These two verses can be taken together, since they are linked by the Hebrew words meaning either “how much more” or “how much less,” depending on the context. A similar pattern is found in the speeches of Eliphaz in 4.18-19 and 15.15-16.

Behold, even the moon is not bright: in 15.15b Eliphaz argued that “the heavens are not clean in his sight.” In line b of this verse the stars will be substituted for the “heavens.” Good News Translation has shifted in his sight from line b to the beginning of the verse to reinforce the parallel statement made in verse 4, and so it will apply to both lines of verse 5. In Revised Standard Version in his sight mistakenly applies only to line b. It is better to translate Behold as “If,” which enables the connection between verses 5 and 6 to be understood, and so “If in God’s eyes even the moon is without brightness…” (Hebrew Old Testament Text Project prefers “… does not shine.”)

And the stars are not clean in his sight: this line reproduces 15.15b, with stars replacing “heavens.” In many languages it will be awkward or impossible to speak of stars being pure or clean. The thought here is that both the moon and the stars fail to shine as they should, and so they are dim. Therefore it will sometimes be possible to translate “and if the stars are dim,” “if the stars give little light,” or, as in Bible en français courant, “and if the stars appear to him (God) as tarnished.”

Verse 6 expresses a negative comparison. How much less man, who is a maggot: the two lines of this verse are closely parallel in meaning and serve to emphasize the insignificance of human beings. To Bildad man is morally worth little because of his humble origins. Man translates the same Hebrew term used in verse 4a and may be rendered “person” or “human being.” The parallel form in line b is son of man, and this means the same as the “human person” in line a. Humankind is likened to a maggot. The same word is used to describe Israel in Isaiah 41.14. The word here translated maggot is used in 7.5; 17.14; 21.26, and in those passages Revised Standard Version translates it “worm.” See the comments on “worm” in 7.5. In those and other passages maggot is associated with a dead body. Only here and in Psalm 22.6 is the term used to express man’s insignificance. According to Dhorme the term is properly maggot, as in Revised Standard Version, and worm (from the verb meaning “to gnaw”) in line b refers to the “earthworm.”

And the son of man, who is a worm: son of man is parallel in meaning to man in line a. This expression represents the poet’s way of intensifying the thought. The heightening of emphasis is not in the pair of terms maggot … worm, but in man … son of man. Since it is the poet’s purpose to depict the insignificance of mankind, translators must find the most effective way to do this. For example, Good News Translation has used the pair “worm” and “insect.” Bible en français courant says “What will become of these miserable humans as insignificant as an ordinary earthworm?” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “How much less mankind, this miserable worm.” Good News Translation‘s rendering of the line, “What is man worth in God’s eyes?” does not translate the content of this line but seems to summarize verses 4-6. It is better to stay closer to the text. Due to the complex set of grammatical relations involved in verses 5 and 6, translators may find it necessary to state some aspects of the meaning more directly than the translations cited have done; for example, “If God does not consider the moon and stars to shine brightly, he considers human beings to be even less. To him they are maggots and worms”; “When God looks at the moon and the stars he considers them to be dim lights. When he looks at human beings they are nothing more to him than maggots and worms.”

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 .