Thou hast turned cruel to me: Job is unable to account for the change of God’s attitude toward him. Here Job renews his longstanding complaint against God expressed in 13.24; 16.9; 19.11. Turned in the sense of “became” is used also in Isaiah 63.10. Cruel is used the same way in Lamentations 4.3. The phrase suggests that God has become cruel, whereas in former times he was not. New Jerusalem Bible renders it “You have grown cruel to me,” and Biblia Dios Habla Hoy “You have become cruel to me.” New English Bible says “Thou hast turned cruelly against me.” All of these appear to be better than Good News Translation, “You are treating me cruelly.”

With the might of thy hand thou dost persecute me: might of … hand occurs also in Deuteronomy 8.17 and expresses, as in Good News Translation, “with all your power.” And so Job says “You use all your power to make me suffer.”

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 .