My lyre is turned to mourning: in 21.11-12 Job described the happiness of the children of sinners dancing to the music of harps and flutes or, as Revised Standard Version says, “lyre” and “pipe.” Here the same two instruments are mentioned. For comments on these see 21.11-12. My lyre is turned to mourning means that now, in contrast to former times, the instrument plays only the sounds of mourning or mournful music, and so Bible en français courant has “My guitar plays only tunes for mourning.” Good News Translation does not mention any specific instrument but captures the contrast well: “Where once I heard joyful music, now I hear only mourning and weeping.” Following Bible en français courant‘s model, we may also translate “On my instrument I can now only play the sad music of those who mourn for the dead.” The two lines may be combined to say “I can play on my instruments nothing but the sad music of those who weep and mourn for the dead.”

And my pipe to the voice of those who weep: that is, “Now my flute plays only the tunes of those who weep.” By keeping the instruments (whatever they may be) and representing Job as the musician, the reader gets a picture of Job as a person whose spirit is capable of making music, even if it has to reflect the sorrow of his mood.

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 .