Lo, he passes by me, and I see him not: in these parallel lines Job speaks of the mystery of God’s ways in relation to his own. God is not only the powerful creator who hangs the stars in the sky, but he is also elusive and invisible. In 4.15-16 Eliphaz experienced an eerie wind gliding over his face. Here Job cannot see him. For comments on Lo see 5.27; and see discussion on the synonymous term “behold” in 1.12, 19. Passes by me means that God passes close to where Job is. The verb translated see carries also the connotation of “being acquainted with.” He moves on, but I do not perceive him: perceive translates a word very close in meaning to see in line a, so that Good News Translation reduces the two lines to one. Perceive him may need to be expressed “I do not know that he is there” or “I am not aware of him.”

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 .