They waited for me as for the rain: in line a the word translated rain is a general term, and in line b spring rain translates a specific term for the rain that falls in March and April and is essential for the young plants which will face dry periods during the summer growing season. Accordingly these rains are sometimes translated “the latter rains.” Since there is poetic heightening in the movement between the two lines, line a may be rendered in a general manner; for example, “They waited for me as people wait for rain.”

And they opened their mouths as for the spring rain: opened their mouths is a poetic way of expressing anticipation and anxiety for the rain. In the poetic heightening of this verse, line b carries line a forward and to a more intense level through the use of a metaphor and a specific parallel, spring rain. The entire verse may be translated in such a way as to reflect this poetic movement; for example, “The people waited for me just as they wait for the rain, in fact, they were like anxious farmers looking for their last spring rain.”

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 .