Now there was a day switches the scene from Job’s home on earth to Yahweh’s presence, presumably in heaven, though that is not stated. The Jerusalem Targum (an ancient Hebrew translation and commentary) interprets this day to be New Year’s Day, and the second day’s assembly in 2.1 to be on the Day of Atonement. The text itself does not imply that there was a set day on which Yahweh called his servants together. The same wording is used again in 1.13, where it shifts the scene and moves the action forward. Here the expression provides the time setting and is the equivalent of saying “one day when…”; that is the sense in which Biblia Dios Habla Hoy, Bible en français courant, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch take it. The Hebrew form of this scene begins with the time aspect of the setting, vague and general as it is. Languages differ considerably as to the order of time, place, and participants in a story or episode opening. In languages in which it is more natural in narrative to place the time element later, the translator should do so.

The English expression the sons of God gives the impression that a father-son relationship exists between Yahweh and these beings. This expression is an example of a Hebrew idiom in which members of a particular category or class are called “sons” of that group, and in this case it is a group of divine beings (see Good News Translation footnote). The parallel expression “sons of the prophets” (see 2 Kgs 2.3, 5, 15) is rendered by New English Bible as “company of prophets,” by Good News Translation, and by Bible en français courant as “group of prophets.” So here and in 2.1; 38.7 the reference is to the members of the heavenly assembly surrounding Yahweh. Normally translators should avoid any kind of expression that would imply that these are the male offspring of God. It is often possible to call them “angels,” “God’s servants,” “God’s messengers in heaven,” or “gods.” These heavenly servants are not actors in the scene. They are background, part of the scenery, and by implication Satan is one of them. The author is careful, however, not to stress this. In languages in which the principal characters must be presented first, it may be possible to say, for example, “One day (a long time ago) God and Satan were together. It was the place where the angels came to appear before God, and Satan was also appearing before God.” In some languages the essential information needed by the reader is the relationship between the actors, and one character is normally referred to, not by his name, but by the relationship to the main character. For suggestions see comments under 6b below.

ʾElohim, which is the same Hebrew word for God used in verses 1 and 5, is taken by some interpreters as a plural “sons of gods” (so Pope, Habel). Translators render the expression in various ways; for example, New English Bible “members of the heavenly court,” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “his heavenly servants,” Bible en français courant “God’s angels,” and Good News Translation “heavenly beings.” All translations consulted take ʾElohim as singular, referring to God.

To present themselves has the sense of “take up their position” or “to station themselves,” which is rendered more generally by Good News Translation “to appear before.” It depicts a body of servants waiting in attendance on Yahweh, who presides over the assembly. In some languages to present themselves is rendered, for example, “to put their eyes in the presence of” or “to place their bodies before.”

This is the first occurrence of the LORD in the Book of Job. The LORD represents in English the Hebrew consonants YHWH, pronounced more or less Yahweh. Yahweh occurs twenty-nine times in the Book of Job, all but one of these (12.9) being in the prose portions of the book. Only in 1.21 and 12.9 does Job use the name Yahweh.

It is the general custom in English translations of the Bible to substitute the title “the LORD” for the Hebrew name Yahweh. In this they follow the early Greek and Latin versions, which in turn imitated the custom of the Jews, who avoided speaking the proper name Yahweh and substituted a title meaning “my LORD.” Presumably the translator of Job will have solved the problem of how to render the term “LORD” in the New Testament. For a detailed discussion of the translation of YHWH, see the introduction to this Handbook, “Translating the Book of Job,” page 21.

Satan also came among them: the word Satan is used in Hebrew here with the article, which designates a role or title rather than a personal name. In later biblical and post-biblical texts Satan occurs without the article and is understood as a personal name; for example, 1 Chronicles 21.1. The noun satan, which is derived from the Hebrew verb of the same root, occurs in the Hebrew Old Testament 24 times. The verbal root carries the meaning of “bear a grudge against someone” or “harbor animosity” (Holladay). A person who does this is called an “opponent or enemy.” The noun form is used in 2 Samuel 19.22 with the meaning of “enemy,” when David protected the life of Shimei and accused the sons of Zeruiah being “as an adversary (satan) to me”; see also 1 Samuel 29.4; 1 Kings 11.23. In Zechariah 3.1 Satan is found standing at the right hand of the high priest “to accuse him.” In Job we see Satan as one of the “sons of God” who tests men’s claims to be religious. He does not appear to be evil so much as he is skeptical of religious pretensions. The testing of Job is Satan’s idea, since testing people is his job. The destruction he carries out against Job is not in opposition to God, but rather is done with divine approval. In doing so he operates within his role as God’s servant. Job would, if he knew the plot hatched in heaven against him, consider Satan the worst sort of enemy.

All of this is to say that “the Satan” in the Book of Job cannot be entirely identified with “the Devil” or “Satan” in the New Testament. However, readers of the Scriptures have normally formed their idea of Satan based on the New Testament. Accordingly the translator is faced with a serious translation problem. If he is translating for people who are regular readers of the New Testament and merely transliterates the name “Satan,” his readers will be misled, since they will read their New Testament meaning into it. If the translator is translating Job for people who have not read the New Testament and transliterates “Satan,” those readers will attempt to read the Satan of the Book of Job into the New Testament. Therefore it is better in Job to make an adjustment (regardless of the readers’ background). The possibilities are the following: (1) transliteration with translation; for example, “Satan the accuser”; (2) translation only; for example, “the accuser, the tester.” Bible en français courant employs (1) on the first occurrence in verse 6 and then drops the name “Satan” in subsequent verses. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible use solution (2) throughout. If the translation is for readers accustomed to marginal notes, a footnote is advisable, regardless of the solution taken. For examples of footnotes see Good News Translation, Bible en français courant, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible.

In some languages it will be advisable to identify Satan in his role of “tester” or “accuser” when he is first mentioned. Thereafter he may be referred to by his role, rather than his name.

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 .