Bildad now draws his conclusion from the saying and its explanation. Such are the paths of all who forget God: paths translates a word meaning “destiny, fate, future.” The Septuagint translates “latter end” by making a change in the text, and this is followed by some editors. Dhorme retains the Hebrew text and finds support in Proverbs 1.19, where the same term is said to mean “fate” and is rendered “this is what happens to anyone” by Good News Translation. Who forget God does not mean to fail to remember God, but as in Deuteronomy 8.11-20, to refuse to acknowledge God’s authority, or to disobey him. This line may be rendered, for example, “People who disobey God are like those plants” or “This is what happens to people who pay no attention to God.”

The hope of the godless man shall perish: hope refers to the source of renewal which an individual needs to survive, and is the spiritual equivalent of the sustaining water for the plant. For comments on hope see 4.6. Godless man parallels all who forget God in the previous line. The word translated godless occurs repeatedly in Job and is based on a verb meaning “to be profane”; that is, the person has turned aside from God and has therefore cut himself off from worship and contact with God, almost as if ritually unclean—but by his own decision. The term is used especially in connection with murder and adultery, but here is closely parallel in meaning with all who forget God. In many languages it is not possible to say that “hope perishes or dies.” However, it is often possible to express this line as “Godless people perish without hope.”

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 .