complete verse (Job 14:3)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 14:3:

  • Kupsabiny: “Are you really concerned about a person like that, oh, God?
    Are you accusing a person like me in court and judging?” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “What! Will you keep on taking care of such a man?
    What! Will you bring him before you for judgment?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So why do- you (sing.) -closely-watch man(kind), LORD? Do you (sing.) still want to judge him?” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “Yahweh, why do you keep watching me to see if I am doing something that is wrong?
    Are you wanting to take me to court to judge me?” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("go")

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, ik-are-ru (行かれる) or “go” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Job 14:3

In spite of Job’s concentration on the shortness of life and its comparison to aspects of nature, he cannot forget his concern with God’s unjust treatment of him. In this verse Job expresses surprise that God should examine anything as unimportant as a human being.

And dost thou open thy eyes upon such a one: open thy eyes upon means “pay attention to, take notice of, look at,” the same as was used in 7.8. Such a one translates the Hebrew “this person,” which Good News Translation renders “me.” The pronoun in the second line is “me” in the Hebrew text. Consequently if “me” is used in line b, it probably should also be used in line a. However, the Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate, Revised Standard Version, and others change to “him” in line b in order to match the previous verses. Hebrew Old Testament Text Project recommends following the Hebrew “me” in line b. This line may also be expressed, for example, “Do you bother to notice me, God?” or “Do you even notice that I am here, God?”

And bring him into judgment with thee: bring … into judgment means “take to court, bring a lawsuit against, take someone before the judge.” With thee refers to God as the one who judges, so that the line says “And take me to court to be judged by you” or “… for you to judge me.”

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 .