I could strengthen you with my mouth: Job’s tone is sarcastic. He could strengthen them by giving them nothing more than words. That is no real sympathy. Mouth is used here in place of words, since its parallel, lips, is used in the next line. Good News Translation translates mouth as “advice.” Bible en français courant has “I would encourage you by sheer talk,” meaning by doing nothing but talking. This line may also be expressed “I could help you by making long speeches,” “I could strengthen you by using lots of words,” or “I could give you lots of advice, and so make you strong.”

And the solace of my lips would assuage your pain: solace translates a Hebrew word meaning “movement, agitation.” It is the “movement of the lips” that is parallel to “my mouth” in line a. The movement of the lips is the figure representing talk or advice, and this is said to relieve the pain. In Hebrew the word translated assuage has no object, but your pain has been supplied by Revised Standard Version. Some scholars interpret the word translated assuage to mean “restrain or withhold,” and so Dhorme “The movement of my lips I would not restrain.” In this view, if Job were in his friends’ place, he would give them all the comfort they required. It seems best, however, to understand line b as Job’s continuing sarcasm, and this may be expressed, for example, “and what I would say to you would make you feel good” or “the words I would say would be sufficient to relieve your pains.”

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 .