complete verse (Job 32:4)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Job 32:4:

  • Kupsabiny: “While those three people had spoken to Job, Elihu had kept quiet because he was still a young man.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “As long as they had been speaking with Job, Elihu had been remaining silent. For they were older than he was.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Elihu had waited that all of them finished speaking before he speaks to Job, because they were older than him.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Job 32:4

The Hebrew of this verse is literally “And Elihu had waited for Job with words, because they were older than he in days.” The Hebrew does not make it clear whether Elihu had been waiting to speak to Job, or whether he was waiting while the friends were speaking. Some suggest changing the Hebrew “with words” to “while they were speaking.” Good News Translation does not make any change but takes “with words” to refer to the speaking done by the friends, and so “until everyone finished speaking.” The friends were older than he; that is, older than Elihu, and therefore had more right to speak than Elihu. In translation it may be better to say, as does Good News Translation, “because he was younger than they were,” as this keeps the focus primarily on Elihu.

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 .