Interpreters point out that verse 16 is difficult to relate to the wider context. Pope suggests it may be regarded as the protest of someone who was shocked at the idea that the attitude of the wicked was acceptable, and so Pope and others put the verse in brackets. However, the Handbook recommends that translators do as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation.

Behold, is not their prosperity in their hand?: Dhorme takes the word translated Behold (also in 13.15; 19.7) to transform a statement into a question and translates “Does not their happiness lie in their hands?” Bible en français courant has “Aren’t those people masters of their own happiness?” Good News Translation adds the words “they claim” in order to make a statement rather than a question. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch renders verse 16 “They believe every man is maker of his own fortune, but their way of thinking is far from mine.”

The counsel of the wicked is far from me: Eliphaz repeats this line in 22.18b. Counsel of the wicked is mentioned in Psalm 1.1. Revised Standard Version shifts in this line to a statement. Many scholars follow the Septuagint in this line in changing “from me” to “from him”; that is, “far from God.” However, as Rowley points out, is far from me means that Job refuses the prosperity of the wicked and desires the fellowship with God which he has been denied, and so Good News Translation translates “Their way of thinking I can’t accept.” Verse 16 may also be rendered “These wicked people think they make their own prosperity, but I don’t accept what they say” or “These people believe they decide their own happiness, but that way of thinking is not what I believe.”

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 .

Receive instruction from his mouth: Eliphaz thinks of himself as the spokesman for God. In 15.11 he referred to his advice as “consolations from God.” He has already established that he possesses a revelation (4.12-21). The word translated instruction (Hebrew torah) often refers to the law, but in this context it means instruction or “teaching.” From his mouth may be translated “which he himself gives.” This line may be rendered, for example, “Let God instruct you,” “Listen to what God teaches you,” or “Learn the lessons God gives you.”

And lay up his words in your heart: compare Psalm 119.11 “I have laid up thy word in my heart.” The heart is the place of meditation and memory. Bible en français courant translates “Take his words to heart.” Lay up translates a verb meaning “to keep, store.” This line may be rendered, for example, “store up God’s words in your heart,” “put God’s words in your heart and keep them there,” or “engrave his words on your mind.”

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 .

Among the olive rows of the wicked they make oil: as Revised Standard Version notes, the Hebrew is literally “between their rows they press out oil.” The Hebrew can also be understood as “between their walls,” which would refer to some kind of structure or enclosure where the olives are pressed. Among the olive rows suggests “between the rows of olive trees,” but this is a very unlikely place to put equipment for pressing olives. Dhorme makes a slight change to get “between two millstones.” Another proposed change gets “between their songs.” The verb translated they make oil is found only here, but it is derived from the common term for “oil” and most likely has the meaning as in Revised Standard Version. On the other hand, they make oil can be derived from the word for “noonday,” used in Syriac and Vulgate. The idea here would be that they are forced to work through the heat of the day. Good News Translation incorporates “and grapes for wine” from line b into line a and has “They press olives for oil and grapes for wine,” which provides a good rendering to follow. However, Good News Translation has not translated the location where this work is said to take place. In languages in which olives and grapes are unknown, it may be possible to substitute local fruits if a process of extracting oil and juice is used; for example, palm oil in many areas. Another possibility is to substitute some kind of generic expression; for example, “Near the trees belonging to the wicked, they squeeze out oil from the fruit.”

They tread the wine presses, but suffer thirst: here the picture is that of thirsty workers tramping their feet up and down on the grapes inside a vat to press out the juice, but they are not allowed to drink it. Tread translates the same verb rendered “trampled” in 9.8 and “trod” in 22.15. The word translated wine presses is found in Isaiah 16.10 “no treader treads out wine in the presses.” Wine press refers to a large wooden or stone vat or container which was connected to a lower container by a pipe or channel. As the grapes were mashed in the upper vat, the juice ran into the lower one. It may be necessary to make clear that these oppressed people are surrounded by juice and, although thirsty, they are not allowed to drink. In some languages the line may have to be expressed as, for example, “While they suffer from thirst, they mash the fruit into juice, but cannot drink.”

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 .

By his wind the heavens were made fair: his wind translates the Hebrew ruach “spirit, wind, breath.” Since this word is paralleled by hand in line b, it is best to take the meaning to be “breath.” However, in the context “wind” and “breath” are very similar. Were made fair translates a root meaning “sparkling, bright, pretty.” Dhorme takes this word to mean “sweep” and translates “His breath has swept the heavens.” This is followed by Bible en français courant and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible. New Jerusalem Bible says “His breath has made the heavens luminous” (meaning “bright”), and Good News Translation “… made the sky clear.” This line may also be rendered, for example, “God blew and made the sky clear,” “God’s breath blew away the clouds from the sky,” or “God made the sky bright by blowing away the clouds with his breath.”

His hand pierced the fleeing serpent: this is no doubt a reference to the same event described in Isaiah 27.1: “In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and will slay the dragon that is in the sea.” This monster is mentioned in 3.8 (see there for comments) and again in 41.1. See also Psalm 74.14 and 104.26. Hand may be taken as part for the whole, representing God, or as a substitute for “sword.” Pierced depicts the action resulting from the use of the sword in God’s hand, and may more generally be rendered “killed or destroyed.” Fleeing in fleeing serpent is uncertain. It may have been a conventional adjective used by poets in speaking of this sea monster. Good News Translation prefers “escaping,” but “gliding,” “slippery,” or “wriggling” express its movements. The line may be expressed, for example, “with his hands he killed the slippery snake” or “with the sword in his hand he destroyed the wriggling snake.”

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 .

He binds up the streams so that they do not trickle: the word translated binds up is uncertain, since it is only used elsewhere in the sense of binding up wounds. Some of the ancient versions substituted another Hebrew verb which differs only in the middle consonant, and they get the meaning “search.” Accordingly New Jerusalem Bible translates “explores.” Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, however, prefers to keep the Hebrew and translates “he dams up.” Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation differ significantly at this point. Revised Standard Version follows the traditional rendering of the Hebrew, which has “from weeping,” and takes this to mean “he dams up rivers so they do not leak into the mines.” If this is followed, “weep” is understood figuratively. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project rejects the traditional vowel pointing of the word translated “weep” and substitutes other vowels to give the meaning “sources,” that is, the spring waters where a river begins. This is followed by Good News Translation and many others and is recommended to translators. “They discover the sources of rivers” gives a better parallel for the following line than “He dams up the sources of rivers.” The line may also be rendered, for example, “They find out where rivers begin” or “They find where water comes out of the ground to form rivers.”

And the thing that is hid he brings forth to light: this line is parallel in sense to verse 10b. The thing that is hid is general and may refer to things in the earth as well as to the sources of rivers, and so means “whatever is hidden.” Brings forth to light means “makes them known” or “makes them visible,” and so “brings things that are not seen out to the light where people can see them.”

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 .

I broke the fangs of the unrighteous: the wicked person is here compared to a wild animal. Fangs translates a noun derived from the verb “to gnaw.” It is used in parallel with teeth in Joel 1.6 and Proverbs 30.14. Unrighteous translates the same word used in 16.11, which Revised Standard Version renders “ungodly.” To break the fangs of an animal is to disable it so that it is largely defenseless and unable to capture its victim. Therefore Job is saying that he not only rescued the oppressed, but he also disabled the oppressor so he could not continue his crimes. If the breaking of the teeth does not convey the thought of “taking away power,” it will be better to follow a nonfigurative translation such as Good News Translation: “I destroyed the power of cruel men.” In some languages another figure may be more appropriate; for example, Biblia Dios Habla Hoy says “I broke the jaw of evil doers.” In some languages it may be better to translate “I broke the hands of evil men.”

And made him drop his prey from his teeth: an animal whose fangs are broken will lose hold of its prey, that is, its victim. Teeth parallels fangs in the previous line. It may be clearer to say “drop his prey from his mouth.” Good News Translation “and rescued their victims” is a good model for translators who are avoiding the poetic images in this line. This line should be translated in such a way as to be consistent with the figure or nonfigure used in line a. For example, if “broke the hands” is used in line a, then line b may be rendered “and took his victim from him” or “and rescued his victim.”

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 .

Job continues to cry out but gets no response. This verse is exceedingly difficult, and translators and commentators interpret it in various ways. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation margins indicate that the Hebrew is unclear. Pope says it is one of the most difficult in the entire poem.

Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand: the first problem is the subject of stretch out his hand. In Good News Translation the subject is “you,” referring to God. In Revised Standard Version it is Job himself. Both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation understand one in a heap of ruins to be Job describing his own condition, which Good News Translation renders “a ruined man.” Stretch out his hand is a phrase used in Genesis 37.22, in which Reuben warns his brothers to “lay no hand upon” Joseph to do him harm. Good News Translation, Dhorme, Pope, and many others interpret this expression as meaning “to do harm,” and so Good News Translation “Why do you attack?” On the other hand Revised Standard Version and some others understand it to mean “to obtain help.” Furthermore the word translated heap of ruins is interpreted by many, including Dhorme, to mean “poor man,” and so Dhorme translates “I (Job) did not strike the poor man with my hand,” and New Jerusalem Bible “Yet have I ever laid a hand on the poor?”

And in his disaster cry for help: this line seems to state the conditions for the question or statement made in the previous line. Most modern translators make a change in the words translated cry for help. Good News Translation is close to Revised Standard Version in “beg for pity.” In both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation Job speaks of himself indirectly, as in Bible en français courant “In distress, doesn’t one cry out for help?” Bible en français courant has a note saying “Verse obscure, meaning uncertain.” Dhorme changes the text to say “If in his distress he cried out for my help,” referring to the same person as in the first line. Translators appear to be divided into two groups: (1) those who depict Job as defending himself for not harming the unfortunate person who called out for help; and (2) those like Revised Standard Version who depict Job justifying his pleas for help in the midst of his suffering. In the light of the following verse, it is preferable to follow the first group and translate, for example, “I never did anything to harm a person who was suffering, and who called out to me in his troubles.”

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 .