For I am full of words is without question an honest remark. In some languages to be full of words implies that words have been eaten or drunk. Accordingly we must sometimes translate “I have many words to say,” or “The words I have to say are endless,” or “Words come from my mouth like air.”

The spirit within me constrains me is literally “the ruach presses in my belly,” where ruach can mean “wind,” “breath,” or “spirit.” It is most likely that Elihu is being satirized by the poet, and so the ruach pressing in his belly is the equivalent of calling himself a “windbag,” someone who talks endlessly and says nothing important. Good News Translation keeps the focus on “words” from line a with “I can’t hold back the words.” This line may also be expressed as “I am bursting with words,” “I am stuffed with words,” or “I can’t hold back the words that are in me.”

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 .