? 1 Job is speaking of one person striking his hand against a second person’s hand as a symbolic action in order to show that he was committing himself to serve as a guarantor for that second person. Your culture may have a similar practice that you can use in your translation, and you can also explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “No one else will shake hands with me to pledge that he will be my guarantor”
17:4 j521 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases For 1 Job is using the word **For** to explain the reason why he said in the previous verse that he believed no one else would be a guarantor for him. Alternate translation: “My friends will not be my guarantors because”
17:4 fbr7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor you have covered their hearts from understanding 1 Job is speaking as if God had literally **hidden** the **hearts** of his friends somewhere where their hearts would not come in contact with **understanding**. Within the context of this image, Job is using the heart to represent the mind. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “for you have kept their minds from understanding”
17:4 y4ne rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit you will not exalt {them} 1 Job means implicitly that since God has kept his friends from understanding that he is innocent, God will not **exalt** or honor his friends by giving a guilty verdict against him, thereby vindicating what the friends have been saying. That would be allowing error to triumph. You could indicate that explicitly in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “you will not vindicate what they have been erroneously saying by giving a guilty verdict against me”
17:5 kb8z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche He {who} denounces friends for a reward, even the eyes of his sons will fail. 1 Job is using one thing that God does to maintain justice, punish those who commit perjury for a bribe, to represent all that God does to maintain justice. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “After all, you maintain justice by punishing people who corrupt court proceedings”
17:5 i5ps rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism even the eyes of his sons will fail 1 Job is speaking of how the **eyes** of people who are dying **fail** (no longer see) in order describe those people dying. This is a poetic way of speaking about death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “his sons will certainly die”
17:5 j522 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations his sons 1 Although the term **sons** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both sons and daughters. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “his children”
17:6 j523 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns But he has made me 1 The pronoun **he** refers to God. After briefly speaking directly to God in verses 3 and 4, Job now speaks of God once again in the third person. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “But God has made me”
17:6 kzr9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit a saying of the peoples 1 Job is using the word **saying** to mean that the **peoples** are citing him by name as an outstanding example of someone who seemed to be prospering because he was righteous but who came to ruin because he was actually wicked. Your language may have an expression for this practice of citing people by name as examples that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “a byword for the peoples”
17:6 me7l rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction and I have become a spitting in the face 1 People were **spitting** in Job’s **face** as a symbolic action to show their contempt for him as a wicked person, which he appeared to them to be. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “and people have even been spitting in my face to show their contempt for me because they think I am a wicked person”
17:7 a9ip rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and my eye is dim from sorrow 1 Job is using the term **eye** by association to mean sight. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “because of my sorrow, I can only see dimly”
17:7 my86 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile {are} like a shadow 1 The point of this comparison is that just as a **shadow** is insubstantial, so Job’s **members**, that is, the parts of his body, have become very thin. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “have become as thin as a shadow”
17:8 g1f9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj The upright & and the innocent & the godless 1 Job is using the adjectives **upright**, **innocent**, and **godless** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “Upright people … and innocent people … godless people”
17:9 j524 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj And the righteous & and the clean of hands 1 Job is using the adjectives **righteous** and **clean** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “And righteous people & and people whose hands are clean”
17:9 r9ay rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor will hold his way 1 Job is speaking of how God wants a person to live, or of the future that God has planned for a person, as if that were a **way** or path that God wants the person to walk along. When Job says that the **righteous** will **hold** his way, he means that that person will continue to walk along that path. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will continue to live as God desires”
17:9 lqi9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and the clean of hands 1 Job is speaking as if people who are innocent of wrongdoing have **hands** that are literally **clean**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and innocent people”
17:9 lx6m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom will add strength 1 When Job says that innocent people **will add strength**, he means by this expression that they will continually grow stronger. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will grow stronger and stronger”
17:10 e43i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person all of them 1 Job is speaking about his friends in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “all of you”
17:10 e7nv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys may you return, and come 1 This phrase may be expressing a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. The word **return** tells in what way Job wants his friends to **come**. He wants them to try speaking with him “again.” If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “come again”
17:10 j525 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj a wise {person} among you 1 Job is using the adjective **wise** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. The ULT indicates this by adding the word **person**. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “anyone among you who is wise”
17:11 nba8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom My days have passed 1 Job is using the term **days** to refer to a specific time, his lifetime. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “My life is almost over”
17:11 j526 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive my plans are broken 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “I will not be able to fulfill my plans”
17:11 f9nn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification the desires of my heart 1 Job is speaking of his **heart** as if it were a living thing that could have **desires**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the things that I deeply desired”
17:12 m8i8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor They change night into day 1 Job is speaking about troubled times in life as if they were literally **night** and happy, prosperous times in life as if they were literally **day**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “They claim that what is happening to me is actually good”
17:12 m4j6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They change 1 The pronoun **They** refers to Job’s friends. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “My friends change”
17:12 j527 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person They change 1 Job is speaking about his friends in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “You, my friends, change” or “You change”
17:12 j528 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations Light is near from the face of darkness 1 Many interpreters believe that in this sentence, Job is summarizing what his friends have been telling him. You may wish to represent the sentence in your translation as a direct quotation. Alternate translation: “You say, ‘Light is near from the face of darkness’”
17:12 fif1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Light is near from the face of darkness 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of something, by association with the way that people can see the face of a person who is present. Alternate translation: “Light is near from the presence of darkness”
17:12 j529 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-proverbs Light is near from the face of darkness 1 Job may be using a proverb, a short, popular saying about something that is generally true in life, to summarize what his friends have been telling him. Or his friends may have been quoting this proverb themselves in their advice to Job. Your language may have a similar saying that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “It’s always darkest before the dawn”
17:13 j530 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy in the darkness 1 Job is using the term **darkness** to mean the realm of the dead, Sheol, by association with the way that it is dark there. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in the realm of the dead”
17:13 h88c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche {if} in the darkness I have spread out my bed 1 Job is using the single activity of preparing a **bed** on which to sleep to mean all that is involved in making a place one’s home. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “if I have made my home in the realm of the dead”
17:14 j531 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes {if} I call to the pit, ‘You {are} my father,’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “if I tell the pit that it is my father” or “if I call the pit my father”
17:14 uwb3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy {if} I call to the pit, ‘You {are} my father,’ 1 If Job said this, he would be saying that **the pit** was his home, by association with the way that a person lives in the home of his **father**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “if I call to the pit, ‘You {are} my home’”
17:14 j532 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe {if} I call to the pit, ‘You {are} my father,’ 1 If Job did speak this way to **the pit**, that is, to the realm of the dead, he would be speaking to something that he knew could not hear and understand him in order to make an emphatic statement. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly Alternate translation: “if I said that the pit was certainly going to be my home”
17:14 j533 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’ 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “or if I call to the worm and say, ‘You are my mother,’ or, ‘You are my sister’”
17:14 e6lb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’ 1 If Job said this to a **worm**, such as would be found in a grave, he would be saying that the grave was going to be his home, by association with the way that a person shares a home with his **mother** and **sister**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “or if I call to the worm, ‘I am going to share the grave with you’” or “or if I call to the worm, ‘I am going to be in a grave, just as you are’”
17:14 j534 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-apostrophe to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’ 1 If Job did speak this way to a **worm**, he would be speaking to something that he knew could not hear and understand him in order to make an emphatic statement. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly Alternate translation: “if I said that I was certainly going to be in a grave”
17:14 j535 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun to the worm 1 Job is not referring to a specific **worm**. He means any worm. Express this in the way that would be most natural in your language. Alternate translation: “to a worm”
17:14 nrr3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown to the worm 1 A **worm** is a small creature that burrows through the ground, passing the soil through its digestive system in order to extract the nutrients that it contains. Worms also pass whatever else they find underground through their digestive systems, including dead bodies. If your readers would not be familiar with what a worm is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable creature in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “to a small burrowing creature”
17:15 zb7d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion where then {would be} my hope? And my hope, who would see it? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “then I would not have any real hope! No, I would not have any hope that anyone could see!”
17:15 j536 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns where then {would be} my hope? And my hope, who would see it? 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **hope**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “then I would not really have anything to hope for! No, I would not have anything to hope for that anyone could see!”
17:16 h77p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will they descend to the bars of Sheol? If {our} rest {will be} together in the dust?” 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “Then they would descend to the bars of Sheol! Then our rest would be together in the dust!”
17:16 j537 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural Will they descend 1 The pronoun **they** refers to the hope that Job described in the previous verse. Job may be using a plural term to speak of the hope that he said would not be and the hope that he said no one would see, even though this is basically the same hope. If it would be more natural in your language, you could use a singular pronoun in your translation. Alternate translation: “Will it descend” or, as a statement, “Then it would descend”
17:16 yx83 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy to the bars of Sheol 1 Job is using the term **bars** to mean “gates,” by association with the way that bars keep a gate locked. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to the gates of Sheol”
17:16 j538 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit to the bars of Sheol 1 Job means implicitly that if his hope went down to the **bars** or gates of Sheol, it would be admitted there. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “to Sheol and be admitted there”
17:16 z16e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism If {our} rest {will be} together in the dust 1 Job is speaking of having **rest** in the **dust** to mean “die.” This is a poetic way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “Will we die together” or “Will my hope die with me”
17:16 ajw5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification If {our} rest {will be} together in the dust 1 Job is speaking of his hope as if it were a living thing that could have **rest**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do I have nothing more to hope for in this life”
18:intro qk5f 0 # Job 18 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nIn this chapter, Job’s friend Bildad speaks to him for a second time. As Eliphaz did in his second speech to Job in chapter 15, Bildad speaks more strongly to Job in this speech than he did in his first speech. Using much of the same language that Job used in chapters 16 and 17, Bildad defends himself and the other two friends and warns Job that God will punish him severely if he continues to be wicked (as Bildad believes him to be).\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.
18:2 b4en rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Until when will you make ends of words 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You should make an end of words right now!” or “It is not helpful for you to keep saying such things!”
18:2 jpp1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Until when will you make ends of words 1 Bildad is using the term **words** to mean what Job has been saying by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Bildad is answering Job by using the same language that Job used in in [16:3](../16/03.md). See how you translated the expression “an end to words” there; **ends of words** here is a slight variation. Alternate translation: “For how long will you keep talking”
18:2 j539 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural will you make & Consider 1 The pronoun **you** and the implied “you” in the imperative “Consider” are plural. Bildad may be using these plural forms because he is answering Job in his own words and Job addressed “all of you” (meaning his three friends) when he asked in 16:3](../16/03.md), “Is there an end to words of wind?” Bildad could be portraying Job as representative of a group of people who think and speak as he does. If your language marks a distinction between singular and plural “you,” it may be more natural to use singular forms in your translation.
18:3 b16n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Why are we regarded as beasts, stupid in your eyes? 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “We should not be regarded as beasts, stupid in your eyes!”
18:3 v7r1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive Why are we regarded as beasts 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Why do you regard us as beasts”
18:3 j540 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile as beasts 1 Bildad is using this comparison to say that just as **beasts** have no understanding, so Job regards his friends as having no understanding. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “as beasts that have no understanding”
18:3 yk9u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy in your eyes 1 Bildad is using the term **eyes** by association to mean sight. Sight, in turn, represents attention, perspective, and judgment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from your perspective”
18:3 pdy5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural your eyes 1 The word **your** is plural here, like the word “you” in the previous verse. Since Bildad is addressing Job, it may be more natural to use the singular form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
18:4 zm4p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person The one tearing himself in his nose 1 Bildad is speaking about Job in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “You who tear yourself in your nose”
18:4 j542 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit The one tearing himself in his nose 1 Bildad is continuing to answer Job in his own words. In [16:9](../16/09.md), Job spoke as if God were literally a wild animal that had **torn** him in his anger. Bildad is saying that it is actually Job who is tearing himself apart in his own anger. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “It is you who are tearing yourself apart in your anger”
18:4 ug9i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion will the earth be forsaken for your sake, or will the rock move from its place? 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “The earth will not be forsaken for your sake, and the rock will not move from its place!”
18:4 r5lg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive will the earth be forsaken 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “will people forsake the earth” or “will people stop living on the earth”
18:4 zyh5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit or will the rock move from its place 1 Bildad is continuing to answer Job in his own words. In [14:18–19](../14/19.md), Job said to God, “you destroy the hope of man,” and he compared that to the way “a rock moves from its place.” This could be a reference to an earthquake or a landslide. Bildad is implying that Job is being overly grandiose by comparing his individual situation with great natural events. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. It may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “It is not as if your individual situation is a great earthquake!”
18:5 e2fi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the light of the wicked goes out; the flame of his fire will not shine 1 Bildad is speaking of the happiness and prosperity of a wicked person as if those things were literally a **light** or **flame**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “any happiness or prosperity that wicked people enjoy will not last for very long”
18:5 d868 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the wicked 1 Bildad is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wicked people” or, since Bildad uses the singular **his** later in the verse, “a wicked person”
18:6 uj2t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor The light in his tent will be dark, and his lamp will go out above him. 1 Bildad is continuing to speak of the happiness and prosperity of a wicked person as if those things were literally a **light** or **lamp**. He is also continuing to answer Job in his own words. In [17:12](../17/12.md), Job said that his friends were telling him that light must be near because it was presently so dark in his life. Bildad is saying here in response that wicked people may be in the light, but soon it will become dark for them. To help make this clear to your readers, it may be helpful to use the same language here that you used in [17:12](../17/12.md). Alternate translation: “Even though a wicked person may have light, darkness is near” or “Even though a wicked person may experience prosperity, soon he will have trouble instead”
18:7 fxl3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche The steps of his strength will shorten 1 Bildad is using one sign of weakness, a shortening stride, to indicate weakness in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will become weak”
18:7 j543 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession the steps of his strength 1 Bildad is using this possessive form to speak of **steps** that are characterized by **strength**. It may be more natural for you to express this meaning using a form other than a possessive. Alternate translation: “His vigorous stride will shorten”
18:7 bgk5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification and his plan will cast him down 1 Bildad is speaking of a **plan** that a wicked person might make as if it were a living thing that could **cast him down**, that is, throw him or make him fall onto the ground. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and his schemes will only harm him in the end”
18:8 t3iw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he will be cast into a net by his feet, and he will wander into a pitfall 1 Bildad is speaking as if a wicked person would literally be caught in a **net** or **pitfall**. He means that such a person will experience troubles that will keep him from fulfilling his plans. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he will experience troubles that will keep him from fulfilling his plans”
18:8 fl11 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification he will be cast into a net by his feet 1 Bildad is speaking of the **feet** of a wicked person as if they were a living thing that could **cast** him **into a net**. The implication seems to be that if the feet of the wicked person, rather than his eyes and his mind, are determining where he is going, he will walk into dangers unawares. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he will walk unawares into a net”
18:8 wa1n rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown a pitfall 1 A **pitfall** is a type of trap for animals. To make it, people dig a pit in the ground and cover it with netting. They then put plant materials all over the netting to make it appear that the trap is just ordinary ground. If your readers would not be familiar with what a pitfall is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable object in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “a concealed trap”
18:9 t6fv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor A snare will seize {him} by the heel; a trap will hold onto him. 1 Bildad is continuing to speak of a wicked person as if he would literally be caught in a **snare** or **trap**. If you decided in the previous verse to express the meaning of this image rather than retain it in your translation, you could restate the meaning here. Alternate translation: “Yes, a wicked person will not be able to succeed; he will fail because of all the trouble that he causes for himself”
18:9 jr8g rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown A snare will seize {him} by the heel 1 A **snare** was a device that people in this culture used to catch birds. It consisted of a loose loop of cord inside which a hunter would put seeds or other bait. When a bird came inside the loop to eat the bait, the hunter would pull on the cord and catch the bird by its feet. A snare might also have a mechanism that a bird would trigger automatically by stepping inside the loop. Bildad is speaking as if this would happen to a wicked person, so that he would be caught **by the heel**. If your readers would not be familiar with what a snare is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable object in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “He will step into a device that will seize his foot”
18:9 j544 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown a trap 1 By **trap**, Bildad means some other device for catching birds or animals. Interpreters are unsure exactly what this device is. The word Bildad uses suggests the idea of braiding, and so this could be a net of some kind. Alternate translation: “a net”
18:10 u5yk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor His rope is hidden on the ground, and his trap for him {on} the path 1 Bildad is continuing to speak of a wicked person as if he would literally be caught by a **rope** or **trap**. If you decided in the previous two verses to express the meaning of this image rather than retain it in your translation, you could restate the meaning in another way here.
18:10 j545 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession His rope & and his trap 1 In these possessive forms, **His** and **his** are the objects rather than the subjects of **rope** and **trap**. That is, Bildad is not speaking of a rope and trap that the wicked person owns but of a rope and trap that will catch the wicked person. Alternate translation: “The rope that will catch him and the trap that will catch him”
18:10 q4wx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive His rope is hidden in the ground 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “The ground is concealing the rope that will catch him”
18:10 xp42 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown His rope 1 By **rope**, Bildad means some further device for catching birds or animals. He seems to mean some larger device for catching animals that would work the same way as a “snare” that catches birds. A hunter might hide a loop of rope **in the ground** and pull on the rope to catch an animal once it stepped inside the loop. Alternate translation: “a loop of rope to catch him”
18:10 f193 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis and his trap for him {on} the path 1 Bildad is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and a trap is hidden for him on the path”
18:10 j546 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown and his trap 1 It is unclear whether Bildad is talking about a specific type of **trap** here. He may be using a general term for any device that would catch a bird or animal. If your language has such a general term, it would be appropriate to use it here in your translation.
18:11 ln1g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification and they will chase him at his feet 1 Bildad is speaking of these **Terrors** as if they were a living thing that could **chase** a wicked person the way a dog or wolf would, nipping at his **feet** to disable him so that he could not run away to safety. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he will not be able to escape from these troubles”
18:12 v7el rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification His strength becomes hungry 1 Bildad is speaking of the **strength** of a wicked person as if it were a living thing that could become **hungry**. He means that a wicked person’s strength becomes weakened as if by hunger. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He is weakened as if by hunger”
18:12 j547 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive and disaster {is} prepared 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who has done the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “and God has prepared disaster”
18:12 zbs5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor at his side 1 Bildad is speaking as if **disaster** were literally at the **side** of a wicked person. He means that it will strike him as soon as there is opportunity. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “to strike him as soon as there is opportunity”
18:13 u5is rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns It devours parts of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his parts 1 The pronoun **It** refers to **the firstborn of death** later in the verse. If it would be clearer in your language, you could put the noun phrase in the first part of the verse and the pronoun in the second part of the verse. Alternate translation: “The firstborn of death devours parts of his skin; it devours his parts”
18:13 mrr7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom the firstborn of death 1 The expression **the firstborn of death** means the strongest kind of death or a terrible kind of death. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a deadly disease”
18:13 j548 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession his parts 1 Since the pronoun **his** in this possessive form refers to the wicked person as a whole, it is likely that the word **parts** describes his arms and his legs. Alternate translation: “his arms and his legs”
18:14 m1gl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive He is pulled 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, from the context it appears that this may be terror itself, since terror seems to be personified in the second part of the verse. Alternate translation: “Terror pulls him”
18:14 j549 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification He is pulled & and one marches him 1 If terror is indeed the agent that Bildad says pulls the wicked person from his tent, then Bildad is speaking of terror as if it were a living thing that could do this. He actually means that the disasters that cause a wicked person to feel terror also deprive him of safety and security. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The disasters that cause him to feel terror take him away … and they march him”
18:14 r3dq rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns and one marches him to the king of terrors 1 The pronoun **one** probably refers to terror. The pronoun is feminine, as is the word “terror,” and Hebrew speakers sometimes used feminine pronouns to represent feminine subjects they had not yet named but which they had in mind. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “and terror marches him to its king”
18:14 atl1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification and one marches him to the king of terrors 1 If the pronoun **one** does refer to terror, then Bildad is speaking of terror as if it were a living thing, a soldier, who could march a captured enemy to his **king** as a prisoner. Once again Bildad would be using terror to mean the disasters that cause a wicked person to feel terror. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the disasters that cause him to feel terror bring him to the king of terrors”
18:14 j550 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom and it marches him to the king of terrors 1 Like the expression “the firstborn of death” in the previous verse, the expression **the king of terrors** here is a superlative. It means the worst terror there is, specifically, death. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the disasters that cause him to feel terror ultimately cause him to die”
18:15 j551 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns One will dwell in his tent 1 The pronoun **One** is feminine in this verse, as in the previous verse, and so it may refer once again to terror. (However, interpreters have a range of understandings of what this verse means.) Alternate translation: “Terror will dwell in his tent”
18:15 n4sy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit {which is} not to him 1 Bildad means implicitly that the **tent** will no longer belong to the wicked person, probably because he will be dead (a prisoner of the “king of terrors,” death, as the previous verse describes). You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “which will be abandoned because he is dead”
18:15 fpm9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive sulfur is scattered upon his home 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “God scatters sulfur upon his home” or “God destroys his home by raining burning sulfur on it”
18:16 uul5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Below, his roots dry up, and above, his branch withers. 1 Bildad is speaking as if the wicked person were literally a tree that dies from lack of moisture. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He fails in every aspect of life and finally he dies”
18:16 u1by rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun his branch 1 Bildad is not referring to a specific **branch**. He means every branch on the tree that he is using to symbolize the wicked person. If you retain the image in your translation, it may be more natural in your language to use a plural form. Alternate translation: “his branches”
18:17 m6xw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession His memory 1 Bildad is using this possessive form to mean other people’s **memory** of the wicked person, not the wicked person’s memory of things. Alternate translation: “The memory of him”
18:17 j552 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy from the earth 1 Bildad is using the term **earth** by association to mean the people who live on the earth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from among the people who live on the earth”
18:17 y9j9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy name 1 Here, **name** represents a person’s fame and reputation. Alternate translation: “reputation”
18:17 fs6r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor upon the face of the land 1 Bildad is speaking as if the surface of the land or ground were literally its **face**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “upon the surface of the land”
18:18 er2m rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They will drive him from light into darkness 1 The pronoun **They** is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. If it would be more natural in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: “He will be driven from light into darkness”
18:18 w8ix rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor They will drive him from light into darkness 1 Bildad is using the term **light** to represent life and the term **darkness** to represent death. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will be driven from among the living into the abode of the dead”
18:18 dr9v rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns and they will chase him from the world 1 The pronoun **they** is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: “yes, he will be chased from the world”
18:20 wn9y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-merism The ones after will wonder at his day, and the ones before will seize horror 1 Bildad is using two groups of people to mean all people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. This could mean: (1) people who live after God punishes the wicked person and people who were alive beforehand and recognized that God would punish the wicked person. Alternate translation: “The way God punishes him will make a great impression on everyone who ever hears of him” (2) people who live to the west of the wicked person and people who live to the east of the wicked person. Alternate translation: “The way God punishes him will make a great impression on the people who live all around him”
18:20 j553 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj The ones after & the ones before 1 If Bildad is speaking of people who live **after** and **before** God punishes the wicked person, then he is using those adjectives as nouns to mean certain groups of people. The ULT adds the word **ones** in each case to suggest this. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “Those who live after him … those who see what is going to happen to him”
18:20 r4pt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom his day 1 Bildad is using the term **day** to mean what happens to the wicked person at a particular time, the time when God punishes him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what happens to him when God punishes him”
18:20 j554 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor will seize horror 1 Bildad is speaking as if **horror** were literally an object that people could **seize**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will become horrified”
18:21 da3s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Surely these {are} the dwellings of the wicked, and this {is} the place of one {who} does not know God. 1 Bildad is speaking as if all the misfortunes he has described were literally the **dwellings** of wicked people, the **place** where they live. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “this is what will happen to the wicked, yes, this is the fate of one who does not know God”
18:21 j555 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the wicked 1 Bildad is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
19:intro vq57 0 # Job 19 General Notes\n\n## Structure and Formatting\n\nThis chapter is Job’s response to Bildad’s second speech. It is structured as a chiasm. (See the discussion of that poetic form in the General Introduction to Job.)\n- Verses 1–7: Job rebukes his friends for not being sympathetic to him.\n- Verses 8–1: Job uses images to describe how God has made him suffer.\n- Verses 13–19: Job describes how his family and friends have abandoned him.\n- Verses 20–21: Job uses images to describe how God has made him suffer.\n- Verse 22: Job rebukes his friends for not being sympathetic to him.\n- Verses 23–24: Job wishes that people would hear his defense and he foresees that God will vindicate him.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem.\n\n## Special Concepts in This Chapter\n\n### Job’s Faith\n\nIn verses 25–27, Job shows the great depth of his faith in God even after suffering so much. Job believes that even if God is treating him unfairly now, God will ultimately do the right thing. Job does not understand that God is actually not treating him unfairly. But the faith and confidence that he nevertheless has in God are remarkable. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/faith]])
19:2 xxa9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Until when will you afflict my soul and crush me with words? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You have afflicted my soul and crushed me with words for long enough!”
19:2 j556 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular will you afflict & crush me 1 The word **you** is plural here and through verse 5 because Job is addressing his three friends, so use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
19:2 j557 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche my soul 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **soul**, to mean all of him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “me”
19:2 r3lw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and crush me with words 1 Job is speaking as if his friends could literally **crush** him with their **words**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and discourage me deeply with your words”
19:2 j558 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy with words 1 Job is using the term **words** to mean what his friends have been saying by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “by what you have been saying”
19:3 k4th rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom ten times 1 The expression **ten times** means “many times,” not literally ten times, no more and no less. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “many times”
19:3 uy8e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-sentences you are not ashamed, you mistreat me 1 In this sentence structure, the verb **mistreat** is dependent on the verb **ashamed**. It may be more natural in your language to use a different sentence structure. Alternate translation: “you are not ashamed to mistreat me”
19:4 bfn1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit my error remains with me 1 Interpreters are not certain what Job means by this statement. He could mean: (1) that any sin he might have committed would be his own private concern. This would be consistent with his rebuke of his friends for reproaching him publicly as a sinner. Alternate translation: “that would be my own private concern” (2) that he would be the only one who would know for sure whether he had sinned. Alternate translation: “that would be for me to determine”
19:5 z7gm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit you will exalt yourselves above me and plead my disgrace against me 1 See how you translated the similar use of the term **exalt** in [17:4](../17/04.md). Alternate translation: “you want to prove that you are right and I am wrong by appealing to the way that I am suffering”
19:6 gb9h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and his net has closed around me 1 Job is speaking as if a **net** that God had set as a trap had literally **closed around** him. Job is answering Bildad in his own words, but Job is making the net a symbol of the unjust punishment of the innocent rather than of the just punishment of the wicked. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, he has unfairly punished me even though I am innocent”
19:7 zyg9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom I cry, ‘Violence!’ 1 The expression **Violence!** refers generally to mistreatment, including but not limited to actual violence. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I cry, ‘Someone is mistreating me’”
19:7 j559 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes I cry, ‘Violence!’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “I protest that someone is mistreating me”
19:7 j560 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive but I am not answered 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “but no one answers me”
19:7 i4w8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns but {there is} no justice 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **justice**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “but no one ensures that I am treated justly”
19:8 dpr7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He has walled up my way and I do not pass 1 Job is speaking of his life as if it were a **way** or path that he was walking along, and he is speaking as if God had built a wall to block that path so that he could not continue on it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See how you translated the similar image in [3:23](../03/23.md). Alternate translation: “God has kept me from being able to overcome my troubles and resume my regular life”
19:8 ly9g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and he has set darkness upon my paths 1 In a parallel image, Job is speaking of his activities as if they were **paths** on which he was walking, and he is speaking as if God had made it so dark on those paths that he could not walk on them because he could not see where he was going. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, God has prevented me from knowing the right things to do”
19:9 hjr9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He has stripped my glory from upon me 1 Job is speaking as if the **glory** or honor that he formerly had were literally an article of clothing that God had **stripped** from him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He has taken away the honor that I formerly had”
19:9 rf7s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and he has removed the crown of my head 1 Job is speaking as if he had formerly been wearing an actual **crown**, a symbol of ruling authority, and that God had **removed** that crown from his **head**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, he has deprived me of the authority I once had”
19:9 j561 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession the crown of my head 1 Job is using this possessive form to speak symbolically of a crown that he once wore on his head. In the context, the phrase **the crown of my head** does not mean the very top of Job’s head. Alternate translation: “the crown that I once wore on my head”
19:10 tiq1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He has broken me down on every side 1 Job is speaking as he were literally a building and God had **broken** him **down** completely. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He has destroyed everything in my life”
19:10 r4pd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and I have gone away 1 Job is speaking as if he has literally **gone away** or left the area where he was formerly living. See how you translated the similar expression in [14:20](../14/20.md). If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Job is speaking of what he expects to happen imminently as if it had already happened. Alternate translation: “and I am about to die”
19:10 jd8w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile and he has removed my hope like a tree 1 Job is using this comparison to say that just as a tree will not grow again once it has been completely uprooted, so he believes that God has taken away his hope forever. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “and he has taken away my hope forever, just as an uprooted tree will never grow back”
19:10 v64y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns and he has removed my hope like a tree 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **hope**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “and he has kept me from ever hoping again, just as an uprooted tree will never grow back”
19:11 p3my rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor And he has kindled his nose against me 1 Job is speaking as if God had literally **kindled** his anger or set it on fire. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And he has allowed himself to become very angry with me”
19:12 wkz6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor His troops come together, and they build up their ramps against me, and they encamp around my tent 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally a city and God had sent **troops** to lay siege to that city, building **ramps** by which they could get over its walls. Job is likely speaking of the troubles he is experiencing as if they were soldiers whom God had sent to attack him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God has made me experience many kinds of troubles, and they are causing me more and more distress”
19:12 fg89 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and they encamp around my tent 1 Job continues the military image but changes it slightly when he speaks as if he were literally a **tent** around which an enemy army had encamped. Job may be picturing himself as one of a number of soldiers who are all staying in tents but whose camp an enemy army has surrounded. Or Job may be using the word **tent** simply to mean the place where he lives, that is, his life. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, I am experiencing troubles in many different aspects of my life”
19:13 zk2b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He has put my brothers far from me 1 Job is speaking as God had removed his **brothers** to a distance from him. Job is actually speaking of the diminished quality of the relationship he now has with them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He has caused my brothers to withdraw from me”
19:13 j563 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom my brothers 1 Job is probably using the word **brothers** to mean close relatives, both male and female, who may not literally be his siblings. Your language may use that word or an equivalent term in the same way. If not, you could express the meaning in plain language. Alternate translation: “my close relatives”
19:13 iv61 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and my acquaintances indeed have turned away from me 1 Job is speaking as if his **acquaintances** had literally **turned away** from him, that is, turned to face in another direction so that they could not see him or turned and walked away from him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and my acquaintances now act as if they do not even know me”
19:14 l2e7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and my familiar friends have forgotten me 1 Job is speaking as if his **familiar friends** had literally **forgotten** him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “act as if they never knew me”
19:15 kz75 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession Guests of my house 1 Job is using this possessive form to refer to people who have stayed in his **house** as **Guests**. Alternate translation: “People who once stayed in my house as guests”
19:15 y376 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy in their eyes 1 Job is using the term **eyes** by association to mean sight. Sight, in turn, represents attention, perspective, and judgment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from their perspective” or “as far as they are concerned”
19:16 x8ak rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit I call to my servant, but he does not answer 1 In this context, the word **call** implicitly means “summon” and the word **answer** implicitly means “obey.” You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I summon my servant, but he does not obey and come to me”
19:16 j564 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun to my servant 1 Job is not referring to a specific **servant**. He means all of his servants. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “to my servants”
19:16 hds8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy with my mouth I entreat him 1 Job is using the term **mouth** to mean by association what he has to say with his mouth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have to speak pleadingly to him”
19:17 dgg7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche My breath is strange to my wife 1 This could mean: (1) that Job is using one part of himself, his **breath**, to mean all of himself. In verses 13–19, Job is talking about how all of his friends and relatives now treat him as if they did not know him. In verses 13 and 15, Job uses words related to the word that the ULT translates as **strange** in this verse. Alternate translation: “I am like a stranger to my wife” (2) that Job is referring literally to his **breath** and saying that because of his sickness, it smells bad and is offensive to his wife. Alternate translation: “Because of my sickness, my breath smells bad and is offensive to my wife”
19:17 ufr3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession though I was gracious to the sons of my womb 1 Job could be using the possessive form **of my womb** to mean: (1) the womb of his wife. Job would be speaking of the children that they had together. Alternate translation: “even though we had children together and I treated them kindly” (2) the womb of his mother. Job would be speaking of his siblings, probably meaning his close relatives as in verse 13, and he would be using a different root, with the same letters as the root that means “to be gracious,” that means “to be loathsome.” Alternate translation: “and I am loathsome to my close relatives”
19:18 fp7g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit let me arise, and they speak against me 1 This could mean implicitly: (1) that when Job stands up to speak, younger people who should listen respectfully (see [32:6–7](../32/06.md)) contradict him instead. Alternate translation: “when I stand up to speak, younger people disrespectfully contradict me” (2) that when Job tries to stand up, struggling because of his sickness, children make fun of him. Alternate translation: “when I struggle to stand up, they make fun of me”
19:19 uf7f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession the friends of my counsel 1 Job is using this possessive form to describe the **friends** with whom he took **counsel**, that is, the friends with whom he shared his private thoughts and whose advice he asked. Alternate translation: “the friends in whom I confided”
19:19 t7hn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive have been turned against me 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “have turned against me”
19:20 j565 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh 1 Job is not referring to a specific **bone**. He means all of his bones. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “My bones cling to my skin and to my flesh”
19:20 lt45 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh 1 Job is speaking of this representative **bone** as if it were living thing that could **cling** to his **skin** and **flesh**. He means that his bones are right next to his skin and flesh, that is, all of the muscle in between has wasted away. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am just skin and bones”
19:20 ud4z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and I have escaped with the skin of my teeth 1 Job is speaking as if he had barely **escaped** from some disaster and he is describing what little he was able to escape with. He could mean: (1) that the **skin of his teeth**, that is, his gums, are the only part of his skin that his disease is not affecting. Alternate translation: “and my gums are the only part of my skin that my disease is not affecting” (2) that his teeth have fallen out so that only his gums are left. Alternate translation: “and all my teeth have fallen out”
19:21 ux63 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-reduplication Pity me, pity me 1 Job is repeating the verb **Pity** in order to intensify the idea that it expresses. If your language can repeat words for intensification, it would be appropriate to do that here in your translation. If not, your language may have another way of expressing the emphasis. Alternate translation: “Please have pity on me”
19:21 tbg5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the hand of God has touched me 1 Here the **hand of God** represents the power and activity of God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God is powerfully afflicting me”
19:22 g28h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Why do you pursue me as God {would}? And will you not be satisfied with my flesh? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “You should not pursue me as God would! You should be satisfied with my flesh!”
19:22 c296 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile Why do you pursue me as God {would} 1 The point of this comparison is that just as God would **pursue** someone relentlessly to make sure that sin was punished appropriately, so Job’s friends have been relentlessly insisting that he has sinned. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “Why do you insist relentlessly that I have sinned” or, as a statement, “You should not insist relentlessly that I have sinned”
19:22 y17f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom And will you not be satisfied with my flesh 1 Job is likely alluding to a popular expression. In this culture, if someone accused another person maliciously, people said that he was “eating the pieces” of that person. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And will you never stop accusing me maliciously” or, as a statement, “yes, you should stop accusing me so maliciously”
19:23 r9n7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom Who will give {that} now my words will be written down? Who will give {that} they will be inscribed on a scroll? 1 See how you translated the expression **Who will give** in [11:5–6](../11/05.md). Alternate translation: “I wish that my words would now be written down! I wish that they would be inscribed on a scroll!”
19:23 j566 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit Who will give {that} now my words will be written down? Who will give {that} they will be inscribed on a scroll? 1 In context, Job is suggesting that this is actually unlikely, even though he wishes that it could happen. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “It is unfortunate that my words cannot be written down. It is unfortunate that they cannot be inscribed on a scroll”
19:23 j567 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive my words will be written down 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “someone will write down my words”
19:23 llm4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my words 1 Job is using the term **words** to mean what he has been saying by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what I have been saying”
19:23 ti7g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they will be inscribed on a scroll 1 Job is speaking as if he wanted his **words** literally to be **inscribed** or engraved on a **scroll**. He could mean: (1) that he wants someone to record them meticulously on a scroll. Alternate translation: “they will be recorded on a scroll” (2) that he wants someone to engrave them onto a copper sheet. Alternate translation: “they will be inscribed on a copper sheet”
19:23 j568 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive they will be inscribed 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “someone will inscribe them”
19:24 gz9c rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown With a stylus of iron 1 A **stylus** was an iron tool that people in this culture used to engrave writing onto hard surfaces. They would strike the stylus with another tool such as a hammer in order to remove tiny pieces of the surface a little at a time in order to create letters. For better visibility, they would sometimes then fill these letters with lead, which is a soft metal that they could pound into shape. If your readers would not be familiar with what a stylus is, in your translation you could use the name of a comparable object in your culture, or you could use a general expression. Alternate translation: “With a small iron tool cutting tool”
19:25 j569 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast But 1 Job is using the word translated **But** to draw a contrast between what he has just suggested is unlikely, that his claims of innocence will be recorded for posterity, and something that he is very confident about, that his **redeemer** will ultimately vindicate him as innocent. In your translation, you may wish to introduce this verse in a way that will indicate this contrast more explicitly. Alternate translation: “But even though it is unlikely that my claims of innocence will be recorded for posterity,”
19:25 j570 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns I know {that} 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the word translated **know**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “I know very well {that}”
19:25 j571 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit my redeemer lives 1 Job means implicitly that even though he expects to die, his **redeemer** will still be alive to vindicate him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “even though I expect to die soon, my redeemer will still be alive”
19:25 q57z rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown my redeemer 1 A **redeemer** was a close relative who would take responsibility to do whatever was necessary to help another family member who was threatened or in need. Your language and culture may have a name for a person who fulfills this role, and you could use that name in your translation. You could also use a general expression. Alternate translation: “the close relative who will vindicate me”
19:25 j573 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-extrainfo my redeemer 1 As Job indicates in the next verse, he believes that God will be his **redeemer**. This is similar to the way that Job speaks in [16:19](../16/19.md) of having an “advocate” in heaven and to the way that he asks God in [17:3](../17/03.md) to be his “surety.” Since Job speaks of God in the next verse, you do not need to explain in this verse that God is the **redeemer** whom Job is expecting. It may even be that Job wishes to generate some suspense and attention by not naming the redeemer right away, and it would be good to give your readers that same experience.
19:25 j574 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj at the last 1 Job is using the adjective **last** as a noun to mean a certain time. This could mean: (1) a “later” time, after Job has died. Alternate translation: “after I have died” (2) that Job is the “last” time, the time at the end of the world. Alternate translation: “at the end of the world”
19:25 yy3q rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction he will stand 1 In this culture, people stood up when they were about to speak. This was a symbolic action by which they indicated that they had something important to say and commanded the attention of the people they wanted to listen to them. In this context, the important thing that the redeemer had to say would be that Job was innocent. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “he will stand and speak in my defense”
19:25 j575 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy upon the dust 1 Job is using the term **dust** by association to mean the earth, on whose surface there is dust. This may also be a poetic allusion to the fact that Job would be dead and at “rest” in the “dust,” as he said in [17:16](../17/16.md). If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “upon the earth”
19:26 j576 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns and {that} after my skin, they strike this off 1 The pronoun **they** is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: “and that after my skin has been stricken off”
19:26 t5gt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and {that} after my skin, they strike this off 1 Job is speaking as if someone or something might literally **strike** the **skin** off his bones. He could mean: (1) that his body will decay so that only the bones are left. Alternate translation: “and that even after my body decays so that only the bones are left” (2) that worms, such as he mentioned in [17:14](../17/14.md), will eat the skin off his bones. Alternate translation: “and that even after worms eat the skin off my bones”
19:26 j577 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit from my flesh 1 Job could be saying that he will **behold God**: (1) from the vantage point of his flesh, that is, from within his body. This would be an implicit expression of faith and confidence in the resurrection of the body. Alternate translation: “from within my resurrected body” (2) apart from his flesh, that is, as a spirit after death. Alternate translation: “as a spirit after death”
19:26 p2pl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit I will behold God 1 As the General Notes to chapter 13 discuss, in this culture, a subject would be able to look a sovereign in the face if the sovereign favored that subject. Job seems to be alluding here to that cultural norm. The implication is that God will no longer consider him guilty but acknowledge that he was innocent all along. Job indicates in the previous verse that God will also acknowledge his innocence publicly to everyone on earth. Alternate translation: “I will be able to look God in the face because he will affirm that I am innocent”
19:27 j578 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism I will behold for myself and my eyes will see 1 These two phrases mean similar things. Job is using repetition to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them. Alternate translation: “I myself will see very clearly”
19:27 j579 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns I will behold 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the verb translated **will behold**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “I will certainly behold”
19:27 m1wt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche and my eyes will see 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **eyes**, to mean all of him in the act of seeing. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “and see with my own eyes”
19:27 k566 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis and not a stranger 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. In this context, the word **stranger** means “someone else.” But it is also an allusion to what Job said in verse 15, that people who knew him now regard him as a “stranger.” Alternate translation: “and it will not be someone else who beholds him”
19:27 c3pc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor My kidneys fail within my belly 1 Here, the **kidneys** figuratively represents the emotions. Job is saying that he is overcome with emotion at the thought of seeing God. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I am overcome with emotion at this thought”
19:28 np8p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes If you say, ‘How we will persecute him! For the root of the matter is found in me,’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “If you say that you are still going to persecute me because you believe that the root of the matter is found in me”
19:28 j580 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular you say 1 The word **you** is plural here because Job is addressing his three friends, so use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
19:28 ddd3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the root of the matter 1 Job is saying that his friends might speak as if his situation were literally a plant that had a **root**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the cause of the problem”
19:28 j581 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person in me 1 Job seems to begin this hypothetical saying of the three friends as a direct quotation but finish it as an indirect quotation, saying **in me** rather than “in him.” It may be more natural in your language to finish the quotation as a direct quotation. Alternate translation: “in him”
19:29 j582 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy of the face of the sword 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of someone or something by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “of the presence of the sword”
19:29 tw35 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche of the face of the sword 1 Job is using one kind of severe punishment, execution by a **sword**, to mean severe punishment in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “that God may punish you severely”
19:29 t8gg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns {from} wrath {is} the punishment of the sword 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **wrath**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “when God becomes angry at people for being wicked, God punishes them severely”
19:29 n1i1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns {there is} judgment 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **judgment**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “that God punishes wickedness justly”
20:intro p78g 0 # Job 20 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\n This chapter is the second speech of Job’s friend Zophar. In this chapter, Zophar speaks more strongly to Job than he did the first time spoke to him.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\nTranslation Issues in This Chapter\n\n### Zophar answering Job with his own words\n\nIn [7:8](../07/08.md), as Job was appealing to God, he said, “The eye of the one seeing me will not regard me; your eyes will be on me, but I will not exist.” Zophar says in [20:9](../20/09.md) about the wicked person, “The eye that saw him will not continue.” Job said in [7:10](../01/01.md) of himself as a mortal person, “He will not return again to his house, and his place will not know him again.” Zophar says of the wicked person in [20:9](../01/01.md), “his place will no longer observe him.” In both instances Zophar is suggesting that Job himself is a wicked person, using Job’s own words.\n\nSimilarly, Zophar says in [20:27](../20/27.md) of the wicked person that “the heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will raise itself up against him” as a witness. In [16:18](../16/18.md), Job called upon the earth to see that he received justice, and in [16:19](../16/19.md), Job said that he had an advocate in the heavens. So Zophar is likely answering Job once again in his own words, implying that Job himself is a wicked person of the type that he has been describing in his speech.\n\nTo help your readers appreciate how Zophar is answering Job with his own words, you may wish to translate what Zophar says in these instances similarly to the way you translated what Job said earlier.\n\n### Indelicate Images that Zophar Uses\n\nAs noted above, Zophar speaks strongly to Job in this speech. He uses a couple of images drawn from bodily functions that people in your culture might consider it indelicate to include in a Bible translation. If so, you could use comparable images. Zophar says in [20:7](../20/07.md) of the wicked person, “he will perish forever like his dung.” You could refer to something else that disappears completely, saying, for example, “he will perish forever like the dust that the wind blows away.” Zophar says of the wicked person in [20:15](../20/15.md), “He swallows wealth, but he will vomit it.” You might say instead something such as, “Though he may become rich, he will lose all his money.”
20:2 j583 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases Therefore 1 Zophar is using the word **Therefore** to introduce the reason he is about to give for why he is speaking to Job again. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “This is why”
20:2 eef1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification my thoughts turn me back 1 Zophar is speaking of his **thoughts** as if they were a living thing that could **turn** him **back**, that is, make him turn around and return to Job as if he had left him. He means that he wants to speak to Job again and share what he is thinking in response to what Job has just said. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I need to speak to you again and tell you what I am thinking”
20:2 wy6h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo because of my urgency in me 1 It might seem that this expression contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: “because I feel such urgency”
20:3 m5c5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession a rebuke of dishonor to me 1 Zophar is using this possessive form to describe a **rebuke** that he feels has brought **dishonor** to him. It may be helpful clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “a rebuke that dishonors me”
20:3 pk2s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification but a spirit from my understanding answers me 1 Zophar is speaking as if there were a **spirit** in his **understanding** that could **answer** him, that is, show him how to respond to Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but I have had a good idea that enables me to understand how I should respond”
20:4 um5p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you {not} know this from long ago, from the placing of man upon the earth 1 Zophar is using the question form for emphasis. (The question continues into the next verse.) If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Surely you are aware of this from long ago, from the placing of man upon the earth”
20:4 j584 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche Do you {not} know this from long ago, from the placing of man upon the earth 1 Zophar is speaking as if Job himself should have known **from long ago** what he is about to say. He means that Job is one member of the human community that has known this for as long as it has existed and that as a member of that community, Job should know it because it has been passed down to him through traditional wisdom. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Surely you are aware of this traditional wisdom that we have received from our earliest ancestors”
20:4 j585 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche from the placing of man upon the earth 1 Zophar is using one thing that God did when he created people, **placing** them on the **earth**, to mean all that God did in creating people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “ever since God created man”
20:4 j586 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations from the placing of man upon the earth 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Zophar is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “ever since God created people”
20:5 nhc5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion that the triumph of the wicked {is} from near, and the joy of the godless {is} for a moment? 1 In this verse, Zophar completes the question that he began in the previous verse, using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “that the triumph of the wicked {is} from near, and the joy of the godless {is} for a moment!”
20:5 ubq8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the wicked 1 Zophar is using the adjective **wicked**, which is plural, as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
20:5 j587 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom {is} from near 1 Zophar is using this expression to mean that the **triumph** of the **wicked** does not extend very far, and he means that it does not extend in time rather than in space. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “does not last very long”
20:5 u62f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the godless 1 Job is using the adjective **godless**, which is singular, as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the godless person”
20:5 j588 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun the godless 1 Zophar is not referring to a specific **godless** person. He means all godless people. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “godless people”
20:6 v8z8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Though his height rises to the skies and his head reaches to the cloud 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person might literally become so tall that his head would be at the same level as **cloud** in the **skies**. He means that a wicked person might become very prosperous and powerful. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Though a wicked person may become very prosperous and powerful”
20:6 by93 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun to the cloud 1 Zophar is not referring to a specific **cloud**. He means the many clouds that appear in the sky. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “to the clouds”
20:7 b9xv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like his dung 1 The point of this comparison may be the one that Zophar makes explicitly, that a wicked person will perish **forever** as **dung** perishes forever. However, the point of the comparison could also be that just as people consider **dung** a loathsome substance and dispose of it, people will consider a wicked person to be loathsome and not commemorate him in any way. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “and no on will commemorate him, because they consider him so loathsome”
20:7 sfs4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes will say, ‘Where {is he}?’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “will ask where he has gone”
20:7 j589 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Where {is he}? 1 The people who are asking about the wicked person are using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “He is gone completely!”
20:8 rep3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He will fly away 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person would literally **fly away**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will vanish”
20:8 j590 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like a dream 1 The point of this comparison is that just as when a **dream** ends, the person who had the dream realizes that it was not real, so it will be as if the wicked person had never existed. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “as if he had never existed”
20:8 byk9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns and they will not find him 1 **They** is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: “and no one will be able to find him”
20:8 j591 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive and he will be chased away 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “he will flee”
20:8 j592 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He will fly away 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person would literally **be chased away** or flee. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will disappear”
20:9 xu8t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche The eye {that} saw him will not continue 1 Zophar is using one part of a person, his **eye**, to mean all of that person in the act of seeing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Anyone who previously saw him will not continue to see him”
20:9 x7cu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification and his place will no longer observe him 1 As Job did in [7:10](../07/10.md), Zophar is speaking here of a person’s **place** of residence as if it were a living thing that could **observe** that person. The idea is that the place where the person once lived will not have occasion to observe him again because he will never return to that place. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he will no longer live in his former place of residence”
20:10 v5ee rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-infostructure His children will recompense the poor, and his hands will return his wealth 1 You may find it more natural to put the information about what a wicked person will have to do while he is still alive before the information about what his children will have to do after he dies. Alternate translation: “His hands will return his wealth, and his children will recompense the poor”
20:10 lji7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche and his hands will return his wealth 1 Zophar is using one part of a wicked person, his **hands**, to mean all of him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he will return his wealth”
20:10 j593 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and his hands will return his wealth 1 The implication is that this is **wealth** that a wicked person obtained fraudulently or by oppression and that he has been required to **return**. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and he will have to return the wealth that he obtained fraudulently and by oppression”
20:11 re6y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche His bones are full 1 Zophar is using one part of a wicked person, his **bones**, to mean his whole body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His body is full”
20:11 je7r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism but it will lie down with him in the dust 1 Zophar is using the phrase **lie down … in the dust** to mean “die.” This is a poetic way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “but it will die with him”
20:11 j594 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification but it will lie down with him in the dust 1 Zophar is speaking of the **vigor** of a wicked person as if it were a living thing that could **lie down in the dust** or die. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but he will die while he is still young and strong”
20:12 w36z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor wickedness is sweet in his mouth 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person could literally put **wickedness** in his **mouth** and taste it and find it **sweet**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he enjoys wickedness”
20:12 j595 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns wickedness is sweet in his mouth 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **wickedness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “wicked things are sweet in his mouth” or “he enjoys doing wicked things”
20:12 nj4p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he hides it under his tongue 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person might hide wickedness **under his tongue**. The image is of a person tucking something sweet under his tongue to make it last longer so that he can savor it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he savors it” or “he savors doing wicked things”
20:13 d1n2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he has pity on it and does not forsake it 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person would literally have **pity** on wickedness and **not forsake it**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he is reluctant to let it go” or “he is reluctant to stop doing wicked things”
20:13 j596 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor but keeps it in the midst of his palate 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person would literally hold wickedness against the roof of his mouth so that he could savor it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but continues to savor it” or “but continues to savor doing them”
20:14 n7jw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor his food changes in his bowels; {it becomes} the bitterness of asps inside him 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person literally eats wickedness and that it turns into **the bitterness of asps** (that is, the poison of those snakes) when he starts to digest it. Zophar means, within the context of the image, that the wicked person gets a painfully upset stomach. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the consequences of his wicked actions turn out to be very unpleasant and he suffers greatly from them”
20:14 lnj1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown the bitterness of asps 1 The term **asps** describes a certain type of poisonous snake. If this snake, or snakes in general, would not be familiar to your readers, you could use a general term. Alternate translation: “snake poison” or “reptile poison”
20:15 hs62 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He swallows wealth, but he will vomit it; God will expel it from his belly. 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person would literally swallow **wealth** but then **vomit** it back up again, and as if God would literally **expel it** or force it out of **his belly**, presumably by causing him to vomit. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He is greedy to become rich, but he will lose all his money; God will cause him to lose it”
20:16 l7yk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He will suck the poison of asps 1 Zophar is speaking as if a wicked person would literally **suck** the **poison of asps**. This could mean: (1) that Zophar is alluding to the images in verses 12 and 13 of a wicked person savoring wickedness as if it were something he held under his tongue or against the roof of his mouth. Zophar would be saying that the delicacy that the wicked person savors or sucks turns out to be poison, meaning something that will kill him. Alternate translation: “In the end, the wickedness that he savors will kill him” (2) that an asp will bite the wicked person and he will absorb its **poison** as if he had sucked it in. This would be a more general statement. Alternate translation: “Something deadly will destroy him”
20:16 m2pa rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the tongue of the viper will kill him 1 Zophar may be reflecting a belief of his culture that the forked tongue of a snake was sharp and that snakes injected poison into people and animals by piercing them with their tongues. If Zophar understood, as people today now understand, that snakes inject their poison through their fangs after biting their victims, then Zophar would be using the term **tongue** by association to mean the mouth and thus the fangs. Alternate translation: “the fangs of the viper will kill him” or “a viper will kill him by biting him and injecting him with poison through his fangs”
20:16 dg2b rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown asps & the viper 1 See how you translated the word “asps” in in [20:14](../20/14.md). A **viper** is another kind of poisonous snake If these snakes, or snakes in general, would not be familiar to your readers, you could use general terms. Alternate translation: “snakes … the poisonous snake” or “reptiles … the poisonous reptile”
20:16 rf6c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun the viper 1 Zophar is not referring to a specific **viper**. He means one that might bite a wicked person. Alternate translation: “a viper”
20:17 j597 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet the streams, the rivers of torrents of 1 The terms **streams**, **rivers**, and **torrents** mean similar things. Zophar is using the three terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “the deeply flowing streams of”
20:17 nb52 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the streams, the rivers of torrents of honey and butter 1 Zophar is speaking as if **streams**, **rivers**, and **torrents** could literally flow with **honey** and **butter**. He is referring to the abundant quantities of these things with which God would bless a righteous person. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the abundant quantities of honey and butter with which God blesses righteous people”
20:17 w9e5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche the streams, the rivers of torrents of honey and butter 1 Zophar is using two agricultural products, **honey** and **butter**, to mean agricultural products in general and thus, in this culture, wealth in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the abundant wealth with which God blesses righteous people”
20:18 th8a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit his gain 1 It is clear from the next verse, as well as from v. 10, that by **gain** here, Zophar implicitly means money that a wicked person has made by dishonest means. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “his ill-gotten gain”
20:19 j598 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the poor 1 Zophar is using the adjective **poor** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “poor people”
20:19 j599 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives and he did not build it 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this as a positive expression. Alternate translation: “that someone else built” or “that belonged to someone else”
20:20 j600 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he has not known satisfaction in his belly 1 Here, the **belly** or stomach represents a person’s desires, and specifically in this context greedy desires. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he has not experienced the satisfaction of his greedy desires”
20:20 j601 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns he has not known satisfaction in his belly 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **satisfaction**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “he could never satisfy his greedy desires”
20:20 j602 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj he will not rescue {any} desired {thing} of his 1 Zophar is using the adjective **desired** as a noun to mean a certain kind of thing. The ULT adds the word **thing** to show that. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “he will not rescue any of the things that he desired”
20:20 zi35 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives he will not rescue {any} desired {thing} of his 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this with a positive expression. Alternate translation: “he will lose all of the things that he desired”
20:21 e2vt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit There is no remnant for his eating 1 This could mean implicitly: (1) Alternate translation: “There is nothing left after he has eaten” (2) Alternate translation: “There is nothing left for him to eat”
20:22 j603 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor In the filling of his wealth 1 Zophar is speaking of the **wealth** of a wicked person as if he were a container that could become full. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Even if he becomes very wealthy,”
20:22 k3n2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom it will become narrow to him 1 Zophar is using this expression to mean that the wicked person will experience great distress. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “he will be in dire straits” or “he will experience great distress”
20:22 j604 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj every hand of the troubling will come against him 1 Zophar is using the adjective **troubling** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the hand of every person who causes trouble will come against him”
20:22 tq3y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy every hand of the troubling will come against him 1 Here, **hand** represents the power and activity of a person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “every person who causes trouble will work against him”
20:22 j605 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole every hand of the troubling will come against him 1 Zophar says **every** here as a generalization for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “people who cause trouble will work against him”
20:23 j606 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns He will be {about} to fill his belly, he will send the burning of his nose against him, and he will rain {it} upon him in his eating. 1 The pronoun **He** at the start of this verse, the two instances of **him**, and the second instance of **his** refer to the wicked person, while the two instances of **he** later in the verse and the first instance of **his** refer to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “The wicked person will be about to fill his belly, and God will send the burning of his nose against that wicked person, yes, God will rain it upon that person while that person is eating”
20:23 i6l2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and he will rain {it} upon him 1 Zophar is speaking as if God would literally make his anger **rain** on a wicked person. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, he will punish him severely”
20:23 d4yy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit in his eating 1 Interpreters are not certain what Zophar means by this expression. It could mean: (1) Alternate translation: “while he is eating” (2) Alternate translation: “upon his flesh” or “upon his body” (3) Alternate translation: “with his arrows” or “with his weapons”
20:24 x5uw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He flees from a weapon of iron, a bow of bronze pierces him 1 Zophar is speaking as if different soldiers were using a **weapon of iron** and a **bow of bronze** to attack the wicked person he is describing. Zophar is using these weapons to represent dangers. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He may escape from one danger, but another danger will overtake him”
20:24 kj9m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit He flees from a weapon of iron, a bow of bronze pierces him 1 Since a **bow of bronze** is a more powerful and deadly weapon than a **weapon of iron** such as a sword or spear, Zophar implicitly means that if a wicked person escapes from one danger, a greater danger will overtake him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “He may escape from one danger, but a greater danger will overtake him”
20:24 j607 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy a bow of bronze 1 Zophar is using the term **bow** by association to mean an arrow from a bow. If you decide to retain this image in your translation, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “an arrow that someone shoots using a bronze bow”
20:25 j608 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He pulls, and it comes out of his back, and the gleaming goes out of his liver. Terrors {are} upon him 1 Zophar is continuing to speak as if someone had shot an arrow into the wicked person he is describing. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “The wicked person realizes that the danger that has overtaken him is going to destroy him”
20:25 j609 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the gleaming 1 Zophar is using the term **gleaming** by association to mean an arrow whose metal point gleams in the sunlight. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the arrow”
20:25 puf6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural Terrors {are} upon him 1 Zophar could be using the plural form, **Terrors**, in an intensive sense to mean the worst of terrors, that is, death, as in [18:14](../18/14.md). Alternate translation: “He is terrified because he realizes that he is going to die”
20:26 w5yg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole All darkness is hidden 1 Zophar says **all** here as a generalization for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “Great darkness is hidden”
20:26 j610 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor All darkness is hidden 1 Zophar is using the term **darkness** to represent troubles. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Great troubles are hidden”
20:26 j611 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive All darkness is hidden 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who has done the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “God has hidden great troubles”
20:26 j612 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor All darkness is hidden 1 Zophar is speaking as if God had literally **hidden** darkness, representing troubles. He could mean: (1) that God has reserved those troubles to destroy the treasured possessions of the wicked person he is describing. Alternate translation: “God has reserved great troubles” (2) that it is as if those troubles were an animal that had **hidden** itself so that it could pounce on the possessions of the wicked person. Alternate translation: “Great troubles are lying in wait”
20:26 j613 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive for his treasured things 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “for the things that he treasures”
20:26 syj5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive a fire not blown will devour him 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “a fire that no one has blown on to kindle will devour him”
20:26 w47r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit a fire not blown will devour him 1 The implication is that no human being will have **blown** on this **fire** to kindle it; God will send the fire. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “A fire that God sends will devour him” or “God will send fire that will devour him”
20:26 qsw9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor a fire not blown will devour him 1 Zophar is speaking as if **fire** were literally going to **devour** or eat up this wicked person. Within the context of the image, he means that the fire will burn him up, and the image of fire itself represents God destroying the wicked person. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God will destroy him”
20:26 j614 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor it will consume the remnant in his tent 1 Zophar is continuing to speak as if **fire** were literally going to **consume** this wicked person and his possessions. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, God will completely destroy everything in his tent, leaving nothing”
20:26 j615 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy it will consume the remnant in his tent 1 Zophar is using one possession of this wicked person, the **tent** in which he lives, to mean all of his possessions. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, God will completely destroy all of his possessions, leaving nothing”
20:27 v1vg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification The heavens will reveal his iniquity, and the earth will raise itself up against him. 1 Zophar is speaking as if the **heavens** and the **earth** were living things that could testify against this wicked person. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “If the sky could speak, it would testify that it had observed his iniquity; if the earth could speak, it would raise itself up against him”
20:27 j616 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction and the earth will raise itself up against him 1 Zophar means that the earth would **raise itself up**, that is, stand up, against this wicked person as a symbolic action to indicate that it had something important to say. In this context, the important thing that the earth had to say would be that the wicked person was guilty. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “and the earth will stand and be a witness against him”
20:28 j617 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification The wealth of his house will depart 1 Zophar is speaking of the **wealth** that the wicked person has in his **house** as if it were a living thing that could **depart**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “He will lose the wealth that is in his house”
20:28 j618 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor flowing away 1 Zophar is speaking as if the wicked person’s **wealth** were a liquid that could literally be **flowing away**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “vanishing” or “being destroyed”
20:28 j620 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom on the day of his nose 1 While God would punish the wicked person on a specific **day**, Zophar is using the term **day** to refer to a specific time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “at the time when God angrily punishes him”
20:29 j621 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor This {is} the portion of the wicked man from God, the heritage of his appointment from God 1 Zophar is speaking as if were literally giving a **wicked man** a **portion**, probably meaning a portion of family property, and a **heritage**, similarly meaning an inheritance. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “This is the punishment that the wicked man deserves, and God will punish him in that way”
20:29 j622 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations the wicked man 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Zophar is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “the wicked person”
20:29 j623 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun the wicked man 1 Zophar is not referring to a specific **wicked man** or person. He means wicked people in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
20:29 j624 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession the heritage of his appointment from God 1 Zophar is using this possessive form to describe a symbolic **heritage** or inheritance that God has appointed to a wicked person. It may be helpful clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “his appointed heritage from God” or “the heritage that God has appointed to him”
21:intro k6tx 0 # Job 21 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThis chapter is Job’s response to Zophar’s second speech.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Punishment for the sins of one’s parents or ancestors\nIn the culture in which the book of Job was composed, people commonly believed that God might punish someone for the sins of their parents or ancestors. Job says in verse 19 of this chapter that this is what his three friends believe. However, while people’s sins may have consequences for their children and descendants, God does not punish people directly for their parents’ or ancestors’ sins. Be sure that this is clear in your translation.\n\n## Translation issues in this chapter\n\n### The adjective “wicked” as a noun\n\nIn verses 7, 16, 17, and 28, Job uses the adjective “wicked” as a noun to mean wicked people in general. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase such as “wicked people.”
21:2 ztr6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular שָׁ֭מוֹעַ & תַּנְח֥וּמֹֽתֵיכֶֽם 1 The word **your** and the implied “you” in the imperative **hear** are plural because Job is addressing his three friends, so use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
21:2 l3vp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-reduplication שִׁמְע֣וּ שָׁ֭מוֹעַ מִלָּתִ֑י 1 Job is repeating the verb **hear** in order to intensify the idea that it expresses. If your language can repeat words for intensification, it would be appropriate to do that here in your translation. If not, your language may have another way of expressing the emphasis. Alternate translation: “Listen carefully to my words”
21:2 j625 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מִלָּתִ֑י 1 Job is using the term **words** to mean what he is about to say by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what I am about to say”
21:2 j626 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession תַּנְח֥וּמֹֽתֵיכֶֽם 1 Job is using this possessive form to describe not the **consolation** that his friends will have but the **consolation** that he wants them to offer him. It may be helpful clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “the consolation that you offer to me”
21:3 x7gy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular שָׂ֭אוּנִי & תַלְעִֽיג 1 The implied “you” in the imperative **Tolerate** is plural because Job is addressing his three friends, but the pronoun **you** later in the verse is singular because Job is responding directly to Zophar. Use the corresponding forms in your translation if your language marks a distinction between singular and plural “you.”
21:3 j627 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וְאָנֹכִ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר 1 For emphasis, Job is stating the pronoun **I**, whose meaning is already present in the verb **speak**. If your language can state implied pronouns explicitly for emphasis, you may want to use that construction here in your translation. Other languages may have other ways of bringing out this emphasis. Alternate translation: “and I will take my turn and speak”
21:3 w3a4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony תַלְעִֽיג 1 For emphasis, Job is saying the opposite of what he means. If a speaker of your language would not do this, in your translation you could indicate what Job actually means. Alternate translation: “you will probably continue to mock me, even though you should not”
21:4 d6w5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion לְאָדָ֣ם שִׂיחִ֑י 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “my complaint is not to a man!”
21:4 j628 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations לְאָדָ֣ם שִׂיחִ֑י 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job does not mean specifically a male human. He is using the term to mean a mortal as opposed to God. Alternate translation: “my complaint is not to a mortal!”
21:4 j629 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives לְאָדָ֣ם שִׂיחִ֑י 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this as a positive expression. Alternate translation: “my complaint is to God!”
21:4 j630 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְאִם 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. (Some languages may be able to say simply “And if not” to follow up on a question that expects a negative answer.) Alternate translation: “And if my complaint is not to a mortal but to God”
21:4 j631 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַ֝דּ֗וּעַ לֹא־תִקְצַ֥ר רוּחִֽי 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “then my breath may certainly be short!”
21:4 j632 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy מַ֝דּ֗וּעַ לֹא־תִקְצַ֥ר רוּחִֽי 1 Job is using his **breath** being **short** (that is, the fact that he is breathing quickly) by association to mean him being upset. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “why may I not be upset” or, as a statement, “then I may certainly be upset!”
21:5 j633 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular פְּנוּ & וְשִׂ֖ימוּ 1 The implied “you” in the imperatives **Look** and **lay** is plural because Job is addressing his three friends, so use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction.
21:5 j634 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-collectivenouns וְשִׂ֖ימוּ יָ֣ד עַל־פֶּֽה 1 Since Job is speaking to three people, it may be more natural in your language to use the plural forms of **hand** and **mouth**. Alternate translation: “and lay your hands upon your mouths”
21:5 lu7q rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction וְשִׂ֖ימוּ יָ֣ד עַל־פֶּֽה 1 Covering the **mouth** with the **hand** prevents a person from speaking. Job is suggesting that his three friends perform this symbolic action to indicate that his situation is so tragic and distressing that nothing can be said about it. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “and lay your hands upon your mouths to show that my situation is so tragic and distressing that nothing can be said about it”
21:6 j635 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit זָכַ֥רְתִּי 1 Job is referring implicitly to when he remembers or is mindful of his sufferings. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I think about my sufferings”
21:6 j636 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְנִבְהָ֑לְתִּי 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “then that terrifies me”
21:6 f8uu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification וְאָחַ֥ז בְּ֝שָׂרִ֗י פַּלָּצֽוּת 1 Job is speaking of **trembling** as if it were a living thing that could seize his **flesh**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and my flesh trembles”
21:6 suz1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וְאָחַ֥ז בְּ֝שָׂרִ֗י פַּלָּצֽוּת 1 Job is using one part of himself, his **flesh**, to mean his whole body. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and my whole body trembles”
21:7 i446 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַדּ֣וּעַ רְשָׁעִ֣ים יִחְי֑וּ עָ֝תְק֗וּ גַּם־גָּ֥בְרוּ חָֽיִל 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “The wicked should not live, grow old, and become mighty in power!”
21:7 j637 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רְשָׁעִ֣ים 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, here as in several other places in the chapter, Job is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
21:8 w7je rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor זַרְעָ֤ם נָכ֣וֹן 1 Here the term **seed** means “children.” It is a word picture. Just as plants produce seeds that grow into many more plants, so people can have many children. Alternate translation: “Their children are established”
21:8 j638 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive זַרְעָ֤ם נָכ֣וֹן 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Their children grow up”
21:8 j639 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לִפְנֵיהֶ֣ם 1 Here the word **faces** represents the presence of people by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “in their presence” or “in their homes”
21:8 n4np rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְ֝צֶאֱצָאֵיהֶ֗ם לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם 1 Job is using the term **eyes** by association to mean sight. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and their descendants in their sight” or “and their descendants where they can see them”
21:8 j640 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis וְ֝צֶאֱצָאֵיהֶ֗ם לְעֵינֵיהֶֽם 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and their descendants grow up where they can see them”
21:9 j641 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns בָּתֵּיהֶ֣ם שָׁל֣וֹם 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **peace**, you could express the same idea in another way. In this instance, Job is using an abstract noun with the sense of an adjective. Alternate translation: “Their houses are peaceful”
21:9 e8z5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בָּתֵּיהֶ֣ם 1 Job could be using the term **houses** by association to mean the households of wicked people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Their households”
21:9 u9sb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וְלֹ֤א שֵׁ֖בֶט אֱל֣וֹהַּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם 1 Job is using the term **rod** by association to mean punishment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as in UST: “and God does not punish them”
21:10 za7c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun שׁוֹר֣וֹ עִ֭בַּר וְלֹ֣א יַגְעִ֑ל תְּפַלֵּ֥ט פָּ֝רָת֗וֹ וְלֹ֣א תְשַׁכֵּֽל 1 Although Job uses singular pronouns in this verse, he is not referring to a specific wicked person. He is still speaking of wicked people in general. It may be more natural in your language to express his meaning by using plural pronouns. Alternate translation: “Their bulls breed and they do not fail; their cows calve and they do not miscarry”
21:11 f9ae rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile יְשַׁלְּח֣וּ כַ֭צֹּאן עֲוִילֵיהֶ֑ם 1 The point of this comparison is that just as shepherds send their flocks out to pasture, so the wicked people whom Job is describing send their young children out to play in the fields around their homes. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “They send their young children out to play in the fields around their homes as if they were a flock of sheep going out to pasture”
21:11 j642 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יְשַׁלְּח֣וּ & עֲוִילֵיהֶ֑ם 1 The implication is that wicked people can **send** their **babes** (young children) out to play because they are safe, as Job says in verse 9. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Because they are so safe, they can allow their young children to play outside”
21:11 j643 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝יַלְדֵיהֶ֗ם יְרַקֵּדֽוּן 1 The implication is that the **children** of wicked people **dance** because they are happy and carefree. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and their children dance because they are happy and carefree”
21:12 j644 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יִ֭שְׂאוּ כְּתֹ֣ף וְכִנּ֑וֹר 1 The implication is that the children **lift up** these musical instruments in order to play them. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “They play the tambourine and the harp” or “They play tambourines and harps”
21:12 elg8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יִ֭שְׂאוּ & וְ֝יִשְׂמְח֗וּ 1 In this verse, the pronouns **They** and **they** refer to the children of wicked people, not to wicked people themselves. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Their children lift up … and those children rejoice”
21:12 w5nf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun כְּתֹ֣ף וְכִנּ֑וֹר & עוּגָֽב 1 Job is not referring to a specific **tambourine** or **harp** or **flute**. He means those musical instruments in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using plural forms. Alternate translation: “tambourines and harps … flutes”
21:13 s7tf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יְמֵיהֶ֑ם 1 Job is using the term **days** to mean a specific period of time, the lifetime of wicked people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “their lifetime”
21:13 bx7u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וּ֝בְרֶ֗גַע 1 The implication is that wicked people do not die a painful, lingering death. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “quickly and painlessly”
21:14 j645 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ לָ֭אֵל ס֣וּר מִמֶּ֑נּוּ וְדַ֥עַת דְּ֝רָכֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א חָפָֽצְנוּ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “They tell God to turn away from them because they do not desire knowledge of his ways”
21:14 j646 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor ס֣וּר מִמֶּ֑נּוּ 1 The wicked people are speaking as if they wanted God literally to **turn away** from them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Do not be concerned with us”
21:14 j647 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וְדַ֥עַת דְּ֝רָכֶ֗יךָ לֹ֣א חָפָֽצְנוּ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **knowledge**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “for we do not want to know your ways”
21:14 fm9x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor דְּ֝רָכֶ֗יךָ 1 The wicked people are speaking of how God wants people to live as if that were a series of **ways** or paths that God wanted people to walk along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “how you want people to live”
21:15 j648 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes Who {is} Shaddai, that we should serve him? And how will we profit, that we should pray to him?’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could continue to translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “They ask who Shaddai is, that they should serve him, and how they would profit, that they should pray to him”
21:15 j649 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person מַה־שַׁדַּ֥י כִּֽי־נַֽעַבְדֶ֑נּוּ וּמַה־נּ֝וֹעִ֗יל כִּ֣י נִפְגַּע־בּֽוֹ 1 Job is continuing to quote what wicked people say. The wicked people may no longer be speaking “to God,” as in the previous verse, but speaking about God. Alternatively, they may be speaking to God but using the third person. You might choose to translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “Who are you, Shaddai, that we should serve you? And how will we profit, that we should pray to you?”
21:15 k5g5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַה־שַׁדַּ֥י כִּֽי־נַֽעַבְדֶ֑נּוּ וּמַה־נּ֝וֹעִ֗יל כִּ֣י נִפְגַּע־בּֽוֹ 1 The wicked people are using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “Shaddai is not important, so we do not have to serve him! It would not benefit us, so we do not have to pray to him!”
21:16 ke4m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations הֵ֤ן לֹ֣א בְיָדָ֣ם טוּבָ֑ם עֲצַ֥ת רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים רָ֣חֲקָה מֶֽנִּי 1 Job is making two statements in this verse that express strong feelings. In the previous verse, he described how wicked people say that they do not need to pray to God because that would not benefit them. In his first statement here, he insists in response that any benefit or **prosperity** that the wicked enjoy is something that God has generously given to them even though they do not deserve it. In his second statement, Job reacts strongly against the **counsel** or advice that he said wicked people give themselves, that they should not serve Shaddai or pray to him. The ULT places exclamation marks at the end of these sentences to show that they communicate strong emotion. In your translation, use your own language’s way of showing that.
21:16 t984 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לֹ֣א בְיָדָ֣ם 1 Job is using the word **hand** to represent the power and control that people have over something. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “is not of their own making” or “is not something that they have gained by themselves”
21:16 j650 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor עֲצַ֥ת רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים רָ֣חֲקָה מֶֽנִּי 1 Job is speaking as if he wanted the **counsel of the wicked** literally to be **far** away from him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I want nothing to do with the counsel of the wicked”
21:17 d4mw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion כַּמָּ֤ה ׀ נֵר־רְשָׁ֘עִ֤ים יִדְעָ֗ךְ וְיָבֹ֣א עָלֵ֣ימוֹ אֵידָ֑ם חֲ֝בָלִ֗ים יְחַלֵּ֥ק בְּאַפּֽוֹ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “The lamp of the wicked does not often go out! No, their calamity does not come upon them often! God does not distribute pains to them in his anger!”
21:17 c9nn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor כַּמָּ֤ה ׀ נֵר־רְשָׁ֘עִ֤ים יִדְעָ֗ךְ 1 Job is speaking as if wicked people literally had a **lamp** that might **go out** or stop burning. He is using this image to represent them dying. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “How often do the wicked die”
21:17 g7cl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְיָבֹ֣א עָלֵ֣ימוֹ אֵידָ֑ם 1 Job is speaking as if **calamity** were literally an object that **comes upon** people. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “or how often do they experience their calamity”
21:17 bmg2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo אֵידָ֑ם 1 It might seem that the expression **their calamity** contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: “calamity”
21:17 j651 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns חֲ֝בָלִ֗ים יְחַלֵּ֥ק בְּאַפּֽוֹ 1 The pronouns **his** and **he** refer to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Does God distribute pains to them in his anger”
21:18 lhr9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion יִהְי֗וּ כְּתֶ֥בֶן לִפְנֵי־ר֑וּחַ וּ֝כְמֹ֗ץ גְּנָבַ֥תּוּ סוּפָֽה 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “They are not often like stubble to the face of the wind or like chaff that a storm carries away!”
21:18 a6g9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile יִהְי֗וּ כְּתֶ֥בֶן לִפְנֵי־ר֑וּחַ וּ֝כְמֹ֗ץ גְּנָבַ֥תּוּ סוּפָֽה 1 Job is comparing God’s punishment to the **wind** and a **storm**, and he is comparing wicked people to **stubble** and **chaff** that strong winds drive away quickly and completely. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could say this in plain language. Alternate translation: “How often does God destroy them quickly and completely in punishment for their sins” or, as a statement, “God does not often destroy them quickly and completely in punishment for their sins”
21:18 j652 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לִפְנֵי־ר֑וּחַ 1 Here the phrase **to the face of** means “in the presence of,” by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. To say that something is in the presence of the wind is to say that the wind is blowing on it. Alternate translation: “when the wind blows on it”
21:19 gwj5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אֱל֗וֹהַּ יִצְפֹּן־לְבָנָ֥יו אוֹנ֑וֹ 1 Since this sentence does not agree with what Job says in the rest of this speech, Job must be quoting a popular saying that he knows Zophar would agree with (see, for example, [20:10](../20/10.md)). You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “You say, ‘God lays up his guilt for his sons’”
21:19 sac1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes אֱל֗וֹהַּ יִצְפֹּן־לְבָנָ֥יו אוֹנ֑וֹ 1 If you decide to identify this explicitly as a popular saying that Job is quoting, if it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “You say that God lays up his guilt for his sons”
21:19 ev9v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor אֱל֗וֹהַּ יִצְפֹּן־לְבָנָ֥יו אוֹנ֑וֹ 1 This saying speaks of **guilt** as something that can be stored for later use. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God remembers what he is guilty of doing and punishes his sons for it”
21:19 j653 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations לְבָנָ֥יו 1 Although the term **sons** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both male and female children. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use translate this in a way that shows that. Alternate translation: “for his sons and daughters” or “for his children”
21:19 j654 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns יְשַׁלֵּ֖ם אֵלָ֣יו וְיֵדָֽע 1 The first instance of **him** refers to God, while the second instance of **him** and the word **he** refer to a wicked person. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Let God repay to the wicked person, and that person will know”
21:19 j655 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom יְשַׁלֵּ֖ם אֵלָ֣יו 1 Here the word **repay** has the sense of “punish.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Let God punish him”
21:19 iyl4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְיֵדָֽע 1 Job means implicitly that if God would **repay** or punish the wicked person, then that person would **know** that he was guilty of sinning. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and he will know that he is guilty of sinning”
21:20 j2ut rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche יִרְא֣וּ עֵינָ֣יו כִּיד֑וֹ\n\n\n 1 Job is using one part of the wicked person, his **eyes**, to mean all of him in the act of seeing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Let him see his own destruction”
21:20 wq4y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּמֵחֲמַ֖ת שַׁדַּ֣י יִשְׁתֶּֽה 1 Job is speaking as if **the wrath of Shaddai** were a liquid that a wicked person could literally **drink**. He means that he wishes that wicked people would experience that wrath. Alternate translation: “and let him experience the wrath of Shaddai” or “and let Shaddai punish him in his wrath”
21:21 j656 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases כִּ֤י 1 Job is using the word **For** to explain the reason why he said in the previous two verses that God should punish wicked people themselves rather than their children. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Let the wicked person himself suffer, for”
21:21 vtu2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מַה־חֶפְצ֣וֹ בְּבֵית֣וֹ אַחֲרָ֑יו וּמִסְפַּ֖ר חֳדָשָׁ֣יו חֻצָּֽצוּ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “he has no interest in his house after him when the number of his months is cut off!”
21:21 j657 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy בְּבֵית֣וֹ 1 Job is most likely using the term **house** by association to mean the household or family of a wicked person. The popular saying that he quoted in verse 19 suggested that God would punish a wicked person by making his children suffer, but Job is saying here that after a wicked person dies, he will not care about that. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in his family” or “in his children”
21:21 rky2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וּמִסְפַּ֖ר חֳדָשָׁ֣יו חֻצָּֽצוּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “when God cuts off the number of his months”
21:21 m58j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּמִסְפַּ֖ר חֳדָשָׁ֣יו חֻצָּֽצוּ 1 Job is speaking as if the **number** of **months** that a wicked person would live might literally be **cut off**, as if it were a branch on a tree, for example. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “when the number of his months ends” or “when his lifetime ends” or “when God ends his lifetime”
21:22 ail2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הַלְאֵ֥ל יְלַמֶּד־דָּ֑עַת וְ֝ה֗וּא רָמִ֥ים יִשְׁפּֽוֹט 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “No one can teach knowledge to God, since he judges the ones being high!”
21:22 x9p8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy רָמִ֥ים 1 Job is probably using the term **high** by association to mean angels, who are high in heaven. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “even the angels”
21:23 j658 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns זֶ֗ה 1 The pronoun **This** does not refer to a specific person. Job is using it to describe one kind of person and to introduce a contrast with a different kind of person, whom he describes as “That one” in verse 25. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “One person”
21:23 krv3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom בְּעֶ֣צֶם תֻּמּ֑וֹ 1 In this expression, the word **bone** indicates the essence of something. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “at the height of his perfection”
21:23 j659 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns בְּעֶ֣צֶם תֻּמּ֑וֹ 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **perfection**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “while he is still perfectly healthy”
21:23 j660 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole כֻּ֝לּ֗וֹ שַׁלְאֲנַ֥ן וְשָׁלֵֽיו 1 Job says **all** here as a generalization for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “he is very tranquil and secure”
21:23 j661 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet כֻּ֝לּ֗וֹ שַׁלְאֲנַ֥ן וְשָׁלֵֽיו 1 The terms **tranquil** and **secure** mean similar things. Job may be using the two terms together for emphasis. However, there is a slight difference between them. The word **tranquil** refers more to a person not having to worry about threats, while the word **secure** refers more to a person being wealthy. You could express both words with a single phrase that would communicate emphasis, or you could use two words to bring out the different shades of meaning. Alternate translation: “he is very comfortable” or “he is so wealthy that he does not worry”
21:24 mli3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche עֲ֭טִינָיו מָלְא֣וּ חָלָ֑ב 1 Interpreters are not entirely sure of the meaning of the word translated as **pails**. One likely interpretation is that it describes pails that people would use to collect milk from their cattle. If that is the meaning, then Job is using one aspect of this person’s prosperity, the fact that his cattle give milk abundantly, to indicate that the person is prosperous in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His cattle give milk abundantly” or “He is very prosperous”
21:24 uug7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche וּמֹ֖חַ עַצְמוֹתָ֣יו יְשֻׁקֶּֽה 1 Job is using one aspect of this person’s health, the fact that the **marrow of his bones** is healthy, to indicate that the person is healthy in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he is very healthy”
21:24 sa7q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive יְשֻׁקֶּֽה 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “is moist”
21:25 s5ge rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns וְזֶ֗ה 1 See ho you translated the expression “This one” in [21:23](../21/23.md). Alternate translation: “But another person”
21:25 m7zq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ מָרָ֑ה 1 Like the word “bone” in verse 21, in this expression, the word **soul** indicates the essence of something. Your language may have a comparable expression that you can use in your translation. Alternate translation: “in the depths of bitterness”
21:25 k7cw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns בְּנֶ֣פֶשׁ מָרָ֑ה 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **bitterness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “when his life is very bitter”
21:25 j662 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וְלֹֽא־אָ֝כַ֗ל בַּטּוֹבָֽה 1 Job is talking about more than food here, and so when he speaks as if a person could literally have **eaten** things that are **good** (although in this case the person did not), he means experiencing those things. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he has not experienced the good”
21:25 xpm3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj וְלֹֽא־אָ֝כַ֗ל בַּטּוֹבָֽה 1 Job is using the adjective **good** as a noun to mean a certain kind of thing. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “and he has not experienced good things” or “and he has not enjoyed good things”
21:26 fc95 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism יַ֭חַד עַל־עָפָ֣ר יִשְׁכָּ֑בוּ 1 Job is using the phrase **lie down … in the dust** to mean “die.” This is a poetic way of referring to death. Your language may have a similar expression that you can use in your translation. You could also use plain language. Alternate translation: “They both die and are buried”
21:26 j663 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun וְ֝רִמָּ֗ה תְּכַסֶּ֥ה עֲלֵיהֶֽם 1 Job is not referring to a specific **worm**. He means worms in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “and worms cover them both”
21:26 tyf2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְ֝רִמָּ֗ה תְּכַסֶּ֥ה עֲלֵיהֶֽם 1 The implication of worms covering the bodies of these dead people is that the worms are eating their bodies. For clarity, you could indicate that in your. Alternate translation: “and worms eat their bodies”
21:27 veu9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit יָ֭דַעְתִּי מַחְשְׁבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם וּ֝מְזִמּ֗וֹת 1 Job implicitly means that he knows his friends are thinking of him when they speak of a wicked person. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I know that when you speak of a wicked person, you are speaking of me, and I know the notions”
21:27 j664 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-yousingular מַחְשְׁבֽוֹתֵיכֶ֑ם & תַּחְמֹֽסוּ 1 The words **your** and **you** are plural here because Job is addressing his three friends, so use the plural form in your translation if your language marks that distinction. The words “you” and “your” are plural in the rest of the chapter as well, specifically in verses 29 and 34.
21:27 jy5r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor וּ֝מְזִמּ֗וֹת עָלַ֥י תַּחְמֹֽסוּ 1 Job is speaking as if his friends would literally **wrest**, or yank violently out of place, **notions** or ideas to use against him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and the ideas you misappropriate to use against me”
21:28 j665 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes כִּ֤י תֹֽאמְר֗וּ אַיֵּ֥ה בֵית־נָדִ֑יב וְ֝אַיֵּ֗ה אֹ֤הֶל ׀ מִשְׁכְּנ֬וֹת רְשָׁעִֽים 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “For you ask where the house of the tyrant is and where the tent of the habitation of the wicked is”
21:28 n1y2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion אַיֵּ֥ה בֵית־נָדִ֑יב וְ֝אַיֵּ֗ה אֹ֤הֶל ׀ מִשְׁכְּנ֬וֹת רְשָׁעִֽים 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “The house of the tyrant is gone! The tent of the habitation of the wicked is gone!”
21:28 j666 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche אַיֵּ֥ה בֵית־נָדִ֑יב וְ֝אַיֵּ֗ה אֹ֤הֶל ׀ מִשְׁכְּנ֬וֹת רְשָׁעִֽים 1 In this quotation that Job attributes to his friends, he is using one possession a **prince**, his **house**, and one possession of the wicked, their **tent**, to mean all of their possessions and ultimately their lives. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as exclamations: “The tyrant no longer lives among us! The wicked no longer live among us!”
21:28 j667 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit אַיֵּ֥ה בֵית־נָדִ֑יב וְ֝אַיֵּ֗ה אֹ֤הֶל ׀ מִשְׁכְּנ֬וֹת רְשָׁעִֽים 1 This quotation means implicitly that the **tyrant** and the **wicked** are no longer alive because God has killed them to punish them for doing wrong. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “God punishes the tyrant by killing him! God punishes the wicked by killing them!”
21:28 j668 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun אַיֵּ֥ה בֵית־נָדִ֑יב 1 Job is not referring to a specific **tyrant**. He means tyrants in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using plural forms. Alternate translation: “Where are the houses of tyrants?” or “Tyrants no longer live among us!” or “God punishes tyrants by killing them!”
21:28 j670 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj וְ֝אַיֵּ֗ה אֹ֤הֶל ׀ מִשְׁכְּנ֬וֹת רְשָׁעִֽים 1 Job is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Since Job is speaking of more than one person, it may be more natural in your language to use the plural form of “tent.” Alternate translation: “Where are the tents in which wicked people lived?” or “Wicked people no longer live among us!” or “God punishes wicked people by killing them!”
21:28 j669 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns אֹ֤הֶל ׀ מִשְׁכְּנ֬וֹת רְשָׁעִֽים 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **habitation**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “the tent in which the wicked lived”
21:29 asa9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion הֲלֹ֣א שְׁ֭אֶלְתֶּם ע֣וֹבְרֵי דָ֑רֶךְ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You must have asked travelers of the way!”
21:29 czd4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit הֲלֹ֣א שְׁ֭אֶלְתֶּם ע֣וֹבְרֵי דָ֑רֶךְ 1 Job means implicitly that his friends must have heard from widely traveled people that the wicked are not always punished as they have been claiming. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “You must have asked travelers of the way, and they must have told you what really happens to wicked people!”
21:29 j671 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun ע֣וֹבְרֵי דָ֑רֶךְ 1 Job is not referring to a specific **way**, that is, to a specific road or route. He means roads in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “people who travel on roads” or “people who have traveled widely”
21:29 j672 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וְ֝אֹתֹתָ֗ם לֹ֣א תְנַכֵּֽרוּ 1 This is the beginning of a sentence in which Job is using the question form for emphasis. The sentence continues into the next verse. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You should acknowledge their signs”
21:29 j673 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְ֝אֹתֹתָ֗ם 1 Job is using the word **signs** in a specific sense. He means proofs or tokens that something is true. He is probably referring to stories that travelers tell of wicked people whom they have seen or heard about. These stories, in Job’s opinion, would offer evidence that he is right and his friends are wrong about what happens to wicked people. (Job describes the content of these stories in the next verse.) If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Or … the truth of the stories they tell about wicked people”
21:30 q7hn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion כִּ֤י לְי֣וֹם אֵ֭יד יֵחָ֣שֶׂךְ רָ֑ע לְי֖וֹם עֲבָר֣וֹת יוּבָֽלוּ׃ 1 In this verse, Job completes a sentence that he began in the previous verse using the question form for emphasis. If in the previous verse you said something such as “You should acknowledge their signs,” you may be able to translate this much as it appears in the ULT, treating it as the continuation of a statement or exclamation. Alternate translation: “that the wicked is spared in the day of calamity, that in the day of wrath he is brought forth.”
21:30 wy2e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive יֵחָ֣שֶׂךְ רָ֑ע 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God spares the wicked”
21:30 j674 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj רָ֑ע 1 Job is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “a wicked person”
21:30 j675 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לְי֣וֹם אֵ֭יד 1 Job is using the term **day** to refer to a specific time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “at the time of calamity” or “when calamity happens”
21:30 j676 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom לְי֖וֹם עֲבָר֣וֹת 1 Job is once again using the term **day** to refer to a specific time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “at the time of wrath”
21:30 x25q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy לְי֖וֹם עֲבָר֣וֹת 1 Job is using the term **wrath** by association to mean God punishing people in his wrath. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “at the time when God punishes people,”
21:30 j677 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive יוּבָֽלוּ 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. The idea is that a wicked person is **brought forth** from, that is, taken out of, the group of people whom God is punishing. Alternate translation: “God brings him forth” or “God does not punish him”
21:31 b6yh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion מִֽי־יַגִּ֣יד עַל־פָּנָ֣יו דַּרְכּ֑וֹ וְהֽוּא־עָ֝שָׂ֗ה מִ֣י יְשַׁלֶּם־לֽוֹ 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “No one declares his way to his face! No one repays him for what he has done!”
21:31 ri98 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor דַּרְכּ֑וֹ 1 Job is speaking of how a person lives as if that were a **way** or path that the person was walking along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “his manner of life”
21:31 wlf1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy עַל־פָּנָ֣יו 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “to him personally”
21:31 wn61 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom וְהֽוּא־עָ֝שָׂ֗ה מִ֣י יְשַׁלֶּם־לֽוֹ 1 As in verse 19, here the word **repay** has the sense of “punish.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as a statement: “God does not punish him for what he has done.”
21:32 j678 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast וְ֭הוּא לִקְבָר֣וֹת יוּבָ֑ל 1 The word that the ULT translates as **brought forth** here is the same word that it translates as “brought forth” in verse 30. Job is saying that a wicked person is not only spared from God’s punishment, he is buried with honor in a great procession (which Job describes further in the next verse). Your language may similarly have a term that you can use in both contexts to show the contrast that Job is drawing here between what a wicked person deserves and what he gets.
21:32 g68a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וְ֭הוּא & יוּבָ֑ל 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Indeed, people will carry him”
21:32 j679 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit וְֽעַל־גָּדִ֥ישׁ יִשְׁקֽוֹד 1 The implication is that people will keep **watch** over the wicked person’s **burial mound** to make sure that it is kept in good order and not desecrated. In other words, even in death the wicked person has an honored place in the community. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and people from the community will watch his burial mound to make sure that no one desecrates it”
21:32 j680 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown גָּדִ֥ישׁ 1 In this culture, to show special honor to a person after his death, people might build a **mound** of stones or earth over his grave. If your readers would not be familiar with this practice, in your translation you could name a comparable practice of your own culture, or you could convey the meaning with a general expression. Alternate translation: “his honorable burial site”
21:33 eqt1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy רִגְבֵ֫י נָ֥חַל 1 Job is using the phrase **The clods of the torrent** by association to mean the burial mound that the wicked person’s mourners build up over his grave. He is using the word **torrent** to mean the course that a torrent or stream flows through, from which people could take **clods** of dirt to build a mound. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “His burial mound”
21:33 j681 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor מָֽתְקוּ־ל֗וֹ 1 Job is speaking as if the wicked person, even after death, could literally taste his burial mound and find it to be **sweet**. Job means that the wicked person would enjoy being honored with a burial mound. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “will honor him”
21:33 p9wd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole כָּל־אָדָ֣ם 1 Job says **every** here as a generalization for emphasis. He means that a procession consisting of a large number of people will follow the wicked person’s body to its grave. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “a long procession”
21:33 j682 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy וּ֝לְפָנָ֗יו 1 In this context, the phrase **to his face** means “in front of him” or “ahead of him.” It is a further reference to the funeral procession for the wicked person. Alternate translation: “and ahead of him”
21:33 j683 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole אֵ֣ין מִסְפָּֽר 1 As a generalization for emphasis, Job is saying that a number of people too great to count will walk in front of the wicked person’s body to lead it in an honorary procession to his grave. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “people in great numbers are also walking”
21:34 j6yy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion וְ֭אֵיךְ תְּנַחֲמ֣וּנִי הָ֑בֶל 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “You are comforting me in vain!”
21:34 aa8a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive וּ֝תְשֽׁוּבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם נִשְׁאַר־מָֽעַל 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Job is saying that once he disregards everything that seems to be present in his friends’ **answers** but is not actually present, falsehood is the only thing that will remain. Alternate translation: “And your answers are nothing but falsehood”
21:34 j684 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns וּ֝תְשֽׁוּבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם נִשְׁאַר־מָֽעַל 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **falsehood**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “And what you are saying in answer to me is entirely false”
22:intro m13v 0 # Job 22 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThis chapter is the third and last speech of Job’s friend Eliphaz. What he says in this speech is stronger than what he says in his previous two speeches. He insists that Job must have done wrong, and he suggests several specific evil things that Job may have done.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Translation issues in this chapter\n\n### Eliphaz answering Job with his own words\n\nIn several places in this chapter, Eliphaz answers Job with his own words. That is, Eliphaz uses the same expressions that Job did earlier, but with different meaning and implications. To help your readers appreciate this, you may wish to translate Eliphaz’s expressions in these places in the same way that you translated Job’s similar expressions earlier. Notes will suggest ways to do this.
22:2 r9kd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can a man be useful to God? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “A man cannot be useful to God!”
22:2 j685 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations a man 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a person”
22:3 h3pe rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion {Is it} pleasure to Shaddai that you are righteous? Or if {it is} gain that you perfect your ways? 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “It is not pleasure to Shaddai that you are righteous! It is not gain to him that you perfect your ways!”
22:3 j686 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom if {it is} gain that you perfect your ways 1 Eliphaz is using the word **if** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “it is not gain to him that you perfect your ways, is it”
22:3 j687 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor your ways 1 Job is speaking of how a person lives as if that were a series of **ways** or paths that the person was walking along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your manner of life”
22:4 s9qh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion For your fear does he rebuke you, enter into judgment with you 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “God is certainly not rebuking you and entering into judgment with you because of your reverent respect for him!”
22:4 g1nn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit fear 1 By **fear**, Eliphaz implicitly means the fear of God, that is, reverent respect for God. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “your reverent respect for him”
22:5 zd3w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Is not your wickedness great? 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Your wickedness is great!”
22:5 j688 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole And there is no end to your iniquities 1 Eliphaz says **no end** here as a generalization for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “And you are guilty of very many iniquities”
22:6 z1dn rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases For 1 Eliphaz is not saying that Job has definitely done the wrongs that he describes in this verse and the next three verses. He is using the word **For** to encourage Job to consider what he might have done wrong, since God seems to be punishing him for something. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “Perhaps” or “Consider whether”
22:6 hip2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit you have bound your brother {with a pledge} without cause 1 By **without cause**, Eliphaz probably means that Job did not need to take a garment in pledge as security for the kind of small loan that a laborer in this culture would require. Job was a wealthy man, Eliphaz notes in verse 8, and he could afford a relatively small loss, while the outer garment the laborer would have to give in pledge (described in the second half of the verse) probably represented his most valuable possession. Eliphaz may also be suggesting that the laborer was trustworthy and Job could have and should have trusted him to repay the loan without demanding security. Your culture may have terms and customs relating to loans and pledges that you can use in your translation to bring out the implicit meaning here. Alternate translation: “you have forced your brother to give you his outer garment as security for a loan, even though you did not need to do that”
22:6 j689 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor your brother 1 Eliphaz is using the term **brother** figuratively to mean a fellow human being. He is suggesting that Job should feel an affinity for any fellow human. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “your fellow human being”
22:6 qq5g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and you have stripped off the clothing of the naked 1 The word translated **naked** can describe people who have little clothing, and that seems to be the meaning here. It would not make sense to speak of the **clothing** of people who were **naked** in the sense of having no clothing. The idea seems to be that by taking in pledge an outer garment that a laborer would also use as a blanket at night, Job was leaving that person without enough clothing to stay warm. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “indeed, you have left that person without enough clothing to stay warm”
22:7 j690 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the weary & and from the hungry 1 Eliphaz is using the adjectives **weary** and **hungry** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “weary people … and from hungry people”
22:7 q9nb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche bread 1 Eliphaz is using one kind of food, **bread**, to mean food in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “food”
22:8 j691 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person but the man of arm, the earth {was} to him, and the lifted of face dwelt upon it 1 Eliphaz could mean: (1) that Job himself was this **man of arm**. In that case he would be speaking of Job in the third person, even though he was speaking directly to Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “even though, as a man of arm, the earth was to you, and you dwelt upon it as someone lifted of face” (2) that Job showed favoritism to powerful and honored people. Alternate translation: “but you decided in favor of the man of arm and the lifted of face, so that the earth was to them and they dwelt upon it”
22:8 dj3n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom but the man of arm, the earth {was} to him 1 The expression **the man of arm** means a powerful person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but the powerful person, the earth was to him” or “but as a powerful person, the earth was to you”
22:8 gry9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole the earth {was} to him 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if this **man of arm** possessed the entire **earth**. He likely means that this person (possibly Job) owned much land. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “he owned much land”
22:8 ti2j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom and the lifted of face dwelt 1 The expression **lifted of face** means to be favored or honored. (See the discussion of the phrase “lift his face” in the General Notes to chapter 13.) Alternate translation: “and honored people” or “and you as an honored person”
22:8 u5gg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive and the lifted of face 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and people who received honors”
22:9 kyr7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive the arms of the fatherless have been broken 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “you have broken the arms of the fatherless”
22:9 j692 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the arms of the fatherless have been broken 1 Job is using the adjective **fatherless** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent word or phrase. Alternate translation: “you have broken the arms of orphans”
22:9 pdd7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the arms of the fatherless have been broken 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job had literally **broken** the **arms** of **fatherless** people. He means that Job has not helped orphans but has treated them in a way that has made them even weaker and more destitute. (As in the previous verse, the arm is a symbol of power.) If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you have taken advantage of orphans” or “you have exploited orphans”
22:10 wdg6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor snares {are} around you 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if **snares** or traps were literally surrounding Job. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you are having many different kinds of trouble”
22:10 j693 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and fear suddenly terrifies you 1 Eliphaz is using the term **fear** by association to mean things that cause fear. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and fearful things suddenly terrify you”
22:11 j694 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis Or darkness—you cannot see 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “And that is why you are in darkness and cannot see”
22:11 kz5f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Or darkness—you cannot see 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job were literally in **darkness** and could not **see** anything. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And that is why your troubles are so great that you do not know what to do about them”
22:11 a6pa rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor And an abundance of waters covers you 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job were literally engulfed in deep **waters**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Yes, that is why you feel completely overwhelmed”
22:12 st8p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Is not God in the height of the heavens? 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “God is in the height of the heavens!”
22:12 n1zi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession in the height of the heavens 1 Eliphaz is using this possessive form to describe the highest part of the **heavens**. It may be helpful clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “in the highest heaven” or “in heaven, above the sky”
22:12 rtk3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom And behold the head of the stars, that they are high 1 In this context, the word **head** means “height.” If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And behold how high the stars are”
22:12 j695 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit And behold the head of the stars, that they are high 1 The implication is that since God is above the stars, and the stars are very high up, the highest things that people can see, then God must be supremely high. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “God is even above the stars, even though those are the highest things that we can see”
22:13 j696 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes But you say, ‘What does God know? Will he judge through thick darkness? 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “But you say that God does not know what is happening here on and that he cannot judge through thick darkness”
22:13 y6zh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion What does God know? Will he judge through thick darkness? 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “God does not know what is happening here on earth! He cannot judge through thick darkness!”
22:13 j697 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Will he judge through thick darkness? 1 As is clear from the next verse, Eliphaz is using the expression **thick darkness** by association to mean dark clouds. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, as a statement: “He cannot see through dark clouds in order to know how to judge people!”
22:14 j698 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes Clouds {are} a covering to him and he does not see; he walks around on the dome of the heavens 1 If you decided in the previous verse to translate this quotation as an indirect quotation, you can continue to do that in this verse. In many languages it will not be necessary to change the wording from that of a direct quotation.
22:14 j699 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and he does not see 1 Eliphaz implicitly means that by saying this, Job means that God does not **see** what is happening on earth. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and he does not see what is happening on earth”
22:14 x5ap rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit indeed, he walks around on the dome of the heavens 1 The implication is that because the **dome of the heavens** is above the clouds, the clouds block God’s view of the earth. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “indeed, he walks around on the dome of the heavens, where the clouds block his view of the earth”
22:14 cvp4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you keep the old way that men of iniquity have walked 1 Eliphaz is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. This sentence continues for the next two verses. Alternate translation: “You should not keep the old way that men of iniquity have walked”
22:15 j700 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Will you keep the old way that men of iniquity have walked 1 Eliphaz is speaking of how people live as if that were a **way** or path that people were walking along. When Eliphaz asks whether Job will **keep** that way or stay on that path, he is asking whether Job really wants to live that way himself. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Will you live as men of iniquity have customarily lived” or, as a statement, “You should not live as men of iniquity have customarily lived”
22:15 j701 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns men of iniquity 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **iniquity**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “wicked people”
22:16 j702 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor who were carried off 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if these “men of iniquity” were literally **carried off** as if they were a bundle of sticks that someone had collected. He means that they died. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “who died”
22:16 j703 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive who were carried off 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “whom death carried off”
22:16 j704 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and {it was} not time 1 Eliphaz implicitly means that these wicked men died before it was their **time** to die. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “before it was their time to die” or “while they were still young”
22:16 j705 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive their foundations were washed away by a torrent 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “a torrent washed away their foundations”
22:16 lc5k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor their foundations were washed away by a torrent 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if these wicked men were buildings that collapsed when a **torrent** of water destroyed their **foundations**. The suggestion in the image is that the men died unexpectedly and violently. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, they died unexpectedly and violently”
22:17 j706 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes the ones saying to God, ‘Turn away from us,’ and, ‘What will Shaddai do to them?’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “the ones who told God to turn away from them and asked what Shaddai would do to them”
22:17 j707 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Turn away from us 1 Eliphaz depicts these wicked people as speaking as if they wanted God literally to **turn away** from them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See how you translated the same expression in [21:14](../21/14.md). Alternate translation: “Do not be concerned with us”
22:17 j708 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person What will Shaddai do to them? 1 The wicked people are speaking about themselves in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the first person. Alternate translation: “What will Shaddai do to us?”
22:17 q2mt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion What will Shaddai do to them? 1 The wicked people are using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Shaddai will not do anything to us!”
22:17 j709 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit What will Shaddai do to them? 1 The wicked people implicitly mean that Shaddai will not do anything to punish them if they do the wrong actions that they are contemplating. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Shaddai will not do anything to us if we do evil things!”
22:18 jh2r rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns Yet he filled their houses with good 1 The pronoun **he** refers to God. Eliphaz is echoing what Job said about wicked people in [21:16](../21/16.md), “their prosperity is not in their hand,” that is, their prosperity is not of their own making. Eliphaz is saying, as Job did, that any **good** the wicked enjoy is something that God has generously given to them even though they do not deserve it. Eliphaz is agreeing with Job on that point, although he is making it in support of a different conclusion, that in the end, God actually does punish the wicked in this life. Alternate translation: “Yet God filled their houses with good”
22:18 nr68 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj Yet he filled their houses with good 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **good** as a noun to mean a certain kind of thing. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “Yet he filled their houses with good things”
22:18 j710 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole Yet he filled their houses with good 1 Eliphaz says **filled** here as an overstatement for emphasis. If it would be clearer in your language, you could use a different way to express the emphasis. Alternate translation: “Yet he generously gave them many good things”
22:18 l57x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor {May} the counsel of the wicked {be} far from me! 1 Eliphaz is echoing what Job said in [21:16](../21/16.md). He is speaking as if he wanted the **counsel of the wicked** literally to be **far** away from him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. See how you translated the similar expression in [21:16](../21/16.md). Alternate translation: “I want nothing to do with the counsel of the wicked”
22:19 ku9s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit The righteous see 1 Eliphaz implicitly means that the righteous **see** what happens to wicked people. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “The righteous see what happens to wicked people”
22:19 q2jl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj The righteous & the innocent 1 Eliphaz is using the adjectives **righteous** and **innocent** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “Righteous people … innocent people”
22:20 j4fq rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns ‘If our enemy is not cut off? And fire has devoured their possessions!’ 1 The pronoun **their** refers to the **enemy** mentioned in the first part of the verse. It may be more natural in your language to make the pronoun agree in number. Since Eliphaz speaks of wicked people in the plural in these verses, you may find it appropriate to do that by saying “enemies.” Alternate translation: “If our enemies are not cut off? And fire has devoured their possessions”
22:20 j711 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotations ‘If our enemy is not cut off? And fire has devoured their possessions!’ 1 Eliphaz is quoting what righteous and innocent people say about wicked people whom God destroys. If that would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate that in your translation. Alternate translation: “They say, ‘If our enemies are not cut off? And fire has devoured their possessions!’”
22:20 j712 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes ‘If our enemy is not cut off? And fire has devoured their possessions!’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “They say that their enemies have been cut off and that fire has devoured their possessions”
22:20 j713 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom If our enemy is not cut off 1 The righteous and innocent people are using the word **If** to introduce a question that anticipates a negative answer. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “Our enemies have been cut off, have they not”
22:20 j714 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion If our enemy is not cut off 1 The righteous and innocent people are using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “Our enemies have been cut off!”
22:20 jwg8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive If our enemy is not cut off 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “God has cut off our enemies!”
22:20 j715 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor If our enemy is not cut off 1 To make a different point, that God actually judges wicked people in this life, Eliphaz is echoing what Job said in [21:21](../21/21.md) when he spoke of a wicked person dying as if he were literally being **cut off**, like a branch from a tree. See how you translated the similar expression there. Alternate translation: “God has ended the lives of our enemies!”
22:20 j716 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor And fire has devoured their possessions 1 Eliphaz depicts innocent and righteous people as speaking as if **fire** had destroyed the **possessions** of wicked people. Eliphaz depicts them as speaking as if the fire had literally **devoured** or eaten the possessions. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And they have lost their possessions” or “And other people will now get their possessions”
22:21 aj2c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit Reconcile now with him and be at peace 1 Eliphaz is echoing his own words at the beginning of this speech and Job’s words in his preceding speech. In verse 2, Eliphaz insisted that a person cannot be “useful to God,” that is, a person can do nothing to win God’s favor or to put God under obligation. Here Eliphaz uses a different form of the same verb to encourage Job to **Reconcile** with God. A person, he says, can at least cultivate a good relationship with God. Job said in [21:19](../21/19.md) that he wished God would “repay” wicked people, that is, punish them. Eliphaz uses the same verb here to encourage Job to be **at peace** with God, with the suggestion that to that end, Job should do whatever is necessary to make up for any wrong things he has done. Your language may have terms that you can use here and in [21:19](../21/19.md) and [22:2](../22/02.md) in order to show these connections.
22:21 z6jk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns and be at peace 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **peace**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “and have a peaceful relationship with him”
22:21 j717 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns by these 1 The pronoun **these** refers to the actions of reconciling and being at peace with God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “if you do these things”
22:21 j718 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj good will come to you 1 Eliphaz is using the adjective **good** as a noun to mean a certain kind of thing. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “good things will come to you”
22:21 j719 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification good will come to you 1 Eliphaz is speaking of **good** as if it were a living thing that could **come** to Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you will have good things once again”
22:22 ll7g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy accept instruction from his mouth 1 Eliphaz is using the term **mouth** by association to mean what God says by using his mouth. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “let what God says instruct you”
22:22 y867 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and set his words in your heart 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job could literally **set** God’s **words** in his **heart**. He is using the **heart** to represent the memory. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, carefully remember his words”
22:22 dp7d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and set his words in your heart 1 Eliphaz is using the term **words** to mean what God says by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “yes, carefully remember what he says”
22:23 x1jk rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result you will be built up, if you distance unrighteousness from your tent 1 If it would be more natural in your language, you could reverse the order of these phrases, since the phrase **if you distance unrighteousness from your tent**, like the phrase ** If you return to Shaddai**, gives the reason for the result that would follow, **you will be built up**. Alternate translation: “yes, if you distance unrighteousness from your tent, you will be built up”
22:23 j720 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive you will be built up 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “he will build you up”
22:23 mz1i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor you will be built up 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job were a building that God would rebuild after it had been ruined. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “God will restore you to health and prosperity”
22:23 kbt1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor if you distance unrighteousness from your tent 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if **unrighteousness** were an object that Job could literally set at some **distance** from the **tent** in which he lives. In this image, the tent represents Job’s life. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “if you stop practicing unrighteousness in your life”
22:23 j721 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns if you distance unrighteousness from your tent 1 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of **unrighteousness**, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: “if you stop doing unrighteous things”
22:24 j722 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-imperative And set gold in the dust, and Ophir among the stones of the torrents 1 Eliphaz is using an imperative sentence to tell the condition under which something would happen. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate this as a conditional sentence. Alternate translation: “Now if you set your gold in the dust, and Ophir among the stones of the torrents”
22:24 u6qk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor And set gold in the dust, and Ophir among the stones of the torrents 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if he wants Job literally to throw away his **gold**, including the fine gold he has from the land of **Ophir**, so that it lands **in the dust** and **among the stones of the torrents**. He means that Job should not depend on gold as a source of security. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation, combining the parallel statements into a single statement and conveying the emphasis of the parallelism in another way: “Now if you do not rely on gold at all”
22:24 j723 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche And set gold in the dust, and Ophir among the stones of the torrents 1 Eliphaz is using one type of wealth, **gold**, including fine gold from **Ophir**, to mean wealth in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And abandon your all of your wealth” or “Now if you do not rely on wealth at all”
22:24 m1gk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis and Ophir 1 Eliphaz is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “and set Ophir”
22:24 g8dq rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names and Ophir 1 The word **Ophir** is the name of a land that produced gold of excellent quality.
22:24 j724 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and Ophir 1 Eliphaz is using the name **Ophir** by association to mean gold from the country of Ophir. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and set the gold of Ophir”
22:25 wg73 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor then Shaddai will be your golds and silver of heights to you 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if **Shaddai** would literally be precious metals that Job owned. He means that Job would value Shaddai more than anything else. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “then you will value Shaddai more than anything else”
22:25 j725 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural your golds 1 Eliphaz is using the plural form **golds** to indicate gold of supreme excellence. Your language may use plural forms in the same way. If not, you could express the meaning in another way. Alternate translation: “more valuable to you than the finest gold you could possess”
22:25 wd8v rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural and silver of heights 1 Eliphaz is using the plural form **heights** to indicate silver of superlative quality. Your language may use plural forms in the same way. If not, you could express the meaning in another way. Alternate translation: “and silver of the highest quality”
22:26 l352 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction and you will lift your face to God 1 In [10:15](../10/15.md), Job said to God, “I will not lift my head.” He means that he would look down as a symbolic action to express that he was feeling shame. Here Eliphaz responds that Job will no longer need to do that. See how you translated the similar expression in [10:15](../10/15.md). Alternate translation: “and you will no longer need to look down, away from God, in shame” or “and you will be confident that God accepts you”
22:27 j726 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom and he will hear you 1 In this context, the word **hear** means to grant a request. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and he will grant your request”
22:27 j727 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and your vows you will pay 1 Eliphaz assumes that Job will understand that by **vows** he means the vows that a person in this culture would make to God to promise public recognition of mercies granted. The implication is that God would grant such mercies to Job and so he would have occasion to **pay** such **vows**. You could say that explicitly if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and you will have occasion to thank God publicly for mercies that he has granted to you”
22:28 j728 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy And you will decree a word 1 Eliphaz is using the term **word** to mean what Job might say by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And you will say what you want to happen” or “And you will say what you plan to do”
22:28 ldp9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom and it will stand for you 1 In this context, the word **stand** means “happen,” with the idea of surety and durability. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and it will certainly happen for you” or “and you will certainly be able to do it”
22:28 k1nu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and on your paths light will shine 1 Eliphaz is speaking of the plans Job might want to carry out as if they were a series of **paths** that Job would be walking along. When he says that **light** will **shine** on these paths, he means that Job will know clearly how to carry out his plans. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and you will know clearly how to carry out your plans successfully”
22:29 j729 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they cast down and you say, ‘Lifting up!’ 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if people might literally **cast** Job **down**, that is, throw him down from a height or throw him onto the ground. He is also speaking as if Job might ask God to lift him up from where people had thrown him. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “you are in difficult circumstances and you say, ‘Help me!’”
22:29 yck5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns they cast down 1 Here, **they** is an indefinite pronoun that does not have a specific referent in the immediate context. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this with a different expression that does not use an indefinite pronoun. Alternate translation: “when you are cast down”
22:29 j730 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes and you say, ‘Lifting up!’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “and you ask God to lift you up”
22:29 j731 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns then he will save 1 The pronoun **he** refers to God. Eliphaz is talking about the results of prayer, as he described in verse 27. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “then God will save” or “in response, God will save”
22:29 j732 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the lowered of eyes 1 Job is using the adjective phrase **the lowered of eyes** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the person who has lowered his eyes” or “the who is looking down”
22:29 xgw4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction the lowered of eyes 1 In this culture, lowering one’s **eyes** was a symbolic action that indicated that one was in difficult circumstances and felt humbled by them. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate the significance of this action. Alternate translation: “the person who is humbled by being in difficult circumstances”
22:29 j733 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person the lowered of eyes 1 Eliphaz is speaking about Job in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the second person. Alternate translation: “you from the difficult circumstances that have humbled you”
22:30 j734 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns He will rescue & indeed, he will be rescued 1 The pronoun **He** in the first part of this verse refers to God, while the pronoun **he** in the second part of the verse refers to a person who is not innocent. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “God will rescue … indeed, that person will be rescued”
22:30 j735 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the non-innocent 1 Job is using the adjective **not-innocent** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “people who are not innocent” or “people who are guilty of sin”
22:30 j736 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive indeed, he will be rescued 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “indeed, God will rescue him”
22:30 wrz4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy through the cleanness of your hands 1 Eliphaz is likely using the term **hands** by association to mean “prayers,” since people in this culture lifted their hands when they prayed. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “through the cleanness of your prayers”
22:30 f84n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor through the cleanness of your hands 1 Eliphaz is speaking as if Job would have literally refrained from doing things that would make his **hands** dirty. He means that Job would not have done wrong things, and so he could offer prayers to God as an innocent person whose prayers God would answer. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “through the prayers that you, as an innocent person, offer for him”
23:intro fb42 0 # Job 23 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThis chapter is the beginning of Job’s response to Eliphaz’s third and final speech. Job’s response continues in the next chapter.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Legal proceeding\n\nIn this chapter, Job speaks of making a legal case to prove his innocence to God. As a note to [9:3](../09/03.md) explains, in this culture, people typically presented such cases to community leaders in public places such as the gate of a town. Each party in a dispute would question the other party in the presence of the leaders, and the leaders would then discuss the case and decide which party was guilty and which party was innocent. However, the Bible indicates that judges would also travel around from place to place and hear cases. For example, [1 Samuel 7:16–17](../1sa/07/16.md) says that Samuel “went around to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah and judged Israel in all those places.” Job is envisioning God serving as this kind of judge and hearing his case. In your translation, express his language in such a way that readers who are familiar with the legal process in your own culture will recognize what Job is saying.n\n## Translation issues in this chapter\n\n### “he,” “him,” and “his”\n\nThe pronouns “he,” “him,” and “his” refer to God throughout this chapter. The UST models how a translation may say “God” regularly in order to make this clear.\n\n###“my hand” or “his hand” (23:2)\n\nIn verse 2, Hebrew manuscripts read “my hand.” The ULT follows that reading. Some ancient translations of the Hebrew Bible into other languages say “his hand,” and some modern versions follow that reading. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of ULT.
23:2 fi9s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit Even today 1 Job is using this expression to emphasize to his friends that their arguments have not changed his situation at all.. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Despite all the things you have said to me,”
23:2 ke1p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor my complaint is bitter 1 Job is speaking as if his **complaint** about what has happened to him is **bitter** or bad-tasting. The image is that what he says is so unpleasant that it leaves a bad taste in his mouth when he says it. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have many unpleasant things to complain about”
23:2 cm2j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor my hand is heavy upon my groaning 1 Job is speaking as if he were literally holding his **hand** down hard on his **groaning** in order to suppress it. He means that there is more that he could groan or complain about than he has actually stated yet. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have been suppressing my groaning”
23:3 pn2b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom Who will give {that} I knew and I would find him 1 See how you translated the expression **Who will give** in [11:5–6](../11/05.md). Alternate translation: “I wish that I knew and I would find him!”
23:3 rpr9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys I knew and I would find him 1 This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. The word **knew** tells in what way Job would be able to **find** God. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “I knew where to find him”
23:3 j737 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns I knew and I would find him & his place 1 The pronouns **him** and **his** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “I knew where to find God … the place where God lives”
23:4 u14t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy to his face 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “in his presence” or “to him personally”
23:4 vtm3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and I would fill my mouth with arguments 1 Job is speaking as if **arguments** were objects with which he could literally **fill** his mouth. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and I would make many arguments as I spoke”
23:5 s5td rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy I would know the words he would answer 1 Job is using the term **words** to mean what God would say by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I would know what he would tell me in response”
23:6 p72s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis he would only set upon me 1 Job is leaving out some of the words of a characteristic Hebrew expression that occurs in full form in [1:8](../01/08.md), [2:3](../02/03.md), and [7:17](../07/17.md). Alternate translation: “he would only set his heart upon me”
23:6 tw6n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he would only set upon me 1 See how you translated this expression in [1:8](../01/08.md), [2:3](../02/03.md), and [7:17](../07/17.md). Alternate translation: “he would only consider what I had to say”
23:7 lx63 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit There 1 **There** implicitly means in God’s presence, as Job describes in verses 3 and 4. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “In God’s presence,”
23:7 aw1l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the upright 1 Job is using the adjective **upright** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “an upright person is arguing with him”
23:7 j738 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-tense the upright is arguing with him 1 Job is using the participle **arguing** to depict action as occurring regularly in order to indicate that it is possible. Alternate translation: “an upright person can reason with him”
23:7 j739 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-123person the upright is arguing with him 1 Job is likely referring to himself when he speaks of an **upright** person. In that case, he would be speaking of himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the first person. Alternate translation: “an upright person like me can reason with him” or “I, as an upright person, can reason with him”
23:8 tfb8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-versebridge In this verse and the next verse, Job is using the four major directions to mean everywhere in creation. He is speaking of looking everywhere for the “place” where God lives, as he described in verse 3. To show this, you could create a verse bridge for verses 8–9. It might say something like this: “Behold, I could go everywhere in creation, and I might see evidence of God at work, but I would not find him personally” 1
23:9 ja9l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit in his working in the north, I do not behold {him} 1 Many interpreters believe that when Job refers to God’s **working in the north**, he means the northern lights (the aurora borealis). You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “when I see the northern lights, I believe that God must be present to create such beauty, but if I went to the north, I would not behold him personally”
23:10 lq4v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the way {that is} with me 1 Job is speaking of how he has been living as if that were a **way** or path that he has been walking along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “how I have been living”
23:10 x7cb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-pastforfuture he has tested me, I have come out like gold 1 Job is using the past tense in order to refer to something that he hopes will happen in the future. He is doing this to describe what he is confident the outcome would be. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the future tense. Alternate translation: “when he tests me, I will come out like gold”
23:10 v4c5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile he has tested me, I have come out like gold 1 The point of this comparison is that just as genuine **gold** is shown to be pure when it is **tested**, so God giving Job a hearing would show that he is innocent. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “when he tests me, this will show that I am innocent, just as testing gold shows its purity”
23:11 w13v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor My foot has held onto his step 1 Job is speaking as if he has used his **foot** literally to hold onto each place where God had stepped. He means that he has walked exactly where God had walked, putting his feet down right where God put his feet down. Job is using this image to mean that he has obeyed God exactly. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have obeyed God exactly”
23:11 xw5w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I have kept to his way, and I have not turned aside 1 Job is speaking of how God wants a person lives as if that were a **way** or path that the person should walk along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have lived consistently in the way God wants people to live”
23:12 fg26 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I have not departed from the commandment of his lips 1 Job is speaking as if he had not physically gone away from or **departed** from God’s **commandment**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I have not disobeyed the commandment of his lips” or, positively, “I have obeyed the commandment of his lips”
23:12 m22y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy from the commandment of his lips 1 Job is using the term **lips** by association to mean speaking, since people use their lips when they speak. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “from the commandment that he has spoken”
23:12 j740 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun from the commandment of his lips 1 Job is not referring to a specific **commandment**. He means God’s commandments in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “from the commandments that he has spoken”
23:12 tcz4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the words of his mouth 1 Job is using the term **words** to mean what God has commanded by using words, and he is similarly using the term **mouth** to mean speaking, since people use their mouths when they speak. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the things his mouth has said”
23:12 xe4e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche the words of his mouth 1 Job is using one part of God, his **mouth**, to mean all of him in the act of speaking. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the things that he has said”
23:12 j741 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit more than my portion 1 By **portion**, Job implicitly means his daily portion of food. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “more than the food that I eat”
23:13 j742 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis But he {is} of one 1 Job is leaving out a word that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. The context suggests that Job means that God **is of one** opinion, that is, he has decided one thing definitively. If it would be clearer in your language, you can supply the missing word. Your language may have a natural expression that would suit this context. Alternate translation: “But he is of one mind”
23:13 j743 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and who will turn him back 1 Job is speaking as if someone might physically **turn** God **back** from going in one direction and make God go in a different direction. He is speaking of someone making God change his mind. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and who will make him change his mind”
23:13 l1d5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion and who will turn him back 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “and no one will turn him back” or “and no one can make him change his mind”
23:13 if99 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche For his soul desires, and he does 1 Job is using one part of God, his **soul**, to mean all of God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “For he desires to do something, and he does it” or “For he does whatever he desires”
23:14 g641 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-possession my decree 1 Job is using this possessive form to describe what God has decreed for him, not a **decree** that he has made himself. It may be helpful clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “what he has decreed for me” or “what he has decided to do to me”
23:14 i8u2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns and many like these {are} with him 1 The pronoun **these** probably refers to the sufferings that Job is already experiencing. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “and he is capable afflicting me with many more sufferings if my present ones are not sufficient to fulfill his purpose”
23:15 n27i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy I am terrified from his face 1 Here the word **face** represents the presence of a person by association with the way people can see the face of someone who is present. Alternate translation: “I am too terrified to be in his presence”
23:15 sw44 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit I consider 1 Job is implicitly referring to when he might **consider** all that God might still do to him. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I consider all that he might still do to me”
23:16 d4fw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor For God has softened my heart 1 Here, the **heart** figuratively represents the emotions and specifically the emotion of courage. Job is speaking as if God had literally made his heart **soft**. He means that God has caused him to lose courage. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “For God has caused me to lose courage”
23:17 j744 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases For 1 Job is using the word **For** to explain the reason why he is terrified of God, as he described in the previous two verses. You could indicate this in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “I am terrified of God because”
23:17 j745 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive I was not cut off 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God did not cut me off”
23:17 dng4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I was not cut off 1 Job is speaking as if he might literally have been **cut off**, as if he were a branch on a tree, for example. He is talking about dying. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I did not die” or “God did not let me die”
23:17 j746 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy from the face of the darkness 1 In this instance, the phrase **from the face of** means “in front of” or “before.” It refers to time rather than to place. Alternate translation: “before the time of darkness” or “before the darkness came”
23:17 j747 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor from the face of the darkness 1 Job is using the term **darkness** to represent troubles. See how you translated the similar expression in [20:26](../20/26.md). Alternate translation: “before these troubles began”
23:17 qpa8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy and from my face gloom covers 1 In this instance, the phrase **from my face ** means “in front of.” It could refer either to place or to time. Alternate translation: “and gloom covers everything in front of me” or “and gloom covers everything that will happen to me in the future”
23:17 j748 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and from my face gloom covers 1 Job is speaking as if **gloom** were literally covering everything in front of him or everything that would happen to him in the future. He is using **gloom**, like **darkness** earlier in the verse, to represent troubles. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and there is trouble everywhere I look” or “and I can only anticipate further trouble happening to me”
24:intro e2gb 0 # Job 24 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThis chapter is the continuation of Job’s response to Eliphaz’s third and final speech. Job’s response began in the previous chapter.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### God’s judgment of wicked people\n\nIn verses 1–17, Job protests that God does not judge wicked people. He lists many oppressive things that wicked people do to vulnerable, innocent people, and he complains that God acts as if there is nothing wrong with those things. But in verses 18–24, Job then describes how God actually does judge wicked people. There is an explanation for this apparent contradiction. In the speech as a whole, Job is saying that he knows God will judge wicked people in the end, but it is very distressing to him that God does not judge and punish them now in order to keep them from continuing to oppress vulnerable people. In your translation, you can use language that shows that Job firmly believes what he says in both parts of the chapter, since it is actually consistent for him to say both that God seemingly does not judge wicked people now and that God ultimately will judge wicked people in the end. This is not a contradiction, it is a paradox, and the Bible speaks of it in other passages as well. For example, [Ecclesiastes 8:11](../08/11.md) says that because God does not immediately punish people who do wrong, people feel that they can get away with doing wrong. But Ecclesiastes goes on to say in the next verse that even if a sinner might do a hundred evil things and live a long time, it is still better to obey God.\n\n## Translation issues in this chapter\n\n### Changing referents of “they”\n\nJob uses the word “they” throughout this chapter to mean both wicked people and the poor people whom they exploit. He does not often indicate when he changing the referent of the word. Notes indicate the referent in each verse. In your translation, to be helpful to your readers, you may wish to specify “wicked people” or “poor people” each time the referent changes.
24:1 thc8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Why are times not set by Shaddai? And {why} do the ones knowing him not see his days? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “Times should be set by Shaddai! The ones knowing him ought to see his days!”
24:1 ej3y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive Why are times not set by Shaddai 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Why does Shaddai not set times” or, as an exclamation, “Shaddai should set times!”
24:1 mg7h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit times 1 Job implicitly means **times** for judgment. (See the discussion in the General Notes to chapter 23 of how judges in Israel would come to specific places at appointed times.) You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “times for judgment”
24:1 j749 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom And {why} do the ones knowing him not see his days? 1 In this context, to **see** means to experience. See how you translated the similar expression in [7:7](../07/07.md). Alternate translation: “And why do the ones knowing him not experience his days?”
24:1 j750 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit his days 1 Job implicitly means **days** on which God would judge wicked people. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “days on which God judges wicked people”
24:2 h88w rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They remove boundary markers 1 The pronoun **They** refers to wicked people, not to “the ones knowing” God in the previous verse. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. The pronoun **they** in the second part of the verse also refers to wicked people, and that is also the reference in the next two verses. Alternate translation: “Wicked people remove boundary markers”
24:2 pse5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit They remove boundary markers 1 Job implicitly means that wicked people steal land from others by removing the **boundary markers** that indicate property lines and arguing that their property extends farther into their neighbor’s land than it actually does. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “They steal land from others by removing boundary markers”
24:2 mn98 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun they seize the flock and pasture {it} 1 Job is not referring to a specific **flock**. He means flocks in general that wicked people steal from vulnerable people such as widows and orphans, whom he names specifically in the next verse. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using plural forms. Alternate translation: “they seize flocks and pasture them”
24:2 j751 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and pasture {it} 1 Job implicitly means that wicked people steal flocks from others and **pasture** them with their own flocks as if they had owned them all along. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and put others’ animals in with their own as if those animals belonged to them”
24:3 fml5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun The donkey of the fatherless, they lead away; they take in pledge the ox of the widow. 1 Job is not referring to a specific **donkey**, **fatherless** person, **ox**, or **widow**. He means those animals and people in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using plural forms. Alternate translation: “Wicked people lead away donkeys that belong to fatherless people; they take in pledge oxen that belong to widows”
24:3 y9i2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the fatherless 1 Job is using the adjective **fatherless** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “children whose fathers have died” or “orphans”
24:3 m884 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit they take in pledge 1 See the note to [22:6](../22/06.md) about the cultural practice of taking possessions **in pledge**. See how you translated the similar expression there.
24:4 j752 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the poor & the needy 1 Job is using the adjectives **needy** and **poor** as nouns to mean certain groups of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “needy people … poor people”
24:4 lzi7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit They turn the needy from the way 1 This could mean: (1) that needy people avoid walking on the main road or **way** in order to avoid wicked people who would exploit them. In that sense, it is as if the wicked people are actively forcing the needy people off the road. Alternate translation: “Needy people stay off the main roads in order to avoid wicked people” (2) that wicked people push needy people aside on the road so that they can go ahead of them. Alternate translation: “Wicked people push needy people aside on the road so that they can go ahead of them”
24:4 r5d2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive the poor of the land are hidden together 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Wicked people are the implied agent. Job is not saying simply that poor people hide themselves to avoid the wicked; he is saying that wicked people force poor people to hide themselves to escape oppression. Alternate translation: “all the poor people of the land have to hide in order to avoid the wicked people who would oppress them”
24:5 m813 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like wild donkeys in the wilderness they go out in their work 1 The point of this comparison is that the need to escape from oppressive wicked people forces poor people to go far away from human community, **like wild donkeys in the wilderness**. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “like wild donkeys in the wilderness, far away from human community,”
24:5 d79k rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns they go out 1 Here and through verse 8, the pronoun **they** refers to poor people. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “poor people go out”
24:5 yaj6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun {is} to him bread for their children 1 The pronoun **him** does not refer to a specific poor person. Job means poor people in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “provides them with bread for their children”
24:5 j753 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche {is} to him bread for their children 1 Job is using one kind of, **bread**, to mean food in general. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a general term in your translation, or you could name the kind of food that people would find in the **Arabah** or desert. Alternate translation: “provides them with roots and herbs to feed to their children”
24:6 j8dx rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They gather his fodder in the field, and the vineyard of the wicked they glean 1 The pronoun **him** could refer to: (1) the wicked person whom Job mentions in the second part of the verse. If that is the meaning, it may be helpful to mention the wicked person in the first part of the verse instead. Alternate translation: “Poor people gather fodder for their animals from what the wicked person has left in his field, and they glean in his vineyard” (2) an individual poor person. Alternate translation: “Each of these poor people gathers his fodder in the field, and they all glean the vineyard of the wicked”
24:6 j754 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj and the vineyard of the wicked 1 Job is using the adjective **wicked** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “and the vineyard of a wicked person”
24:6 j755 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun and the vineyard of the wicked 1 Job is not referring to a specific **wicked** person. He means wicked people in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using plural forms. Alternate translation: “and the vineyards of wicked people”
24:7 u7w8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit naked 1 As in [22:6](../22/06.md), the word **naked** here does not mean without any clothing. Rather, as the context indicates, it means without sufficient clothing, in this case without an outer **garment** that would also serve as a blanket. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “exposed”
24:7 j756 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit without a garment 1 The poor people that Job is talking about may be **without a garment** because: (1) wicked people have taken their outer garments in pledge and not returned them, as Eliphaz describes in [22:6](../22/06.md). This would suit the context, in which Job is describing how wicked people oppress poor people. Alternate translation: “without a garment because wicked people have taken their garments in pledge and not returned them” (2) they are too poor to afford outer garments. Alternate translation: “without outer garments because they have become too poor to afford them”
24:8 a2gx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and from {being} without shelter 1 In this instance, the word **without** means “without any other.” You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and because they have no other shelter,”
24:8 j5eb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun they hug the rock 1 Job is not referring to a specific **rock**. He means rocks in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “they hug the rocks”
24:8 j757 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom they hug the rock 1 Job is using this expression to mean that poor people huddle up close to rocks seeking shelter from the rain. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they huddle up close to rocks”
24:9 ma3c rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They snatch & they bind {a pledge} 1 The pronoun **They** in the first part of the verse and the pronoun **they** in the second part of the verse refer to wicked people. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Wicked people snatch … wicked people bind a pledge”
24:9 ahj1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the fatherless & the poor 1 Job is using the adjectives **fatherless** and **poor** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “fatherless children … poor people” or “children whose fathers have died … people who are poor”
24:9 t1ki rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit They snatch the fatherless from the breast 1 Job implicitly means that wicked people snatch **fatherless** children **from the breast** of their mother, that is, while they are nursing, in order to claim the children as slaves in payment of a debt. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Wicked people even take infants away from their mothers while they are nursing, in order to claim the children as slaves in payment of a debt”
24:9 yq41 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and upon the poor they bind {a pledge} 1 See how you translated the similar expression in [22:6](../22/06.md). Alternate translation: “and they require the poor to give them their outer garments as security for loans”
24:10 u922 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They go about & they carry 1 The pronoun **They** in the first part of the verse and the pronoun **they** in the second part of the verse refer to poor people. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Poor people go about … poor people carry”
24:10 eps1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit They go about naked, without clothing 1 As in [22:6](../22/06.md), the word **naked** here does not mean without any clothing. Job is describing the result of what he said at the end of the previous verse, that wicked people “bind a pledge” upon the poor, that is, they take their outer garments as security for loans. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Because wicked people take their outer garments in pledge, poor people go about exposed to the elements, not having sufficient clothing”
24:10 j758 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun and, hungry, they carry a sheaf 1 Job is not referring to a specific **sheaf**. He means sheaves in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “and, hungry, they carry sheaves”
24:10 qj7x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and, hungry, they carry a sheaf 1 Job is saying that poor people must try to earn money to feed themselves by working as day laborers harvesting the grain in the fields of wicked people, but those poor people still go **hungry**, even with all that food around, because the wicked people do not pay or feed their workers adequately. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and they are hungry, even though they work as harvesters, because the wicked people who own the fields they are harvesting do not pay or feed them adequately”
24:11 fp3g rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns Within their walls they press oil; they tread their winepresses, but they thirst. 1 In this verse, the pronoun **they** refers to poor people and the pronoun **their** refers to wicked people. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Within the walls of wicked people, poor people press oil; poor people tread the winepresses of wicked people, but those poor people suffer thirst”
24:11 rks1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit they press oil 1 Job is referring to the way that workers would **press oil** from olives, which were a staple food in this culture. You could indicate that explicitly in your translation if that would be helpful to your readers. You could also use a general expression if your readers might not be familiar with olives. Alternate translation: “they press oil from olives” or “they work hard to produce oil from plants”
24:11 a1m7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit they tread their winepresses, but they thirst 1 Job is commenting here on the injustice of wicked people having poor people **tread their winepresses** but then not giving them any of the wine to drink. (In this culture, the water was often unsafe to drink and the wine had a low alcohol content. People drank wine to quench their thirst, and they could do that without getting drunk. Job is not saying that the wicked people should have given the poor people wine so that they could get drunk, only that they should have given them wine to quench their thirst.) See how you expressed the implicit meaning in the previous verse, where Job described how poor people carried grain but went hungry. Alternate translation: “they are thirsty, even though they work treading winepresses, because the wicked people who own the presses do not give them any of the wine to quench their thirst”
24:12 j759 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations men 1 Although the term **men** is masculine, Job is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “men and women”
24:12 j760 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj and the soul of the wounded cries out 1 Job is using the adjective **wounded** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “and the souls of wounded people cry out”
24:12 j761 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche and the soul of the wounded cries out 1 Job is using one part of a **wounded** person, his **soul**, to mean all of him in the act of crying out. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and wounded people cry out”
24:12 j762 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and the soul of the wounded cries out 1 Job implicitly means that these people are crying out to God for justice. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “and wounded people cry out to God for justice”
24:12 j763 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit but God does not ascribe impropriety 1 Job implicitly means that God seems to feel that there is nothing wrong with what the wicked people are doing, and so God does not punish them in response to the poor people’s cries for justice. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “but God does not punish the wicked people who have caused their suffering”
24:13 m581 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They & they do not regard & they do not stay 1 The pronoun **They** at the start of the verse and the two instances of the pronoun **they** later in the verse refer to the wicked people whom Job has been describing. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “These wicked people … these wicked people … they”
24:13 dl4e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor {against} the light 1 Job is speaking as if **light** were an authority and these wicked people were **rebelling** against it. Job is using light to represent what God has revealed to humans about how they should live. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “against God’s moral revelation”
24:13 djk4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they do not regard its ways, and they do not stay in its paths 1 Job is speaking as if **light** maintained certain **ways** and **paths** that people should walk along. He means that God’s revelation shows people how they should conduct their lives. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they do not regard the manner of life that God has shown people they should follow; no, they live in a different way”
24:13 j764 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit they do not regard its ways 1 Here the word **regard** means “look at” with the implication of looking with approval. Alternate translation: “they do not admire its ways”
24:13 j765 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives and they do not stay in its paths 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this as a positive expression. Alternate translation: “and they leave its paths”
24:14 j766 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom At light 1 This expression describes the time of day when it is just beginning to get **light**. There is enough light for the **murderer** to see, but not enough light for him to be identified. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “In the morning twilight,”
24:14 j767 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun the murderer arises; he kills & and he is like a thief 1 Job is not referring to a specific **murderer**. He means murderers in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using plural forms. Alternate translation: “murderers arise; they kill … and they are like thieves”
24:14 j768 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the poor and the needy 1 Job is using the adjectives **poor** and **needy** as nouns to mean certain kinds of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: “poor people and needy people”
24:14 u116 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet the poor and the needy 1 The terms **relaxed** and **reposed** mean similar things. Job is using the two terms together for emphasis. If it would be clearer for your readers, you could express the emphasis with a single phrase. Alternate translation: “desperately poor people”
24:14 d2ft rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile and he is like a thief in the night 1 The point of this comparison is that the **murderer** escapes apprehension because he commits his crime in dim light and at a time when people are sleeping. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “and he is like a thief in the night, whom no one sees commit his crime”
24:15 mza9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche And the eye of the adulterer 1 Job is using one part of an **adulterer**, his **eye**, to mean all of him in the act of watching. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “And the adulterer”
24:15 jp3l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun the adulterer 1 Job is not referring to a specific **adulterer**. He is describing the behavior that is characteristic of any adulterer. It may be more natural in your language to make **adulterer** an indefinite noun rather than a definite one. Alternate translation: “an adulterer”
24:15 ymp3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-quotesinquotes saying, ‘No eye will perceive me,’ 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “saying to himself that no one will perceive him”
24:15 ewy1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche No eye will perceive me 1 The characteristic adulterer is using one part of someone who might **perceive** him, that person’s **eye**, to mean all of him in the act of perceiving. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “No one will perceive me”
24:15 j769 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit and he puts a cover {over} {his} face 1 Job is not speaking of a **cover** that would keep the **adulterer** from seeing. He is speaking of a disguise intended to keep people from recognizing who the adulterer is. You could express this in a way that would be familiar in your culture. Alternate translation: “and he pulls his hat down low over his face”
24:16 j770 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns One digs into houses 1 The pronoun **One** refers to a wicked person. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Since, as the rest of the verse shows, Job is actually describing behavior that is characteristic of wicked people in general, you may wish to use a plural term. Alternate translation: “Wicked people dig into houses”
24:16 c35g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit He digs into houses 1 In this culture, **houses** were made of clay or sun-dried brick, so thieves could gain entry to a house most easily by digging through one of its walls. If houses in your culture are made of different materials that a thief would not or could not dig through, you may wish to use a general expression in your translation. Alternate translation: “He breaks into houses” or “Wicked people break into houses”
24:16 k9sq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom they shut themselves up 1 This expression means to stay indoors. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they stay indoors”
24:16 j771 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom they do not know the light 1 This expression means that wicked people are not familiar with **light**, and the reason is that they do not leave their homes when it is light. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they do not go out when it is light”
24:16 j772 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit they do not know the light 1 While the word **light** here is literal, since Job is using it to mean **day**, there is also a moral overtone, as in verse 13, where Job said that wicked people rebel against the light, meaning God’s revelation. If your language has a term for “light” that also has these moral connotations, it would be appropriate to use it here in your translation.
24:17 j773 rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-words-phrases For together 1 Job is using the word **For** to give the reason why he said in the preceding verse that wicked people do not go out during the day. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this in your translation. Alternate translation: “They go not go out because for all of them”
24:17 j774 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns morning for them & one regards 1 The pronoun **them** refers to wicked people, and the pronoun **one** refers to a representative or characteristic wicked person. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “morning for wicked people … each one of them”
24:17 g55x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor morning for them {is} deep darkness 1 Job is speaking as if **morning** were literally **deep darkness** for wicked people. He means that they dread and avoid morning just as honest people dread and avoid the night. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “they dread the morning as if it were deep darkness”
24:17 y5ib rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit one regards 1 As in [24:13](../24/13.md), here the word **regards** means “looks at” with the implication of looking with approval. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “each one of them admires”
24:18 ay3v rc://*/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-contrast He (is} swift on the face of the waters 1 As the General Notes to this chapter discuss, at this point in his speech, Job implicitly begins to draw a contrast between the present situation of wicked people and their ultimate fate. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could indicate this explicitly in your translation. Alternate translation: “Nevertheless, he is swift”
24:18 lat6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom He (is} swift on the face of the waters 1 Here the word **face** means “surface.” Alternate translation: “He (is} swift on the surface of the waters”
24:18 f772 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He (is} swift on the face of the waters 1 Job is speaking as if a wicked person were literally something light that would float on the surface of the **waters** of a brook or river and pass swiftly downstream. He means that a wicked person only flourishes for a short time and then is gone. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Since Job speaks of wicked people in the plural in the next phrase, you may wish to use the plural in this phrase as well. Alternate translation: “Wicked people flourish only for a short time, then they are gone, like debris that water carries swiftly downstream”
24:18 j775 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy one does not turn {to} the way of their vineyards 1 This expression means that no one goes to work in the **vineyards** of wicked people. Since Job says in verse 13 that poor people do work in their vineyards, he is talking here about what will happen to wicked people in the future. Alternate translation: “their vineyards will be abandoned”
24:19 u6db rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis Drought and heat strip away the waters of snow; Sheol, {those who} have sinned 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Job is drawing a comparison. Alternate translation: “Just as drought and heat strip away the waters of snow, so Sheol strips away those who have sinned.”
24:19 b8g4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor strip away the waters of snow 1 Job is speaking as if, in the hot season, **Drought** and **heat** literally **strip away** the **waters** in his arid region that come from melting **snow** in the mountains. He means that the heat makes these waters evaporate. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “make water from melted snow evaporate”
24:20 hnl6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns The womb will forget him, the worm will dine on him, until he is not remembered 1 The pronouns **him** and **he** refers to a wicked person. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “The womb will forget a wicked person, the worm will dine on that person, until he is not remembered”
24:20 dg9v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy The womb will forget him 1 Job is using the term **womb** by association to mean the mother who carried the wicked person in her womb and gave birth to him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “As for a wicked person, even his own mother will forget him”
24:20 ja3y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony the worm will dine on him 1 The term translated **dine** means to eat with enjoyment. Job is describing an ironic consequence that wicked people will experience. During their lives, as he said earlier, they had oil and wine and grain that they enjoyed but did not share with others. Now, after death, they provide a satisfying meal for the worms that eat them in their graves. Your language may have a similar term that you can use in your translation.
24:20 auf1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive until he is not remembered and wickedness is broken like a tree 1 If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “until no one remembers him and wickedness is like a tree that a windstorm has broken”
24:20 k6gl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile and wickedness is broken like a tree 1 The point of this comparison is that just as a **tree** may be **broken** (by a powerful wind, for example) so that it falls over and dies, so a wicked person will lose his possessions and status and ultimately die. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this point explicitly. Alternate translation: “and wickedness is broken, just as a windstorm knocks down a tree and it dies”
24:21 j776 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns the one devouring the barren 1 The pronoun **one** refers to a wicked person. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers, and it may be helpful to begin a new sentence here. Alternate translation: “A wicked person devours the barren”
24:21 ys4w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the one devouring 1 Job is speaking as if a wicked person would literally devour or eat up childless women and widows. He means that the wicked person would cheat and exploit them in the ways he described earlier in this speech. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “the one exploiting”
24:21 j777 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the barren, who has not borne 1 Job is using the adjective **barren** as a noun to mean a certain kind of person. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “the barren woman, who has not borne”
24:21 m9u5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicitinfo the barren, who has not borne 1 It might seem that this expression contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you can shorten it. Alternate translation: “the childless woman”
24:21 j778 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun the barren, who has not borne 1 Job is not referring to a specific **barren** woman. He means women in general who have not had children. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “childless women”
24:21 i5m9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun and he does not do good {to} the widow 1 Job is not referring to a specific **widow**. He means widows in general. It may be more natural in your language to express this meaning by using a plural form. Alternate translation: “and he does not do good to widows”
24:21 j779 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublenegatives and he does not do good {to} the widow 1 If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this as a positive expression. Alternate translation: “and he harms the widow” or “and he harms widows”
24:22 xl8g rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns But he drags away the mighty by his power 1 In this first part of the verse, the pronouns **he** and **his** refer to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “But God drags away the mighty by his power”
24:22 ps1m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he drags away 1 Job is speaking as if God literally **drags away** people who are **mighty**. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “he destroys”
24:22 j780 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the mighty 1 Job is using the adjective **mighty** as a noun to mean a certain group of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you can translate this word with an equivalent phrase. Alternate translation: “mighty people”
24:22 x59s rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns he arises and he does not believe in life 1 Interpreters are uncertain as to whom the pronoun **he** refers in the two instances in the second part of this verse. This could mean: (1) that God **arises** against mighty people, so that each one of them realizes that he is doomed. Alternate translation: “God arises against them, so that each one of them despairs of life” (2) that a wicked person **arises** or prospers for a time, but he has no assurance of a long life. Alternate translation: “a wicked person may prosper for a time, but he has no assurance of a long life”
24:23 j781 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns He gives him security and he is supported, but his eyes are on their ways. 1 The pronoun **He** in its first instance and the pronoun **his** refer to God, and the pronoun **he** in its second instance and the pronoun **him** refer to a wicked person. The pronoun **them** refers to wicked people in general. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “God gives a wicked person security, and that person is supported, but God’s eyes are on the ways of wicked people”
24:23 j782 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive He gives him security and he is supported 1 If your language would not use the passive form **he is supported**, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you would need to say who does the action, the context indicates that it is God. Alternate translation: “God gives him security and supports him”
24:23 j783 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism He gives him security and he is supported 1 These two phrases mean similar things. Job is using repetition to emphasize the idea that the phrases express. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine them. While Job seems to say that God actively **gives** security and support to wicked people, the idea is that God actually allows these things. Alternate translation: “God may allow a wicked person to feel a sense of security”
24:23 qks3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche but his eyes are on their ways 1 Job is using one part of God, his **eyes**, to mean all of him in the act of seeing. Sight, in turn, represents awareness. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “text” Alternate translation: “but he watches their ways carefully” or “but he is very aware of their ways”
24:23 j784 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor but his eyes are on their ways 1 Job is speaking of how a person lives as if that were a **way** or path that the person was walking along. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “but he is very aware of how wicked people are living”
24:24 yq9p rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns They are exalted 1 The pronoun **They** (or **they**) refers to wicked people in all of its instances in this verse. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers in the first instance. Alternate translation: “Wicked people are exalted”
24:24 j785 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor They are exalted 1 Job is speaking of wicked people as if they were literally **exalted** or raised up to a high position. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “They achieve greatness”
24:24 j786 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive They are exalted 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “They achieve greatness”
24:24 j787 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit a little 1 This could mean: (1) that wicked people are exalted for a **little** while. Alternate translation: “for a short time” (2) that wicked people are exalted a **little** bit. Alternate translation: “to a limited extent”
24:24 b7v1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive then they are brought low 1 If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, the context suggests that it is God. Alternate translation: “then God brings them low”
24:24 j788 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor then they are brought low 1 Job is speaking as if wicked people were literally **brought low** or moved down to a low position. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Since this phrase repeats the meaning of **then they do not exist**, the meaning seems to be that they die. Alternate translation: “indeed, they die”
24:24 j5za rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom like all, they are gathered, and like the tops of ears of grain they are cut off 1 The phrase **they are gathered** could be: (1) a characteristic Hebrew expression that describes death. Alternate translation: “like all people, they are die; yes, like the tops of ears of grain, they are cut off” (2) part of the comparison to **ears of grain**. In that case, it would be appropriate to translate it literally. Alternate translation: “like all people, they are gathered and cut off like the tops of ears of grain”
24:24 ix1v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive like all, they are gathered, and like the tops of ears of grain they are cut off 1 If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: (1) “God gathers them among the dead, as he does all people; yes, God cuts them off like the tops of ears of grain” or (2) “as he does to all people, God gathers them and cuts them off like the tops of ears of grain”
24:25 cfk7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion And if not, then who will falsify me and make my word nothing? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “And if anyone believes that what I have said is not true, then I challenge him to prove me wrong and show that what I have said is not valid”
24:25 j789 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis And if not 1 Job is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “And if what I am saying is not true”
24:25 iy58 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom and make my word nothing 1 This expression means to show that something is of no value, that is, not valid. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and show that my word is not valid”
24:25 j790 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my word 1 Job is using the term **word** to mean what he has been saying by using words. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “what I have said”
25:intro yz1x 0 # Job 25 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThis chapter is the third and final speech of Job’s friend Bildad.\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is poetry.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### The brevity of Bildad’s speech\n\nThis speech by Bildad is much shorter than his first two speeches. It is also much shorter than the three speeches that Eliphaz has given to this point in the book and the two speeches that Zophar has given. The likely explanation is that Job’s friends are running out of things to say to him. Indeed, Zophar does not give a third speech at all. The narrator says in [32:3](../32/03.md) that the three friends “found no answer” for Job’s arguments. The brevity of Bildad’s third speech and the absence of a third speech by Zophar dramatize this. Since the narrator eventually offers an explanation, it would not be necessary to put an explanation in your translation at the end of this chapter such as, “And that was all that Job’s friends had to say to him.”\n\n God’s holiness and human sinfulness\nIn this short speech, Bildad describes God’s holiness and human sinfulness. While the points he makes are accurate, they are not convincing for Job, because he has actually been righteous. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/holy]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])\n\n## Translation issues in this chapter\n\n### Bildad using the words of Eliphaz\n\nAlthough Bildad speaks only briefly, he repeats significant phrases from Eliphaz’s first and second speeches. Bildad asks in verse 4, “So how will a man be righteous with God? Or how will one born of a woman be pure?” Eliphaz had asked similarly in 4:17, “Will a man be more righteous than God? If a man will be more pure than his Maker?” and in 15:14, “What is man, that he should be pure, or that one born of a woman should be righteous?” To show this, it would be helpful to use the same wording in your translation in 25:4 that you used in 4:17 and 15:14.
25:2 vb52 rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-pronouns Dominion and awe {are} with him 1 The pronoun **him** refers to God. It may be helpful to clarify this for your readers. Alternate translation: “Dominion and awe are with God” or “God possesses dominion and awe”
25:2 j791 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys Dominion and awe {are} with him 1 This phrase expresses a single idea by using two words connected with **and**. The word **awe** tells what response God’s **Dominion** produces in those who recognize its powerful and holy character. If it would be more natural in your language, you could express this meaning with an equivalent phrase that does not use “and.” Alternate translation: “Awesome dominion is with him”
25:2 cz5c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns Dominion and awe {are} with him 1 If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of **dominion** and **awe**, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: “God rules in a way that inspires great respect”
25:2 t8t1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit the one making peace in his heights 1 The word translated **peace** could mean: (1) harmonious order. Alternate translation: “the one who establishes harmonious order” (2) the absence of conflict. Alternate translation: “the one who rules without opposition” or “the one who rules without rebellion”
25:2 j792 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-plural in his heights 1 Bildad is using the term **heights** to mean heaven, which is high above the earth. The plural form probably identifies these **heights** as the supreme example of their class. That is, while being on top of a mountain gives someone a commanding position, ruling from heaven gives God the supremely commanding position. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in highest heaven” or “in heaven, where he rules supremely”
25:3 agz7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Is there a number to his troops? Upon whom does his light not arise? 1 Job is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate these questions as statements or as exclamations. Alternate translation: “There is no number to his troops! His light arises on everyone!”
25:3 tb5c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Is there a number to his troops? 1 In this context, the word **troops** implicitly refers to the stars, as if they were soldiers. (Bildad is describing God’s greatness by saying that at night, there are too many stars in the sky to count, and by day, the sun shines all over the world.) You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “Is there a number to the stars?” or “There are too many stars in the sky to count!”
25:3 j793 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Upon whom does his light not arise? 1 Bildad is using the term **light** by association to mean the sun. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “Upon whom does the sun not rise?” or “The sun shines on everyone!”
25:4 w2pf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion So how will a man be righteous with God? Or how will one born of a woman be clean? 1 Bildad is using the question form for emphasis. If you would not use the question form for that purpose in your language, you could translate this as a statement or as an exclamation. Alternate translation: “A man cannot be righteous with God! One born of a woman cannot be clean!”
25:4 v4y8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations a man 1 Although the term **man** is masculine, Bildad is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use a term in your language that is clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a person”
25:4 kx6l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive one born of a woman 1 See how you translated this expression in [15:14](../15/14.md). Alternate translation: “a mortal”
25:5 un12 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit the moon does not shine 1 Bildad implicitly means that compared with God’s holiness, the **moon** does not **shine** with the brightness of a pure, holy thing. You could indicate that in your translation if it would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: “the moon has no holy brightness”
25:5 kt4v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy in his eyes 1 Bildad is using the term **eyes** by association to mean sight. Sight, in turn, represents attention, perspective, and judgment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “in his perspective”
25:6 c7kh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom Indeed that, a man, a worm 1 **Indeed that** is an expression that indicates that what follows is greater in degree than what a person has just said. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “How much less a man, a worm”
25:6 j794 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis Indeed that, a man, a worm 1 Bildad is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You can supply these words from the context if that would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: “How much less could a man, a worm, be pure”
25:6 l7b7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-gendernotations a man & or a son of man 1 Although the terms **man** and **son** are masculine, Bildad is using these words in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could use terms in your language that are clearly inclusive of both men and women. Alternate translation: “a human … or a human child”
25:6 h6x7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor a man, a worm 1 Bildad is speaking as if a human were literally a **worm**. The basis of the comparison is probably that just as worms live in the earth, God originally formed humans from the earth. So this is a poetic reference to human mortality. If it would be clearer in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “a mortal”
25:6 j795 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor or a son of man, a grub! 1 Bildad is similarly speaking as if a human were literally a **grub**. Once again the basis of the comparison seems to be that just as grubs live in the earth, God originally formed humans from the earth. So this is a parallel poetic reference to human mortality. Rather than repeat the image, it may be more natural in your language to translate this as an explanatory phrase. Alternate translation, not preceded by a comma: “whom God formed from the earth”
26:intro f665 0 # Job 26 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is Job’s response to Bildad.\n\nThis chapter begins a section continuing through chapter 31.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Yahweh’s power\nWhile Bildad describes Yahweh’s power as being so much greater than Job’s, Job understands the true extent of Yahweh’s power. It is not just over Job’s life, but over all of creation.\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### Sarcasm\n\nJob uses sarcasm in this chapter. This is the use of irony to insult Bildad. (See: [Job 1–4](./01.md) and [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony]])
26:2 lud4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony How you have helped one … the arm that has no strength 0 In these statements, Job is accusing Bildad. The word “one” refers to Job. And, the word “arm” represents the whole person. Alternate translation: “I am powerless and have no strength, but you act like you have helped me; but really, you have not helped me at all” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
26:3 s1r5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony How you have advised one who has no wisdom and announced to him sound knowledge 0 Job is saying that Bildad has not provided him with good advice and knowledge. Alternate translation: “You act like I have no wisdom and that you have advised me, that you have given me good advice”
26:4 n9vj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion With whose help have you spoken these words? Whose spirit was it … you? 0 In these questions Job continues to mock Bildad. They are both rhetorical questions and have basically the same meaning. They are used together to strengthen each other. Alternate translation: “You must have had help speaking these words. Perhaps some spirit helped you speak them!”
26:5 c81a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj The dead 0 This refers to dead people. Alternate translation: “Those who are dead” or “The spirits of the dead”
26:5 xqx7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit tremble 0 They tremble because they are afraid of God. This can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “tremble in fear” or “tremble in fear of God”
26:6 c8rl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Sheol is naked before God; destruction itself has no covering 0 Sheol is spoken of as if it were a person. These two phrases have the same meaning. To be “naked” or have “no covering” is to be completely exposed and not able to hide anything. Alternate translation: “It is like sheol is naked before God, for nothing in sheol, the place of destruction, is hidden from God” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
26:7 ts32 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He stretches out the northern skies over the empty space 0 The northern skies represent heaven, the place where God dwells with the beings he created to dwell there.
26:8 q4f6 He binds up the waters in his thick clouds 0 The clouds are compared to a large blanket in which God wraps the rainwater. Alternate translation: “He wraps up the water in his thick clouds”
26:8 sxg4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive but the clouds are not torn under them 0 This can be stated actively. The word “them” refers to the waters. Alternate translation: “but the weight of the waters does not tear the clouds”
26:9 r35v and spreads his clouds on it 0 This phrase tells how he covers the surface of the moon. Alternate translation: “by spreading his clouds in front of it”
26:10 l8k5 He has engraved a circular boundary on the surface of the waters 0 This speaks of the horizon, where the earth appears to meet the sky, as if God has marked a boundary on the ocean.
26:11 n3vz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his rebuke 0 People thought of heaven or the sky as resting on pillars. Job speaks as though the pillars are humans that shake in fear when God is angry. Alternate translation: “The pillars that hold up heaven shake in fear when God rebukes them” or “The pillars that hold up the sky shake like people who are afraid when God rebukes them”
26:12 x7ti rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names Rahab 0 This is the name of a frightening monster that lived in the sea. See how you translated this in [Job 9:13](../09/13.md).
26:13 c72v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor By his breath he made the skies clear 0 The noun “breath” can be translated with the verb “breathe” or “blow.” This image represents God causing the wind to blow away the clouds. Alternate translation: “God blew away the clouds so that the skies were clear”
26:13 r5le rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit his hand pierced the fleeing serpent 0 It is implied that God his holding a sword, and here “his hand” represents that sword. Also, “pierced” represents killing. Alternate translation: “With his sword he pierced the fleeing serpent” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
26:13 c2jc the fleeing serpent 0 “the serpent as it was trying to escape from him.” This refers to Rahab, the monster in the sea. See [Job 26:12](../26/12.md).
26:14 qb3u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor See, these are but the fringes of his ways 0 Here “fringes” represents a small part that we can see of something that is much bigger. Alternate translation: “See, these things that God has done show only a small part of his great power”
26:14 k819 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations how small a whisper do we hear of him! 0 This is an exclamation that expresses Job’s amazement of all the great things that God does that we do not even know about. Seeing what God does is spoken of as hearing God’s voice. Alternate translation: “it is as if we heard only his quiet whisper!” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
26:14 b468 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who can understand the thunder of his power? 0 The “thunder of his power” represents God’s greatness. Job uses this question to emphasize that God’s power is so great that no one can understand it. Alternate translation: “The thunder displays the greatness of his power which no one can understand!” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
27:intro mkb5 0 # Job 27 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is a continuation of Job’s response to Bildad.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Job’s righteousness\nDespite being upset about his circumstances, Job does not curse God. Instead, he recognizes Yahweh’s authority. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/curse]])
27:2 vm9g As surely as God lives 0 This phrase shows that Job is taking an oath. Job compares the certainty that God is alive to the certainty of what he is saying. This is a way of making a solemn promise. Alternate translation: “I swear by God”
27:2 zm2r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor has taken away my justice 0 Justice is spoken of as if it were an object that could be taken away or given. Taking it away represents refusing to treat Job with justice. Alternate translation: “has refused to treat me justly”
27:2 tp23 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy made my life bitter 0 Job’s “life” being bitter represents Job feeling resentful toward God. Alternate translation: “has caused me to become resentful” or “has made me feel angry because of the unfair way he has treated me”
27:3 m4bm while my life is yet in me 0 This refers to the duration of the rest of his life. Alternate translation: “during the whole time that my life is yet in me” or “as long as my life is yet in me”
27:3 ny28 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns while my life is yet in me 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **life**, you can express the same idea with the adjective “alive” or the verb “live.” Alternate translation: “as long as I am still alive” or “while I still live”
27:3 xg5k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the breath from God is in my nostrils 0 “Breath … in my nostrils” represents being able to breathe. “Breath from God” represents God making him able to breathe. Alternate translation: “God enables me to breathe”
27:4 xct5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism My lips will not speak wickedness, neither will my tongue speak deceit 0 These two phrases have basically the same meaning and are used together to emphasize that he will not speak in such ways. The phrases “My lips” and “my tongue” represent Job himself. Alternate translation: “I will not speak wickedness or deceit” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
27:4 vg54 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns speak wickedness … speak deceit 0 The abstract nouns “wickedness” and “deceit” can be expressed with “wickedly” and “deceitfully.” Alternate translation: “speak wickedly … speak deceitfully”
27:6 rv4l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I hold fast to my righteousness 0 Here “hold fast” is a metaphor that represents being determined to continue to say something. If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **righteousness**, you can express the same idea with “righteous.” Alternate translation: “I am determined to continue saying that I am righteous” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
27:6 ccm5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor will not let it go 0 Here “will not let it go” is a metaphor that represents not stopping saying something. Alternate translation: “will not stop saying that I am righteous” or “will not stop saying so”
27:6 ttu9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my thoughts will not reproach me 0 Here the phrase “my thoughts” represents Job. Alternate translation: “even in my thoughts, I will not reproach myself”
27:7 x6mp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism Let my enemy be … let him who rises up against me be 0 The two clauses that start with these words share the same meaning. They are used together to emphasize Job’s strong desire that this should happen.
27:7 qkh5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit Let my enemy be like a wicked man 0 How he wants his enemy to be like a wicked person can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “Let my enemy be punished like a wicked man” or “Let God punish my enemy as he punishes wicked people”
27:7 yjq8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit let him who rises up against me be like an unrighteous man 0 How he wants this person to be like an unrighteous man can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “let him who rises up against me be punished like an unrighteous man”
27:7 cin4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor him who rises up against me 0 Here “rises up against me” is a metaphor meaning “opposes me.” The whole phrase refers to Job’s adversary. Alternate translation: “him who opposes me” or “my adversary”
27:8 m193 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion For what is the hope of a godless man when … when God takes away his life? 0 Job uses this question to say that such a man has no hope. This question can be translated as a simple statement. Alternate translation: “There is no hope for the godless when God … takes away his soul.”
27:8 ucr8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life 0 These two phrases have the same meaning. Alternate translation: “when God cuts him off and takes away his life” or “when God causes him to die”
27:8 d94d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor cuts him off 0 This is a metaphor meaning “kills him” or “causes him to die”
27:8 twt1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor takes away his life 0 This is a metaphor meaning “kills him” or “makes him stop living”
27:9 jh1p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will God hear his cry when trouble comes upon him? 0 Job uses this question to say that God will not help that person. This question can be translated as a simple statement. Alternate translation: “God will not hear his cry when trouble comes upon him.” or “When trouble comes upon him and he cries out for help, God will not hear him.”
27:9 a8tx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Will God hear his cry 0 Here “hear his cry” represents responding to the godless man’s cry and helping him. Alternate translation: “Will God respond to his cry”
27:10 kq3b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will he delight himself in the Almighty and call upon God at all times? 0 Job uses this question to say that the godless man will not do these things. This question can be translated as a simple statement. Alternate translation: “He will not delight himself in the Almighty and call upon God at all times.” or “He will not be happy about what the Almighty does and he will not pray to God often.”
27:11 s3uq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-you I will teach you 0 Each occurrence of “you” in these verses is plural and refers to Job’s three friends.
27:11 fyx9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the hand of God 0 God’s “hand” represents his power. Alternate translation: “the power of God”
27:11 re4m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns I will not conceal the thoughts of the Almighty 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **thoughts**, you can express the same idea with the verb “think.” Alternate translation: I will not hide from you what the Almighty thinks”
27:12 pnx9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion why then have you spoken all this nonsense? 0 Job uses this question to rebuke his friends for saying such foolish things. This question can be translated as a simple statement. Alternate translation: “you should not have spoken so foolishly!”
27:13 djh6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the heritage of the oppressor that he receives from the Almighty 0 Here “the heritage of the oppressor” is a metaphor representing what will happen to the oppressor. What God will do to him is spoken of as if it were an inheritance that God will give him. Alternate translation: “what the Almighty will do to the oppressor”
27:14 f7mj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy it is for the sword 0 Here “the sword” represents dying in battle. Alternate translation: “they will die in battle”
27:15 mbb8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit Those who survive him 0 This refers to the wicked man’s children. This can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “Those who continue to live after their wicked father dies”
27:15 dic8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy will be buried by plague 0 Here “be buried” represents dying. Alternate translation: “will die by plague”
27:16 nm9m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile heaps up silver like the dust 0 Here “heaps up” is a metonym meaning “gathers much.” Job speaks as if the silver were as easy to get as dust. Alternate translation: “gathers large piles of silver” or “gathers silver as easily as he could gather dust”
27:16 bh15 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile heaps up clothing like clay 0 Here “heaps up” is a metonym meaning “gathers much.” Job speaks as if the clothing were as easy to get as clay. Alternate translation: “gathers large piles of clothing” or “gathers clothing as easily as he could gather clay”
27:18 l6yf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis He builds his house like a spider 0 After “spider,” the phrase “builds its web” is understood information. It can be made clear. Alternate translation: “He builds his house as a spider builds its web”
27:18 q8ia rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile He builds his house like a spider 0 A spider web is fragile and easily destroyed. Alternate translation: “He builds his house as fragile as a spider builds its web” or “He builds his house as fragile as a spider’s web”
27:18 inb4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like a hut 0 A hut is a temporary house that is also not very strong. Alternate translation: “like a temporary hut”
27:19 la2p He lies down in bed rich 0 “He is wealthy when he lies down in bed.” This refers to his lying down in bed at night and sleeping.
27:19 i6ex but he will not keep doing so 0 Alternate translation: “but he will not keep lying down in bed rich” or “but he will not continue to be wealthy when he lies down in bed”
27:19 b9sa rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy he opens his eyes 0 Opening his eyes represents waking up in the morning. Alternate translation: “he wakes up”
27:19 x5lq everything is gone 0 Alternate translation: “all of his riches are gone” or “everything has vanished”
27:20 ul69 Terrors overtake him 0 Here “overtake him” represents suddenly happening to him. Possible meanings are that **terrors** is a metonym for:: (1) things that cause people to be afraid. Alternate translation: “Terrifying things suddenly happen to him” or (2) fear. Alternate translation: “He suddenly becomes terrified”
27:20 zw56 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like waters 0 The word “waters” refers to a flood. Floods can happen very suddenly when people do not expect them, and they are dangerous and frightening. Alternate translation: “like a flood” or “like waters that rise up suddenly”
27:21 l4at rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification it sweeps him out of his place 0 Job speaks of the wind blowing the wicked man out of his house as if the wind were a person sweeping dust out of a house with a broom. Alternate translation: “the wind sweeps him out of his place like a woman who sweeps dirt out of a house” or “the wind easily blows him out of his place”
27:22 wmn4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification 0 # General Information:\n\nIn verses 22–23 Job speaks of the wind as if it were a person attacking the wicked person.
27:22 xs2l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification It throws itself at him 0 Here the phrase “throws itself at him” represents the wind blowing strong against him like an attacker. Alternate translation: “It blows strong against him like someone attacking him”
27:22 fa8c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification he tries to flee out of its hand 0 Here “hand” represents the power or control that the wind has over the wicked man. Alternate translation: “he tries to flee out of its control” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
27:23 kvs2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction It claps its hands at him 0 Clapping the hands is a way of mocking someone. Here it represents the wind making loud noises. Alternate translation: “It makes loud noises like someone clapping his hands to mock him” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
27:23 r28v rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction hisses him from his place 0 The wind makes a noise as it blows him out of his place, and the noise is like the hissing sound that people make to mock someone. Alternate translation: “it makes a hissing noise as it causes him to leave his home” or “it blows him out of his place and makes a hissing noise like someone who hisses at him to mock him” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
28:intro i55c 0 # Job 28 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is a continuation of Job’s response to Bildad.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Yahweh’s wisdom\n\nDespite being upset about his circumstances, Job does not curse God. Instead, he recognizes Yahweh’s wisdom and authority. This chapter especially focuses on Yahweh’s wisdom as he controls the circumstances of Job’s life. Men cannot understand because they do not have Yahweh’s wisdom. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/curse]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/wise]])
28:1 fb4g mine 0 This is a place where people dig rocks out of the earth. These rocks have metal in them.
28:1 zr9q refine 0 This is the process of heating a metal to remove all of the impurities that are in it.
28:2 a9j8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive Iron is taken out of the earth 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “People take iron out of the earth”
28:2 b12i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive copper is smelted out of the stone 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “people smelt copper out of the stone” or “people heat stone to melt copper out of it”
28:3 fm47 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy A man sets an end to darkness 0 Here “sets an end to darkness” represents shining a light in the darkness. People used a lantern or a torch for light. Alternate translation: “A man carries light into dark places”
28:3 sce6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet obscurity … thick darkness 0 These two phrases are used together to emphasize that the mine is extremely dark.
28:4 hz3j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification places that are forgotten by anyone’s foot 0 The foot is spoken of as if it is a person who can remember. Alternate translation: “places where people no longer walk” or “where no one ever walks”
28:4 yed2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit He hangs far away from people 0 How and where he hangs can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “Far away from people, he hangs from a rope in the shaft”
28:5 r3d3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche the earth, out of which comes bread 0 Here “bread” represents food in general. Food coming out of the ground is a metaphor for food growing out of the ground. Alternate translation: “the earth, where food grows” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
28:5 p8vk it is turned up below as if by fire 0 This could mean: (1) people made fires under the ground to break apart the rock. Alternate translation: “it is broken up below by the fires that the miners make” or (2) “turned” is a metaphor for changed. Alternate translation: “it is broken up below so much that it appears that it was destroyed by fire”
28:5 mha5 it is turned 0 The word “it” refers to the earth.
28:7 c71r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism No bird of prey knows the path to it … nor has the falcon’s eye seen it 0 These clauses express a similar meaning. Alternate translation: “No bird of prey or falcon knows or has ever seen the path that goes to the mine”
28:7 u8np bird of prey 0 a bird that eats other animals
28:7 ft9l falcon 0 This may also be translated “hawk.” Both are birds that hunt and eat other animals. You may translate this with a similar bird from your culture.
28:8 ad94 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism The proud animals have not walked such a path … nor has the fierce lion passed there 0 These clauses also express similar meaning.
28:9 nh4p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy lays his hand on the flinty rock 0 This represents breaking up the rock. Alternate translation: “digs into the flinty rock”
28:9 ng34 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole he overturns mountains by their roots 0 Digging up the mountains and the ground underneath them is a metaphor from digging out weeds or trees, an exaggeration that represents digging minerals out of the ground. Alternate translation: “he turns the mountains upside down by pulling out their roots” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
28:10 h31b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche his eye sees 0 Here “his eye” represents him. Alternate translation: “he sees”
28:11 ar22 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He ties up the streams so they do not run 0 Here “ties up the streams” means damming or blocking the streams. Alternate translation: “He blocks the streams so they do not flow”
28:12 n9fd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor 0 # General Information:\n\nIn 28:12–28, wisdom and understanding are spoken of as if they were precious objects that are in some place and people want to find them. Finding wisdom and understanding represents becoming wise and learning to understand things well.
28:12 k2hz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding? 0 These questions mean the same thing and are used to show that it is very difficult to find wisdom and understanding. Alternate translation: “It is very difficult to find wisdom and understanding.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
28:12 bcr2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Where will wisdom be found? Where is the place of understanding 0 Becoming wise and understanding is spoken of as finding wisdom and understanding. Alternate translation: “How do people become wise? How do people learn to understand things well”
28:13 drv1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Man does not know its price 0 This could mean: (1) wisdom is spoken of as if it were something that people can buy. Alternate translation: “People do not know what it is worth” or (2) the word translated as “price” means “place.” Alternate translation: “People do not know where it is”
28:13 z9ip rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive neither is it found in the land of the living 0 “and it is not found in the land of the living.” The “land of the living” refers to this world where people live. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and no one can find wisdom in this world”
28:14 xi4c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification The deep waters … say, ‘It is not in me’; the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’ 0 The deep waters and the sea are presented as if they are people that can speak. Alternate translation: “Wisdom is not in the deep waters under the earth, nor is it in the sea”
28:15 h4ty rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit It cannot be gotten for gold 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. This implies that wisdom is worth much more than gold. Alternate translation: “People cannot pay for wisdom with gold”
28:15 nff6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit neither can silver be weighed as its price 0 This implies that wisdom is worth much more than silver. It can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: “and people cannot weigh out enough silver to pay for wisdom”
28:16 hg4i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit It cannot be valued with … sapphire 0 This implies that wisdom is much more valuable than the gold of Ophir, precious onyx and sapphire.
28:16 t2r7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names Ophir 0 This is the name of a land where there was fine gold.
28:17 qp37 Gold and crystal cannot equal it in worth 0 This implies that wisdom is much more valuable than gold and crystal.
28:17 z7jx crystal 0 a valuable gemstone that is clear or lightly colored
28:17 v4um neither can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold 0 “and it cannot be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.” This implies that wisdom is much more valuable than jewels of fine gold.
28:18 hgr1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit No mention is worth making of coral or jasper 0 “It is not worth making mention of coral and jasper.” This implies that wisdom is worth so much more than coral and jasper that there is no need for Job to say anything about them. Alternate translation: “I will not bother to mention coral or jasper” or “Coral and jasper are worthless compared to wisdom”
28:18 vgj8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-unknown coral 0 This is a beautiful, hard substance that grows on ocean reefs.
28:19 mwy7 The topaz of Cush does not equal it 0 This implies that wisdom is much more valuable than the finest topaz.
28:19 nxz5 topaz 0 This is a valuable gemstone.
28:19 ycn8 neither can it be valued in terms of pure gold 0 “and wisdom cannot be valued in terms of pure gold.” This implies that wisdom is much more valuable than pure gold.
28:20 jiu5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion From where, then, comes wisdom? Where is the place of understanding? 0 Job uses these questions to introduce how people get wisdom and understanding. Alternate translation: “I will tell you where wisdom comes from and where understanding is.” or “I will tell you how to become wise and how to learn to understand things.”
28:20 z82u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor From where, then, comes wisdom 0 Wisdom is spoken of as if it were in a place and comes to people. Its coming represents people becoming wise.
28:20 ghy4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Where is the place of understanding 0 Understanding is spoken of as if it were in a place.
28:21 bj7x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche Wisdom is hidden from the eyes of all living things 0 This means that living things are unable to see wisdom. It can be expressed in active form. Alternate translation: “No living thing can see wisdom” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
28:21 j3u4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive is kept hidden from the birds of the heavens 0 This means that the birds are unable to see wisdom. This can be expressed in active form. Alternate translation: “even the birds that fly in the skies cannot see wisdom”
28:22 y7e5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification Destruction and Death say 0 Here “Destruction” and “Death” are spoken of as if they are living things who can speak.
28:23 qlj3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor God understands the way to it; he knows its place 0 Wisdom is spoken of as if it were in a certain place. Alternate translation: “God knows how to find wisdom. He knows where it is”
28:25 l7lk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor parceled out the waters by measure 0 This describes God deciding how much water should be in each place. Possible meanings are that this refers to deciding: (1) how much rain should be in each cloud or (2) how much water should be in each sea. Alternate translation: “decided how much water should be in each place”
28:28 l4bu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns See, the fear of the Lord—that is wisdom 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **fear**, you can express the same idea with the verbs “fear” or “respect.” If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **wisdom**, you can express the same idea with another word such as “wise.” Alternate translation: “Listen, if you fear the Lord, you will be wise”
28:28 m7dq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to depart from evil is understanding 0 Here “depart from evil” means refusing to do evil things. If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **understanding**, you can express the same idea with the verb “understand.” Alternate translation: “if you refuse to do evil, then you will understand many things”
29:intro eli2 0 # Job 29 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is a continuation of Job’s statement, but now it is directly addressed to Yahweh.\n\nIn this chapter, Job recalls the days before Yahweh’s blessings were taken from him. This is only one part of Job’s argument that continues for the next 3 chapters.
29:2 h8k3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations Oh, that I were as I was in the past months 0 Job uses this exclamation to express a wish. Alternate translation: “I wish that I were as I was in past months”
29:3 n6gg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor when his lamp shined on my head 0 God’s lamp shining on Job represents God blessing Job. Alternate translation: “when God’s blessing was like a lamp shining its light on my head”
29:3 z42n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor when I walked through darkness by his light 0 Walking through darkness represents experiencing difficult situations.
29:4 bk56 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor in the ripeness of my days 0 Job speaks of when he was young and strong as if his days were the time when the harvest is ripe. Alternate translation: “when I was young and strong”
29:4 d6y9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns when the friendship of God was on my tent 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **friendship**, you can express the same idea with the noun “friend.” The word “tent” represents Job’s home. Alternate translation: “when God was my friend and protected my home” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
29:6 xbc3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole when my way was covered with cream 0 “when my path was flowing with cream.” Job uses this exaggeration to express that he had many cows and they produced much more cream than he and his family needed. Alternate translation: “when my cows provided an abundance of cream”
29:6 bt34 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole and the rock poured out for me streams of oil 0 “and the rock poured out streams of oil for me.” Job uses this exaggeration to express that he had many olive vines and great amounts of olive oil. The rock is where his servants pressed the oil out of the olives. Alternate translation: “when my servants pressed out a great amount of olive oil” or “when oil flowed like streams from the pressing rock” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
29:8 e835 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction rose and stood for me 0 This is a symbol of respect. It can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “rose and stood respectfully for me”
29:9 c8d6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction The princes used to refrain from talking when I came 0 This was a sign of respect.
29:9 v8ym rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction they would lay their hand on their mouths 0 They did this to show that they would not speak. This was a sign of their respect for Job.
29:10 u1bb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive The voices of the noblemen were hushed 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “The noblemen hushed their voices” or “The noblemen stopped speaking”
29:10 nm6j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy their tongue clung to the roof of their mouths 0 This represents them having so much respect for Job that they had nothing to say. Alternate translation: “they felt that they were unable to speak” or “they had nothing to say”
29:11 n94l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche after their ears heard me … after their eyes saw me 0 The ears represent those who heard him, and the eyes represent those who saw him. Alternate translation: “after they heard what I told them … after they saw me”
29:12 ui1t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun I rescued the one who was poor when he cried out 0 Here “the one who was poor” refers to any poor person. Alternate translation: “I used to rescue poor people who cried out”
29:13 qs27 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor The blessing of him who was about to perish came on me 0 Someone’s blessing coming on another represents that person blessing another. Alternate translation: “He who was about to perish would bless me”
29:13 ii9w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun him who was about to perish 0 This represents anyone who was about to die. Alternate translation: “those who were about to die”
29:13 v84a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy 0 Here “the widow’s heart” represents any widow. Alternate translation: “I caused widows to sing joyfully” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun]])
29:14 r9i7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I put on righteousness, and it clothed me 0 People often spoke of righteousness as if it were clothing. Alternate translation: “I did what was righteous, and it was like clothing that I put on”
29:14 rc4i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile my justice was like a robe and a turban 0 People often spoke of justice as if it were clothing. Alternate translation: “I did what was just, and it was like a robe and a turban on me”
29:15 z9qd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I was eyes to blind people 0 This represents helping blind people. Alternate translation: “I was like eyes for blind people” or “I guided blind people”
29:15 qwg2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I was feet to lame people 0 This represents helping blind people. Alternate translation: “I was like feet for lame people” or “I supported lame people”
29:16 dv24 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I was a father to needy people 0 Here “I was a father” represents providing for people. Alternate translation: “I provided for needy people as a father provides for his children”
29:17 rxh7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I broke the jaws of … I plucked the victim 0 Job speaks of unrighteous people who persecute others as if they were wild animals that attack their victims by picking them up between their teeth. Alternate translation: “I made unrighteous people stop persecuting people, like someone who breaks the jaw of a wild animal and rescues its victim from between its teeth”
29:18 mx7p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I will die in my nest 0 Here “nest” represents Job’s home and family. Job used to speak as if he were a bird that lived in a nest with his baby birds. Alternate translation: “I will die at home with my family” or “I will die in the safety of my home”
29:18 ree7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole I will multiply my days like the grains of sand 0 There are more grains of sand on the shore than anyone can count. To say that he would live more days than anyone could count is an exaggeration to express that he would live a very long time. Alternate translation: “I will live a very long time” or “I will live many years” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
29:19 f52q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor My roots … my branches 0 Job used to speak of his strength as if he were strong like a well-watered tree.
29:20 r1t1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns The honor in me is always fresh 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **honor**, you can express the same idea with the verb “honor.” Here “fresh” represents the honor being constantly given. Alternate translation: “People constantly give me honor” or “People always honor me”
29:20 bz9x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the bow of my strength is always new in my hand 0 A new bow is very strong. Job’s bow of strength in his hand represents his physical strength. Alternate translation: “I am always strong like a new bow”
29:22 l3t7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile my speech dropped like water on them 0 Here “dropped like water on them” represents refreshing the people who heard him. If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **speech**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form such as “speak” or “say.” Alternate translation: “my speech refreshed their hearts as drops of water refresh people’s bodies” or “what I said to them refreshed them like drops of water” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
29:23 g4bi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile They always waited for me as they waited for rain 0 People waited for Job patiently and expected to hear good things.
29:23 dye5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they opened their mouth wide to drink in my words 0 This represents waiting eagerly for Job to speak in order to benefit from what said. Alternate translation: “they eagerly waited for me to speak in order to benefit from what I said”
29:24 vxz9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit I smiled on them 0 It can be stated clearly that the purpose of smiling was to encourage them. Alternate translation: “I smiled on them to encourage them”
29:24 b3dw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the light of my face 0 This represents the kindness they saw in Job’s face.
29:25 nhm5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I selected their way 0 Here “selected their way” represents deciding what they should do.
29:25 gh9m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy sat as their chief 0 Here “sat” represents ruling or leading. Chiefs sat down when they made important decisions. Alternate translation: “led them as their chief”
29:25 azd4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy sat as their chief 0 Job was their chief. Alternate translation: “led them because I was their chief”
29:25 dv86 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile I lived like a king in his army 0 Job speaks of how he led the people and how they obeyed him as if he were a king and they were his army.
29:25 nmq6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit like one who comforts mourners 0 This phrase means that Job actually was one who comforted people. Alternate translation: “I comforted them when they mourned”
30:intro u96h 0 # Job 30 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is a continuation of Job’s statement, but now it is directly addressed to Yahweh.\n\nIn this chapter, Job laments his current condition as others insult him. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/lament]])
30:1 ghr9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit whose fathers I would have refused to allow to work beside the dogs of my flock 0 This shows how much he despised those fathers. They were not even good enough to be with his dogs. Alternate translation: “whose fathers I despised and would not have allowed to work beside the dogs of my flock”
30:1 bw8l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit the dogs of my flock 0 The dogs’ relationship to the flock can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “the dogs that guarded my flock”
30:2 dkd7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Indeed, the strength of their fathers’ hands, how could it have helped me … perished? 0 Job uses this question to mock the weakness of those men. Alternate translation: “The strength of their fathers’ hands could not have helped me … perished.”
30:2 n58x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor men in whom the strength of their mature age had perished 0 Their strength perishing is a metaphor that represents no longer being strong but weak. The phrase “mature age” refers to them being old. Alternate translation: “men who had become old and had no strength” or “men who had become old and weak”
30:3 i6mn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns They were thin from poverty and hunger 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **poverty**, you can express the same idea with another word such as “poor.” If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **hunger**, you can express the same idea with the words “hungry” or “starving.” Alternate translation: “They were very thin because they were poor and starving”
30:3 j6n1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy they gnawed at the dry ground 0 This could mean: (1) “dry ground” is a metonym for the dry roots that grow in the ground. Alternate translation: “they chewed on the dry roots they found in the ground” or (2) “gnawed at the dried ground” is a metonym for eating whatever they could find in the dry ground.
30:4 c9mn the roots of the broom tree were their food 0 This could mean: (1) the people ate the roots of the broom tree or (2) the people warmed themselves by burning the roots of broom trees.
30:5 k9yz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive They were driven out from among people who shouted after them as … a thief 0 The phrase “were driven out” means “were forced to leave.” These phrases can be reordered and stated in active form. Alternate translation: “The people shouted after them as … a thief and forced them to leave”
30:7 kkv4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile brayed like donkeys 0 Job speaks of the men crying out in hunger as if they were wild donkeys making a loud noise. Alternate translation: “cried out like wild donkeys because they were hungry”
30:8 i8tx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor They were the sons of fools 0 Here “were the sons of fools” represents having the characteristics fools. Alternate translation: “They were like fools” or “they were fools”
30:8 h66q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor indeed, sons of nameless people 0 The word “indeed” shows that what follows strengthens the previous thought. Here “sons of nameless people” represents having the characteristics of nameless people. Alternate translation: “indeed, they were nameless people” or “indeed, they were worthless”
30:8 juk5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor nameless people 0 Here being “nameless” represents having no honor or respect. It means that they are worthless. Alternate translation: “worthless people”
30:8 wl4w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy They were driven out of the land with whips 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. This could mean: (1) the idea of whips implies that they were being treated like criminals. Alternate translation: “People treated them like criminals and forced them to leave the land” or (2) people actually used whips to force them out. Alternate translation: “People whipped them and forced them to leave the land”
30:9 v6wt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns But now I have become the subject of their taunting song 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **song**, you can express the same idea with the verb “sing.” Alternate translation: “But now they sing songs about me to taunt me”
30:9 u5hm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy I have become a byword for them 0 Here “byword” is a metonym for the person about whom people make cruel jokes. Alternate translation: “I am now one whom they make cruel jokes about” or “They joke and say cruel things about me”
30:10 sx1h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-litotes they do not refrain from spitting in my face 0 This can be stated positively. Alternate translation: “they even spit in my face”
30:11 r95h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor God has unstrung the string to my bow 0 A bow that is unstrung is not useful. The phrase “has unstrung the string of my bow” is a metaphor for making Job powerless. Alternate translation: “God has taken away my power to defend myself”
30:11 sq6d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor cast off restraint before my face 0 A restraint keeps a person from moving freely and doing what he wants. Here “restraint” represents refraining from doing something, and “cast off restraint” represents not refraining from doing something. In this case the mockers did not refrain from being cruel to Job. Alternate translation: “do not refrain from being cruel to me” or “do whatever cruel things they want to do to me” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
30:12 u9wm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor 0 # General Information:\n\nJob speaks about the mockers treating him cruelly as if they were a mob and an army attacking him.
30:12 z8g5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Upon my right hand rise the rabble 0 “the rabble rise upon my right hand.” This could mean: (1) rising upon Job’s right hand represents attacking his strength. Alternate translation: “Gangs of young people attack my strength” or (2) rising upon Job’s right hand represents attacking his honor. Alternate translation: “Mobs attack my honor” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
30:12 tdu8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor pile up against me their siege mounds 0 Armies would pile up mounds of dirt along a city’s wall in order to climb over the wall and attack the city. Job speaks of the mockers preparing to attack him as if they were doing that. Alternate translation: “prepare to attack me like an army that prepares to attack a city”
30:13 sv3y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor They destroy my path 0 This represents keeping Job from escaping their attack. Alternate translation: “They prevent me from escaping from them”
30:13 x9pd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they push forward disaster for me 0 Here “push forward disaster” represents trying to make disaster happen. Alternate translation: “they try to make disaster happen to me” or “they try to destroy me”
30:13 ayx7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor men who have no one to hold them back 0 Here “hold them back” represents stopping them from doing something. Alternate translation: “men who have no one to stop them from attacking me”
30:14 su1s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor 0 # General Information:\n\nJob speaks about the mockers treating him cruelly as if they were an army attacking him.
30:14 b1fx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile They come against me like an army through a wide hole in a city wall 0 This represents attacking Job forcefully.
30:14 g1ji rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they roll themselves in on me 0 This represents many coming to attack him at once, like giant ocean waves rolling in on him.
30:15 su3j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Terrors are turned upon me 0 This could mean: (1) Job has become terrified or (2) things are happening to Job that make him afraid.
30:15 y58l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile my honor is driven away as if by the wind 0 Job speaks of suddenly having no honor as if the wind had blown it from him. Alternate translation: “Nobody honors me” or “I am now a person that people do not honor”
30:15 qzd6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile my prosperity passes away as a cloud 0 Job speaks of his prosperity ending as if it were a cloud that was blown away. Here “prosperity” may refer to well-being or safety. Alternate translation: “I no longer prosper at all” or “I am no longer safe”
30:16 vq4c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Now my life is pouring out from within me 0 Job speaks as if his life were a liquid and his body were a container. He feels he is about to die. Alternate translation: “Now I am dying”
30:16 yd79 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification many days of suffering have laid hold on me 0 Job speaks of his continuous suffering as if the days of suffering have grabbed hold of him. Alternate translation: “I suffer many days, and the suffering does not end”
30:17 s5h2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor my bones in me are pierced 0 Job speaks of the pain in his bones as if his bones were being pierced. Alternate translation: “my bones ache terribly” or “I have sharp pain in my bones”
30:17 q849 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification the pains that gnaw at me take no rest 0 Job speaks of his constant pain as if it were alive and biting him and refuses to rest. Alternate translation: “the pains that cause me to suffer do not stop” or “I am in constant pain”
30:18 x296 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy God’s great force has seized my clothing 0 Job speaks of God using his force as if God’s force were actually doing something. Here “God’s … force” stands for “God.” Alternate translation: “God has seized my clothing by his great force”
30:18 wpi4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor God’s great force has seized my clothing 0 The image of God’s force seizing Job is a metaphor. This could mean: (1) it represents Job’s pain. Alternate translation: “My pain feels like God has grabbed my clothing tightly” or (2) it represents God’s causing Job’s many problems. Alternate translation: “It is as though by his great force God has grabbed me by my clothes”
30:18 tm94 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor it wraps around me like the collar of my tunic 0 The image of God’s force wrapping around Job is a metaphor. This could mean: (1) it represents Job’s pain. Alternate translation: “he wraps the collar of my tunic tightly around me” or (2) it represents God’s causing Job’s many problems. Alternate translation: “It is as though he grabs me by the collar of my tunic”
30:19 aa4h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He has thrown me into the mud 0 Job says that God has humiliated him. Alternate translation: “It is as though he has thrown me in the mud” or “He has humiliated me, like a person thrown in the mud”
30:19 m43k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile I have become like dust and ashes 0 This represents Job’s feeling of being worthless. Alternate translation: “I have become as worthless as dust and ashes”
30:21 xk2h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy with the strength of your hand you persecute me 0 The word “hand” represents God’s power. Alternate translation: “you persecute me with your power”
30:22 zy94 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor lift me up to the wind … throw me back and forth in a storm 0 These expressions represent the extreme suffering that God made Job endure.
30:23 py4p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor you will bring me to death 0 Here “bring me to death” represents causing Job to die. Alternate translation: “you will cause me to die”
30:23 a3ym rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the house appointed for all the living 0 Job speaks of the world of the dead as if it were a house to which God has appointed all living things to go. Alternate translation: “the world of the dead, to which everything that has ever lived goes”
30:24 s7pp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion does no one reach out with his hand to beg for help when he falls? Does no one in trouble call out for help? 0 Job uses these questions to justify himself for crying out to God for help. Alternate translation: “Everyone reaches out with his hand to beg for help when he falls. Everyone who is in trouble calls out for help.” or “I have fallen, and so God should not think I am doing wrong when I beg for his help. I am in trouble, so of course I call out for help!”
30:24 giv9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion does no one reach out with his hand to beg for help when he falls? Does no one in trouble call out for help? 0 Some versions interpret these questions as Job complaining that God has reached out with his hand to harm Job when Job was in trouble and crying out for help. Alternate translation: “Surely no one would reach out with his hand against someone who falls and calls out for help.”
30:25 k5gw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Did not I weep … trouble? Did I not grieve … man? 0 Job uses these questions to remind God of how Job had done good to others. A: “You know that I wept … trouble, and I grieved … man!”
30:26 dxl4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor When I hoped for good, then evil came 0 Looking for good represents hoping for good things, and evil coming represents evil things happening.
30:26 n1jn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I waited for light … darkness came 0 Here “light” represents God’s blessing and favor and “darkness” represents trouble and suffering. Alternate translation: “I waited for the light of God’s blessing, but instead I experienced the darkness of suffering”
30:27 r36u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification My heart is troubled and does not rest 0 Job speaks of his heart as if it were a person. Alternate translation: “I am troubled in my heart and the feeling does not end”
30:27 u2gl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor days of affliction have come on me 0 Days of affliction coming on Job represents Job experiencing affliction for many days. Alternate translation: “I experience affliction many days” or “I suffer every day”
30:28 i5gu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I have gone about 0 Here “have gone about” represents living. Alternate translation: “I have lived” or “I live”
30:28 fj2n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor like one who was living in the dark, but not because of the sun 0 Here “living in the dark” is a metaphor that represents being extremely sad. The phrase “but not because of the sun” clarifies that “living in the dark” is a metaphor, that is, the darkness is not caused by the sun being hidden. Alternate translation: “like one who is terribly sad”
30:29 f66b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor a brother to jackals, a companion of ostriches 0 Being a brother to these animals is a metaphor for being like them. Alternate translation: “I am like jackals and ostriches that cry out in the wilderness”
30:30 udu9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche my bones are burned with heat 0 Here “bones” refers to the whole body, which suffers from fever.
30:31 qj9s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my harp is tuned for songs of mourning 0 Here “my harp” represents Job himself, and also represents his desire to sing only songs of mourning. Alternate translation: “I play only songs of mourning on my harp”
30:31 v1kr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my flute for the singing of those who wail 0 Here “my flute” represents Job himself, and also his desire to sing only songs of crying. Alternate translation: “I play only songs of wailing on my flute”
30:31 d2w2 wail 0 To wail is to cry very loudly because of terrible sadness or pain.
31:intro leq9 0 # Job 31 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This chapter is a continuation of Job’s statement and it is directly addressed to Yahweh.\n\nIn this chapter, Job presents his case to Yahweh that he is upright and not guilty of the sins he is being accused of. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/guilt]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]])
31:1 ka6e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I have made a covenant with my eyes 0 Job speaks of making a promise about what he would look at as though his eyes were a person and he made a covenant with them. Alternate translation: “I have made a firm promise about what I will look at” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
31:1 af9x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit I have made a covenant with my eyes 0 What job promised can be stated clearly. Alternate translation: “I made a promise that I will not look lustfully on a virgin” or “I promised that I will not look lustfully on a virgin”
31:1 sxi9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion how then should I look with desire on a virgin? 0 Job uses this question to emphasize that he would never break his promise. Alternate translation: “So I certainly will not look with lust at a virgin.”
31:2 p7x8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor For what is the portion from God above, the inheritance from the Almighty on high? 0 Job speaks of God’s response to people’s behavior as if it were the portion of an inheritance that God gives. Alternate translation: “For how will God above respond to me? What will the Almighty on high do?” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
31:2 ygr6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion For what is the portion from God above, the inheritance from the Almighty on high? 0 Possible meanings are Job uses this question to emphasize: (1) that God will not bless bad behavior. Alternate translation: “For if I look lustfully on a woman, God Almighty on high will not bless me.” or (2) that God will punish bad behavior. Alternate translation: “For if I look lustfully on a woman, God Almighty on high will certainly punish me.”
31:4 vf6m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Does not God see my ways and count all my steps? 0 Here “my ways” and “my steps” are metaphors for Job’s behavior. Here “see my ways” and “count all my steps” are metaphors for knowing everything Job does. Job uses this question to emphasize that God does know all he does. Alternate translation: “Certainly God watches me and knows everything that I do.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
31:4 n2eh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit Does not God see my ways and count all my steps? 0 Job may be implying that God should know that Job is righteous and does not deserve calamity and disaster.
31:5 zdh8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo If I have 0 In 31:5–40 Job describes different situations in which he would deserve God’s punishment. But, he knows that they are not true and he is innocent.
31:5 a5st rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor walked with falsehood, if my foot has hurried to deceit 0 Here “walked” and “hurried” are metaphors that represent how Job lived. Alternate translation: “done anything false or purposely deceived anyone”
31:6 ndj9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor let me be weighed in an even balance 0 People used balances to weigh items and to determine their value. This image represents judging honestly. It can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: “let me be judged honestly” or “let God judge me honestly” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
31:7 fm8c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor If my step has turned aside from the way 0 Here “my step” is a metaphor for Job’s behavior, and “turned out of the right way” is a metaphor for changing from living right. Alternate translation: “If I have changed from living right” or “If I have stopped doing what is right”
31:7 r29i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy if my heart has gone after my eyes 0 Here “my heart” and “my eyes” are metonyms for what Job desires and sees. The heart going after the eyes is a metaphor for desiring to do what he sees. It is implied that this refers to sinful things that Job sees. Alternate translation: “if I have wanted to do any sinful things that I see” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
31:7 tvw5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor if any spot has stuck to my hands 0 This is a metaphor for being guilty. Alternate translation: “if I am guilty of any sin at all”
31:8 b7e8 then let me sow, and let another eat, and let my crops be uprooted 0 Job is saying that if he really has sinned, then this bad thing should happen to him. He would do the hard work of sowing his fields, but he would not be able to eat any of it.
31:8 xs19 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive let my crops be uprooted 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “let someone else come and take the harvest from my field”
31:9 p1yn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche If my heart has been deceived by a woman 0 Here “my heart” represents Job. Here the word “deceived” expresses the idea of “enticed.” The word “woman” expresses the idea of “another man’s wife.” If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “If another man’s wife has enticed me” or “If I have desired another man’s wife” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
31:9 rs8z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit if I have lain in wait at my neighbor’s door 0 It can be stated clearly why he was waiting at his neighbor’s door. Alternate translation: “if I have waited at my neighbor’s door so I could sleep with his wife”
31:10 ngk5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism then let my wife grind grain for another 0 This could mean: (1) this is an euphemism which means Job is saying may his wife sleep with another man or (2) it means she will become a slave and work for another man.
31:11 h8zi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive it would be a crime to be punished by judges 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “it would be a crime for which judges would be right to punish me”
31:12 r4vn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor For that is a fire that consumes as far as Abaddon, and it would burn all my harvest to the root 0 Job speaks of the harm that sleeping with another woman causes as if it were a fire that destroys everything. The words “that” and “it” refer to sleeping with another man’s wife. Alternate translation: “For adultery is like a fire that burns up everything from here to Abaddon and that would burn up all my harvest”
31:12 i923 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor consumes as far as Abaddon 0 These words are probably a metaphor for “destroys everything so I have nothing good for the rest of my life,” but you should probably translate this literally.
31:12 bn97 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy it would burn all my harvest to the root 0 The word “it” here refers to the action sleeping with another man’s wife. This action is a metonym for the punishment that Job would suffer as a result of the action. A fire burning up his harvest is a synecdoche for losing everything he has worked for. Alternate translation: “those who punish me would take away everything I have worked for” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
31:14 s3xg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion what then would I do when God rises up to accuse me? When he comes to judge me, how would I answer him? 0 Job uses these questions to emphasize that if God were to judge him, Job would not be able to make himself appear to be good. Alternate translation: “then there would be absolutely nothing I could say to defend myself when God comes to judge me.”
31:15 jl2j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Did the one who made me in the womb not make them also? Did not the same one mold us all in the womb? 0 Job uses these questions to emphasize that he is no different from his servants. He implies that God would be angry if Job were to treat his servants as less valuable than himself. Alternate translation: “The one who made me in the womb also made them. He formed us all in the womb.”
31:16 e9r8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom if I have caused the eyes of the widow to grow dim from crying 0 Here “to grow dim” refers to the widow having bad eyesight from crying a lot. Alternate translation: “if I have caused a widow to cry in great sadness”
31:18 xz2i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-genericnoun because from my youth the orphan grew up with me as with a father 0 Here “the orphan” represents orphans in general. Job is describing how he truly treated orphans. Alternate translation: “because even when I was young I took care of orphans like a father”
31:18 z518 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis because from my youth 0 The phrase “But I have done none of those things” is understood from the context. Alternate translation: “But I have done none of those things, because from my youth”
31:18 ibm5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole I have guided his mother, a widow, from my own mother’s womb 0 Job is describing how he truly treated widows. With the phrase “from my own mother’s womb” he uses exaggeration to emphasize that he did this all his life. Alternate translation: “all my life I have guided the orphan’s mother, a widow” or “all my life I have guided widows”
31:20 ut9q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche if his heart has not blessed me 0 The phrase “his heart” represents the poor man who needs clothing. Alternate translation: “if he has not blessed me”
31:20 r66u rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy because he has not been warmed with the wool of my sheep 0 Here “the wool of my sheep” represents blankets or clothing made from the wool of Job’s sheep. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “because the wool of my sheep has not warmed him” or “because I have not given him clothing made from the wool of my sheep” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
31:21 mf7q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy if I have lifted up my hand against fatherless people 0 Lifting up the hand against someone represents threatening to harm him. Alternate translation: “if I have threatened to harm fatherless people”
31:21 wu45 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I saw my support in the city gate 0 Here “saw” is a metaphor for “knew,” “support” is a metaphor for “approval,” and “the city gate” is a metonym for the leaders who sit at the city gate. Alternate translation: “I knew that the leaders at the city gate would approve of me” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
31:21 w7s9 in the city gate 0 This is where the important men of the city would gather to make decisions.
31:21 y72n then bring charges against me 0 This phrase is not in the original language or in other versions of the Bible. It was added here to help preserve the meaning of Job’s statement in this long sentence.
31:22 sqk5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder blade, and let my arm be broken from its joint 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “then let someone tear off my shoulder from the shoulder blade and break my arm from its joint”
31:24 r6lg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns If I have made gold my hope 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **hope**, you can express the same idea with the verbs “trust” or “hope.” Alternate translation: “If I trusted in gold” or “If I hoped that having a lot of gold would make me secure”
31:24 s4sm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism if I have said to fine gold, ‘You are what I am confident in’ 0 This line means the same as the previous line.
31:25 bt3p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my hand had gotten many possessions 0 Here “my hand” represents Job’s ability to do things. Alternate translation: “I have gained many possessions by my own ability”
31:25 sk1t then bring charges against me 0 This phrase is not in the original language or in other versions of the Bible. It was added here to help preserve the meaning of Job’s statement in this long sentence.
31:26 g5il rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification the moon walking 0 Here “walking” represents moving slowly. Alternate translation: “the moon moving across the sky”
31:26 m93p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns the moon walking in its brightness 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **brightness**, you can express the same idea with the words “bright” or “brightly.” Alternate translation: “the bright moon moving across the sky” or “the moon moving brightly across the sky”
31:27 qcf6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche if my heart has been secretly attracted 0 Here “my heart” represents Job. This phrase can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: “if I have been secretly attracted to them” or “if I have secretly desired to worship them” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
31:27 wm2t rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction so that my mouth has kissed my hand 0 Here “my mouth” represents Job. This is a sign of love and devotion. Alternate translation: “so that I have kissed my hand”
31:28 pwl3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive to be punished by judges 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “for which judges would be right to punish me”
31:29 b1im rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns at the destruction of anyone who hated me 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **destruction**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form such as “destroy.” Alternate translation: “when anyone who hated me was destroyed” or “when bad things happened to anyone who hated me”
31:29 p1nt when disaster overtook him 0 Alternate translation: “when he experienced disasters”
31:29 hvt5 then bring charges against me 0 This phrase is not in the original language or in other versions of the Bible. It was added here to help preserve the meaning of Job’s statement in this long sentence.
31:30 w93c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche Indeed, I have not even allowed my mouth to sin 0 Here “my mouth” represents Job speaking. Alternate translation: “Truly I did not let myself sin” or “Truly, I did not sin”
31:30 jng4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy by asking for his life with a curse 0 Here “asking for his life with a curse” represents cursing someone’s life so that he will die. Alternate translation: “by cursing him so that he would die” or “by cursing his life”
31:31 ng3a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the men of my tent 0 The tent represents Job’s household. The men of his tent includes family members and servants. All of these knew Job well. Alternate translation: “the men of my household” or “my family members and servants”
31:31 hwl9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who can find one who has not been filled with Job’s food? 0 Job’s men would have used this question to emphasize that Job was generous to everyone. Alternate translation: “Everyone has been filled with Job’s food!” or “Everyone we know of has eaten as much of Job’s food as he wanted!”
31:32 uns3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy even the foreigner has never had to stay in the city square 0 Job is explaining how he truly treated foreigners. Here “stay in the city square” represents sleeping overnight in the city square. Alternate translation: “foreigners have never had to sleep in the city square” or “foreigners have never had to sleep outside”
31:32 h895 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy I have always opened my doors to the traveler 0 Here “opened my doors to the traveler” represents welcoming the traveler into his home. Alternate translation: “I have always welcomed the traveler into my home”
31:32 p6kk and if that is not so, then bring charges against me 0 This phrase is not in the original language or in other versions of the Bible. It was added here to help preserve the meaning of Job’s statement in this long sentence.
31:33 sb1q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor If … I have hidden my sins 0 Here “have hidden my sins” represents trying to keep people from knowing that he had sinned. Alternate translation: “If … I have tried to keep my sins a secret”
31:33 jav4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor by hiding my guilt inside my tunic 0 This represents trying to keep people from knowing that he is guilty. Alternate translation: “by hiding the evidence of my guilt inside my tunic” or “like one who hides the evidence of his guilt inside his tunic”
31:34 b8ml rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism because I feared the great multitude, because the contempt of families terrified me 0 This would be the reason for hiding his sins. These mean the same thing. They emphasize that a person may hide his sin because he fears what other people may think about him.
31:34 ia4h then bring charges against me 0 This phrase is not in the original language or in other versions of the Bible. It was added here to help preserve the meaning of Job’s statement in this long sentence.
31:35 i9lk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations Oh, if only I had someone to hear me! 0 This exclamation expresses Job’s wish. Alternate translation: “I wish I had someone to hear me” or “I wish that someone would listen to me”
31:35 vmt3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor here is my signature 0 Here “my signature” represents Job’s promise that everything he is saying is true. He speaks of his complaint as if he had written a legal document. Alternate translation: “I solemnly promise that all I have said is true”
31:35 v1vp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit let the Almighty answer me! 0 Here an answer probably refers to telling Job what wrong he accuses Job of doing. Alternate translation: “let the Almighty tell me what I have done wrong” or “I wish the Almighty would say what I have done wrong”
31:35 u84z If only I had the indictment that my opponent has written! 0 This expresses Job’s wish. Job speaks as though his troubles are evidence that someone has written something accusing him of terrible sin. Alternate translation: “I wish I had the accusation that my opponent has written” or “If only I could read my opponent’s complaint against me”
31:35 qku3 my opponent 0 This could mean: (1) this refers to God or (2) this refers to someone else.
31:36 gw5a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Surely I would carry it openly on my shoulder; I would put it on like a crown 0 This represents putting it where everyone could read it.
31:37 l5p7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I would declare to him an accounting for my steps 0 Here “my steps” represents Job’s actions. Alternate translation: “I would declare to him an accounting for all I have done” or “I would tell him everything I have done”
31:37 mvd6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile as a confident prince I would go up to him 0 This means Job would approach God without any fear. Job implies that he could do this because he was not guilty. Alternate translation: “I would approach him boldly”
31:38 g2jv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo 0 # General Information:\n\nThis concludes Job’s description of situations in which he would deserve God’s punishment, but he knows they are not true.
31:38 r91t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification If my land ever cries out against me, and its furrows weep together 0 Job speaks of being guilty as if his land were a person who cries out against Job because of the wrong Job has done to the land. Alternate translation: “If I have done wrong concerning my land” or “If I have stolen my land from someone”
31:39 vfe3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy to lose their lives 0 This represents dying. Alternate translation: “to die”
31:40 k93z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis weeds instead of barley 0 The words “let” and “grow” are understood from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “let weeds grow instead of barley”
32:intro pq4v 0 # Job 32 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nJob’s friends give up on trying to convince him that he is being punished for sinning. This chapter introduces Elihu who was a witness to these interactions between Job and his friends. According to Elihu, instead of being punished for his sins, Job is sinning in the midst of these difficulties. This is the first of Elihu’s four statements. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony]])\n\nSome translations prefer to set apart extended quotations, prayers, or songs. The ULT and many other English translations set the lines of 32:6–22, which is an extended quotation, farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text. This quotation continues through the next chapter.
32:1 k2f6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he was righteous in his own eyes 0 The eyes represent seeing, and seeing represents thoughts or judgment. Alternate translation: “he considered himself righteous”
32:2 cr7d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Then was kindled the anger of Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram; it was kindled against Job 0 This compares Elihu’s anger to someone starting a fire. Also, If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
32:2 hxc1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names Elihu … Barakel … Ram 0 These are names of men.
32:2 l6vj rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-names Buzite 0 This is the name of a people-group.
32:2 iub4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit he justified himself rather than God 0 This means that he considered himself innocent and believed God had been wrong to punish him. Alternate translation: “he justified himself and claimed that God had been wrong to punish him”
32:3 p4aw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Elihu’s anger was also kindled against his three friends 0 This compares Elihu’s anger to someone starting a fire. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Elihu also became very angry with his three friends” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
32:4 w92d rc://*/ta/man/translate/writing-background Now 0 This word is used here to mark a break in the main story line. This tells background information about Elihu.
32:5 mm6z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor that there was no answer in the mouths of these three men 0 This means that the men were done speaking to Job. This speaks of the men possibly having an answer as if the answer were an object that would be in their mouths. Alternate translation: “that these three men had nothing else to say” or “that these three men had no more answers to give Job”
32:5 xt4n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor his anger was kindled 0 This compares Elihu’s anger to someone starting a fire. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “he became very angry” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
32:6 jj95 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-you you are very old 0 Here “you” is plural and refers to Job and his three friends.
32:7 z9d9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Length of days should speak; a multitude of years should teach wisdom 0 These two lines mean the same thing. Elihu emphasizes that since older people are wiser than younger people, they should be the first to speak of what they know. Alternate translation: “He who has lived many years should speak; He would is older should teach wisdom” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
32:8 le8v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism there is a spirit in a man; the breath of the Almighty 0 Both phrases mean the same thing. Elihu is emphasizing that a man’s wisdom comes from God. Alternate translation: “there is a spirit in a man, that is, the breath of the Almighty that”
32:8 tg64 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy the breath of the Almighty 0 Here the spirit is represented by “breath.” Alternate translation: “the spirit of the Almighty”
32:12 cem5 who could respond to his words 0 Here the word “respond” does not just mean to answer, but to answer with a helpful response.
32:13 ys9l We have found wisdom 0 This means that they believe that they have figured out what is wise. Alternate translation: “We have discovered what is wise”
32:13 pwq9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to defeat Job 0 This speaks of God responding to Job and correcting him as if he were defeating him in battle. Alternate translation: “to refute Job” or “to answer Job”
32:16 k7n7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Should I wait because they are not speaking, because they stand there silent and answer no more? 0 Elihu uses a question to emphasize that he will not wait any longer to speak. Elihu answers this question himself in the next verse. Alternate translation: But because you do not speak, I certainly will not wait any longer; you merely stand there and do not reply anymore.
32:18 j46i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I am full of words 0 Elihu speaks of having a lot to say as being full of words. Alternate translation: “I have so much to say”
32:19 l5s6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile my breast is like fermenting wine that has no vent; like new wineskins, it is ready to burst 0 While wine is fermenting, gas collects in the container. If the gas is not let out the container will burst. Elihu means that he has so much to say that if he does not speak he feels like he will burst. Also, these two phrases are parallel and have the same meaning. Alternate translation: “I feel like my breast is about to burst, like a container of fermenting wine that has no vent” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
32:19 a7cz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche my breast is 0 This represents Elihu, specifically his spirit. Alternate translation: “my spirit is” or “I am”
32:20 m29y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive I may be refreshed 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “I may feel better”
32:20 w6zz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche open my lips 0 Here the “lips” represent the mouth. Alternate translation: “open my mouth”
33:intro t7rx 0 # Job 33 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nAccording to Elihu, instead of being punished for his sins, Job is sinning in the midst of these difficulties. This is a continuation of the first of Elihu’s four statements and it is addressed to Job. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony]])\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. This quotation is a continuation of the previous chapter.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### God’s mercy\nWhile Job has been complaining about the lack of justice and response from Yahweh, Elihu shows Job that Yahweh has shown him great mercy along the way. He is still alive because of Yahweh’s mercy. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/mercy]])
33:1 m7lu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism hear my speech; listen to all my words 0 These two phrases mean the same thing. Elihu is emphasizing that Job must listen carefully.
33:2 j572 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism I have opened my mouth … my tongue has spoken in my mouth 0 These mean the same thing. Elihu is emphasizing that he is now ready to speak. His “tongue” speaking represents himself speaking. Alternate translation: “I have opened my mouth and I have begun to speak” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
33:3 u1kk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche My words come from the uprightness of my heart 0 Here Elihu refers to himself by his “heart” as he speaks of being upright. Alternate translation: “I will speak with uprightness” or “I will speak with complete honesty”
33:3 j6sd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche my lips speak pure knowledge 0 Here Elihu refers to himself by his “lips” to emphasize his speech. Alternate translation: “I will speak sincerely to you the things I know”
33:4 g749 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism The Spirit of God … has given me life 0 These two lines mean the same thing. Elihu is emphasizing that God has made him and so gives authority to what he is saying.
33:5 ikf4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor set your words in order before me and stand up 0 This speaks of Job preparing what he will say as if he were setting up and organizing physical objects. Alternate translation: “prepare what you will say, and stand up and answer me”
33:6 dis8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I am just as you are in God’s sight 0 Here sight represents judgment or evaluation. Alternate translation: “I am just as you are in God’s judgment” or “God judges me the same way that he judges you”
33:6 ym3b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I also have been formed out of the clay 0 Though people are not made out of clay, God has made everyone as a potter carefully makes things out of clay. Alternate translation: “God has made both of us just as a potter forms things from clay”
33:6 q828 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive I also have been formed 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God has also made me” or “God has formed both of us”
33:7 y53l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor neither will my pressure be heavy upon you 0 This means that he will not hinder Job or burden him. He speaks of emotional burden here as if it were a heavy physical burden. Alternate translation: “neither will I burden you” or “I will not oppress you with what I say”
33:9 f62q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor clean 0 A person who God considers spiritually acceptable is spoken of as if the person were physically clean.
33:11 ra4e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He puts my feet in stocks 0 “Stocks” are wooden blocks a jailer puts around a prisoner’s feet to restrict his movement. Job speaks of feeling like he is a prisoner by saying that he is in stocks. Alternate translation: “I feel he has made me a prisoner”
33:11 w3ja rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my paths 0 These words refer to where he goes. Here where he goes represents what he does. Alternate translation: “everything that I do”
33:13 z74q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Why do you struggle against him? 0 Elihu uses this question to emphasize that Job should not struggle against God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You should not struggle against God.” or “You should not try to argue with God.”
33:14 gyh6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom God speaks once—yes, twice 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “God speaks again and again in different ways”
33:15 zz7a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism a dream … a vision of the night 0 These phrases have the same meaning.
33:15 vq5q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumber on the bed 0 This speaks of people being in a deep sleep as if the sleep fell upon them or overcame them. Alternate translation: “when people are fully asleep on their bed”
33:16 cgu3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor then God opens the ears of men 0 This speaks of God making people aware of things as if he were opening their ears so that they could hear. Alternate translation: “then God reveals things to people”
33:17 qd6y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor in order to pull man back from 0 This speaks of God keeping someone from doing something as if he were physically pulling him away from harm. Alternate translation: “in order to keep him from”
33:18 t4um rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism God keeps man’s life back from the pit … his life from crossing over to death 0 Both of these statements mean the same thing. Alternate translation: “God saves people from the grave and from death”
33:18 d93m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the pit 0 The place where people go when they die is referred to here as “the pit.” Alternate translation: “the place where dead people are”
33:18 bd6l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom man’s life back … his life 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “man from dying and … he keeps him”
33:18 lgc1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy from crossing over to death 0 Here “death” represents the place where people go when they die, that is, sheol. Alternate translation: “from going to sheol”
33:19 pgn6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive Man is punished also 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God also punishes a person”
33:19 x9jg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit with pain on his bed 0 This means that the person is experiencing such pain that he must lie in bed. Alternate translation: “with pain so that he must lie in bed”
33:20 ubm9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism so that his life abhors food, and his soul abhors delicacies 0 These two phrases mean basically the same thing, that the person is in so much pain that he cannot even eat. The person is represented by his “life” and his “soul.” Alternate translation: “the result is that he does not desire any food, not even very special food” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
33:21 f64y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive His flesh is consumed away so that it cannot be seen; his bones, once not seen, now stick out 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. “His flesh” refers to his fat and muscles, not to his body’s outer skin. Alternate translation: “Disease makes his body weak and thin so that a person can see his bones”
33:22 gup8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche his soul draws close to the pit 0 Here a person is represented by his “soul.” Alternate translation: “he is close to going into the grave”
33:22 v3zi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the pit 0 The place where people go when they die is referred to here as “the pit.” Alternate translation: “the place where dead people are”
33:22 ne1h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche his life to those who wish to destroy it 0 Here the person is represented by his “life.” The phrase “those who wish to destroy it” refers to the place where people go after they die. Alternate translation: “and he is close to going to the place where dead people go” or “and he will soon go to the place of the dead” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
33:23 zbw1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-numbers one out of a thousand 0 In some languages it may be more natural to refer to “a great number” instead of “a thousand.” Alternate translation: “one from the great number of angels”
33:24 a1rp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the pit 0 The place where people go when they die is referred to here as “the pit.” Alternate translation: “the place where dead people are”
33:24 es6z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit I have found a ransom for him 0 This means that the angel has found a way to pay for the sins of the man so that he does not have to die. Alternate translation: “for I have found a way for you to keep him from dying”
33:25 ze1v Then 0 This word is used here to mark what will happen if God grants the angel’s request. Alternate translation: “Then as a result” or “As a result of the angel’s request to God”
33:25 mu51 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile his flesh will become fresher than a child’s 0 This speaks of the man being healed and his body growing strong again as if his body became new like a child’s body. Alternate translation: “the sick man’s body will become new again like a young person’s body”
33:25 k7le rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole fresher than a child’s 0 In this comparison, the word “fresher” is an exaggeration. Alternate translation: “fresh like a child’s”
33:25 n9hs rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis a child’s 0 This refers to a child’s flesh. Alternate translation: “a child’s flesh”
33:25 s1tk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor it is restored to the days of his youth 0 This speaks of the man’s flesh again being as strong as it was when he was young. Alternate translation: “it will become strong again, as it was when he was young”
33:26 yt2q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom he sees God’s face with joy 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “he joyfully worships God”
33:26 d3zd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche God’s face 0 Here God is represented by his “face.” Alternate translation: “God”
33:26 ysy8 God will give the person his triumph 0 Alternate translation: “God will save the person” or “God will make things right for the person again”
33:27 t53p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive but my sin was not punished 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “but God did not punish me for sinning”
33:28 wt12 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche rescued my soul from going down into the pit 0 Here the person is referred to by his “soul.” Alternate translation: “rescued me from dying and going to the pit”
33:28 u2a3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the pit 0 The place where people go when they die is referred to here as “the pit.” Alternate translation: “the place where dead people are”
33:28 f6ps rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy my life will continue to see light 0 Here the person is represented by his “life.” Also, living is spoken of as seeing the light. Alternate translation: “I will continue to live and see the daylight” or “I will continue to live” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
33:29 w47t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom twice, yes, even three times 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “again and again”
33:30 b2bf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche his soul 0 The person is represented by his “soul.” Alternate translation: “him”
33:30 cik5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to bring his soul back from the pit 0 This speaks of saving the man from dying as if he had died and was being brought back to life. Alternate translation: “to keep him from dying and going to the pit”
33:30 qg5z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the pit 0 The place where people go when they die is referred to here as “the pit.” Alternate translation: “the place where dead people are”
33:30 myd4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive he may be enlightened with the light of life 0 This is an idiom and may be stated in active form. Alternate translation: “he may be happy to still be alive” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
33:31 z1l9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet Pay attention, Job, and listen to me 0 These phrases mean the same thing. Alternate translation: “Listen carefully to me, Job”
33:32 g3l6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom that you are in the right 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “that you are innocent”
34:intro b9ku 0 # Job 34 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nAccording to Elihu, instead of being punished for his sins, Job is sinning in the midst of these difficulties. This is the second of Elihu’s four statements and it is addressed first to Job’s friends and then to Job. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony]])\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. Elihu uses many of Job’s statements against him. His attitude is not too different from Job’s friends.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Yahweh’s justice\nElihu defends the justice of Yahweh after Job claimed that Yahweh was being unjust. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice]])
34:2 zux7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony you wise men … you who have knowledge 0 Elihu is criticizing Job and his friends. He does not think they are actually wise.
34:3 ln8s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile For the ear tries words as the palate tastes food 0 Elihu means people listen carefully to determine what is right or wrong just like we taste food to determine if it is good or bad. Here people are referred to by their “ear” and their “palate” to emphasize that they are tasting and hearing. Alternate translation: “For we listen to words to know what is good and bad, just as we taste foods to know what is good to eat” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])
34:4 v6hj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive Let us 0 Here “us” refers to Elihu, Job, and his three friends.
34:6 k523 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive I am considered to be a liar 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God considers me to be a liar”
34:6 i95p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor My wound is incurable 0 Here Job’s sickness and suffering is spoken of as if it were a “wound.” Alternate translation: “I am sick and no one can heal me”
34:7 nd2a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion What man is like Job 0 Elihu uses this rhetorical question to scold Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “There is no one else like Job”
34:7 glm5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile who drinks up mockery like water 0 Elihu is accusing Job of mocking others as often as a person drinks water. Alternate translation: “who mocks other people as frequently as he drinks water”
34:8 j3zr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor who walks with wicked men 0 Here “walk” is an idiom for how a person acts. Alternate translation: “who behaves like wicked men”
34:10 n22e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony you men of understanding 0 Elihu is criticizing Job and his friends. He does not actually think they are wise.
34:10 meh8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism far be it from God … far be it from the Almighty that he should commit sin 0 These two phrases have the same meaning and are used together to emphasize that God would never do anything wrong. The phrase “far be it from” is an idiom. Alternate translation: “Almighty God would never consider doing anything that is wicked or wrong” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
34:11 ia8g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor For he pays back a person’s work 0 This means that he gives to a person what he deserves for the work he has done. Here “work” is a metaphor for what a person does. Alternate translation: “For he gives to a person what he deserves in return for he does”
34:11 y31y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom he makes every man come upon the reward of his own ways 0 The phrase “his own ways” is an idiom for how a person lives his life. Elihu emphasizes that God gives to people what they deserve. Alternate translation: “he causes every man to receive the reward he deserves for how he lives”
34:13 n1w5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism Who put him in charge over the earth? Who put the whole world under him? 0 Both of these rhetorical questions have the same meaning and emphasize that no one needed to grant God authority because it was already his. These questions can be written as statements. Alternate translation: “No one needed to give permission to God to take responsibility over all the earth. He is the rightful one to rule the world.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
34:14 d4kx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hypo If he ever 0 Elihu is describing a situation that he does not believe would ever happen.
34:14 t8rt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit his spirit and his breath 0 The “spirit” and “breath” of God are what makes all living things alive. Alternate translation: “his spirit and breath which give us life”
34:15 lah1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche all flesh 0 Here all living things are represented by their “flesh.” Alternate translation: “all living things”
34:15 tmc7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit mankind would return to dust again 0 This means that all people would die and their bodies would decay and become soil. In the beginning God created man from the dust. Alternate translation: “the bodies of mankind would soon become soil again”
34:16 lpb8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-you you have 0 Here “you” is singular and refers to Job.
34:16 giw9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism listen to the sound of my words 0 “listen to what I say.” This means the same as the previous part of the sentence.
34:17 rc4c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty? 0 Elihu uses this question to rebuke Job for implying that God hates justice. Alternate translation: “One who hates justice cannot be expected to rule over people. So you really cannot criticize God, who is righteous and powerful, and you cannot say that what he has done is wrong.”
34:17 s1zl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can one who hates justice govern? 0 The implicit answer to this rhetorical question is “no.” This question implies that God could not rule the world if he hated justice. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “One who hates justice cannot govern the world.” or “God could certainly never hate what is right and still rule the world.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
34:17 l8xs rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you condemn God, who is righteous and mighty? 0 This rhetorical question is used to emphasize that Job does not have the authority or a reason to condemn God. Alternate translation: “You cannot condemn God, who is righteous and mighty!”
34:18 n5xx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion God, who says to a king, ‘You are vile,’ or says to nobles, ‘You are wicked’? 0 This continues the rhetorical question from the previous verse, emphasizing to Job that he cannot condemn God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “He says to some kings, ‘You are vile,’ and he says to some nobles, ‘You are wicked.’”
34:18 pa2a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis God, who says to a king 0 This is part of the previous question. The understood words from the previous verse, “will you condemn God,” may be supplied. Alternate translation: “Will you condemn God, who says to a king”
34:19 sj41 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy for they all are the work of his hands 0 Here “hands” refer to power. Alternate translation: “for God made them all”
34:20 xkd5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom at midnight 0 Midnight is the time when one day ends and another begins. Here “midnight” is used as an idiom. Alternate translation: “at night” or “suddenly, at night”
34:20 yx7f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive people will be shaken and will pass away 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. The phrase “will be shaken” is an idiom that means to be “struck.” Alternate translation: “God strikes them and they die” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
34:20 nq3g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-euphemism mighty people will be taken away, but not by human hands 0 This means that it is God who causes people to die, not people. Also, If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “it is God and not humans who cause mighty people to die” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
34:20 dsu9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche not by human hands 0 Here people are represented by their “hands.” Alternate translation: “not by humans” or “not by people”
34:21 syl2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy For God’s eyes are upon a person’s ways 0 God’s “eyes” represent his sight. The phrase “a person’s ways” is an idiom for what he does and how he lives. Alternate translation: “For God watches everything a person does” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
34:21 wn28 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit he sees all his steps 0 This means that he always knows where the person is and where he is going. Alternate translation: “he sees him wherever he goes”
34:22 em2w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet no darkness, no thick gloom 0 The words “thick gloom” mean basically the same thing as, and intensify, the word “darkness.”
34:24 hwl1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom He breaks mighty men into pieces 0 This speaks of God destroying these men as if he actually broke their bodies into pieces. Alternate translation: “He destroys mighty men” or “He destroys important people”
34:24 nyi9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit for their ways that need no further investigation 0 He does not need to investigate what they have done because he already knows everything about them. Alternate translation: “without needing to do further investigation, because he already knows their ways”
34:24 z5n9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit he puts others in their places 0 This means that he appoints other people to rule in their positions. Alternate translation: “and he chooses other people to rule in their places”
34:25 hq7v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom in the night 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “when they are not expecting it”
34:25 rxl8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive they are destroyed 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “and destroys them”
34:26 mwg7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile In the open sight of others, he kills them for their wicked deeds like criminals 0 This phrase compares the way that these people die to how criminals die. Alternate translation: “He kills them for their wicked deeds, in the open sight of others as if they were criminals”
34:26 y46j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom In the open sight of others 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “In a place where everyone can see”
34:26 af3k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit he kills them 0 This speaks of God causing these people to die, though he does not actually strike them with a sword himself. He may cause someone else to kill them or disaster to come upon them. Alternate translation: “he causes them to die”
34:27 mv8l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom his ways 0 This refers to God’s instructions for how people should behave.
34:28 d5r1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns they made the cry of poor people come to him 0 The word “cry” can be expressed as a verb. This speaks of God hearing their cry as if the cry were a person that came to him. Alternate translation: “they made the poor people cry, and God heard them” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
34:29 w485 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor When he stays silent, who can condemn him? If he hides his face, who can perceive him? 0 These two questions speak of God not punishing wicked people as if he were being silent and hiding his face.
34:29 k61c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion When he stays silent, who can condemn him? 0 Elihu uses this rhetorical question to teach Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “No one can criticize God if he decides to remain silent”
34:29 j5ex rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion If he hides his face, who can perceive him? 0 Elihu uses this rhetorical question to teach Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “No one can go and see him if he decides to hide his face”
34:29 pdu7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche his face 0 Here God is represented by his “face.” Alternate translation: “himself”
34:30 n7qw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor no one to entrap people 0 This compares a godless ruler harming people as if he were a hunter trapping his prey. Alternate translation: “no one to harm the people”
34:32 u6ly rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy teach me what I cannot see 0 Here to “see” means to know. Alternate translation: “teach me what I have done wrong that I am not aware of”
34:33 kc72 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you think that God will punish that person’s sin, since you dislike what God does? 0 “Since you dislike what God does, do you think that God should punish this person’s sin?” Elihu uses this rhetorical question to emphasize that he should not think that God will not punish this man. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Even though you do not like what God does, surely even you do not think that God will punish this person”
34:33 xdv4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy that person’s sin 0 Here punishing the person because of his sin is referred to as punishing the “person’s sin.” Alternate translation: “that person because of his sin”
34:36 znm7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive If only Job were put on trial in 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “If only we could put Job on trial in” or “If only we could take Job to court so a judge could listen to”
34:36 mvs5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom in the smallest details of his case 0 This is an idiom. Alternate translation: “to listen to his case thoroughly” or “to hear all of the details of his case”
34:37 jr4v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit he adds rebellion 0 This refers to rebellion against God. Alternate translation: “he adds rebellion against God”
34:37 fm5k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit he claps his hands in mockery in our midst 0 In this accusation, this means that Job clapped his hands to strengthen his mockery of God. Alternate translation: “he claps his hands as he mocks God in our midst” or “he mocks God right in front of us” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction]])
34:37 g7nc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he piles up words against God 0 Elihu speaks of “words” as if they were objects, and of speaking many words as if it were piling those objects one on top of the other. Alternate translation: “he speaks many words against God”
35:intro mfr6 0 # Job 35 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nAccording to Elihu, instead of being punished for his sins, Job is sinning in the midst of these difficulties. This is the third of Elihu’s four statements and it is addressed first to Job’s friends and then to Job. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony]])\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. Elihu uses many of Job’s statements against him.\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nElihu uses many different rhetorical questions in this chapter in order to try to convince Job. These questions help to build Elihu’s argument. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### Ironic situation\n\nElihu explains the irony of Job’s claim. He claimed to be righteous and desired Yahweh to intervene. In this chapter, Elihu explains to Job that his claims of righteousness are prideful. This makes him unrighteous. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]])
35:2 s9jw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you think this is just & ‘My right before God’? 0 Elihu uses questions to challenge Job. Alternate translation: “You must think you are right … ‘My right before God.’” or “It is not just … ‘My right before God.’”
35:2 l3t8 My right before God 0 This could mean: (1) Job is claiming to be innocent before God or (2) Job is claiming that he, rather than God, is right.
35:3 w8qv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion For you ask, ‘What use is it to me?’ and, ‘Would I be better off if I had sinned?’ 0 Elihu quotes Job as saying the these two rhetorical questions. Alternate translation: “For you say, ‘It does not benefit me’ and, ‘I am no better off than if I had sinned.’”
35:6 pdd2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism If you have sinned … what do you do to him? 0 These two lines share similar meanings. The second line intensifies the meaning of the first line.
35:6 t1v8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion If you have sinned, what harm do you do to God? 0 Elihu asks this question to emphasize that Job’s sins cannot actually do anything to God. Alternate translation: “If you have sinned, you have not done any harm to God.”
35:6 s7x4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor If your transgressions pile up high, what do you do to him? 0 Elihu speaks of “transgressions” as if they were objects, and of committing many transgressions as if it were piling those objects one on top of the other. He asks this question to emphasize that Job does nothing to God by his transgressions. Alternate translation: “If you committed a great many transgressions, you still do nothing to him.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
35:7 m97k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion If you are righteous, what can you give to him? What will he receive from your hand? 0 The two rhetorical questions mean basically the same thing, that Job’s righteousness adds nothing to God. Alternate translation: “If you are righteous, that does not enable you to give anything to him, and there is nothing that he will receive from your hand.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
35:7 i418 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche receive from your hand 0 Here the word “hand” represents Job. Alternate translation: “receive from you”
35:9 p9sw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns Because of many acts of oppression 0 The word “oppression” can be translated with a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: “Because of the many things that people do to oppress others”
35:9 zb6t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy they call for help from the arms of mighty men 0 Here “arms” refers to power or strength. Alternate translation: “they call for someone to deliver them from the power of mighty men”
35:10 f89r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor who gives songs in the night 0 Elihu speaks of God enabling people to have hope in troubling circumstances as if he were giving to them songs which they can sing during the night.
35:14 di2g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclamations How much less will he answer you … that you are waiting for him! 0 Since God will not hear the prayers of prideful, evil men, it is even less likely that he will hear Job, who is complaining against him. Alternate translation: “So he certainly will not answer you … that you are waiting for him!”
35:14 njy6 that your case is before him 0 Alternate translation: “you have presented your case to him”
35:14 c513 you are waiting for him 0 Alternate translation: “you are waiting for him to respond”
35:15 ub2k Now you say that his anger does not punish, and he does not take even a litte notice of transgression 0 Because Job is saying these things about God that are untrue, it is even less likely that God will answer Job’s prayers.
35:15 kpu8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy his anger does not punish 0 Here “his anger” is a metonym for “him.” Alternate translation: “he never punishes anyone because he is angry”
35:16 ben3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he piles up words without knowledge 0 Elihu speaks of “words” as if they were objects, and of speaking many words as if it were piling those objects one on top of the other. The word “knowledge” can be translated with a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: “he speaks many words without knowing what he is talking about” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
36:intro pp2j 0 # Job 36 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nAccording to Elihu, instead of being punished for his sins, Job is sinning in the midst of these difficulties. This is the last of Elihu’s four statements and it is addressed first to Job’s friends and then to Job. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony]])\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. His attitude is not too different from Job’s friends.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Yahweh’s justice\nThis chapter focuses on the justice of Yahweh. It is important to remember that justice won’t always come in this life. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice]])
36:2 h1hx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I will show you some things 0 Elihu speaks of explaining things to Job as if he were going to show those things to Job. Alternate translation: “I will explain some things to you”
36:3 c3pd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I will obtain my knowledge from far off 0 Elihu speaks of having knowledge of many different subjects as if it were getting his knowledge from far away places. Alternate translation: “I will show you my great knowledge”
36:3 u4g9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns that righteousness belongs to my Maker 0 Here the word “righteousness” can be translated with an adjective. Alternate translation: “that my Maker is righteous”
36:4 br1k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor someone who is mature in knowledge is with you 0 The word “someone” refers to Elihu himself. He speaks of being very knowledgeable as if it were being mature in knowledge. Alternate translation: “I, who am with you, am very knowledgeable”
36:5 j9ct rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet he is mighty in strength of understanding 0 The phrase “mighty in strength” forms a doublet that means “very strong.” Elihu speaks of God understanding everything perfectly as if his understanding were very strong. Alternate translation: “he is very strong in understanding” or “he understands everything completely” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
36:7 q9mj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He does not withdraw his eyes from righteous people 0 Elihu speaks of God protecting righteous people as if God were watching them with his eyes, and of God ceasing to protect them as if he withdrew his eyes from them. Alternate translation: “He does not stop protecting the righteous people”
36:7 yc6f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor sets them on thrones like kings 0 Elihu speaks of God honoring the righteous people as if God were causing them to sit on thrones like kings do.
36:7 x6yz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they are lifted up 0 Elihu speaks of God honoring the righteous people as if he lifted them up to a high place. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “he lifts them up” or “he honors them” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
36:8 a6cw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive If they are bound in chains 0 Here the word “they” refers righteous people whom God will discipline if they sin. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “If someone binds them in chains” or “If someone makes them a prisoner”
36:8 f3xm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor trapped in cords of suffering 0 Elihu speaks of a person being made to suffer as if that person were trapped in ropes that cause suffering. Alternate translation: “someone causes them to suffer” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
36:9 qj2k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis their transgressions and their pride 0 The verb may be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “he reveals to them their transgressions and their pride”
36:10 i8aj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He also opens their ears 0 Elihu speaks of causing a person to listen as if it were opening that person’s ear. Alternate translation: “He also causes them to listen”
36:10 gn8h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns to his instruction 0 The noun “instruction” can be translated with a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: “to what he is instructing them”
36:10 emb8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to turn back from iniquity 0 Elihu speaks of stopping an action as if it were turning back from it. Alternate translation: “to stop committing iniquity”
36:11 hx9k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche they will spend their days in prosperity, their years in contentment 0 The words “days” and “years” both refer to the person’s lifetime. Alternate translation: “they will spend their lives in prosperity and contentment”
36:12 q2nz rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they will perish by the sword 0 Elihu speaks of a person dying violently as if someone had killed them with a sword. Alternate translation: “they will die a violent death”
36:13 j1gi rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy who are godless in heart 0 Here the word “heart” refers to the thoughts and emotions. The phrase may indicate that the person stubbornly refuses to trust God. Alternate translation: “who refuse to trust in God”
36:13 z1u5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor store up their anger 0 Elihu speaks of a person remaining angry as if that person stored up their anger like one would store up treasure. Alternate translation: “are always angry”
36:13 a4sw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor even when God ties them up 0 Elihu speaks of God disciplining people as if God were tying them up with ropes. Alternate translation: “even when God punishes them”
36:14 ny42 their lives end among the cultic prostitutes 0 Here “cultic prostitutes” refers to young men who served in pagan temples performing sexually immoral acts as part of their rituals. This phrase could mean: (1) the godless die because of their immoral behavior or (2) the godless die in shame and disgrace.
36:15 wt6t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he opens their ears 0 Elihu speaks of God causing a person to listen as if God were opening their ears. See how you translated this in [Job 36:10](../36/10.md). Alternate translation: “he causes them to listen”
36:16 h4g2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor into a broad place where there is no hardship 0 Elihu speaks of living without trouble as if it were being in a wide-open space where there were no hardships.
36:16 qjt9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor where your table would be set with food full of fatness 0 Elihu speaks of living prosperously as if it were having one’s table filled with the best foods.
36:16 yn9l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive your table would be set 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “your servants would set your table”
36:16 pw88 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom food full of fatness 0 Meat that had plenty of fat on it was a sign of prosperity because the animals were healthy and well-fed. Alternate translation: “the very best food”
36:17 ybk9 you are full of judgment on wicked people 0 This could mean: (1) “God is punishing you as he would punish the wicked” or (2) “you are obsessed with the judgment that the wicked deserve.”
36:17 ji7m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification judgment and justice have laid hold of you 0 Elihu speaks of God judging Job and giving him justice as if judgment and justice were people that have laid hold of Job. Alternate translation: “God has brought you to judgment and given you justice”
36:19 m4pr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can your wealth benefit you, so that you will not be in distress, or can all the force of your strength help you? 0 Elihu asks these questions to state that money and power will not be able to help Job if he acts unjustly. Alternate translation: “Your wealth cannot cause you to no longer be in distress, and all the force of your strength cannot help you.”
36:20 q5v5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor when peoples are cut off in their place 0 This could mean: (1) that “peoples” refers to people in general and “cut off in their place” is a metaphor for oppressing others by dragging them away from their homes. Alternate translation: “when people drag others away from their homes” or (2) that “peoples” represents nations and “cut off in their place” is a metaphor for nations being destroyed. Alternate translation: “when nations will perish”
36:21 qhr8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive you are being tested by suffering 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God is testing you by making you suffer”
36:22 ay6d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion who is a teacher like him? 0 Elihu asks this rhetorical question to emphasize that no one is a teacher like God. Alternate translation: “no one is a teacher like him.” or “no one teaches like he does.”
36:23 r88v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who has ever instructed him about his way? 0 Elihu asks this rhetorical question to emphasize that no one has ever taught God what to do. Alternate translation: “No one has ever instructed him about what he should do.”
36:23 tz9r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who can ever say to him, ‘You have committed unrighteousness?’ 0 Elihu asks this rhetorical question to emphasize that no one can accuse God of having committed unrighteousness. Alternate translation: “No one can ever say to him, ‘You have committed unrighteousness.’”
36:25 c8rq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor they see those deeds only from far away 0 Elihu speaks of people not being fully able to understand God’s deeds as if people were only able to see those deeds from far away. Alternate translation: “they do not fully understand them”
36:26 zd6h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom the number of his years is incalculable 0 This refers to how long God has existed. Alternate translation: “people cannot know how long he has lived” or “people cannot know his age”
36:27 z98g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit that he distills as rain from his vapor 0 The word “distills” can also mean “refine” or “filter.” Elihu describes how God turns the drops of water, or vapor, that he draws up into rain. Alternate translation: “that he turns into rain”
36:29 q3k1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion can anyone understand the extensive spread of the clouds and the thunder from his hut? 0 Elihu asks this rhetorical question to emphasize that no one can do these things. Alternate translation: “no one can understand the extensive spread of the clouds and the thunder from his hut.”
36:29 a4ve rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns the extensive spread of the clouds 0 The phrase “the extensive spread” can be translated with a verbal phrase. Alternate translation: “how the clouds spread across the sky”
36:29 wh4w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor from his hut 0 Elihu speaks of the sky as if it were a “hut” in which God lives. Alternate translation: “from the sky, where God lives”
36:30 e9es rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor and covers the roots of the sea 0 Elihu speaks of the deep parts of the sea as if the sea were a plant and its depths were its roots. This could mean: (1) although the lightning causes light in the sky, the deep parts of the sea remain dark. Alternate translation: “but the depths of the sea remain dark” or (2) the lightning in the sky cause even the depths of the sea to have light. Alternate translation: “and lights up the depths of the sea”
36:32 tsi9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor He fills his hands with the lightning 0 Elihu speaks of the lightning that storms cause as if God were holding the lightning in his hand and directing it to strike where he wills. This could mean: (1) that God holds the lightning bolts in his hands in order to throw them, or (2) that God hides the lightning bolts in his hands until he is ready to use them.
36:33 k3qk Its thunder 0 Alternate translation: “The thunder caused by the lightning” or “The thunder”
36:33 se83 hear it is coming 0 Alternate translation: “hear that the storm is coming”
37:intro ccm7 0 # Job 37 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nAccording to Elihu, instead of being punished for his sins, Job is sinning in the midst of these difficulties. This is a continuation of the previous chapter and the last of Elihu’s four statements, and it is addressed first to Job’s friends and then to Job. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/sin]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/testimony]])\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. His attitude is not too different from Job’s friends.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Yahweh’s justice\nThis chapter focuses on the justice of Yahweh. It is important to remember that justice won’t always come in this life. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice]])
37:1 mup1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism my heart trembles … it is moved out of its place 0 These two phrases mean basically the same thing and emphasize the intensity of his fear.
37:1 nhy8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor it is moved out of its place 0 Elihu speaks of his heart beating violently as if it were to jump out of his chest. Alternate translation: “it moves out of its place” or “it beats violently” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
37:2 ilg9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the noise of his voice, the sound that goes out from his mouth 0 These two phrases mean basically the same thing. Elihu speaks of the thunder as if it is God’s voice. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
37:3 q5ea rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to the edges of the earth 0 Elihu speaks of the farthest places on the earth as if they were the earth’s borders. Alternate translation: “everywhere in the world”
37:4 l4nh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor A voice roars after it … the voice of his majesty 0 Elihu continues to speak of the thunder as if it is God’s voice.
37:4 k5js rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive when his voice is heard 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “when people hear his voice”
37:6 btz3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis likewise to the rain shower 0 The verb may be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “likewise, he says to the rain shower”
37:7 y45f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche He stops the hand of every man 0 Here the word “hand” represents the entire person. Alternate translation: “He stops every man”
37:9 cpb8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit The storm comes from its chamber in the south and the cold from the scattering winds in the north 0 In Israel, strong wind storms blow in from the south and cold weather approaches from the north.
37:9 j84c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor The storm comes from its chamber in the south 0 Elihu speaks of the storm blowing in from the south as if the storm has a place where it resides until it comes.
37:10 u9mk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor By the breath of God ice is given 0 Elihu speaks of the cold north wind as if it were God’s breath. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “God’s breath makes ice” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
37:10 dc5f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile frozen like metal 0 Elihu compares the hardness of ice to the hardness of metal. Alternate translation: “frozen, as hard as metal”
37:11 gl6n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor he weighs down the thick cloud with moisture 0 Elihu speaks of God causing the storm clouds to be full of water as if the moisture weighed heavily on the clouds. Alternate translation: “he causes the thick clouds to be full of moisture”
37:13 it32 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns sometimes it happens for correction 0 The word “correction” can be translated with a verbal phrase. The object of his “correction” is people. Alternate translation: “sometimes it happens to correct his people” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])
37:13 mjf4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit sometimes for his land 0 This means that the rain waters the ground and causes vegetation to grow. Alternate translation: “sometimes to water the land”
37:13 uep4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns sometimes as acts of covenant faithfulness 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **faithfulness**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form such as “faithful” or “faithfully.” Alternate translation: “sometimes to act faithfully to his covenant” or “sometimes to be faithful to his people”
37:15 ch2b rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you know how God establishes the clouds and makes the lightning bolts to flash in them? 0 Elihu asks this question to emphasize that Job cannot know this. Alternate translation: “You cannot understand how God establishes the clouds and makes the lightning bolts to flash in them.”
37:16 w6jd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you understand the floating of the clouds, the marvelous deeds of God, who is perfect in knowledge? 0 Elihu asks this question to emphasize that Job does not know these things. Alternate translation: “You do not understand the floating of the clouds, the marvelous deeds of God, who is perfect in knowledge.”
37:16 s2ui rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis the marvelous deeds of God 0 The verb may be supplied from the previous phrase. Alternate translation: “or do you understand the marvelous deeds of God” or “and you do not understand the marvelous deeds of God”
37:17 a6f1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you understand how your garments become hot … from the south? 0 Elihu asks this question to emphasize that Job does not know these things. Alternate translation: “You do not understand how your garments become hot … from the south.”
37:17 r98k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit because the wind comes from the south 0 In Israel, hot winds blow in across the desert from the south and cause hot temperatures. Alternate translation: “because of the hot, dry wind blowing in from the south”
37:18 zlb7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you spread out the sky … a mirror of cast metal? 0 Elihu asks this question to emphasize that Job cannot do this. Alternate translation: “You cannot spread out the sky … a mirror of cast metal.”
37:18 c2kf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor as strong as a mirror of cast metal 0 In biblical days, mirrors were made of metal. Elihu speaks of the sky giving no rain as if it were as hard as solid metal.
37:19 s7ig rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-exclusive Teach us what we should say to him 0 Here the words “us” and “we” refer to Elihu, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, but not to Job. Elihu uses this phrase sarcastically.
37:19 q3st rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor because of the darkness of our minds 0 Elihu speaks of the inability to understand as if it were having darkness in one’s mind. Alternate translation: “because we do not understand”
37:20 z1tr rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Should he be told that I wish to speak with him? 0 Elihu asks this rhetorical question to emphasize that no one can do this. Alternate translation: “I cannot have someone tell him that I wish to speak with him.”
37:20 fp7n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive Should he be told 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “Should I have someone tell him”
37:20 b2q9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Would a person wish to be swallowed up? 0 Elihu asks this rhetorical question to emphasize that no one would want this to happen. Alternate translation: “No person would want to be swallowed up.”
37:20 x2hn rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to be swallowed up 0 Elihu speaks of a person being destroyed as if the person were swallowed up. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “for God to destroy him” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
37:22 l64j rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor over God is fearsome majesty 0 The word “fearsome” means that it causes fear. Elihu speaks of God’s majesty as if it were something that rests upon God. Alternate translation: “God’s majesty causes people to fear”
37:23 c4sd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor we cannot find him 0 This could mean: (1) “we cannot approach him” or (2) this is a metaphor in which Elihu speaks of a person’s being unable to fully understand God as if he could not find God. Alternate translation: “we cannot comprehend him”
37:24 n2pv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy those who are wise in their own minds 0 Here “minds” represents the person’s thoughts. Alternate translation: “those who are wise in their own thinking” or “those who consider themselves to be wise”
38:intro bs8p 0 # Job 38 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. Yahweh finally speaks in this chapter.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Yahweh’s greatness\nYahweh is far greater than any man. He is the creator of the earth, and his ways will not always be understood by men because their knowledge is always limited.\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nYahweh uses a series of rhetorical questions in this chapter in order to defend his character. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
38:1 b53y Then Yahweh called 0 Here, the word “then” marks the beginning of a new part of the book. See if your language has a similar way to introduce a new scene. Alternate translation: “After all that had happened, Yahweh called.
38:1 zh2u called to Job 0 Alternate translation: “answered Job” or “responded to Job”
38:1 zk13 out of a fierce storm 0 Alternate translation: “from a powerful storm”
38:2 ln5m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who is this who brings darkness to plans by means of words without knowledge? 0 Yahweh uses this question to emphasize that Job spoke of things he did not know about. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You bring darkness to my plans by means of words without knowledge.”
38:2 kw1v rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor brings darkness to plans 0 “obscures my plans” or “confuses my purposes.” How Job confuses God’s plans is spoken of as if he were making God’s plans harder to see. If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **darkness**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form such as “darkens.” Alternate translation: “darkens plans” or “makes plans hard to see” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
38:2 nng1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns words without knowledge 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **knowledge**, you can express the same idea with an adjective. Alternate translation: “unknowing words” or “ignorant words”
38:3 ur9i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom gird up your loins like a man 0 “tie your robe up around your waist like a man.” Men tied up their robes around their waists so that their legs could move more freely as they did heavy work. The idiom “gird up your loins like a man” means to get ready to do something involving action such as work, a contest, or a battle. Job was to prepare for the hard work of answering God. Alternate translation: “get yourself ready for hard work”
38:4 k38w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh begins to challenge Job with a series of questions that emphasize he created the earth and Job did not.
38:4 xgy2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundations? Tell me, if you have so much understanding 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Tell me where you were when I laid the foundations of the earth, if you have so much understanding”
38:4 e2l4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I laid the earth’s foundations 0 Yahweh describes creating the earth as though he was building a structure.
38:4 p418 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns if you have so much understanding 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **understanding**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form such as “understand.” Alternate translation: “if you understand so much”
38:5 y99g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who determined its dimensions? Tell me, if you know 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Tell me who determined its dimensions, if you know”
38:5 nt85 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who stretched the measuring line over it? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Tell me who stretched the measuring line over it.”
38:6 i7br rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nThe word “its” refers to the earth. Yahweh uses more questions to emphasize that Job could never understand how great God is.
38:6 i5wb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion On what were its foundations laid? 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “On what did I set its foundations?” or “Tell me on what its foundations were laid.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
38:6 p5tv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who laid its cornerstone 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Tell me who laid its cornerstone”
38:7 r55l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 Job finishes the rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who laid its cornerstone” in verse 6.
38:7 g3kf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion when the morning stars … the sons of God shouted for joy? 0 Job finishes the rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who laid its cornerstone” in verse 6. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. “Tell me who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars … the sons of God shouted for joy.”
38:7 ql8y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification when the morning stars sang together 0 The morning stars are spoken of as singing like people sing. Possible meanings are: (1) the “morning stars” are the same as the “sons of God” in the next line or (2) “the morning stars” refer to stars in the sky.
38:7 x5id rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns shouted for joy 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **joy**, you can express the same idea with the adverb “joyfully.” Alternate translation: “shouted joyfully”
38:8 nk5s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses another question to emphasize that he created the earth and Job did not.
38:8 i6wl rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who shut up the sea … of the womb 0 This can be translated as a command. Alternate translation: “Tell me who shut up the sea … of the womb”
38:8 x8t1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor shut up the sea with doors 0 Yahweh compares the way that he prevented the sea from covering all of the earth to holding it back with doors. Alternate translation: “prevented the water from flooding over the land”
38:8 txy1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile as if it had come out of the womb 0 Yahweh compares his creation of the sea to childbirth.
38:9 un26 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 This is the end of the rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who shut up” in verse 8.
38:9 fhm1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion when I made clouds … and thick darkness its swaddling bands? 0 This can be translated as a command. Alternate translation: “Tell me who shut up … when I made clouds … and thick darkness its swaddling bands.”
38:9 zkz3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns thick darkness its swaddling bands 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **darkness**, you can express the same idea with the adjective “dark.” Alternate translation: “made dark clouds its swaddling bands”
38:10 hyj2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor I placed its bars and doors 0 Yahweh compares the way that he made a boundary for the sea to containing the sea with bars and doors. Alternate translation: “I set up its barriers”
38:11 hv5f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification when I said to it 0 “when I said to the sea.” Yahweh speaks to the sea as though it were a person.
38:11 ixn6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit You may come this far, but no farther 0 The words “this far” mean only as far as the boundary that Yahweh set up. Alternate translation: “You may come as far as this boundary, but no farther”
38:11 iy3q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification to the pride of your waves 0 “to the power of your waves.” The waves are spoken of as if they could have pride. If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **pride**, you can express the same idea with the adjective “proud.” Alternate translation: “to your proud waves” or “to your powerful waves” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
38:12 c1ks rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses a question to emphasize that he created the light of day and Job did not.
38:12 b56i rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 Yahweh continues to challenge Job. He begins to ask a rhetorical question.
38:12 hi2g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Have you … to know its place 0 This question expects a negative answer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You have never … shaken the wicked out of it.”
38:12 i57a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification given orders to the morning 0 Yahweh describes the morning as being able to receive orders and know things like a person.
38:12 gc16 caused the dawn to know its place 0 Alternate translation: “caused the dawn to know where it belongs”
38:12 q9wm dawn 0 the daylight that appears in the morning sky before the sun rises
38:13 zak3 Connecting Statement: 0 # Connecting Statement:\n\nThis is the end of the rhetorical question that begins with the words “Have you given” in verse 12.
38:13 l3k7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion so that it might take hold … shake the wicked out of it? 0 This is the end of the rhetorical question that begins with the words “Have you given” in verse 12. This question expects a negative answer. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. “You have never given … so that it might take hold … shaken the wicked out of it.”
38:13 s9db rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor take hold of the edges of the earth 0 The light of dawn is spoken of as if it seizes the horizons of the earth. Alternate translation: “grasp the ends of the earth” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
38:13 m62q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor shake the wicked out of it 0 The daylight is pictured as causing wicked people to leave like shaking something to remove unwanted things. Alternate translation: “shake wicked people out of the earth”
38:14 m9rx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile The earth is changed in appearance like clay changes under a seal 0 At nighttime, people cannot see clearly, but in the morning the light reveals the distinct shape of everything, just like a seal creates distinct images in clay.
38:14 dn8y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile all things on it stand out clearly like the folds of a piece of clothing 0 Here “it” refers to the earth. This phrase has a similar meaning to the first phrase in this verse. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
38:15 w5i8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive From wicked people their ‘light’ is taken away 0 If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “The morning takes away the ‘light’ of wicked people”
38:15 jfq3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony their ‘light’ 0 The wicked consider darkness to be their light, because they do their evil deeds in the darkness and they are familiar with the darkness.
38:15 e6v7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor their uplifted arm is broken 0 The raised arm of the wicked represents their power and intention to do evil things, but the wicked stop doing those evil things when the morning light comes.
38:16 e754 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses five questions to emphasize that he understands the earth and seas and Job does not.
38:16 vy8n rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Have you gone to the sources of the waters of the sea? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You have not gone to the sources of the waters of the sea.”
38:16 lcg5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Have you walked in the lowest parts of the deep? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You have not walked in the lowest parts of the deep.”
38:16 jrv9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the deep 0 This refers to the sea or ocean where the water is very deep. Alternate translation: “the deep sea” or “the ocean depths” or “the deep water”
38:17 a7xy rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Have the gates of death been revealed to you 0 Death is spoken of as if it were a city that had gates through which people enter into it. This can be expressed in active form. Alternate translation: “Has anyone shown the gates of death to you” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])
38:18 q2iv rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Have you understood the earth in its expanse? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You do not understand the earth in its expanse.”
38:19 kmt5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses three questions to emphasize that he understands light and darkness and Job does not. Each of these verses have two parallel phrases. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
38:19 p4uw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Where is the way to the resting place of light—as for darkness, where is its place? 0 This question can be expressed as a statement. Alternate translation: “You do not know the way to the resting place of light or the place of darkness.”
38:19 q3uk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification the resting place of light 0 “the dwelling of light.” Light is spoken of as having a resting place from which it comes forth each day.
38:20 d9pc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you lead light and darkness to their places of work? Can you find the way back to their houses for them? 0 These questions expect a negative answer. They can be expressed as statements. Alternate translation: “You cannot lead light and darkness to their places of work, or find the way back to their houses for them.”
38:20 tyy4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification to their places of work 0 “to their territory.” Light and darkness are spoken of as being led out and back each day to accomplish Yahweh’s purposes.
38:21 ca1q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-irony Undoubtedly … so large 0 Yahweh uses mocking irony to emphasize that Job does not understand light and darkness. Alternate translation: “It is obvious that you do not know, because you were not born when I created them, and you are not very old”
38:21 zfd6 for you were born then 0 The word “then” refers to the time when light was created and separated from darkness. Alternate translation: “for you were already born when I created them”
38:21 hy8k the number of your days is so large 0 Alternate translation: “you have lived so many years”
38:22 h59t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses a question to emphasize that he rules over the natural world and Job does not.
38:22 w7gx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 Yahweh continues to challenge Job. He bgins to ask a rhetorical question.
38:22 sj2h rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor storehouses for the snow … storehouses for the hail 0 Snow and hail are pictured as being stored by Yahweh to do his will.
38:22 q2qv hail 0 balls of ice (usually small) that sometimes fall down from the sky during a storm
38:23 hve3 Connecting Statement: 0 # Connecting Statement:\n\nThe rhetorical question that begins with the words “Have you entered” in verse 22 ends here.
38:23 vl8g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion these things that I have kept … and war? 0 The rhetorical question that begins with the words “Have you entered” in verse 22 ends here. “You have never entered the storehouses for the snow, and you have never seen the storehouses for the hail, these things that I have kept … and war.”
38:24 ctg6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive What is the path to where the lightning bolts are distributed or to where the winds are scattered from the east over the earth? 0 These can be stated in active form. Alternate translation: “What is the path to where I distribute the lightning bolts or to where I scatter the winds from the east over the earth?”
38:25 q4hg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh questions Job to emphasize that he causes it to rain and thunder and Job does not.
38:25 f7pp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 Yahweh continues to challenge Job. He begins to ask a series of rhetorical questions.
38:25 eh5t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who has created the channels for the floods of rain 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Only I have created the channels for the floods of rain”
38:25 j3xx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion or who has made a path for the thunder 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “and only I have made a path for the thunder”
38:26 g934 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism on lands where no person exists, and on the wilderness, in which there is no one 0 These two phrases have nearly the same meaning.
38:27 b6m2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 The rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who has created” in verse 25 ends here.
38:27 lf5w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion to satisfy … sprout with grass? 0 The rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who has created” in verse 25 ends here. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. “I am the one who has created … of rain, and I am the one who has made … to satisfy … sprout with grass.”
38:27 d9vt rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit to satisfy 0 The implied information is that it is the rain that meets the needs of the land to grow grass. Alternate translation: “so that the rain can satisfy the needs of”
38:27 q9sc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-hendiadys devastated and desolate 0 “ruined and wasted.” These two words have nearly the same meaning and emphasize the ruined and empty nature of these regions.
38:28 t8tq rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 Yahweh begins a series of four questions to emphasize to Job that he makes rain, dew, ice, and frost and Job does not. Rain, dew, ice, and frost are spoken of as though they could be born like people are. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
38:28 be1t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Does the rain have a father, or, who fathers the drops of dew? 0 These can be translated as statements. Alternate translation: “Tell me who the rain’s father is, and tell me who has become the father of the drops of dew.”
38:28 geg1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor fathers the drops of dew 0 Becoming the father of the dew is a metaphor for creating it. Alternate translation: “causes the drops of dew to exist”
38:29 gw3s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Out of whose womb did the ice come? Who bore the white frost out of the sky? 0 These can be translated as statements. Alternate translation: “Tell me whose womb the ice came out of. Tell me who bore the white frost out of the sky.”
38:30 jjp9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification The waters hide themselves and become like stone 0 The waters are spoken of as being able to hide. During the winter the ice hides the water underneath it. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rpronouns]])
38:30 iw86 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile become like stone 0 The hardness of ice is spoken of as if it was stone. Alternate translation: “become hard like stone”
38:30 cul4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-nominaladj the deep 0 This refers to the sea or ocean where the water is very deep. Alternate translation: “the deep sea” or “the ocean depths” or “the deep water”
38:31 l2s5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses five questions to emphasize to Job that he rules the heavens and Job does not.
38:31 rik8 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you fasten chains on the Pleiades, or undo the cords of Orion? 0 These can be translated as statements. Alternate translation: “You cannot fasten chains on the Pleiades, and you cannot undo the cords of Orion.”
38:32 ys38 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you lead the constellations … proper times? Can you guide … children? 0 These rhetorical questions can be translated as statements. Alternate translation: “You cannot lead the constellations … proper times. You cannot guide … children.”
38:33 y4fp rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you know the regulations of the sky? Could you set in place the sky’s rule over the earth? 0 These can be translated as statements. Alternate translation: “You do not know the regulations of the sky? You could not set in place the sky’s rule over the earth.”
38:34 i5q7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses two questions to emphasize to Job that he rules the rain clouds and lightning and Job does not.
38:34 tca5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you raise … may cover you? 0 These can be translated as statements. Alternate translation: “You cannot raise … may cover you.”
38:34 yh4f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns an abundance of rainwater 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **abundance**, you can express the same idea with the adjective “abundant.” Alternate translation: “an abundant amount of rainwater” or “a flood of waters”
38:35 na4p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you send out … you, ‘Here we are’? 0 These can be translated as statements. Alternate translation: “You cannot send out you, ‘Here we are!’”
38:35 z4cb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification Here we are 0 The lightning bolts are spoken of as servants saying they are ready to follow commands.
38:36 a9d6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses three questions to emphasize to Job that he rules the clouds and rain and Job does not.
38:36 h7ay rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who has put wisdom in the clouds or has given understanding to the mists? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea behind these questions as statements. Alternate translation: “I am the one who has put wisdom in the clouds and given understanding to the mists.”
38:37 pv86 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 A rhetorical question begins here.
38:37 qju4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who can pour out the water skins of the sky 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “I am the one who can pour out the water skins of the sky.”
38:37 w7u7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor the water skins 0 These are skins that people sew together so that they can hold water. Yahweh refers to the thick clouds as “waters skins” because they hold much water just like water skins.
38:38 hj6z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion when the dust runs … tightly together? 0 The rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who can pour out” in verse 37 ends here. “Only I can pour out … when the dust runs … tightly together.”
38:38 qh39 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive when the dust runs into a hard mass 0 The rain makes the loose dry dirt stick together like one piece of dirt. If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “when the rain molds the dirt into a hard mass”
38:39 s331 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses a question to emphasize that he knows how to feed the lions and Job does not.
38:39 f7aw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you hunt down a victim for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of her young lion cubs 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that you cannot hunt down a victim for a lioness or satisfy the appetite of her young lion cubs”
38:40 yb24 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion when they are crouching … to lie in wait? 0 The rhetorical question that begins with the words “Can you hunt” in verse 39 ends here. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. “You know that you cannot hunt down … when they are crouching … to lie in wait.”
38:40 fx6l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit to lie in wait 0 The implied information is that the lions are hiding and waiting for their prey to come near. Alternate translation: “to lie waiting for a victim”
38:41 t9jb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses a question to emphasize that he provides food for the ravens and Job does not.
38:41 sxy9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who provides victims … for lack of food? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Tell me who provides victims … for lack of food.”
38:41 y9ey rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit cry out to God 0 The implied information is that the ravens are crying out for food. Alternate translation: “cry to God for help” or “cry out for God to give them food”
38:41 nde9 stagger about 0 This means to walk around in an unsteady way.
38:41 i8kr for lack of food 0 Alternate translation: “because they have no food” or “because they have nothing to eat”
39:intro l9e1 0 # Job 39 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nThe ULT sets the lines of this chapter farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text because it is a poem. Yahweh continues to speak in this chapter.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Yahweh’s greatness\nYahweh is far greater than any man. He is the creator of the earth, and his ways will not always be understood by men because their knowledge is always limited. Since Job cannot understand creation, he cannot truly understand Yahweh.\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nYahweh uses a series of rhetorical questions in this chapter in order to defend his character. Many of these questions focus on nature because Yahweh is the creator of the heavens and the earth. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/heaven]])
39:1 b1wa rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses four questions to emphasize that he is greater than Job because Yahweh takes care of the wild mountain goats and deer and Job does not.
39:1 m8kw rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you know at what time … bear their young? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Surely you do not know when … bear their young!”
39:1 d7nh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you watch when the deer are having their fawns? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You are not able to watch to make sure everything goes well when the deer give birth to their fawns!”
39:2 phe5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you count the months that they gestate? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You cannot count the months that they are pregnant.”
39:2 txy4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Do you know the time when they bear their young? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Of course you do not know when they give birth to their young.”
39:3 n62w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy then they finish their labor pains 0 This could mean: (1) their labor pains are over when the birth is finished or (2) “labor pains” is a metonym that refers to the offspring of the goats and deer because they are the result of the mother’s labor and pain. Alternate translation: “send out their offspring from their womb”
39:5 p64r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses two questions to emphasize that he is greater than Job because Yahweh takes care of the wild donkeys and Job does not.
39:5 twv9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who let the wild donkey go free? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “I am the one who let the wild donkey go free.”
39:5 mg7f rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who has untied the bonds of the swift donkey 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “I am the one who untied the bonds of the swift donkey”
39:6 dku4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nThe rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who has untied” in verse 5 ends here.
39:6 z26m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion whose home I have made … in the salt land? 0 The rhetorical question that begins with the words “Who has untied” in verse 5 ends here. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. “I am the one who has untied … whose home I have made in the Arabah, his house in the salt land.”
39:6 qyi5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification whose home I have made in the Arabah 0 Yahweh describes the donkey as though he were a person that had a house. “I gave him the Arabah as a place to live”
39:7 m4ln rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification laughs in scorn 0 Yahweh describes the donkey as though he were a person. The donkey laughs because those in the city have to hear loud noise, but he lives in a quiet place.
39:9 u4vx rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nHere Yahweh uses four questions to emphasize that Job is not like Yahweh because Job cannot control the wild ox.
39:9 ss2c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will the wild ox be happy to serve you? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “The wild ox will not be happy to serve you.”
39:9 v7dg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will he consent to stay by your manger? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “He will not consent to stay by your manger.”
39:10 iqy5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you use ropes to hold the wild ox in the furrows? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You cannot control the wild ox with a rope in order to plow furrows in your fields.”
39:10 g8w9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will he harrow the valleys as he follows after you? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “He will never harrow the valleys as he follows after you.”
39:11 b4gj rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nHere Yahweh uses three questions to continue his argument that Job is not like Yahweh because Job cannot control the wild ox.
39:11 au79 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you trust him because his strength is great? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You cannot trust him because his strength is great.”
39:11 cgj2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you leave your work to him to do? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You will not be able to make him do your work for you.”
39:12 ht1z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you depend on him … grain for your threshing floor? 0 These two clauses basically mean the same thing. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You will not be able to depend on him … grain for your threshing floor.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])
39:13 xrh3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion The wings of the ostrich … pinions and plumage of love? 0 Yahweh uses this question to emphasize that Job cannot explain why ostriches behave the way they do. Alternate translation: “You do not know whether the pinions and plumage of the ostrich represent love when they wave their wings proudly.”
39:13 c9hc ostrich 0 a very large bird that can run very fast but cannot fly
39:13 k698 wave proudly 0 Alternate translation: “move with joy”
39:13 b62x pinions 0 the very long feathers on the wings of birds
39:13 y8q9 plumage 0 the smaller feathers that cover the body of a bird
39:13 a7t4 of love 0 The Hebrew word is uncertain. This could mean: (1) “of faithfulness” or (2) “of a stork.” The name of the stork meant “the faithful one” or “the loving one” because people knew that storks take very good care of their chicks.
39:14 ix8t on the earth 0 Alternate translation: “on the ground”
39:15 eg2i crush them 0 The word “them” refers to the eggs.
39:15 p8ek trample them 0 Alternate translation: “step on them”
39:16 uqn1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit might have been in vain 0 If the chicks die, all of her work was useless. Alternate translation: “might have been useless if the chicks die”
39:18 y8sh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit she laughs … its rider 0 It is implied that she laughs because she is faster than the horse. Alternate translation: “she laughs … its rider because she can run faster than the horse”
39:19 j9tb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion 0 # General Information:\n\nYahweh uses three questions to emphasize that Job is not like Yahweh because Job cannot control the wild horse.
39:19 jg2w rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Have you given the horse his strength? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You have never given the horse his strength.”
39:19 sul3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Did you clothe his neck with his flowing mane? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You cannot clothe his neck with his flowing mane.”
39:19 z5th rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy clothe his neck with his flowing mane 0 The horse’s “mane” is spoken of as if it was clothing for the neck of the horse. Alternate translation: “made his flowing main to cover his neck like clothes”
39:20 lpb2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Have you ever made him jump like a locust? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You are not able to make him jump like a locust.”
39:21 gcq9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit He paws 0 The word “He” refers to the horse. The horse paws the ground because he is very excited to begin the fight. Alternate translation: “He paws with excitement and”
39:21 k6rc rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy to meet the weapons 0 Here “the weapons” represent the battle in which they are used. Alternate translation: “to join in the battle”
39:24 sh13 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor swallows up ground 0 The horse runs over the ground so quickly that the ground passes by like water that a person drinks. Alternate translation: “runs very fast over the ground”
39:24 kx1q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit at the trumpet’s sound 0 It can be stated that someone blows the trumpet. Alternate translation: “when someone blows a trumpet to announce that a battle has begun”
39:25 q35d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification he says, ‘Aha 0 The word “Aha” is a sound people make when they discover something. The horse makes a sound because he has discovered the battle.
39:25 nry6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit the thunderous shouts 0 It is implied that the horse hears these things. Alternate translation: “he hears the thunderous shouts”
39:25 i8r5 the outcries 0 “the battle cries.” People have special shouts that they use in war to show their great strength and bravery and to scare the enemy.
39:26 e41g rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Is it by your wisdom … for the south? 0 Yahweh uses this question to prove that Job is not as great as Yahweh. The implicit answer to this question is “no.” Alternate translation: “It is not by your wisdom … for the south.”
39:26 rx7s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy stretches out his wings for the south 0 Here the stretching out of his wings refers to flying. Alternate translation: “flies to the south”
39:27 qk6s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Is it at your orders … nest in high places? 0 Yahweh uses this question to prove that Job is not powerful enough to command the eagles. The implicit answer to this question is “no.” Alternate translation: “You are not able to command the eagle to mount up and build his nest in high places.”
39:27 cd7k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns at your orders 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **orders**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form. Alternate translation: “because you tell it to do so”
39:27 cz3r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom mounts up 0 This means he flies upward. Alternate translation: “flies up into the sky”
39:30 e2b5 His young 0 It may be helpful to state that this happens after the eagle kills and animal. Alternate translation: “After an eagle kills an animal, the baby eagles”
39:30 s29l drink up blood 0 Alternate translation: “drink the blood of the animal that he killed”
39:30 iv5j where killed people are 0 “where there are dead people.” This phrase refers to dead bodies that are lying out in the open, not to bodies that are buried in the ground.
39:30 nx3p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit there he is 0 It can be made explicit that he comes to eat the dead bodies. Alternate translation: “he is there to eat them”
40:intro k9mj 0 # Job 40 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nSome translations prefer to set apart extended quotations, prayers, or songs. The ULT and many other English translations set the lines of 40:1–2, 4–5, 7–24, which are extended quotations of Job and Yahweh, farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text.\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Job’s righteousness\nIn seeking to defend his own righteousness, Job accuses Yahweh of being unjust. Yahweh asks a very important question: “Will you condemn me so you may claim you are right?” This is the essence of Job’s error.\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Irony\n\nYahweh states, “He who argues with God, let him answer.” Job immediately answers him. This is irony. While Job is forced to acknowledge the power of Yahweh, he does not repent of his former statements. Because of this, Yahweh asks him more questions. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent]])\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### Animals\n\nThere are several animals mentioned in this chapter that do not exist and may never have existed. It may be necessary to leave these names untranslated or to translate their names as adjectives.
40:2 kpm1 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Should anyone who wishes to criticize try to correct the Almighty? 0 Yahweh is rebuking Job. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “No one who wants to criticize me should try to argue with me, for I am Almighty God.” or “You, a person, want to criticize me, Almighty God, but you should not try to correct me.”
40:2 p78z rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-pronouns He who argues with God, let him answer 0 Yahweh speaks of Job and himself as if they were two other people to remind Job that no person anywhere should argue with God. Alternate translation: “You want to argue with me, so answer me”
40:4 q9w7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion how can I answer you? 0 Job uses this question to apologize for questioning God. Alternate translation: “I cannot answer you.”
40:7 t5gf rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile gird up your loins like a man 0 A man who tucks his robe up under his sash or belt is preparing for hard physical work, and Job was to prepare for the hard work of answering God. See how you translated this in [Job 38:3](../38/03.md). (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])
40:8 q5c9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you actually say that I am unjust? 0 The word “actually” indicates that Yahweh is surprised that Job would say that Yahweh is unjust and that Job should make sure that he really wants to say that. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “I am surprised that you are saying I am unjust.” or “You should be sure that you want to say that I am unjust, because that is what you are saying.”
40:8 fj3l rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you condemn me so you may claim you are right? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You are condemning me so you could claim that you are innocent.”
40:9 zc8k rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile an arm like God’s 0 The arm is a metonym for the strength in the arm. Alternate translation: “strength like God’s strength”
40:9 h8v3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you thunder with a voice like him? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You certainly cannot cause thunder with your voice the way God does with his.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
40:10 tc7m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor clothe yourself in glory and dignity; array yourself in honor and majesty 0 The abstract nouns “glory,” “dignity,” “honor,” and “majesty” are spoken of as if they were clothing that a person could put on. They can be translated as adjectives and verbs. Alternate translation: “make yourself glorious; do something great so people will respect you and honor you; make people think you are a great king” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]])
40:11 ec11 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Scatter around the excess of your anger 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **anger**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form. Here, **anger** is spoken of as if it were something that usually could be held in a container, but in this situation there is so much of it that what does not fit needs to be spread around. It is also a metonym for the actions a person takes when he is angry. You may need to make explicit why the person is angry. Alternate translation: “Be angry because people are proud, and punish them” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns]] and [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])
40:17 t5ej rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like a cedar 0 Cedar is a very hard wood, and his tail becomes very hard.
40:18 g8sh rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like tubes of bronze 0 Here, his bones are compared to tubes made of bronze to show how tough this animal is.
40:18 v226 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile like bars of iron 0 This last comparison describes the strength of this great animal.
40:19 c5rb rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-pronouns the creatures of God. Only God 0 Yahweh speaks as if he were another person. Alternate translation: “of my creatures. Only I, God”
40:20 f3ru rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification the hills provide him with food 0 The hills are spoken of as if they were people capable of giving him food. Alternate translation: “food grows on the hills for him”
40:21 h567 lotus plants 0 flowering plants that float on the water in swampy areas
40:21 uth5 reeds 0 tall grasses found in swamps or marshes
40:22 y4zd lotus plants 0 flowering plants that float on the water in swampy areas. See how you translated this in [Job 40:19](../40/19.md).
40:22 k86u willows of the brook 0 Willows are large trees that grow in damp ground. If they are unknown in your culture, you can use a general term for trees that grow near water.
40:23 vbe3 banks 0 sides of the river
40:23 x8nv though the Jordan should surge up to his mouth 0 Alternate translation: “even if the flood of the Jordan should come up to his mouth”
40:24 uyb7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can anyone capture him with a hook … snare? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “No one can capture him with a hook or pierce his nose through with a snare.”
41:intro et13 0 # Job 41 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nSome translations prefer to set apart extended quotations, prayers, or songs. The ULT and many other English translations set the lines of this chapter, which is an extended quotation of Yahweh, farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text. It is a continuation of the previous chapter.\n\n## Important figures of speech in this chapter\n\n### Rhetorical questions\n\nYahweh uses a series of rhetorical questions in this chapter in order to defend his character and to convince Job to repent. (See: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent]])\n\n## Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter\n\n### Animals\n\nThere are several animals mentioned in this chapter that do not exist and may never have existed. It may be necessary to leave these names untranslated or to translate their names as adjectives.
41:1 tg8a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? 0 God uses this question to remind Job that Job is not powerful like Leviathan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that you cannot draw out Leviathan with a fishhook.”
41:1 li7c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis Or tie up his jaws with a cord? 0 The words “can you” are understood from the previous question. They can be repeated here. God uses this question to remind Job that Job is not powerful like Leviathan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Or can you tie up his jaws with a cord?” or “And you know that you cannot tie up his jaws with a cord.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
41:2 y88e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you put a rope into his nose … with a hook? 0 God uses this question to remind Job that Job is not powerful like Leviathan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that you cannot put a rope into Leviathan’s nose … with a hook.”
41:3 f3f9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will he make many pleas to you? 0 God uses this question to remind Job that Job is not powerful like Leviathan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that he will not make pleas to you.”
41:3 d9dm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will he speak soft words to you? 0 God uses this question to remind Job that Job is not powerful like Leviathan. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that he will not speak soft words to you.”
41:4 bmh5 Connecting Statement: 0 # Connecting Statement:\n\nYahweh continues to rebuke Job. He uses rhetorical questions to remind Job that Job is not powerful like Leviathan.
41:4 lt8s rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will he make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that he will not make a covenant with you, that you should take him for a servant forever.”
41:5 d2ev rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you play with him as you would with a bird? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that you cannot play with him as you would play with a bird.”
41:5 kt39 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will you tie him up for your servant girls? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that you cannot tie him up for your servant girls.”
41:6 al1q rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will the groups of fishermen bargain for him? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that the groups of fishermen will not bargain for him.”
41:6 s28m rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Will they divide him up to trade among the merchants? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that they will not divide him up to trade among the merchants.”
41:6 z2rx Will they divide 0 Alternate translation: “Will the groups of fishermen divide”
41:7 j9ni Connecting Statement: 0 # Connecting Statement:\n\nYahweh continues to rebuke Job. He uses rhetorical questions to remind Job that Job is not powerful like Leviathan.
41:7 j5dm rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You cannot pierce his skin with your hunting weapons, nor can you pierce his head with fishing spears.”
41:9 s2he rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive will not anyone be thrown down to the ground just by the sight of him? 0 This generalization can be translated as a statement in active form. Alternate translation: “Anyone who looks at him will be so frightened that he will throw himself on the ground.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
41:9 x9zn the sight of him 0 Alternate translation: “by looking at him” or “by seeing him”
41:10 jk4f Connecting Statement: 0 # Connecting Statement:\n\nYahweh continues to rebuke Job by asking him rhetorical questions. He uses rhetorical questions to remind Job that Yahweh is much more powerful than both Leviathan and Job.
41:10 wj5r rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion None is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up; who, then, is he who can stand before me? 0 It would be easier to stir up Leviathan than to stand before Yahweh. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “Since you know that no person is so fierce that he dare stir Leviathan up, you should certainly know that no one can stand before me.”
41:11 s27e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who has first given anything to me in order that I should repay him? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “You know that no one has first given anything to me, so there is no one whom I need to repay.”
41:12 pqy2 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-litotes I will not keep silent concerning … nor about … nor about 0 This can be translated in positive form. Alternate translation: “I will certainly speak about … and about … and about”
41:12 c6dk concerning Leviathan’s legs, nor about the matter of his strength, nor about his graceful form 0 These are three things about which God will not keep silent.
41:12 x2pd his 0 The word “his” refers to Leviathan.
41:13 ppr4 Connecting Statement: 0 # Connecting Statement:\n\nYahweh continues to rebuke Job by asking him rhetorical questions.
41:13 fp4x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who can strip off his outer covering? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “No one can strip off his outer clothing.”
41:13 r6zd rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor Who can penetrate his double armor? 0 The word “armor” is a metaphor for the hard scales or hide on his back. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “No one can penetrate his very thick hide.” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])
41:14 e1dk rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who can open the doors of his face … terror? 0 If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this question as a statement. Alternate translation: “No one can pry his jaws apart … terror.”
41:15 wa6c rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor shields 0 The word “shields” is a metaphor for Leviathan’s hide. Both shields and Leviathan’s hide protect well and deflect arrows and other weapons.
41:17 x9sg rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive they cannot be pulled apart 0 This can be translated in active form. Alternate translation: “no one can pull them apart”
41:18 tbj3 from his snorting 0 A snort is a sound like a short snore. Another possible meaning is “from his sneezing” or “when he sneezes.” Alternate translation: “when he snorts”
41:18 wjz6 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning dawn 0 This means that his eyes are red as the morning dawn is red.
41:19 mp8p rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism Out of his mouth go burning torches, sparks of fire leap out 0 God expresses the same idea in two different ways in order to emphasize the terrifying appearance of Leviathan. You can make this clear by adding the omitted words. Alternate translation: “Out of his mouth go burning torches, sparks of fire leap out of his mouth” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis]])
41:22 lw67 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns terror dances in front of him 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **terror**, you can express the same idea with a verbal form such as “be afraid.” Alternate translation: “when people see him coming, they are very afraid”
41:23 uak5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive they cannot be moved 0 This can be translated in active form. Alternate translation: “no one can move them”
41:24 b1b7 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile His heart is as hard as a stone 0 A rock or stone does not change and become soft. This could mean: (1) Leviathan’s physical chest and the organs inside it are physically hard or (2) Leviathan is not afraid of anything or (3) Leviathan is spoken of as a person who kills without ever being sorry. (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification]])
41:24 ja7y a lower millstone 0 “the hardest of rocks.” The lower millstone is the larger and harder of the two rocks used to grind grain. It would be the hardest rock people could find.
41:27 hml3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile He thinks of iron as if it were straw 0 “He thinks of weapons made of iron as if they were weapons made of straw.” Straw would not get through his hide, and iron weapons do not get through his hide.
41:27 uu6e rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis of bronze as if it were rotten wood 0 You can make this clear by adding the omitted words. Alternate translation: “he thinks of weapons made of bronze as if they were weapons made of rotten wood” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])
41:28 jl4x rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor to him sling stones become chaff 0 Chaff cannot hurt Leviathan, and sling stones are just as ineffective as chaff.
41:29 zzu4 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive Clubs are regarded as straw 0 A club made of straw would not hurt him, and a club made of wood would not hurt him. This can be translated in active form. Alternate translation: “He thinks of clubs as if they were straw”
41:29 yn7y rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification he laughs at the whirring flight of a spear 0 The person throwing the spear hopes that the spear will kill Leviathan, but the writer speaks as if Leviathan knows the spear will not kill him and so laughs.
41:30 sy31 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile he leaves a spreading trail in the mud as if he were a threshing sledge 0 Just as a threshing sledge goes over grain on a threshing floor and turns it to powder, so Leviathan’s tail leaves a trail in the mud as he wags it when he walks.
41:31 p2f1 He makes the deep to foam up like a pot of boiling water 0 Alternate translation: “As he passes through the water, he leaves a trail of bubbles behind him, like the bubbling of boiling water in a pot”
41:31 bj7m He 0 The word “he” refers to Leviathan.
41:31 z9pu rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-simile he makes the sea like a pot of ointment 0 The ointment in a pot is cloudy if someone shakes it, and the sea is muddy when Leviathan swims in it.
41:34 c959 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-personification he is king over all the sons of pride 0 Leviathan is spoken of as if he were a person who is able to become king and be proud. Alternate translation: “Leviathan has more reason to be proud than anyone else on earth”
42:intro g9q6 0 # Job 42 General Notes\n\n## Structure and formatting\n\nSome translations prefer to set apart extended quotations, prayers, or songs. The ULT and many other English translations set the lines of 42:1–6, which is an extended quotation of Job, farther to the right on the page than the rest of the text.\n\nHaving faced the temptation to curse Yahweh, and after being rebuked by him, in the end Job shows his complete trust in Yahweh. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/tempt]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/curse]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/trust]])\n\n## Special concepts in this chapter\n\n### Justice\n\nYahweh enacts justice at the end of this book. He punishes Job’s friends and restores Job’s blessings. Yahweh’s blessing was not dependent upon Job’s repentance, but upon Yahweh’s grace. (See: [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice]], [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/restore]], [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/bless]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/repent]] and [[rc://*/tw/dict/bible/kt/grace]])
42:2 bdu3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis I know that you can do all things, that no purpose of yours can be stopped 0 You may want to repeat the words “I know.” Alternate translation: “I know that you can do all things. I know that no purpose of yours can be stopped”
42:2 wu37 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive no purpose of yours can be stopped 0 This can be translated in active form. Alternate translation: “no one can stop any of your plans”
42:3 b75d rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion Who is this 0 The ULT and most modern versions agree that Job is loosely quoting God’s own words from [Job 38:2](../38/02.md). You may decide, as does the UST, to make it clear that God asked this question of Job and that Job is now remembering it. Alternate translation: “You said to me, ‘Who is this”
42:3 en66 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit conceals plans 0 That is, hides or misrepresents God’s plans.
42:5 gp4a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor but now my eye sees you 0 The eyes represent seeing, and seeing represents understanding. Alternate translation: “but now I really understand you”
42:6 y9x9 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy despise myself 0 Job’s self is a metonym for what he said. Alternate translation: “I despise the things I said”
42:6 p13d rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-symaction I repent in dust and ashes 0 Sitting in dust and ashes is a symbolic act showing the person is sorry.
42:7 bj1v It came about that 0 This phrase is used here to mark an important event in the story. If your language has a way for doing this, you could consider using it here.
42:7 izh1 Eliphaz the Temanite 0 See how you translated this man’s name in [Job 2:11](../02/11.md)
42:7 snw3 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor My wrath is kindled against you 0 Fire is a metaphor for anger, and starting a fire is a metaphor for becoming angry. Alternate translation: “I have become very angry with you”
42:8 vy3t rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-abstractnouns so that I may not deal with you after your folly 0 If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea behind the word **folly**, you can express the same idea with an adjective. Alternate translation: “even though you have been very foolish, I will not punish you as you deserve”
42:9 l5p5 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy Yahweh accepted Job 0 The person is a metonym for the prayer he prays. Alternate translation: “God accepted Job’s prayer for his three friends”
42:12 bw3a rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-ellipsis more than the first 0 The words “he blesed” and “of Job’s life” are understood from the previous phrase. They can be repeated here Alternate translation: “more than he blessed the first part of Job’s life”
42:16 s5ni rc://*/ta/man/translate/translate-numbers lived 140 years 0 “lived 140 years”
42:17 d827 rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-doublet being old and full of days 0 The words “full of days” means basically the same thing as “being old.” The two phrases form a common idiom. Alternate translation: “a very old man” (See also: [[rc://*/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])
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