Good News Translation translates verse 7 as two dependent conditional clauses and verse 8 as the main clause. Verses 9 and 10 are extensions of the main clause in verse 8. Only verses 7 and 8 will be dealt with here as a unit.

When I went out to the gate of the city: Job’s point of view is from within the city. Gate of the city refers to the large doors in the wall surrounding the city. These gates were open during the day, but closed at night or during attacks on the city. Good News Translation avoids any reference to the traditional location of the meeting place in the gate and in the square, but identifies both of these places in terms of their function in the context. In languages in which gate of the city will refer only to a place but not to its social function, it will be better to translate as in Good News Translation or, for example, “Whenever I attended the meeting of the town elders” or “Whenever the town’s leaders met to discuss business.”

When I prepared my seat in the square: prepared my seat means “when I sat down” or “when I took my seat.” Square refers to the open area inside the city wall, near the city gates, where town administration meetings (Deut 21.19), legal transactions (Ruth 4.1, 11), or markets (2 Kgs 7.1, 18) were held.

The young men saw me and withdrew: in this line it is the young men who move out of Job’s way. Withdrew translates a verb meaning “hid,” but these young men did not literally “hide”; they made themselves inconspicuous. They did not want to intrude, but they withdrew from the presence of older men, especially at the approach of a dignitary such as Job. Good News Translation says they “stepped aside.” Or we may translate “Young men saw me coming and so moved back” or “Young men gave me room as I approached.”

And the aged rose and stood: in this line, which is line b of verse 8, the aged, the old men who have higher status in the town meetings, did not withdraw like the young men, but “stood to their feet.” They would remain standing until Job invited them to be seated. In this way they would show respect for their leader. The sense of the verbs used here is past habitual action, which may be translated in English “would step aside” and “would stand up.” Good News Translation indicates the purpose of standing up: “to show me respect”; that is, “the old men stood up to honor me” or “the old men arose to show I was their superior.”

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 .