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 .