He sets on high those who are lowly: following God’s action in nature, there follows now his action on the human level. The sense of this verse can be compared to 1 Samuel 2.8, “He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap.” Those who are lowly translates a plural noun derived from a verb meaning to be down, or to be low and therefore “humble.” God sets these people “on high.” In some languages those who are lowly is rendered, for example, “people who have no position,” “people whose necks are bent down,” or “people who are looked down on.” The poet makes a clear contrast in his use of high and lowly. However, the contrast cannot be retained with the proper meanings in many languages, particularly where the humble are not associated with the position “low.” We may, however, say, for example, “God gives strength to the humble” or “God enables the weak to stand up.”

And those who mourn: the word translated mourn means “blackened ones” and depicts a person whose head and face have been dirtied with ashes in ritual mourning, as in Psalm 35.14; 38.6. The expression may have to be filled out to say, for example, “those who mourn for the dead.” Are lifted to safety translates the Hebrew “raise to safety” and is expressed in Psalm 12.5 as “I will place him in the safety for which he longs” (Revised Standard Version). Interpreters understand the expression lifted to safety variously. New Jerusalem Bible and New English Bible have “victory.” Another group of translations including Bible de Jérusalem, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “prosperity, happiness,” in line with Good News Translation “gives joy.” The translator has a considerable range of choice; for example, “God gives victory to those who mourn,” “gives them happiness,” “makes them joyful,” or “makes them safe.”

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 .