I would learn what he would answer me: if Job could get his case before his judge, he would learn, meaning “know, find out.” Good News Translation has not repeated I would in this line but has shifted to “I want to know….” Good News Translation has also transposed the two lines of verse 5, which places the more specific answer in the second line and provides a better style for English. What he would answer me refers to God’s defense of himself in the trial. New Jerusalem Bible translates “I could learn his defence.” If court room terms are not to be used in translation, we may say, for example, “I would find out what he has to say” or “… how he speaks for himself.”

And understand what he would say to me: the two lines of verse 5 are closely parallel in meaning, since learn in line a is matched by understand in line b, and he would answer me in line a by what he would say to me in line b. In 15.9 the same Hebrew words translated here as learn and understand are used in parallel. There is no attempt to make a distinction in meaning nor to effect poetic heightening. In some languages it may be necessary to shorten and combine the two lines of verse 5; for example, “I would find out what he would say when he answered me.” Others may prefer to keep the two parallel lines.

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 .