This verse is handled in a variety of ways by scholars. Some go so far as to delete verse 12 as an intrusion; but the verse has clear continuity with verse 11, although Good News Translation combines verses 12-13 and places them in a new paragraph.

Wisdom is with the aged: most modern translators take this to be Job’s own comment. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Moffatt, and Habel make it refer to the belief of Job’s friends; for example, “Wisdom, you argue, lies with aged men” (Moffatt). It seems preferable to translate it as Job’s own statement. Wisdom is here understood as the ability to discriminate, know the difference, between what is true and what is not true. It is said to be with the aged, which means it is found among old people who have practiced it over many years. Bildad had expressed the same in 8.8-10: “Inquire … of bygone ages, and consider what the fathers have found.” Eliphaz will do the same again in 15.10. In some languages a very old person is called “a person with one remaining hair” or “a person with a wrinkled face.”

And understanding in length of days: this line is parallel in meaning with the previous line. The Hebrew says only “and length of days understanding.” Length of days is a poetic equivalent of “old age,” and understanding means the same as Wisdom in line a. The two lines therefore say essentially the same thing. However, the occurrence of the figure length of days for “old men” in line a tends to heighten the poetic effect somewhat. In translation it may be possible to keep the parallelism as in Revised Standard Version. Some translators may find a rendering such as Biblia Dios Habla Hoy a better model: “Old people have wisdom; age has given them understanding.” In some languages understanding as a noun creates difficulties, since it may be necessary to know what it is that is understood. We may therefore suggest another model: “Old people know the difference between what is true and what is not true. When they become old they understand things.”

Translators will notice that Good News Translation restructures verses 12-13 so that the order is 12a, 13a, 12b, 13b. The effect of this change in order is to emphasize the superior “wisdom and power” of God in comparison to that of men. However, the contrast is also present in the usual line order; and such rearrangement is not required to obtain the contrast, although it may give more emphasis to it.

Quoted with permission from Reyburn, Wiliam. A Handbook on Job. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1992. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .