I also could speak as you do: this verse has four lines in Hebrew, as in Revised Standard Version. Job is saying that if he and his friends changed places, he could be as unkind to them as they are to him. Good News Translation transposes lines a and b in order to place the hypothetical condition at the opening.

If you were in my place is literally “If your soul (nefesh) were in the place of my soul.” This idiomatic use of the word for “soul” means “you (plural)” and “I” respectively. In many languages it will be necessary to shift the “if” clause to the beginning and say, for example, “If you (plural) were me,” “If we were in each other’s place,” or “If we changed places.” Some languages may express this more idiomatically; for example, “If you were sitting on my stool” or “If you ate from my bowl.”

I could join words together against you: the Hebrew word translated join words together has been subjected to much speculation and has been compared with similar words in Arabic and Ugaritic. There is little agreement, but the general sense seems clear: Job claims he could make brilliant speeches just as they do and get nowhere. This line may also be expressed, for example, “I could make great speeches criticizing you,” or “I could say the same kinds of things about you.”

And shake my head at you: this gesture is most often associated in the Bible with scorn, ridicule, and mockery; see Lamentations 2.15; Psalm 22.7; Matthew 27.39. However, in this context some interpreters see in the gesture a sign of sympathy or compassion, be it genuine or not. A number of English translations use “shake my head at you”; but this is ambiguous, because in English this expression means refusal or disagreement. Good News Translation implies mockery with “shake my head wisely.” Bible en français courant says “I will shake my head as a sign of compassion.” New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible say “wag my head at (or, over) you,” but this is not an English expression. Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “I would mockingly shake my head at you.” Translators should use the gesture which expresses ridicule in their own language. For examples see 11.3.

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 .