The first verse is a prose introduction to God’s question to Job in verse 2. The wording is the same as in 38.1, except the phrase “out of the storm” is lacking. Since 40.1 continues without interruption from 39.30, it is clear that God is still the speaker. 40.1 was omitted in the Septuagint. Good News Translation reduces verse 1 to “Job” as a form of address and numbers the verses as 1-2.

Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?: this question asks if Job is prepared to argue against God. Faultfinder translates a word found only here, but it is based on a root meaning “to correct or reprove.” Dhorme argues for a very slight change in this word to make it mean “yield, give up,” which is followed by Good News Translation. Dhorme also takes the word translated as contend to be a participle, “contender, one who argues,” and translates “Will he who argues with Shaddai yield?” Almighty, as always in Revised Standard Version, translates Shaddai. Translators may follow Revised Standard Version or Good News Translation. In some languages adjustments must be made in translating contend with the Almighty when God is speaking of himself. For example, the Revised Standard Version form may be adjusted to say “You have criticized me, the Almighty God,” or the Good News Translation model “Will you now give up to me, God Almighty?” or “Will you now stop arguing with me, God Almighty?”

He who argues with God, let him answer it: argues may be taken to mean “criticize”; that is, the person who criticizes God should answer the questions that God has been asking Job. God in this line translates ʾEloah. Good News Translation has brought both terms for God together into line a as “Almighty God” and presents the alternative choices of action in the second line. This requires shifting “will you give up now” from line a to line b. This restructuring gives an adequate and clear translation. However, translators may prefer to retain the parallelism by translating, for example, “Job, will you now give up arguing against the Almighty? If you will criticize God, then you must answer the questions,” or in some languages, “If you will criticize me, then….”

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 .