So man lies down and rises not again: so translates the common Hebrew connective waw, literally “and,” used here to mark a conclusion. Man translates still another term different from the two in verse 10. There is, however, no attempt in line a to give a further nuance of meaning through the use of this different term. Lies down sounds as if the dead man reclined himself into a lying position. However, the verb suggests lying in bed or in a tomb as a state and not a process. Rises not again serves to emphasize the timelessness of death or lying down in death. Good News Translation “They will never wake up” puts the emphasis on the permanence of death and omits lies down as redundant. The line may also be rendered, for example, “in the same way a human being dies and does not come back to life,” or “so also a person who dies is laid down and does not stand up again.”

Till the heavens are no more he will not awake: the Hebrew construction of this line is unusual and has led to varying interpretations. Some omit one consonant and get “till the heavens wear out,” which is similar to Psalm 102.26, where the heavens “will all wear out like a garment.” Others understand the text to mean “so long as the heavens are not torn apart,” and delete line c as a copyist’s mistaken explanation of the verb after the meaning of the verb had become lost. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project gives the expression only a “C” rating and translates it as in Revised Standard Version. Good News Translation “while the sky endures” is a positive form of Revised Standard Version. The expression is used to refer to the endless state of death. It does not mean to suggest that, when the sky finally disappears, then the dead will rise. This expression may also be rendered, for example, “as long as the sky is above, he will never come back to life” or “the dead person will remain dead as long as the heavens exist.”

Or be roused out of his sleep: this line is parallel with will not awake in the previous line. It is not suggested that God is the one who would rouse them from sleep. In languages which do not use a passive voice in this construction, it may be necessary to say, for example, “or wake up from his sleep.”

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 .