These two verses refer to the worship of nature. If I have looked at the sun when it shone: as Revised Standard Version indicates, sun translates the Hebrew for “light.” The accompanying verb, and moon in the following line, justify translating as sun. Looked does not by itself suggest to look on with awe or reverence, but means “when I looked at the shining sun” or “when I saw the sun shining in the sky.”

Or the moon moving in splendor: in splendor is literally “as a precious thing” and is used of precious stones. This qualification accompanies the Hebrew verb “walk,” and so depicts the moon as walking majestically across the heavens. New English Bible translates “or the moon moving in her glory,” and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “and watched the moon along its course in full splendor.” In some languages the line may be expressed, for example, “or if I have watched the beautiful moon in the sky” or “or if I have gazed up at the beauty of the moon.”

And my heart has been secretly enticed: Job denies that the sun and the moon have tempted him to worship them. The worship of heavenly bodies is condemned in Deuteronomy 4.19; 17.2-7; 2 Kings 23.5; and Jeremiah 8.1-3. Enticed is in the sense of “tempted, allured,” or as Good News Translation says, “led astray.” Secretly, as in 13.10, probably refers to the secret manner of some cult worshipers in Job’s time. “I have not been led astray secretly,” or more fully, “I have not been tempted to worship them secretly.”

And my mouth has kissed my hand translates the Hebrew clause “and my hand has kissed my mouth.” The reference is to the worshiper kissing his hand and holding it out for the sun or moon to receive. The idea is clear enough but is rendered in various ways in different translations. For example, New Jerusalem Bible has “so that I blew them a kiss,” New International Version “and my hand offered them a kiss of homage,” New American Bible “to waft them a kiss with my hand,” Good News Translation “by kissing my hand in reverence to them.” Bible en français courant avoids kissed my hand by translating “Have I taken them for gods and have I worshiped them?” In languages in which kissing is unfamiliar, it may be necessary to provide another gesture; for example, “and I have not folded my hands to honor them” or “I have not bowed down to show them reverence.” It may also be possible to retain the kiss gesture by adding the purpose, as in Good News Translation.

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 .