For what do they care for their houses after them…?: here Job is asking “What interest, concern, does a dead man take in the affairs of his family?” Whether his children are happy or punished makes little difference because his life is over. In 14.21 Job said “His sons come to honor and he does not know it,” because he is dead. Houses is singular in Hebrew, “his house,” but stands for “his family,” or more specifically, “his children.” After them means “after they (the wicked) have died.” Good News Translation transposes lines a and b in order to give a more natural English style. This line may also be expressed, for example, “After they die can they care what happens to their children? Certainly not!” “Can a dead man think about the well-being of his family? Not at all!” or, as a statement, “A dead man does not think about what happens to his family.”

When the number of their months is cut off: their months is literally “his months.” The same expression is found in 14.5. Elsewhere “the number of his days” is the equivalent, both terms meaning “his life span, the length of his life.” The sense is not of the wicked man’s time to live being fixed in advance, but rather “when his life is over” (Good News Translation). Translators may need to transpose the two lines, as in Good News Translation. This line may be rendered “once he is dead,” “when his life is finished,” or “after he has died.”

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 .