With verse 5 Bildad shifts his attention to the theme of the misfortunes of the wicked, which aims to impress on Job his need to confess his sins. Verses 5-6 have two parallel lines each, the images being light and darkness.

Yea, the light of the wicked is put out: see Proverbs 13.9; 24.20 for the same thought. Yea translates an adverb whose function is to affirm what follows as being in opposition to something said earlier, in this case the speeches of Job. It may be translated “In spite of your words” or “This is how it really is.” New English Bible renders it “No.” Light is a symbol of life and happiness (11.17). Light … is put out is a metaphor (see comments on “extinct” in 17.1) and means that death or disaster results. This line may also be expressed as a continuation of verse 4; for example, “Of course not. The wicked person comes to a bad end,” “In spite of what you claim, the evil person is bound to die,” or “No matter what you may think, death awaits all evil people.” If it is possible in the translator’s language to retain the life images of light and flame in a meaningful manner, the poetry will no doubt be enhanced. This may mean expressing the line a bit differently; for example, “No, the light which is life in the wicked will go out” or “Certainly not, Job, the life of the wicked will go out like a light.”

And the flame of his fire does not shine: flame is parallel with light of the previous line. Dhorme says the reference is not to “the flame of his hearth” (although Bible en français courant and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible take it this way), but it should be rendered the flame of his fire, as in Revised Standard Version, symbolizing life and happiness as in line a. Good News Translation and others render the verbs as future tense, whereas Revised Standard Version and others use the present tense as a habitual condition. In some languages it may be necessary to express the line differently; for example, “and he will grow cold like a fire that has died” or “and he will be like a fire that burns no more.”

The light is dark in his tent: this implies a process suggesting that the light in his house or dwelling will also go out, leaving his place in darkness. This line may have to be expressed, for example, “He will be like a light that no longer shines in his house,” “He will be like a house where the light no longer shines,” or “He will be like a darkened tent whose light has gone out.”

And his lamp above him is put out may mean the lamp hanging from the roof of his tent (so Rowley), but it may also mean “beside him,” as in New International Version “The lamp beside him goes out.” Here the meaning is taken best as in Revised Standard Version, in which the lamp is elevated, probably placed on a stand as in Matthew 5.15. This line may be rendered, for example, “and the lamp that shone above him has gone out” or “and the lamp above his head is now dark.”

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 .