orphan

The Hebrew, Latin and Greek that is translated as “orphan” in English is translated in Enlhet as “those who are gone past” (source: Jacob Loewen in The Bible Translator 1969, p. 24ff. ) and in Newari as “ones not having mother-father” (source: Newari Back Translation).

E.L. Greenstein (2019, p. 108) notes that, particularly in reference to Job 24:9 where the child is being nursed, that the Hebrew term “has the narrower meaning of “fatherless.”

See also orphaned.

complete verse (Job 31:21)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 31:21:

  • Kupsabiny: “When/If I have raised my hand in court
    agreeing that a poor person should be judged/accused,” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “Seeing that I had help in the court of justice,
    have I raised my hand against orphans?” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “If my hand has-hurt an orphan, because I know that I have influence in the court,” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Job 31:21

Verse 21, in Revised Standard Version as in Hebrew, is the final “if” clause in the string which began with verse 13. Verse 22 contains the punishment Job calls down on himself if he is guilty of committing the crimes mentioned in verses 13-21. Good News Translation makes verse 22 the punishment only for the offense mentioned in verse 21, as do some other modern translations. This is done usually by putting a blank space between verses 20 and 21, and making verses 21-23 a unit.

If I have raised my hand against the fatherless: raised my hand translates a phrase meaning to shake the hand at someone in a threatening gesture. Job is claiming that he never used his power to oppress people or his influence to deprive them of justice. The fatherless translates the usual word for “orphan.” Some scholars feel that the word for “orphan” is inappropriate here, having already been mentioned in verse 17. Accordingly they divide the Hebrew words meaning against the fatherless to get “the innocent.” However, Hebrew Old Testament Text Project classes the Hebrew phrase “against the orphan” as an “A” reading and translates it that way. The idea is that Job could easily threaten to have the orphan punished by raising his hand in a threatening gesture. Good News Translation translates “If I have ever cheated….” The context justifies this rendering, but the poetic language calls for an expression of a threatening nature; for example, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible says “brandishing my fist at an orphan.” If a threatening gesture is not available in the language, we may translate, for example, “I have never threatened an orphan” or “Have I ever threatened to harm an orphan?”

Because I saw help in the gate: line b gives the imagined reason why Job could have done harm to an orphan, something which he says he did not do. Help in the gate refers to having the support and backing of the other officials in the town. If Job had wanted to mistreat anyone, he could have counted on those men who sat in the town council to defend him. Good News Translation “knowing I could win in court” means that Job has the support of the local court system (that met in the gate of the city) to defend his case. We may also say, for example, “I have never threatened to harm an orphan, even though I knew the officials would be on my side if I did.”

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 .