He is torn from the tent in which he trusted: King James Version takes trusted to be the subject “His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle,” but in verse 15 it is the wicked person who no longer inhabits his tent. Accordingly the wicked man should also be the subject of verse 14a, and trusted refers to his attitude toward his tent, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Torn from translates a verb used of pulling up tent pegs and cords. In languages in which an active construction is required, the logical actor in this context is death, which is again personified. This line may be rendered, for example, “Death takes him away from the security of his home” or “Death pulls him away from his house where he has been safe.” If death cannot be the actor in the receptor language, it may be necessary to employ a simile; for example, “Death takes him away from the safe home as people carry a dead man to his grave” or, keeping more of the imagery, we may say “As one pulls up tent pegs, death takes his life.”

And is brought to the king of terrors: the subject of the verb brought may be understood as second singular, “you (singular) will bring him,” or third singular, “it (or, he) will bring him.” Revised Standard Version follows a slight change in the text which gives third plural and which may be read as a passive, is brought, or as Good News Translation, “is dragged off.” The verb itself has a causative meaning, “to lead someone, to march someone off.” New International Version says “marched off to the king of terrors.” King of terrors is found nowhere else in the Bible. Pope takes this title to refer to the Ugaritic god of death, Mot. Psalm 49.14 says “Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd”; and “shepherd” is a royal title. The preferred rendering of king of terrors would be “King Death” as in Good News Translation. The line may also be rendered, for example, “They bring him to the one who rules over the dead” or “They make him march away to the chief of those who have died.”

In his tent dwells that which is none of his: Revised Standard Version gives a meaningless translation for a line which is not entirely clear in the Hebrew. Numerous suggestions have been made to change the text. Pope accepts that of Dahood, based on the similarity of the Hebrew word used here to the Akkadian and Ugaritic words for “fire.” New International Version follows Dahood and translates “Fire resides in his tent.” Biblia Dios Habla Hoy has “His house is set on fire.” Good News Translation “Now anyone may live in his tent,” also recommended by Hebrew Old Testament Text Project, is based on the view that, since the tent no longer belongs to its previous owner, it is empty and anyone may occupy it. Therefore we may translate the Hebrew “They live in his tent which is no longer his.” If the translator follows Good News Translation, this line may also be expressed “Anyone who wishes may move into his house” or “Anyone can occupy the house he has left behind.”

Brimstone is scattered upon his habitation: brimstone is a poetic word for “sulfur,” a substance which burns to produce an acid gas. It is associated in Genesis 19.24 and Revelation 14.10 with divine judgment. As the Good News Translation footnote explains, sulfur was used to disinfect rooms, particularly where corpses had laid. Good News Translation has made explicit in the text “to disinfect it.” There are other reasons for the use of sulfur, such as to rid a place of evil spirits or to make the ground sterile. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has a note on sulfur which says “By scattering sulfur the land is symbolically cleansed or a curse is expelled.” In most translations this line will remain unclear unless further information is supplied, either in the text or in a note, and in some cases in both. In languages in which sulfur is unknown, one may translate, for example, “yellow stones called sulfur” or “yellow rocks that burn, called sulfur.” It is recommended that translators follow Good News Translation, which may also be expressed, for example, “they sprinkle sulfur on his house to remove the disease.”

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 .