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1.1 KiB
Will you cause a driven leaf to tremble?
Job is rebuking his friends because they are attacking him when he has no defense agains them. This rhetorical question can be translated as a statement. Alternate translation: "You should not cause this driven leaf to tremble" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion)
cause a driven leaf to tremble
The words "cause to tremble" is a metaphor for "persecute." The phrase "driven leaf," which refers to a leaf that has died and dried up and is blown by the wind, is a metaphor for a man who has no strength and is harmless. Alternate translation: "persecute a weak, harmless man" (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Will you pursue dry stubble?
Job uses these questions to tell God that since Job is so insignificant and weak, it is useless to persecute him. "Leaf" and "stubble" are metaphors describing Job's weakness, insignificance and frailty. Alternate translation: "You persecute me, but I am weak like a leaf blown by the wind and insignificant like dry stubble." (See: rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-rquestion and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-parallelism and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)