I must speak, that I may find relief: Elihu seems more concerned to take care of his own problem than to help Job. Verse 20 continues the depiction of Elihu under pressure and needing to ease his pain. To find relief is “to be comforted, to be freed from pain.”

I must open my lips and answer translates the Hebrew literally. This is a poetic way of saying “I must speak.” It is implied that it is to Job that Elihu must speak. In some languages in which the parallel lines will be understood as describing events in sequence, it will appear odd that someone would speak and then open the lips, as if speaking in line a could be done without parting the lips. In such cases it may be best to omit the second line as redundant, or better, to say, for example, “yes, I must speak out.”

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 .