Verses 17-19 are introductory to the second part of the chapter, in which Eliphaz draws a picture of the fate of the wicked man. He does this by first asserting that his knowledge and experience are in line with the true tradition of the fathers.
I will show you, hear me: this line introduces verses 18-19 and echoes Job’s repeated calls for silence in chapter 13. Eliphaz likes to argue on the basis of his personal experience (4.8, 12; 5.3). The Hebrew does not say show as in Revised Standard Version, but says literally “I will tell you, listen to me.” This line is well rendered by Bible en français courant, “Listen, I have something to explain to you.”
And what I have seen I will declare: in this line Eliphaz again appeals to the mysterious vision that was revealed to him in chapter 4. Good News Translation has reduced the two lines to one: “Now listen, Job, to what I know.” It is better, if the language permits, to relate line b to what Eliphaz has seen; for example, “Listen and I will tell you; I will explain to you what I have seen.”
What wise men have told: as Dhorme says, “Wise men do not possess their wisdom intrinsically; they hold it from their fathers and transmit it to their sons.” The line begins with a relative particle linking what Eliphaz has seen with the knowledge that has been passed on by others. Good News Translation makes Eliphaz the explicit recipient of the teaching of the wise men. This is not stated in Hebrew, but Good News Translation understands it to be implicit. It will often be necessary in translation to express the objects of told, as in Good News Translation “Wise men have taught me truths,” or “Wise men have told me what I know.”
And their fathers have not hidden: the Hebrew wording of this line suggests that it be understood “and they did not hide it from their fathers.” However, this meaning does not suit the context. Revised Standard Version makes their fathers the subject of have not hidden. In Hebrew poetry a relative particle is frequently omitted where it would be natural to expect it in prose. Consequently the Hebrew “from their fathers” should be understood to mean “which comes from their fathers,” that is, “the teaching given by wise men and which comes from their fathers, their ancestors.”
To whom alone the land was given: the forefathers who possessed the true tradition or wisdom were the first to occupy the promised land, and pure teaching could be maintained by not mixing with foreigners. The point of view is strictly Israelite regardless of the origins of Eliphaz and Job. This line says, in effect, “The land was given to their ancestors and to nobody else” or “God gave the land only to these men, the wise fathers.”
And no stranger passed among them: compare Joel 3.17 (4.17 in Hebrew) “And Jerusalem shall be holy and strangers shall never again pass through it.” Stranger translates a noun meaning one who is not an Israelite. The second line in Good News Translation, “There was no one to lead them away from God,” is an explanation of the implication of the absence of non-Israelites in the land. Translators who use footnotes may prefer in this case to stay closer to the text and give the Good News Translation rendering in a note. It is possible to retain the text and build in something of the implication. For example, Bible en français courant “They did not suffer from foreign influence,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “No foreigners could lead them away from God.” This line may also be expressed “and foreigners did not cause them to turn away from God” or “and people from other tribes did not lead them away from God.”
We may translate verses 17-19 as follows:
17 Listen, Job, while I tell you something;
I will explain to you what I have seen.
18 Wise men have taught me.
They learned their teachings from their ancestors.
19 God gave them the land,
and no foreigners turned their hearts away from him.
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 .